Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-10-06
A Strange Battlefield.


,;. j., ,..,
.h.,',n % ',,' a,.or ,,Hrs @ snmhre and rru.
M t.trop,a.t ,aIIbattIetirlds
Of the war the wilderness" When
Hooker SWING his army around to-
wards Chancelorsy,Ile. he was in the
,.l..oof tnot dsrk Japss and silent
go. Ill, .v,.,,J. from, tb.t poiut
,, MINI Runand b4yond Itissstrip
.,,,,,ot.,. from, ,braa IN ssv.n mile.
Ian. which +. nanatrated here and
-. r,.1. Irt .,,bo.s d.nths rur-
..i.t, ..,,,,. c,. rho wildcat tha
a,,l ,,. ..r,.rt snd rho fox II i, A
I,n.Iv rid. aIony even the best trav
slad highway in time Of pracr. The
boot of tLa owl i, heard from the
dark thirkpts at MONDAY, aud the
deadlv moccasin snake leave, hi,
trail i'm the dust ~ he crosses the
highway 10 pluuy- into dense
.uaun Th.rs /. NOT a SPOT ON the
mai, bi.,hy,y Yh4r. one ronld see
tbs I,ugth Of a regiment on the
march and he vino would hide from
rh. whole world has but 10 taketren-
r. step, to right or left.
In davs gon. by tho slaves in that
p,rt of Virginia had n horror OF this
,yiId.rn,s. Ruuaways sought its
covar and were safe from master aud
Jo.,. h,to. tn.v .,,i,tsI the swnmps
m. d.,dIv .arnanr reared his head
md strurl, him with death. Murder
ars have, b.en driven in there bv hot
pur,uit. never to be heard of again,
and men have made r!eariugs here
ond thar. only IN ne driven out bv
the sterile. unyielding soil and the
.,ror,. lonasomeness OF the woods
W. ,,orld bova avoided il hat was
draygad there Every acre OF the
dorl, ri,.s avsrv acr. Of TN. tangled
tbi,L.ts aver dismal swamp and bar
ron knoll echoed TN. sbriek. and
oro.ns Of wounded men and travail
of fierce battle. History NAV tell you
tb.titi.a SINGULAR spot for q grapple
OF ensmiss thirstiny for carnage, but
history will not paint the weirdue.s
~, oven q p.aceful ride through that
d..olate tract.
In the first grspple between Grant
and Lee in thi, dense tangle 10000
men fought for five hours, aud at the
going down Of the sun 5000 lay dead
aud wounded. In seven miles Of
front occupied by the two armies
there were not hall dozen spots where
. single battery could be massed to
sweep an acre ofclear ground There
wa. not a SPOT where a brigade com
,,,rdar couid stand and overlook his
four regiments as they stood in line Of
battle.
Thsr. was al 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 !
o'clock in the morning Of the second
dsv In ton minutes three OF the
gpns were silsDced by the musketry
fire and q charge was made by the
Confeder.tes 10 capture the whole.
Here two regiments grappled and
fougbt until three hundred men en-
numbered the ground. Again the
batt.rv opened and again it was
charcoal and when the Confederates
r.,ir.d rho de,d had 10 be- corded up
,ben ont of the rav. Again
I'D sgain fresh artilIsrists were
h,or,bt mn and a free fire opened.
snd again the Confederates charged
and added scores and hundreds 10
that awful pyramid OF dead. Grant
had not advanced on his right. Lee
had not advanced on his left. Who're
the dead fell ia the gray Of morning
there was the battle line when night
.brJJa,.d af tho SIGHT il hid from