The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-22

ne ala. lie knew tnat, ordinarily, three
men can overcome one. His policy was
silence and attrition. He meant to
grind Lees gaunt ragged veterans to
powder between the upper and neither
milestone
The unwilling of General Hancock's
statue yesterday recalls one Of the most
terrible conflicts of the Wharf.-The fight
at "the bloody angle" in Lees line,
near Spottsylvania Court House.
In the Confederate line, as located by
General Lee, there was faulty place.
None knew it better than the Confede-
rate chief. Two days before the battle,
General Lee, with General M. l.. Smith.
who, April 16, had been sent to the
Army of Northern Virginia as chief en-
gineer, and General Walter FL, Stevens,
engineer officer on Lees staff, rode
along the Confederate lines. About
midway the three halted
Il know what you are about to say,
General" said Lee to General Smith.
II was thinking" the other respond
ed, difIidently, "that this angle"-point-
ing to a place where the line took on
the shape of a.widely inverted Wis
the weak point>in your disposition. 1t
certainly is the only one have noted
as yet"
Yves, 7 know it," the Confederate
commander answered, but could not
avoid it, And if Humphreys con-
summate engineer officer, then chief of
staff of the Army of the Potomac
should see this, the brunt of the Fede-
raj attack will be here"
In his reconnaissance Of Lees line,
Humphreys had seen it.
At midnight, May IL, the Second
Corps was silently moved from its po-
sition, and two divisions--Birney' and
Barlow s-were put into marching col
umns. The night was warm and pitch
dark. They We're to assault the Con-
federate line at the faulty angle at
dawn of day. So dense was the dark
ness, aided by thick fog, that moth
ing could be seen, and there was great
danger that the enterprise might be-
come bad blunder The troops dared
not wait until day began to break, for
then they would be, overwhelmed.
| The evening before the assault Gene
| raj Hancock rode over most of the
ground alone, and succeeded in making
very satisfactory examination. A
residence, called the Landrum house,
he noticed, was a prominent landmark
of the neighborhood. He fixed it's loca-
| ton carefully in his mind. 1t was well
he did so.
| II guided my movements by that
house." he said to Colonel Richard Lee
years after, and l do not know how
could have found my way but for it"
| General Ed Johnsons division OF
EwelPs corps was holding the difficult
place. Poor fellows, they We're dog
tired with three days of hard fighting
and weak, for they had no food but
parched corn. So the Federal advance
absolutely stepped over the sleeping
half-starved center lines without wax
ing them, and finally reached the work
itself. There they encountered a vigi-
liant line of sentinels, who gave the
alarm.
The battle then began. The darkness
and fog made 1t difficult to distinguish
friend from foe But the kept of the
Union soldier marked him, while the
| Confederate was clearly Indicated by
his gray slouched hat. Not much firing
occurred after the rush, 1t was man t.
man, with bayonet and dubbed mus
| ket
1.-THE dead were piled so high thai
| they formed breastworks for botf
| sides" says General-now United
| States Senator-John B. Gordon 'Ir
the history of modern war there is nj
record of an assault so bloody nor d
one so boldly contested as that of May
| 10, 1854
After repulsing two attacks, the third
rush was not to be overcome, and the
Army Of the Potomac scored it's frs
triumph under Grant Major Genera
Edward Johnson's division lost very
heavily, and he, with General George
III. Steuart one Of his brigade com
manders, was captured.
'How are you, Ned said Hancock
holding out his hand when the two gen
eral officers were brought to his quar-.
ters. (Hancock had the rare quality Of
looking fresh and clean, no matter how
hot the works might have been il
which he was engaged an hour before
Colonel Osman Latrobe of Longstreet's
staff was another who was natty ant
we'll dressed always. Pelham, Steu
ART CHlel OI artillery, was VI tile Stiiit
kind.) I'm sorry for your misfortune
Ned, but If you had to be captured,
am pleased that it is my good fortune
to entertain you"
Johnson's fine eyes filled with tears
He and Hancock had served together il
the old Sixth infantry on the plains
years before, and had been like iona
than and David. Johnson was a Ken
tuckian, and was Hancock's senior BY
about ten years. THANK you, Han
cock" he managed to say.
How are you, George?' Hancocl
said, turning to Steuart, whom he haC
also known well in the old army.
Now Steuart, never too amiable a
any time, was Inundated by his mis-
fortune of capture and mad all through
He did not notice the outstretched hant
of his captor, but drawing himself vi
to his full five feet seven inches, he re
Piled: Sir I am General Steuart o
the Confederate arny!"
Hancock's face in an instant wa
scarlet Under any other circumstan
ces, General Steuart, should not lav
offered you my hand was his only re
ply. pray be seated, gentlemen" h
went on: I'VE will have breakfast di
rectly. You know Colonel Morgan 9TH
corps inspector, an old army many, ant
wish to present General Walker, m.
Acknowledgement"
| Hancock gave the two such a break