The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-07
GENERAL WALKERS HISTORY ON
"THE BLOODY ANGLE"

| gives an account Oh Nhdt nc "''"'"
on the morning Of May IL. 1864. at Spot
sylvania Courthouse. when Hancock
corps broke through and captured nearly
all Of General Edward Johnston's divl-
sion. IS an historical document OF prime
Importance that should be preserved
amongst the records OF the southern
Historical Society. 1t was not necessary
for General Walker, commander Oh the
Stonewail brigade. TO tell us that 'he
position he occupied that morning was
one free from danger. and that he can
| therefore be trusted TO have made MS
observations without excitement. Eeneral
| Walker proved the metal he Is mace Oh
on so many bloody battleields that MS
| statements OF fact are accepted anywhere
| ne true. whether he witnessed the incl
dents he relates. under the stress OF bat
flo or in the calm of camp. All Conied-
crate soldiers know. since General
Walkers account of the affair. that II
took place just as he has given 1t.
we care not one straw for the criticism
which we shall bring upon ourselves for
| but the decisive lesson which this MARIA
tive teaches is that the Confederate SOL
der was infinitely superior as soldier
10 the soldier OF the Union. Hancocks
corps attacked single line or battle In
columns OF brigade This means that
| each brigade. Of four or five regiments
advanced with regiment front, and each
OF its other regiments at proper distance
I'm rear. A mass of men was therefore Ill
rected at each part of the thin line OF
hattie assailed. Nowajt is perfectly PLAIN
from General Walkers statement that'
although Hancock's men were advancing
in this compact mass, they could never
have been induced to come up TO the
Confederate line If the muskets or the
Confederates had not refused to IRE.
Hancock's performance is exploited In all
the Yankee school histories that our
Youths are forced to study in the public
schools as a great achievement in war.
II was nothing of the sort 1t was the
case of a mass Of men running over an
unarmed line by force of its own weight.
Now the remark we wish to make on
II is this: If Hancocks brigades had been
composed of Confederate soldiers they
would never have halted when they came
In sight OF the line of our men. The rush
with which the movement was started
would have been kept up until the oppos-
ing line was broken or until the attack
ing columns were shattered. There would
have been no case of officers appealing to
motionless men to Forward" who would
not forward" until they learned that
the enemy could not fire. Instead, there
fore. Of the incident being one which
sheds lustre upon the Union arms and
discredit upon those of the Confederacy,
it is one without special credit to the
former and wholly without shame to the
latter.
One statement in General Walkers
paper fails to do full justice to that i'm
mortal army which General Lee COM
manded in that glorious campaign. He
says that Grant crossed the Rapidan
on the 4th of May with 141. 900 men, and
that General Lee had opposed to him
$4,000 We know with definite certainty
that Grant had many more than al 900,
and while It cannot be demonstrated with
mathematical certainty that General Lee
had much fewer than ca 900, 1t can be with
moral certainty.
The 36th volume Of Series l., Part 3. Of
the rebellion Record" a page 426, gives
= hot
duty on the morning of May 81, 1864
after all the fighting of the Wilderness
and Spotsylvania was over. This is the
official record of the War Department
at Washington. 1t states that he had
present for duty on the morning of May
most reliable account Of his losses be-
tween May 4th and 31st is that of Captain
Phisterer, an officer Of the regular army
in his Statistical record" He places his
losses between those days at 66, III. Now
If this be added TO those present for duty
we have for Grant on May 4th a grand
total of 1871 men. This of course in
cludes the Ninth corps under Burnside
and the renforcements that Joined him
on the way in the Wilderness. But all
those were under his immediate command
when he commenced the movement, ami
he could have had them all present for
duty and in position on May 4th If he
had seen how he could use them. They
are therefore chargeable TO him as troops
present for action on that day.
But this is not all. Butler, under his
command had on the lower James $3.50
more cd, page 420, so that Grant COM
menced his move commanding, in the
field. .7S1 men. What had General Lee
to oppose to this vast host? General
Early has proved to a moral demonstra-
ton in the Southern Historical Papers
for July, 1876. that General Lee had on the
Rapidan less than $1,000 men. The volume
OF the Rebellion Record that we have
quoted from contains a letter from Cen
eral Beauregard TO Persistent Davis. Civ
ing the number with which he opposed
Butler and they were 1850 man. So that
$3.50 Confederates were all that sue
cessfully opposed this vast host Of 239. 731
men throughout that long and bloody
summer. in which they killed and wound
ed more men than all of themselves com
bined
Those who choose may talk of Their