The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-06-06
CHAPTER XVI.

Join Lee most of his cavalry was de-
tached and left in the valley. The Shen-
andoah guards. which had dropped the
title when transferred to the cavalry,
were a portion of Imboden's command.
The Federals poured into the Shenan-
doah and Luray from the north and re-
captured everything and pressed the
Confederates slowly back to Staunton.
Neither side was strong enough to pos
sess and hold the valley. The Confed-
crate occupation defended n Of the
roads to Richmond. The Federal occu-
patton defended one Of the roads to
Washington. There were scouting and
raiding and clashing Of sabers, but moth
ing like a general battle resulted. Both
commanders had been instructed to
avoid this and watch the mighty move
ments developing elsewhere.
What is a battle like-a battle in
which 10, 900 men fall in their tracks
to die with the o a of the guns still
sounding in their ears and as many.
more lie there for hours cursing and
groaning and praying with the pain Of
their wounds? Mcclellan was on both
sides Of the Chickahominy, with the
spires of Richmond in view. His front
was miles long and defended by rife
pits, earthworks, felled trees and nat
ural distractions. More than 100, 600
Federals faced Lee along this line. Be-
hind,them were camps and wagon trains
and field hospitals and supplies cumber-
ing the ground for miles and miles.
Mcclellan was about to attack. He
was even writing his order when Lee
fell upon his wing at Mechanicsville.
That was a feint. The fight at Meadow
Bridge, directly in front Of his center,
was a piece of strategy. The assault
upon his wing at Cold Harbor was
meant to annihilate him. The battle
ground was made up Of swamps, cleared
fields, patches of forest, timber covered
hills and old fields grown up to bushes
and briers. Mcclellan had two and
three lines of earthworks here, and here
his guns were planted as thickly as men
could work them. LoDgstreet and Hill
attacked here. They knew the strength
of the position; they had counted the
odds. There was no skirmishing, no
waiting. On a front three miles long
the Confederates suddenly appeared and
rushed forward to the attack. Had
they numbered five times as many they
would have been beaten back. They
were ~repulsed again and again by the
fire which seemed to burn them off the
face Of the earth, but those who lived
came back again more desperate than
before. Only their leaders knew why
this terrible sacrifice was being offered
up to the god Of a Lee had planned
with Jackson. Jackson had left theval-
ley by way of Browns gap to fall upon
McClellan's flank at Cold Harbor. The
sacrifice in front was to give Jackson
time and to mask his movement.
And go Longstreet and Hill advanced
again and again to the sacrifice until
their dead and wounded outnumbered
the living. The afternoon SIM was sink
ing lower and lower. By and by it was
only an LJur high. Then the roar OF
battle along the front suddenly ceased.
Had the remnants Of regiments and
brigades become panic stricken at the
awful waste of life and fed from the
field? Had they sullenly refused to obey
orders to advance again? Had Lee
given up all hope of success and with
drawn from that front? For FIVE min
utes scarcely a musket was discharged.
Then from the heavy forest directly on
the flank of the position Jackson ap-
peared. The flank Of an army is its
weak spot. Even if attacked in the rear
it can face about and fight with hope
Of success, but if the flank gives way
disaster follows. Jackson's coming was
a surprise. His attack was as sudden
as the stroke of a bell. 1t dumfounded
and dismayed the Federal flank, but
only for a few minutes. Mcclellan was
not far away. He had fathoned Lees
plans and discovered his true object.
The flank gave back until it had front
of a mile long, and then it halted and
battled to save that great army. What
was to be done must be done right there.
Requirements were ordered up, guns
advanced, and for an hour there was
such fighting at war had never witnessed
before.
On the Federal flank were swamp and
forest and tangled thicket. Engineers
had said that the nature Of the ground
protected this flank. Wading through
swamps deep with ooze, bursting
through thickets which caught of their
caps and left their jackets in rags, adj
vancing their lines amid the thick
forests, Jackson's men rushed to the at
tack. Time and time again the lines
were repulsed, but fresh troops poured
out Of the woods to take the places Of
tsae dead and wounded, and the battle
grew more vindictiye and murderous.
There is a key to every battlefield.
There is always a key within a key.
Cold Harbor was the key of this great
field of slaughter. The exposed flank
was the key within the key. Jackson
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