Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-08-13
Bloody Spottsyivania.

Should you ask veteran Of the war,
officer or private, to point out the blood
spot Of the war, the field on which the
carna ge was greatest in given time, no
two would perhaps agree. Almost every
battle of the war would be named, and
not one in a hundred answers would
locate the spot
It was at Spottsylvania, on the second
day of the fight. On the afternoon Of
the first, as the Second and Fifth corps
moved up against the earthWorks
crowning Laurel Hill, they were driven
back after fight lasting not over forty
minutes, with a loss of almost 5000
killed and wounded. The dead were
ten to every wounded man. There
was no heavy fighting next day. Grant
was inspecting Lees lines for weak
spot. He found it at the point known
to every soldier on both sides and to
history as the Horseshoe. In forming
his battle line Lee had left this to
stand. Indeed, his troops had formed
it as they left the field. At this one
spot his field-works projected out from
a bay. A whole Federal corps might
have been rushed against it in daylight
to it's destruction, but Grant moved
Hancock's troops by night and stationed
them for dash in the gray of morning.
They rested on the field Of the Brown
farm and the farmers house was Han
cocks headquarters. From HancOck's
lines to the Horseshoe was less than
half mile, with the route INSTRUCTED
ny thickets and a second growth forest.
Just before daybreak Of that early
summers morning, with a mist rising
from the fields and thicl1ets, and while
the birds were family chirping in the
trees as they noted the coming of the
dawn, Hancock's men moved forward.
The Confederate pickets were only pis-
tolshot away. AS they challenged, the
lines got the word to double-quick, and
the pickets were carried along with the
rush. With cheers and yells, which
were heard two miles away, the FEEDER
ais struck the fieldworks-dashed over
them-were upon the Confederates
before even single company had raj
lied. Some of the defenders were pre-
pairing an early breakfast-some yet
slept More than 5000 prisoners were
captured in twenty minutes, and Lees
right center was pierced.
Then came delay and confusion, and
the golden moment was lost. He formed
a new line in rear of the Horseshoe,
and the Federals reached it to be driven
back to the ground they had captured.
Now it was Lees turn. He did here
what he did at Gettysburg attempted
the impossible. Five times within ten
hours did he hurl great masses of troops
at Hancock's front, but each time they
were repulsed with dreadful slaughter.
Every charge was made with a momen-
tum which carried the Confederates
clear up to the feld-works, and there
they were shot and bayoneted or taken
prisoner. After the third charge the
dead almost blocked the way, while the
cries of the wounded almost drowned
the roar of the musketry. There was
not tree nor bush nor twig nor blade
of grass which was not cut by the flying
missiles. The earth was ridged and
ploughed and furrowed as if some
mighty drag had passed and repassed.
The very air seemed to blaze and burn
After l o'clock it rained heavily, and
wounded men dragged themselves
about and drank out of the pools and
hollows. Those who could not crawl
lay with open mouths to cool their
parched tongues by catching a few
drops. In front of a part Of Birney's
division was sink-hole. Into this rain
and blood collected until it was full of
red blood, and around this were
hundred wounded men, drinking and
moaning
Not when the sun went down-not
when the night came-but only at mid
night did Lee cease hurting his gray
masses at Hancock's front. Then the
living could no longer charge over the
dead and wounded. And when the
morning came again and men looked
out on those acres of field and bush,
they saw what was seen nowhere else
during the long and bloody war--the
earth hidden from sight-the soil SO
glutted with blood that when the burial
parties cleared it from it's awful burden
it had turned red.