Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-12-20
A REMARKABLE STORY ABOUT
GENERAL X. L.. LEE.
NEW LIGHTS ON SHsRPSBURG.
THINGS WE'RE LOOKING VERY
81 UE INDEED.
DON'T BE EXCITED, COLONEL.
A Memorable Scenc-"Wc Will Not
Cross"-A Ride with Stonewall
jackson Searching Questions
StuGrt's RepOrt-Confederat Notes.
N7ritten for the Dispatch

written for the Dspatch)
After Our defeats at IIka and Corinth
by Hosecrans. ia October. 1s62 Grant
was transely inactive until late in De-
cember. when he formed that fine plan
Of campaign. which. but for sac mans
defeat by General Stephen d. Lee, might
have ended the war in 1863.
Assembling all his forces from Ten
nessee and No) = Mississippi. Grant
moved down the -dlssissippi Central rail
road with an army Of GO0OO men, while
he sent Sherman down the Mississippi
20 capture Vicksburg. and then moved
east 10 Jackson. whence their united
forces would move on Meridian. Mobile
Selma. Atlanta. and Charleston-if they
could.
The heavy batteries OF Vicksburg con-
sisted then of five lo-inch guns and about
thirty other siege pieces, all defended by
the movable force Of infantry .So0-undrer
command of General S. d. Lee.
Late in December. 1862, Sherman de-
barked bis army Of 2s,OOO men upon the
lower Yazoo river, and moved to Chicka-
saw bayou. at a point six miles from
Nicksburg. where he found Genera
Stephen d. Lee ready to meet him witt
2.9O men drawn up with the bluff be
hind them Sherman re-emDarked hi.
army. moved up 10 Snyders Mill by boa
and again landed his army. Lee ha
moved his forces thither by the road. an
after firing a few shots Sherman r
embarked again, and moved down {
Chckasaw bayou. where was fought, De
cember 18th. one of the most remarkabl
battles Of the war.
After several hours conflict Shermai
retired. leaving his dead and wounde
thick upon the field. Lees loss was Il
wounded; Lieutenant Hamilton. his aid,
was killed by the explosion Of a caisson
On ChristmasDay our army was drawn
UP in order for battle along the ITALIA
hatchie. al Granada. when the news came
that Van Dorm had passed behind Grants
army and destroyed his great depot Of
stores at Holly Springs. This, as IN
tended had compelled Grant TO retire at
once. upon the 24th.
A CHRISTMAS DINNER INTERRUPT
ED.
On Christmas-Day. as large and
happy company Of generals and star
officers, with General Price at our head,
were sitting down TO sumptuous din-
ner a telegram was handed General
Price. ordering Maury's Division 10 move
at once to reinforce Lee at Nicksburg,
where Sherman was about TO attack
him.
About 2 o'clock the next morning Maury
reached the battlefield Of Cnickasaw
Bayou, whence Sherman hal been driven
the evening before. The night was as
black as a VOLTS mouth, a cod rain was
beating down upon Us, and upon Sher-
mans dead and wounded, VINO lay thick
.,ror tho Hald rhera they fell
Lees surgeons and hospital attendants
were moving about with their lanterns.
ministering to the wounded, AMI besring
them TO the field hospitals.
Under these weird circumstances Gene
rails Lee and Maury met for the hrst
time since Lee mad been a boy at west
Point where Maury was his Instructor
I'm bellies lettres. ethics. ETC. Lee was
now a brigadier-general. who had wen
his grades upon many a hard-fought
field in Virginia, while Maury nal risen
10 mator-general In the western battles.
They greeted each other most cor daily,
Maury saying: Lee. | am mere with 400
men. my whole division viii he up by
daylight, mean time us / don't know
ANYTHING about the condition OF things
before US, you will retain the command
and | the responsibility. You shall have
the glory Of the victory we shall win,
and / will be responsible II any thing goes
wrong. For, you see, Lee. don't know
where the enemy is; l ion't know where
am so go ahead, Lee. and complete
your victory"
And so he did. and from that day Lee
and myself have been trusting. arection-
ate friends. Together we worked three
days, to Shermans discontinue and de-
feat.
General Sherman left his dead swell
ing and fostering three days there In
the rains and sun before he sent a flag
of truce TO ask permission 10 remove and
bury them. and then. instead of address
ing his letter 10 General Lee and sign
ing II himself, ne addressed it 10 me.
and caused General Morgan 70 sign IT.
/ gave the letter 10 Lee, saying: Here,
Lee, you killed all these men, give Sher-
man two hours 10 remove them, and
sign your name and rank TO your re-
ply"
General Carter Stevenson had by this
time come up with his fine DIVISION,
making our whole force 1900 men-and as
It was evident Sherman was preparing for
something we were resolved 10 have q
general battle next day, but 10 and be-
hold. with the first morning light we
saw the last OF his great fiotilla as II re-
tired down the Yaz0o.
Lee took the Second Texas Sharpshoot-
ers ana five % six other regiments and
haStened 10 the leyee Of the Yazoo.
whence he killed and wounded a number
OF Sherman's rear guard. Crowded as
they were upon the steamers. they were
terribly cut up.
Lee won great and well-deserved roputa-
ton for this extraordinary victory. IT was
great IN execution and great IN its results,