Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-22
I.rS and Grant.

Lee formed li~ ljnrS with the river in his front just n- hr had twice done on tho Rarpahamnuck, hat Warren succrrdrd in crossing the Federal right at Jericho fard, compelling lr,' Ia ''rrfliSr his left. and Hancock fought his way across un the other wing, compelling L." in like manner to ''rrfu<c his right. At the same time his center hrli Ihr river firmly at point where the rr,r>aing k extremely difficult on account of prccirituus hark~. Thus it came about that Lvr'S lines were like the two sides of T square with tho corner firmly planted on the river, and Grant, while lcapiuG around him in an irregular scmicirclr, r1nld not transfer his men from ono wing tn the other without twice cross ing the river and at points where tho CruSsiu!r Was extremely difficult. Ice at the same time could not with safety with draw his center. In the long run, of course. thi, was to the advantage of the party fighting un the drfruNivr, SD Grant Withdrew his forces to the north side and repeated his old performance of marching | off by the left and hEuinEa crossing lower | down.
 | walked .raigl.t south 0rru. :, the farms | and W,nd:, tu the Chivkah0mtny, thinking | I miyiN fuiluW directly down that steam | through all it's windinGs, but throo hours 1 of most VNhaE>tinE tui! convinced me that l >U"h n Iv'rlurnancr wUul0ta)lrH month and require rubber huut~ Up [" hn hips. Tho | (hirkHhOminy SrVNlS tO me one of a typo Of rivers common in tho suuthwcSt-a body 1 of water slowly transforming itself hy 1 natural I,yr,r,',>,~ from a long swamp tn a 1 regular >Ir,s,m with hard and we'll defined 1 bank. M9Wy Strr2mS in tho central west ! have v"WNlrt"d this prOCC-@ since tho first | settlement hy tltr French. and a rontury 1 a,tn Nv!nrl, tI,' French scientist, went uT' | the Mlu;:!1'' through Il swamp and drwn | the WHlI~h III a canoe without leaving water. IM louisiana and TCX;s the process ] ia still s,nju., un, and some one has said that "thr Mississippi waS discovered 12, 1 0nu years tvu ,,nun, as il WAS taken in the l act of mriiug country The ChiCka- l homiuy hvinw still iL tho act, is d won drrful natural defense, 8 great wet ditch nt just exactly the right distance iron, Richmond. therefore took tho railroad back to EllrrSun station and struck out afoot for Mrchanicsvillc and Cold ITarbor.
 Suffering In Wartime.
 now realized what our brave fellows | must haNc suffered in tho hot days of lSG2-4. The hills presented a little better walking than tn" swampy hollow and yet far worse than the ordinary northern road. The soil appears to be a mixture of sand and a>hy rar'h with no hard subsoil and llOI ' HhiIN 'A' AlNl NIi'lN l''t' hAtSA h When dry, it is like loose yellow sugar, and when wet mushy and sticky, with just consistency enough to form great Tapping Jumps on the feet and yet not enough tC hold up rhc wheels of an artillery wagon
 It is perhaps two miles from the station tC | MGChanicsvillo, d four house hamlet and | crossroads, the oldest and finest dwelling occupied by Mir. S T. Vaughn immigrant from Eaton county, Mich. The holes made in the house by shot and shell have been repaired away, except one through the door, which is retained and utilized for a doorplate, and big trco in tho yard still holds the famous shell that bored into it on the 26th of June, 1862.
 Ellerson's Mill, next on the cast, which gave tho Confcdcrates namo for one bat. tie, Is only ruin, and thence there is q pretty fair road to this place. Many years , ago and when local memories of the bat tie were still fresh came hero and lodged two days at the Garthright farmhuuSc al ) most exactly in the center of the bl0ndieSt part of Cold Harbor battlefield. This means the center of tho south end of the field, for Grants line extended three miles farther north. About half a mile west o this house on the highest ground and iI the edge of forest are the ditch and bank of earth behind which was tho Confrder ate line, and just quarter of n mile east of tho house by measurement is the linI from which the Fcdcrals started on thai awful run shortly after o'clock in tho morning of June 8, 1864. From the edge of the woods 12, 900 riflemen and score o cannon poured their murdorous fire on the , bluecoats, and in 25 minutes, as one par . ticipaDt yOuches for, 8, poo of them wer, shot down. The stone chimney at thu west end of this house was beaten dowI by shot and shell, and all the yard ant field around was blue with Federal corpses
 A Terrible Experience.
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