The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-05-24

forts soon messenger reached me from two
officers commanding two OF these chosen
bodies, who informed me that they had sue
ceeded in passing right through the line of Fed
eral reserves by presenting themselves as Fed
erals and had certainly gone far enough 10 the
rear for the forts, but that their guides had
abandoned them or been lost, and that they did
not know In what direction 10 move. 1t was
afterward discovered when daylight came
that these men had gone farther out than the
ferts and could have easily entered and cap
tured them If the guides had not been lost or
had done their duty. Of course after dawn
they were nearly all captured, being entirely
behind the Federal reserves.
In the meantime the few Federal soldiers
who had escaped from the fort and intrench-
ments we had captured had spread the alarm
and aroused the Federal army. The hills in
the rear of Grants lines were soon black with
troops BY the time II was fairly day break the
two forts on the main line thanking Fort Sted-
man, the three forts in the rear and the reserves
all opened up upon my forces. We held Fort
Stedman and the Federal iutronchments to the
river. or nearly so, but the guides had been lost,
and in consequence the rear forts had not been
captured. Failing 10 secure these forts, the
cavalry could not pass out, the pontOons could
not be destroyed, and the telegraph wires were
not cut.
In addition to these mishaps, the trains had
been delayed, and PiCkett's division and other
troops sent Inc by General Lee had not arrived.
The success lau Deen DTlllldnl so lar rs II lltu
gone and had been achieved without loss of
any consequence to our army, but it had failed
in the essentials to a complete success or to
great victory Every hour was bringing heavy
re-enforcements to the Federals and rendering
my position less and less tenable. After a
brief correspondence with General Lee il was
decided to withdraw. My loss, whatever II
was, occurred in Withdrawing under concen-
trated fire from forts and infantry The fight
| ing over the picket lines and main lines from
/ this time to the surrender was too inCessant to
| give me an opportunity to ascertain my loss.
/ II was considerable, and, although l had in
hicted heavy loss upon the enemy, l felt as
my troops re-entered Colquitt's salient that
the last hazard had been thrown and that we
had lost.
One feature of the battle General Cor
don nobly passed over in silence. 1t was
not for him to tell it, although there is a
hint of it in the words which he quotes
from Lee about the lack of rations in the
Confederate army. His soldiers were ac-
tually famished, and when they found
themselves within our camp, surrounded
by an abundance of bread and meat, they
fell to and ate square meal. The time
thus lost was fatal. Our cannoneers stood
to the guns, our infantry lined the para
pets on the TANKS and in front of the as
sailants and the golden hour for Gordon
and Lee was added to the eternity of by
Cones
The attack was received and repealed by
the Ninth corps. President Lincoln wit
messed the counter assault which recovered
Fort Stedman and the captured batteries.
GEORGE L. KILMER