Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-08-06
GEN. LEE IN BATTLE.
HE WAS cool AND FREE FROM tx
clrEmgNr At CRITICAL TIMES.

The Hon John H. Reagan, who was
postmaster general Of the Southern Con.
fodcracy. delivered % lecture i'm San An
tonic. Tex, ON che evening Of April 20
in behalf NJ che fund for o Confederate
monument aud echo Southern Battle at
boy" in tho course If which he related
the following;
"On the morninFof the second battle
~ Cold Hlrhor. Ia 1864, Judge Mere
dith and Judge Lyons. twoof the Judges
10 Richmond, and myself rode out to
che battlefield, crossing tho Chiciahom-
my go Mcchanicsyiilc and riding along
o road q icw hundred yards IN the rear
Of our line of battle Tho battle was
thun raging the whole length ~ cur
line Sounds OF prisoners wcrc from
rimo 60 time being brought back 90 tho
road We were on Whom we reached the
point whpro we had view uf the
Gaines hill farm, We saw that tho en-.
envy shells were falling IN the hcld
about General Leo'a headquarters At
that limo there WIS 20 good deal 81 sllic.
itudc. both ia the army and among cd.
williams. about General Lees exposing
himself so much boz battle. and it was
foli that his los would hc great ca.
lamity / suggested 10 Judge, Meredith
and Lyons that j would ride down to
the generals headquarters Tiny suid
they would not co. bat asked me 90 ug.
gost 10 General Lcc the question MS TO
whether be- could NOT cover himself By
some large trros fuw hundred yards IN
his rear and from these send hi. orders
and receive rUpurts as wen as from tho
exposed position ho was then in
when / reached his headquarters
his stan officers were all out; none hut
an orderly with him. / mentioned that
% good deal OF artillery was being used
He said, YES; morn than usual
amount ON both sides H. uddod, That
docs not do much harm Aud waving
his hand on pretty much Co the front
OF him, whore the muskcry firing made
q uoiso much like tho tearing Of sheets,
Boz said, That Bis what kills men.
then mentioned to him what Judges
Meredith aud Lyons had suggested about
his covering himself by the largo trees
iu his rear 10 this ho replied that
when tho shells began 20 fall iu the aold
whore Doc was ho had ordered the wagons
containing tho qunriormastur, commits.
ury, ordnance and medical stores back
behind tio timber. but that be was nee.
cssary for him 10 boz as near tho line OF
battle u- practicable
"llo then said 90 mo that General
Grant was at that timU aslultiug his
lines at three different places, with cole
this asked him II his lines should Do
broken what reserve he had. HoUpliCi,
Not regiment and added that II Boo
should shorten his lines TO mako a re-.
servo tho enemy would turn him. and n
ho ehould weaken his lines 20 make
reserve they would be- broken And hc
said that had bUou his condition from
the opening ou the Rappnhnnnock Ho
also said that be- had lost more men
from excessive fatigue ana from want
of vegetables than by bullets. and ro.
quCstcd mo tn SEQ the commisslry g0n.
oral ON my way back and urgO him 10
50nd, US soon l- possible, all tha poiu.
toes onions and other vegetables hD
could. llo said that mo- had requested
tho mon 90 eat sasa,tgs and grapevine
buds ne q substitute for vegetables. but
| that those did but little good.
"Thore ha WINS with his back ON
Richmond, seven miles from tho city,
his limo hoiup assaulted by % force vastly
moro numerous than his own, and ho
was apparently cool and solt possessed
and as free from excitement as IT nothing
unusual was occurring, even then keep.
ing IN mind tho welfare and necessities
OF tho soldiers undCr his command 10
made such uu impression ON me Of the
| GREATNESS and grandeur Of his character
that 1 could not forget it and because
Of that impression have made you this
statement
''As illustrative Of the intrepid yalor
and military enterprise Of GOuDnl Loo
when that quality would serve his pur.
pose, 1 will mention another incident,
which, a. far ~ / know, has not boon
noticed by the historians Of tho war
when the Federal army was at Cold
| Hurbur IN mont OF Richmond, in 1864,
with tho white house at the head Of
York river ~ their base of supplies,
/ General Lee determined 20 move the
great body II his command around Gen.
cral Grants right and put himself be-.
tween Grant and bis buso OF supplies
and 20 put Grant between his (Loo's)
command and the city OF Richmond
This movement II IL had boon executed,
| would have resulted other Ina tho dc.
! struotion of the Federal army or In the
| fall OF Richmond. After some Of Gen.
ural Loo's divisions had been put In mo-
tiun to execute this plan ho received
| dispatch advising him that the Fedcrals
We're advancing ON Lynohburg In force,
and that without immediate hrlp that
city, which at that umo contained
large amount Of military stores, must
fall into tic hands OF tho enomy. He
immediately ordered General Brcciliu-
ridge 10 go 20 tho relief Of Lynchburg
with his division. General Breckenridge
was furnished train OF cars and with
all haste reached LynChburg In time Tor
his men 70 got OF tho ears lighting aud
saved Lynchburg. This diversion caused
General Leo TO abandon his plan Of get.
ting into General Grants roar
|
In Doubt.
"And l um fully able to support your
! Nuut.bN.r I'd a..l ~.