Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-09-20
M V1RetNia reEE pREss--rHE OLD FAMILY JOURNAL.
yirgiuia FREE gress.
4 strange Battlefield.

It is there to-day as it was in 1S64-tho
even more sombre and gruesome-that
strangest of all battefelds of tbs war, the
Wilderness" When Hooker swept his
army around towards Charlottesville, he
was in the edge of that dark, dense and ST.
lent forest, which extends from that point
to Mine Run and beyond 1t is strip of
country from three to seven miles long,
which is penetrated here aud there by roads,
but whose depths furnish safe retreat for
the wildcat, the owl, the serpent and the
fox. 1t is lonely ride along even the best
travelled highway in time of peace. The
boot of the owl is heard from the
dark lhickets at MONDAY, and the deadly
moccasin snake leaves his trail in the dust
as he crosses the highway to plunge into
dense swamp There i, not spot on the
main highway where one could see the
length of the 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.
Runaways sought its cover, and were safe
from master and dog but as they skirIed
the swamps the deadly serpent reared Its
head and struck them with death. Muir
derers 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 thickets,
every dismal swamp and barren knoll echo
ed the shrieks and groans of wounded men
and the travail of fierce battle. History
may tell you that it is singular spot for a
grapple of enemies thirsting for carnage,
but history will not paint the weirdness of
even a peaceful ride through that 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 of front occupied by the two
armies there were not half dozen spots
where single battery could be massed TO
sweep an acre of clear grnund. 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 Fedaral 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 were silenced by the musketry fire,
and charge was made by the Confederates
to capture the whole Here two regiments
grappled and fought until 300 men encum-
bered the ground. Again the battery open
ed and again it was charged, and when the
Confederates retired the dead men had to
be corded to get them out of the way
Again and again fresh artillerists were
brought up and fierce fire opened, and
again and again the Conederates charged
and added scores and hundreds to that aw-
full pyramid of dead Grant had not adj
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 shuddcrcd at the sight it lii from
view.
The lighting 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 it must move every man, horse,
gun and wagon. IL is dark and lonely
highway as you ride over it to-day, and
every foot of it has story of blood The
burial parties found hundreds who had
c-awled into the tbickets and swamps and
died, and years after the government con-
tractors, who were removing the dead to
national cemeteries, found scores of skele-
tons which had never been buried at ALL
When night clme again the Federals had
secur, d possession Of the road, and under
the pines were Thousands of dead-thou
sands of manned and crippled; and as the
twilight faded into darkness along that front
of seven miles, stretching over swamp and
thicket, there arose direful sound. 1t was
a murmur at first. Then it sweled to
steady cry-not one shout or groan or shrek,
but thousands of them mingled together
and quivering over tbicket and rising over
the pines like the wall of gathering TEN
pest. 1t was the piteous cry of the wound
ed and helpless as night added to the fright
full horrors of that sombre Wilderness
Telegram.
"Fedk and Feeble"