Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-10-28

though perhaps even more somber
and gTuesome-that strangest Of all
hattle-felds of the war, the .'Wilder-
ness"
When Hooker swung his army
around to Charlottesville, he was in
the edge of that dark. dense and silent
forest which extends from that point
70 Mine Run and beyond. 1t is a strip
OF country from three 10 seven miles
wide, which is penetrated here and
there By roads, but whose depths
furnish safe retreats for the wildcat,
the owl. the serpent and the fox. 1t
is a lonely ride along even the best
travelled highway in time of peace
The hoct Of the owl is heard from the
dark thickets at MONDAY, and the
deadly moccasin snake leaves his
trail in the dust as he crosses the
highway TO plunge into a denser
swamp.
There is not spot on the main high
way where one could see the length of
a regiment on the march, and he VIII o
would hide from the whole world has
but to take twenty steps to the right
I or left, says the Detroit Free Press. In
/ days gone by the slaves in that part
l of Virginia had horror of this wild
/ erness. Runaways sought its cover
I and were safe from master and dogs.
/ but as they skirted the swamps the
/ deadly serpent reared its head and
/ struck them with death. Murderers
I have been driven in there by hot pur-
suit, never to be heard of again, and
men have made clearings here and
there only to be driven out by the
! sterile, unyielding soil and the strange
/ lonesomeness of the woods. War
would have avoided it, but war was
/ dragged there. Every acre Of the dark
pines. every acre of the tangled thick
cts, every dismal swamp and barren
knoll echoed the shrieks and groans
of wounded men and the travail of
fierce battle. History may tell you
that it is a singular spot for a grapple
of enemies thirsting for carnage, but
history will not paint the weirdness
of even peaceful ride through that
desolate tract.
In the first grapple between Grant
and Lee in this dense tangle &c, 900
men fought for five hours, and at the
going down of the sun 5000 lay dead
and wounded. In the seven miles
front occupied by the two armies
there were not a half dozen spots
where single battery could be
massed to sweep an acre of clear
ground There was not spot where
brigade commander could stand and
overlook his four regiments as they
stood in line of battle
There was at one point on the right
a cleared spot of about two acres in
extent, and Federal battery, which
was dragged through the forest, was
placed in position there about Z o'clock
in the morning of the second day. In
ten minutes three of the guns were
silenced by the musketry fire, and
charge was made by the Confederates
TO capture the whole. Here two regi-
ments grappled and fought until 300
men encountered the ground. Again
the battery opened, and again it was
charged, and when the COnfederates
retired the dead had to be corded up
TO get them out of the way. Again
and again fresh artillerists were
brought up and fresh fire opened,
and again and again the ConfedeFates
charged and added scores and hun
dreds to that awful pyramid of dead.
Grant had not advanced on his right.
I Lee had not advanced on his left.
Where the dead fell in the gray of
morning there was the battle line
when night shuddered at the sights it
hid from view.
The fighting on the second day was
to save that narrow and tortuous
highway known as the Brock road to
the Federals. 1t was the path into
and out of the great forest. Along it
must move every man, horse, gun and
wagon. 1t is a dark and lonesome
highway as you ride over it to-day
and every foot of it has story of
blood The burial parties found
hundreds who had crawled into the
tnickets and swamps and died, and
years after the government con-
tractors, who were removing the dead
to the national cemeteries, found
scores of skeletons which had never
been buried at all.
When night came again the Federals
had secured possession of the road,
and under the pines were thousands
of dead-thousands of manned and
crippled-and as twilight faded into
darkness along that front of seven
miles, stretching over swamp and
thicket there arose a direful sound