Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-08-26
stranse.t Of all batsleaelds Of the war,

strangest Of all battlefieids Of the war,
the Wilderness"
WheE Hooker swung his army around
70 Charlottesville, he was in the edge
OF that dark, dense and silent forest
which extends from that point to the
Mine run and beyond. it is a strip Of
country from three TO seven miles long.
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 high
way in time of peace. The boot 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 q
denser swamp. There is not a spot on
the main highway where one could see
the length OF n regiment on the march,
and he who would hide from the
whole world has but to take twenty
steps to right or left. In days gone by
the slaves in that part Of Virginia had
a horror OF this wilderness. Run
aways sought Its cover, and were safe
from master and dog, but as they
skirted the swamps the deadly
serpent reared its head and
struck them with death. MUIR
derers have been driven in there by hot
pursuit. 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
nnnCnnnnnnG I'D thA nyAoln NAnn
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 enc
mics thirsting for carnage, but history
will not paint the w~eirdness Of even a
peaceful ride through that desolate
tract.
In the first grapple between Grant
and Lee in this dense tangle 90. 900
men fought for five hours, and at the
going down of the sun 5000 lay dead
and wounded. In tho seven miles
front occupied by the two armies there
were not half a dozen spots where a
single battery could be massed TO
sweep an acre of clear ground. There
was not a spot where a brigade COM
mander could stand and overlook his
four regiments as they stood in line of
battle.
There was at one point on the right
n cleared spot of about two acres in
extent, and a federal battery, which
was dragged through the forest, was
placed in position there, about 7 o'clock
in the morning Of the second day. In
ten minutes three of the runs were
silenced by the musketry fire. and a
charge was made by the ~confederates
TO capture the whole. Here
two regiments grappled and
fought until 300 men incumbered
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 ont Of the
way. Again and again fresh artiller-
lists were brought up and a fresh tire
opened, and again and again the con-
federates charged and added scores and
hundreds to that pyramid OF dead.
Grant had nct advanced on his right.
lee hsG not advanced on his left.
Where the dead fell in the grav of
morning there was the battle line
when night sbuddered at the sights it
hid from view.
The fighting of the second day was to
save that narrow and t~ortuous highway
known rs the Brock road to the
federals. 1t was the path into
and out of hat great forest Along
IL must move every man, horse. gun
and wagon. IL is a dark and lonely
highway as you ride over it today.
and every foot of it has a story
of blood. The burial parties
found hundreds who had crawled into
the thickets and swamps and died, and
years after the government contractors,
who were removing the dead to the ma
tional cemeteries. found scores of skel-
-etQns- vrtcrmmrer-bern buried at
all. When night came again the fed
erals had secured possession of the
road, and under the pines were thous-
ands 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. 1t
was a murmur at first Then it swelled
TO a steady cry-not one shout or groan
or shrek, but thousands of them min
gied together and anivering over
thicket and rising over the pines like
the wall of n gathering tempest. 1t
was the p~iteous cry OF the wounded and
helpless as night added to the frightfui
horrors of that somber wilderness.
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