The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-10-17
THE WILDERNESS.
The Strangest Battle in the History OF
The War.


1t is there to-day as it was in 1861
though perhaps even more sombre and
gruesome-that strangest of all the
battle fields of the war, the Wilder
ness"
When Hooker swung his armv
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 n strip
OF country from three to seven miles
wide, which is penetrated here and
there by roads, but whose depths fur
nlsh safe retreats for the wildcat, the
owl, the serpent and the fox. It is a
lonely ride along even the best travel
ed highway in time of peace. The
hoot of the owl is heard from the dark
thickets at MONDAY, and the deadly
mocassin snake leaves his trail in the
dust as he crosses the highway to
plunge into denser swamp.
There is not spot on tho main high
regiment on the march, and he who
would hide from the whole world has
put to take u 'ty steps to right or
left. In days gone Dy slaves in that
part of Virginia had horror of this
wilderness. Rnnaways sought its cover
and wore safe from master and dog,
but us they skirted the swamps the
with death. Murdcrers have been
driven in there by hot pursuits, never
to be heard of again, and mon have
made clearings here and there. only to
be driven out by the sterile, unyield-
ing soil and the strange lonesomcness
of The woods. War would have avoid
ed 1T, but war was dragged there. Ev-
cry acre of the dark pines, every acre
OF the tangled thickots, every dismal
"a hp \, L.
shrieks and groans of wounded men
and the travail of fierce battle. His
tory may toll you that it is singular
spot for grapple Of enemies thirstinc
for carnage, but history will ..St paint
the weirdncss of even a peaceful ride
through the desolate tract.
In the first grapple between Grant
ana Lee In this dense tanglo, 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 armies there
was not half dozen spots where q
single battery could be massed to
sweep an acre of clear ground. There
was not spot where 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
cleared spot of about two acres in ex-
tent and Federal battery, which was
dragged through the forest, was plac-
ed in position there about I o'clock in
the morning of tho 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 regiments grapplcd and
fought until 300 men encumbered the
ground. Again the battery opened,
and again 1T was charged, and when
the Confedcrates retired the men had
to be corded up to get them out OF the
way. Again and again fresh artilleries
were brought up and a fresh fire open
ed, and again and again the Confeder-
ates charged and added scores and hun
dreos to that awful pyramid of dead.
Grant had not advanced on his right.
Lee had not advanced on his left.
Where the dead fell in the gray of the
morning there was the battle line
when night shuddered at the sight it
hid from view.
The fighting on the second day was
to save that narrow and tortuous high
way known as the Brock road to the
Federals. 1t was the path into and
out OF that great forest. Along it
lnust move every man, horse, gun and
wagon. 1t Is a dark and lonesome high
way as you ride over it today and
every foot OF it has story of blood.
The burial parties found hundreds
who had crawled into the thickets and
swamps and died, and years after tho
government contractors, who were
moving the dead to the national
cemeteries, found scores of skeletons
which had never been buried at all.
When night came again the Fed
erals had secured possession of the
road, and under the pines were thou
sands of dead-thousands of maimed
and ccrippled-and as twilight faded
into darkness along that front of seven
miles, stretching over swamp and
thicket, there arose direful sound.
1t was murmur at first. Then it
swelled to steady cry--not one shout
or groan or shrek, but thousands of
them mingled together and quivcring
over thicket and rising over the pines
like the wall of a gathering tempest.
1t was the piteous cry of the wounded
and helpless as night added to the
frightful horrors of that sombre
wilderness. Detroit Free Press.