Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
THE WILDERNESS.
The Strangest Battle Field I'm the His
tory of the War.

tory of the War.
From the Detroit Free Press.
1t is there today as it was in 1Se4-though
perhaps even more somber and gruesome-
that strangest of all battle fields Of the war,
the Wilderness"
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 to Mine Run and beyond
1t is strip Of country from three to 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 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 denser swamp.
There Is not spot on the main highway
where one could see the length of regi-
ment on the march, and he VINO would hide
from the whole world has but to take twen-
ty steps to right or left. In days gone by
the slaves in that part of Virginia had
horror of this wilderness. Runaways
sought its cover and We're safe from master
and dog; but as they skirted the swamps
the Seldly serpent reared and struck them
with death. Murderers 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
!onesomeness of the woods. War would
IL.
Every acre of the dark pines. every acre of
the tangled thickets. 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 1t
is singular spot for grapple of enemies
thirsting for carnage. but history will not
paint the weirdness of even a peaceful ride
through the desolate tract.
In the first grapple between Grant and
Lee In this dense tangle 10000 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 arm
les there were not a half dozen spots where
a single battery could be massed to sweep
an acre of clear ground. There was not a
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 a federal battery, which was dragged
through the forest was placed in position
there about O'Clock in the morning of the
second day. In ten minutes three OF the
guns We're silenced by the musketry fire
and a charge was made by the confederates
to capture the whole. Here two regiments
grappled and fought until 800 men encum-
bered the ground. Again the battery open
ed, and again ii 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 artiileristss were
again and again the confederates charged
and added scores and hundreds to that
awful pyramid of dead. Grant had not ad-
vanced on his right 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 IL 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 that great
forest Along II must move every man,
| horse. gun and wagon. 1t is dark and
| lonesome highway as you ride over IL today
and every foot of II 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 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 un-
der 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
| 1t was murmur at first. Then Ii swelled
| to a steady cry-not one shout or groan or
| Shrek, but thousands of them mingled to-
gether and Quivering over thicket and ris-
| ing over the pines like the wall of a gather
| ing tempest. 1t was the piteous cry of the
wounded and helpless as night added to
the frightful horrors of that somber wilder
|