The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-06
SOLDIERS BUDGET.
The " Bloody Angle."

had been anxious to participate in
the scenes occurring at the "engle,"
and now got permission to go there and
look after some new movements which
had been ordered. Lie made five as
saulto, in all, that day, in series of
desperate and even reel less attempts
to retake his main line of earthworks;
but each time his men were huled
back defeated, and he had to content
himself in the end with throwing up
new line farther in bis rear.
The battle near the "angle was
probably the most desperate engage
ment in The history of modern warfare,
and presented features which were alb
solulely appalling 1t was chit fly
savage hand.to hand fight across the
breastwOrks. Rank after rank was
riddled ly shot and shell and bay OIL ct
thrusts, ard finally sank, a mass of torn
and mutlated cOrpses; then fl esh
troops rushed madly forward to re-
place the cead, and so the murdtro
work went on. Guns were run up
close 10 the parapet, and double charges
of canister played their part in the
bloody work. The fencC-rails and logs
in the breastworks were shattered into
81 linters, and trees over a foot and a
half in diameter were cut completely
in two by the incessant musketry. A
section of the trunk of stout oak-tree
thus severed was afterwards sent to
ashingto on, where it is stlll on exhi-
bition at the National Museum. We
had not only shot down an army but
also forest.
The opposing flags were in place
thrust against each other, and muskets
were fred with muzzle against muzzle.
Skulls were crushed with clubted mus
kets, and men stabbed to death with
swords and bayonets thrust between
the logs in the parapet which sepG-
rated the combatants. Wild cheers,
savage ye!ls, and frantic shrieks rose
above the signing of the wind and the
pattering of the rair, and formed de-
moniacal accompaniment to the boom
ing of the guns as they hui led their
missiles of death into the contending
ranks. Even the darkness of night and
the pitiless storm failed to stop the
fierce contest, and the deadly strife did
not cease till after midnight. Our
troops had been under fire for twenty
hours, but they still held the position
which they had so dearly purchased.
NV duties carried me again to the spot
the next day, and the appalling sight
presented was narrowing in the eX-
| IRENE. Our own killed were scattered
over large space near the "angle,"
while in front of the captured breast
works the enemy's dead, vastly more
numerous than our own, were piled
upon each other, in some places four
layers deep, exhibiting every CHASTITY
phase of mutilation. Below the mass
of fast-de caying corpes, the convulsive
twitchipg of limbs and the writhing OF
bodies showed that there were wounded
men still alive and struggling to extri-
cate the mselves from their horrid en-
tombment. Every relief possible was
afforded, but in too many cases 1t came
too late. The place was well named
the " Bloody Angle"
The results of the battle are besI
summed up Ia the report which the
gene ral-in chief sent to Washington
At 6: 30 P. NJ, May IL, he wrote tC
Halleck as follows: 1.-THE eighth day o.
battle closes leaving between three ant
four thousand prisoners in our hands
for the days work, including two gen
eral officers, and over thirty pieces o.
artillery. The enemy are obstinate
and seem to have found the last ditch
We have lost no organization, not ever
that of a company, whilst we have de
stroyed and captured one division
(Johnson's) J, one brigade Cd, le'O, ant
one regiment entire of the enemy
The Confederates had suffered great,
in general Ulcers. Two had beer
killed, four severely wounded, and two
captured. Our loss in killed, wounded
and missing was less than seven thou
sand; that of the en-, my between MIN
and ten thousand as Iearly as coul,
be ascertant d." Campaigning will
Grant" by General Horace Porter, il
the January Century.