The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-05-06
lery was being used. He said, eyes +;
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lery vas being used. He said, eyes;
more than a usual amount on both
Sides" He added, "This does not
do much HARM" and, waving his hand
off pretty much to the front of him,
where the musketry firing made a
noise much like the tearing Of sheets,
he said: "That is what kills men," /
then mentioned to him what Judges
Meredith and Lyons had suggested
about his covering himself by the
large trees in his rear. To this he re-
piled that when the shells began to
fall in the field he had ordered the
wagons containing the quartermas-
ter 8, commissary, ordnance and med
ical stores back behind the timber, but
that it was necessary for him to be as
near the line of battle as practicable.
He then said to me that General
Grant was at that time assaulting his
lines at three different places with
columns Of from six to ten deep.
Upon this I asked him if his line
should be broken what reserve ne had.
He replied: "Not q regiment" and
added hat if he should shorten his
lines to make a reserve the enemy
would turn him, and if he should weak
en- his lines to make a reserve, they
would be broken. And he said that
had been his condition since the
opening Of the campaign on the Rap
pahannock. He also said that he had
lost more men from excessive fatigue
and from want Of vegetables than by
bullets, and requested me to see the
commissary general on my way back
and urge him to send as soon os pos
sible all the potatoes, onions and 9TH
err vegetables he could. He said he
had requested the men to eat sassa-
fras and grape vine buds as a substi-
tute for vegetables, but that these did
but little good.
There he was, with his back on
Richmond, seven miles from the city,
his line being assailed by a force vast
ly more numerous than his own, and
he was apparently as cool and self
possessed and as free from excitement
as if nothing unusual was occurring,
even then keeping in mind the well
fare and the necessities of the soldiers
in his command. It made such an
impression on Inc Of the greatness and
grandeur of his character that I could
not forget it. And because of that
impression I have made you this state
ment.
ANOTHER INCIDENT.
As illustrative of the intrepid valor
and military enterprise Of General
Lee, when that quality would serve
his purpose, I will mention another
incident, which, as far g I know, has
rot been noticed by t historians Of
the war.
When the Federal army was at Cold
Harbor, in front Of Richmond in 1864,
with the White House at the head Of
York river as their base of supplies,
General Lee determined to T"ve the
great body of his command . i'd
General Grants right, and put Linz
self between Grant and his base Of
supplies, and to put Grant between
his Qee's) command and the city Of
Richmond. This movement, if it had
been executed, would have resulted
either in the destruction of the Fed
eral army or in the fall of Richmond.
After some of General Lees divisions
had been put in motion to execute
this plan, he received a dispatch ad-
vising him that the Federals were ad-
vancing on Lynchburg in force, and
that without immediate help that city,
which at that time contained a large
amount of military stores must fall
into the hands of the enemy. He i'm
diately ordered General Breckenridge
to 60 to the relief of Lynchburg with
his division. General Breckenridge
was furnished a train of cars and with
all haste reached Lynchburg in time
for his men to get off the cars fighting
and saved Lynchburg. This diver
sion caused General Lee to abandon
his plan of getting into General Grant s
rear.
I trust that the people of the South
may not fail to raise sufficient funds
to construct the Battle Abbey, and to
carry out the object of It's erection,
and that they may raise funds enough
to erect a monument to the memory of
the late President Davis, which shall
worthily represent his great services
and virtues, and which shall be worthy
of his illustrious name and imperisha-
BILE fame.