Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-12-30
Alexa,,aris @azette,
WEDNESDAY EVENING. DEC. 80, 1896.
BATTLEOFTHE WILDERNESS
It Was a Up4qee Engagement, says Con
oral Epsaoe Porter.

It Was Uniqse Engagement, says Con
oral ISpsaoe Porter.
The Union losses In the battle OF
the Wilderness were found TO oe'
Killed, 2,24ei wounded, 10, oT nrass
ing, 8, 1888; total, 1905. The dam.
age inflicted upon the enemy Is nos
known, but as he was the assaultng
party as often as the Union army
there is reason to believe that the
losses on the two sides were about
equal. Taking % hours as the time
actually occupied in fighting and
counting the casualties in both
armies, 1t will be found that ON thsn
bloody field every minute rssa'ssd
the loss Of rs I'll
As the staS officers threw snen-
selves upon the ground that night
sleep came to them without coa1ng.
They had BEEN ON tbs move sinos
dawn, galloptng, over bad roads,
struggling about through forest
openings, jumping rivulets wad
ing swamps, helping to rally troops
lodging bullets and searching fos
commanding officers in all sorts ID
unknown places. Their horses had
been crippled, and they themselves
we're we'll nigh exhausted. Eoe the
small part I had been able to per
form in the engagement the gen
eral recommended me for the brevet
rank Of major In the regular army
"for gallant and maritorious serv-
ices" His recommendation was
afterward approved by the presi-
dent. This promotion was especially
gratifying, for the reason that 1t was
conferred for conduct In the first
battle in which I had served under
the command Of the general In chief
There were features Of the battle
which have never been matched in
the annals Of warfare. For two
days nearly 10000 veteran troops
had struggled in death grapple,
confronted at each step with almost
every obstacle by which nature
could bar their path and cropping
their way through tangled forest
the impenetrable gloom Of which
could be likened only'fo the shadow
of death. The underground staid
their progress, the upper growth
shut out the light Of heaven. Off
GERS could rarely see their troops
for any considerable distance for
smoke clouded the vision and q
heavy sky obscured the sun Direc-
tons were ascertained and lines es-
tablished by means Of the pocket
compass, and change Of position
often presented an operation more
like problem Of ocean navigation
than question of military maneu-
vers. 1t was the sense Of sound and
Of touch rather than the sense Of
sight which guided the movements
It was battle fought with the ear
and not with the eye
All circumstances seemed to COM
bine to make the scene one Of unut-
terable horror. At times the wind
howled through the tree'tops, min
Cling Its means with the groans Of
the dying, and heavy branches We're
cut off by the fire Of the artillery
and fell crashing upon the heads OF
the men, adding new terror to bat
tie. Forest fires ragged, ammunition
trains exploded, the dead were
roasted in the condagraaon. the
wounded, reused by its hot breath,
dragged themselves along with their
torn and mangled limbs in the mad
energy of despair to escape the raw
ages Of the flames and every bush
seemed hung with shreds Of blood
stained clothing. It was as though
Christian men had turned to fends
and hell itself had usurped the place
of earth--General Horace Porter in
Century.
puCDY TN,c ipNTCA cATVE