Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-06-15
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
WHERE SOLDIERS wEPr.
The Hopeless Attacks of Grants Mon Mt
the SpottsYlvMnln Horseshoe.

The Hopeless Attacks of Grants Mon Mt
the Spottsyivania Horseshoe.
When Grant hanlSed Lee out of the
Wilderness he found him across his
path at Spottsylvania. Both armies
had moved under cover of darkness;
both had moved by the flank; both
were prepared to continue the bloody
work. At Spottsylvania Lee moved
across the roads by which Grant was
advancing and formed his battlc-lines.
If there is time when two great ar
mics are moving the engineers select
the battle-ground and run the lines.
They know the strategic value of a
few acres OF forest, hill, n crossing of
highways or n creek. They mark the
spots where artillery can be planted to
the best advantage, and n glance of
the eye tells them where thousand
men can be posted to hold the line
against brigade.
Lees engineers had no time to look
over the ground. AS the regiments
and batteries moved by the flank to
place themselves across Grants path
they formed in battle line Here and
there, as daylight came, the line was
advanced or retired to give it more
even front, but nothing better could
be done. There had been no time for
riflepits or earthworlss or abatis. Dur
. ing the last two hours of the night the
men in gray had felled trees and rolled
logs together to make breastworks,
and thousands were asleep when the
sun came up and Grant attacked. His
battle line had to conform to Lees.
Neither had taken the advantage Of
fcred in the way of strong positions.
In the center of Lees line the weary
and desperate men had refused to give
back and straighten the line. This left
n salient or horseshoe standing out by
itself, and when daylight came Lee
agreed with his engineers that it was
the weak spot in the line. 1t was in
the midst of q forest, and while not
more than three thousand men could
be massed to defend 1t, five times that
number could be massed to charge it.
If the horseshoe was carried then Lees
army would be pierced and broken.
The men had cut down few trees and
rolled logs together-just enough to
protect them while lying down. Lee
would have retired them and straight
ened his line, but Grant was too quick
for him. The very first move on the
part of the federal commander was a
spirited attack on the horseshoe-on
the one weak point
Not another battle of the war opened
with such celebrity and ferccncss as that
of Spottsylvania. There was no pre-
liminary sllirmishing. Grants object
was to crush Lee-Lee's object was to
hold Grant right there and take at
least drawn battle of it. AS soon as
it was fairly daylight Grant ordered
his troops forward by divisions. One
did not hear scattered shots, with here
and there the sound of artillery as the
guns got into position, but the roar Of
battle came with n sudden crash, and
there was fierceness about it such as
the oldest veterans had never heard
before. The fighting to the right and
left was n feint, the rush against that
front one of the most desperate things
of war. Before an order had been
given every man in the ranks knew of
the horseshoe, and knew If it could be
carried Lee would be beaten in an
hour. There We're no laggards as the
lines moved. 1t was n wild, mad rush,
with every man cheering and every
man believing that the position could
be carried. We were almost upon it
before q great sheet of flame, which