The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-04
l"GENLLEE TO THEREAR'
REMIyIscENoEs OF sTIRRxNG
EVENTS OF THE WAR.
Grants Fruitless Attacks on Lees Army.
An Attempted Flank Movemens-Use-
less Muskets-The Bloody Angle.
For The Times.)

| Ing OF tne n. 4. NH STATUS, IN May last
while fighting my battles over with old
comrades, the battle of Spotsylvania
Courthouse came up. and the statement
contained In this letter were made by me,
and seemed to be news to the other gen.
Element present. and promised would
write them for publication as 5000 as
could find time to do so.
After much delay l have written what
follows. giving the occurrences related
as they appeared to the restricted vision
of an eyewitness. There was doubtless
much that occurred very near me that
did not see, but what / did see is indel-
libby written on my memory.
A little retrospection will not be amiss
before speaking OF that days work. 1t
will be remembered that the Army of
Northern Virginia, having defeated Nc
DoweIl, Mcclellan, Pope, Burnside and
Hooker, met its first check at the hands OF
| General Meade, Virginian, at Gettys-
| burg. The Federal Government then
brought General Grant from the West,
flushed with victory, TO command the
largest and best-equipped army ever
gathered on American soil. Its appointed
task was to destroy the army OF General
Lee and capture the Capital of the Con-
federate States. To accomplish this cher
ished object the new commander vas
| promised all the men, the means and the
munitions Of war he should ask for.
on the 4th OF May, 1853 when General
Grant crossed the Rapidan river, his
whole force amounted to $4,000 mon.
| while that OF General, Lee amounted to
| Ga 900. the odds being over two and a-quar-
ter to ore.
Any other commander except Robert T..
Lee would have felt IL prudent to retire
before such odds, and watch for opportu-
| mites to strike his antagonist at exposed
points, and select and fortify a strong
| position near Richmond. But General Lee
was as bold and daring as he was sktllful
| aud prudent and he knew the men he
commanded were equal TO any task that
mortals could accomplish, and that they
relied on him with unquestioning faith.
| They believed that whatever General Lee
did was the very best that could be done
and they believed that whatever ne set
before them to do they could and they
would do.
| General Lee knew that with such men,
| the veterans of three years experience,
he could confidently calculate on defeating
an army Of more than two and one-fourth
| TO one
As soon as ne learned that his advcr-
sary had crossed the river he broke his
camp around Orange Courthouse and ad-
| vanced into the Wilderness, and On the
| 5th gave battle 10 the enemy as soon as
he came UP with him, and General Grant,
| instead Of following retreating foe,
| found himself compelled to halt, concern
| trate his vast army, and deliver battle
| before he had crossed the river thirty-six
hours.
After two days hard fighting Gensral
Grant was no nearer Richmond that when
| it begen, and he gave up the task Of
driving General Lee before him, and Of
defeating him in a pitched battle.
The 7th of May was passed In compare
| tive quiet the Confederates confidently
awaiting the expected attack. which never
| came.
The two armies then rested about sew
enty-hve miles northwest OF Richmond.
| with the Confederate right and the Fed
| eral left flank nearest to Richmond,
which lay to the southwest.
Ii will be seen that by moving by his
left flank General Grant could pass
around. General Lees right and place
his army between his adversary and the
Confederate capital.
On the afternoon and night OF the 7th
General Grant began his first flank move
ment. and withdrew from the front of
his adversary, and attempted by a secret
AID quiet movement to pass around
General Lees right flank under cover OF
darkness and get between General Lees
| army and Richmond. 1t will readily be
seen that General Grant had a longer
line TO traverse TO reach any point be-
tween his antagonist and Richmond than
General Lee had 10 reach the same point.
In military phrase. General Lee operated
oh.
had the outer and longer line. But this
advantage for the Confederate comman-
der was counterbalanced by the fact that
General Grant, by covering his movement
with his cavalry. and thin lines OF in
fantry pressed close 10 the lines OF his
foes. and making the demonstrations as
IL an attack was imminent, could with
draw the great bulk of his army from the
front and get several hours the start be-
fore his real designs could be fathomed.
When General Grant. on the 18th day OF
May, began his flank movement his OBJ
jectlve point was Spotsylvania Court
house, which would place him in rear Of
Lees right flank. General Lee on the
night Of the 7th discovered Grants move
ment, and at once began to bring up his
infantry by forced marches to support
Stuart's cavalry, which was already in
front OF the marching columns of blue.
making, as they always did, a gallant fight
TO delay them until the infantry came up.
The division OF General Anderson, OF
Hills corps, reached the Courthouse on
the morning Of the Sth, and almost at
the same moment the vanguard OF the
Federal army came upon the ground
The advance guards OF the two armies at
once grappled. and the Confederates
drove back the enemy and seized upon
the strategic points to hold them for the
battle ground.
While these advance guards were thus
confronting each other at Spotsylvania
Courthouse on the morning Of the sth,
the remainder OF the two armies, stretch
ed back for ten miles, were hurrying up
as fast as forced marches could bring
them, and as division after division OF
the Federal army arrived II would swing
round the left of their line as pivot
and form on the left of the troops al
ready in line. while the Confederates
would swing round the right flank and
form on the right OF their line.
Thus all that beautiful spring day the
hostile armies were wheeling into line,
and all day fierce combats and bloody
skirmishes were going on between de-
tachments and divisions as they strug-
gled for coveted positions.
The artillery on either side as II came
up would seize upon the heights, and
quickly unlimbering, would salute the
new arrivals with the thunder Of the
Guns and the screechlng and bursting
sounds Of shot and shell. II was grand
game OF war played by two gallant
armies, led by the two great generals with
consummate skill and ability.
1t was late In the afternoon or the
sth when Johnston's division Of Ewells
corps arrived on the field. and the enemy
was pressing our men holly and tapping