Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-21
OUR BATTLE-FIELDS.
CONGRESSMAN CUMMINGS CON
TINuEs THE STORY OF HIS VISIT
CbapceIIorsyiI,o and the Msnsion-"here
stoncwnii Received Ills Deatf-"o"""'
A Taih with Jactson's Guide.
New York Sup.l

| Uotcl in carriapes on. its way to Chancel-
| lorsville. As it passes over tho belgh's
| and out Of the city of Fredericksburg the
roads become bad. 1t has the clay founda-
| ton so familiar to those who were IN
Burnside's mud-march. The clay on TINS
hot day IS dry and baked. and the ruts
reach nearly to the hubs OF the carriages
| Very little work is done upon these VIZ
gina roads. OF course, there are places
| where the horses can be put upon tr0t'
but the most of the travelling Is az wu,k.
| Here IL little brick church nye niles
out of the city. II stands on the lett OF
the road in clearing in the woods. ms
is Salem church. 1ou see the marks OF
| bullets and OF shells IN the bricks. thirty
wards below it you can trace q line OF
| eartnen breastworks trailing down through
the woods to the right. It's sinuous course
| is clearly seen beneath this second growth
of timber.
night when Sedgwick, after capturing the
! heights. endeayoredt to form junction
with Hooker 1t was here that the Jersey
brigade suffered such sore loss. The
| fighting was terrific. Ii began n little
after shutdown and lasted till long after
| dark. The Confederate lire was held by
Alabama and other troops. Among the
colonels was Hilary A. Herbert. now chair
man Of the Committee on Naval Affairs IN
| the House OF Representatives.
| After repelling the Union troops the
| Confederates moved around the left flank
of Sedgwicks Corps and recaptured Fred
| ericksburg before morning. Sedgwlck
| drew his corps back over these wooded
hills on the right toward the head of the
Rappahannock. On this highest hill, a
mile away, he established communication
by signal flags with Falmouth. The result
| was that pontoons were sent 10 Banks
Ford, some miles above the city. Sedg-
wick held his corps well IN hand, await
| ing the construction OF this pontOon
| bridge Away of here on the right Nc
| Laws, with half Of Lees army, left Hook
ers front and came down upon the de
tached Sixth Corps They reached 1t
about sundown on Monday night, May 9Th.
| There was desperate fighting. Sedgwick's
| line was broken at one time, but the men
rallied and drove the COntederates back
| They made no second charge. Under cover
of the night tho whole corps was with
drawn across the pontoon bridge.
| cHANCELLoRsyILLF.
We leave Salem church and drive on. 1t
| is six miles further TO Charlottesville.
! Sedgwick had got within SIX miles of
| Hooker's headauarters. Tho road is still
very bad, but after drive Of an hour and
| half through the woods the old
| Chancellor House comes in view. IL was
| Hooker's headquarters. 10 was burned
| during the battle but its brick walls re-
NAMED intact. They have been reset and
! still bear the solid shot and shells that
/ lodged there during the fight. A long
/ shell entered the house without ex-
ploding. went through the second story,
| and still protrudes from the opposite brick
gable. From the outside of the house you
| can hang hat on II. In resetting the
walls the masons did not disturb It, nor
| did they disturb the cannon-b balls also
| lodged there.
The house has double verhnda running
| half way down its front. There are stone
steps leading 10 the lower part of 1t. The
pillars are OF wood and are not aren't
| tectural. They are not so heavy nor
round as they were at the time. of the
| fight. when General Hooker. IN leaning
against them, was stunned by the eXplo-
SION Of a shell.
! The most of the party had been active
participants in the fight. The Sergeant
pointed 10 tho road on the left OF the house
! down which the terrified Eleventh Corps
fed after tine surprise by Jackson. Be
yond il you see the forest. in which hun
dreds of Union soldiers were burned to
death when the underbrush was hred by
tine explosion of Confederate shells. In
4
Corps did such glorious fighting. Sergeant
ManniOn looked TO the right toward
/ knoll covered with rank. dead weeds. Back
of ID was lone chimney. The house mai
crumbled TO the ground.
There it was" said he, that my bat
tery was placed. After the surprise of the
Eleventh Corps il was left there, entiladed
by he Confederate batteries. Lees head
quarters were 10 the left over the woods.
In assaultlng Sickles's Corps the Confede-
rates made desperate efforts 10 capture the
battery. Ii was really in great danger.
When Sickles was being driven back our
battery remained in position. 1t seemed
to have been overlooked by the general
! commanding Our captain refused to
move till ordered TO do so. General Dick
inson, learning OF the situation, gave the
order 20 move in the nick of time. We got
all the guns off but one. The most of our
! horses had been killed With fresh horses.
| / made break for the last gun. We had
reached 1t and were dragging II from the
knoll when a she'll exploded above our
| heads 1t killed one of our men, tore the
| shoulder out Of another, and cut of the
! arm of a third. IL tore the head OF my
| horse and fell beneath the animal. | was
/ stunned for some time. When got up
/ cut the traces of the dead horse and we
managed to get the gun again within our
/ lines.
ut was not long. after this when the
! Contederates emerged from the woods.
and Slckles's line was driven beyond the
! Chancellor House. The mansion was then
/ left between the two armies. In It's cellar
were several old ladies. The house was
/ getting sheli.d from both sides. Some of
/ the ladies suggested that they run sheet
out of a window and that General Lee
would probably order his forces TO stop
firing at the house.
NO replied an old lady. we cannot
do that We cannot allow General Lee to
lose tins ba tie for fear that the lives of
few old women will be jeopardlzed.'
Not long after tins the house was sat
on fire by the bursting of shells. Seven
teen persons were in the cellar. In the
noise and tumult OF the battle they were not
aware that the roof had fallen III and that
| the house was being destroyed. General
! Dickinson, OF Hooker's staff. knowing that
tn ladies were III the cellar, at the great
risk or his life, left his troops, came to the
house, and rescued the party. He convey
ed themtO a ravlne inside the Union lines.
where they found shelter till the battle
was over"
sToSEwALL JACKSON.
! Standing on the porch Of the Chancellor
| House and looking 10 the front tine scene
Is picturesque. The country Is rolling and
covered WITH woods. There are naples.
] Dlut1. anu teuuIr. L ne i uFldce TOh1,
over which Jackson passed 20 make his
attack upon the right flank. runs halt
! mile 20 the front of the house. Jack
/ son was MORALLY wounded half mile 10
! the right. at the side of the road which
passes the house. 1t is a straight road
| over the rolling ground. There are woods
on each side OF it. The spot where he was
/ snot Is marked by granite monument sur
rounded by. high circular iron fence.
I There Is aslarge quartz rock forty feet
away. This monument was dedicated
when General Fltzhugh Lee was Governor
of Virginia. Senator John W. Daniel de-
/ livered the Grafton. IL was masterpiece
of patriotic eloquence.
| Wild violets and Wild lilacs are BLOOMING
at the base of the monument. they ex-
hale a refreshing perfume. A Confederate
soldier who was with jackson has joined
our party. lie stands in front of the shaft
with uncovered head. He asserts that
Jackson was wounded further away from
the road and forty yards away from the
monument. He bases his assertion upon
personal knowledge. He says that his
battery was camped in the road but a few
yards below when the volley was fired