Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-09
THE FACTS OF HISTORY.
More About the Battles or Spotsyi-
vanin G.. III. and the Wilderness.


To the Editor of the Dispatch:
Those survivors of the Army OF North
ern Virginia who took part In the CAM
paign Of 1864 owe an obligation 10 the
new generation that has grown up. that
in our talks and writing they shall nave
the facts Of history, and that we shall
be as accurate as possible In stating those
facts from which the future historian Will
drawn material for the information OF
posterity. This is the campaign that es-
pecially links the name OF Lee and MS
heroes with undying fame and furnishes
a study to-day for military schools In all
the civilized world. / am led TO these re-
marks from just having read the most
interesting address of my old-time Hamp-
den-Sdney College-mate. General George
/. Hundley, before r. II. Lee Camp, re-
ported in the Dispatch Of May "a. Wnlle
making due allowance for the lapse Oh
time and the exactions OF arauous pro.
fessonal engagements, / must say tnat
the General should have refreshed ms
memory" and not have taken for granted
many things that the. participants IN
those scenes can readily Supply iro I'm
memory, but will be misunderstood by
those who will know them from the ac-
count Of eye-wtnesses only. We all I'M
derstand, moreover that General Humid
ley was not undertaking In that ADDRESS
to give an exhaustive historian account
of the movements of either the cavalry
or infantry Of the Army of Northern Vlr-
ginia Allowing with cheerful alacrity
all that the General claims for the
cavalry at Spotsylvana Courthouse,
wish TO point out some glazing inaccura-
| cies in one paragraph only OF his ad-
| dress. / quote as follows:
"At one time IL was a standing Joke with
the infantry that nobody ever saw uea9
| fighting around Spotsylvania Courthouse
| no smile came 10 the faces of the infantry
| men when this joke was repeated Ihey
| had seen enough dead cavalrymen there
| to take the point out of the stale joke.
| There Grants great army had crossed
| the Rappahannock, ard was pressing 10
| gain the rear OF our army before Lee
| could strike him a blow, and he would
have accomplished his purpose but tq LOT
Lees Division of Cavalry In front OF
| Warren's Corps Of Infantry at Spotsyl-
| vania Courthouse, and there fftz Lee,
with his dashing and trusty neutehailss ,;
| Wickham and Payne dismounted ana
| fought Warren. holding him at bay foi
| three days. whilst 'Marse Bob gathered
| his infantry and artillery and hurried
| down the Plank road to our rescue, Long
| street marching in front. On striking the
| enemy Longstreet was wounded, and
| Stuart took command of his division"
| General Hundley Is speaking OF the
| cavalry fighting at and about SpotsyiVa-
| MIA COURTEOUS The ordinary reader OF
| this paragraph would infer. without look
| ing at the map. that Spotsylyania Court
| house was on the RaDpahannock river
and that Grants army crossed there. Inc
Rapidan and Rappahannock unite below
| the fords at which Grant crossed his
| army and IL was the Rapidan which was
| crossed. and not the Rappahannock. Spot
| sylyania Courthouse Is twelve or nfteen
| miles from both rivers. FROM Generai
1 Hundley's account one would tnlnk that
| Warren's Corps was simply GRANTS aa-
| vance force, and that the first clash Oh
| battle was at Spotsylvania Courthouse,
when the fact is that General X. T.. Lee
! with two corps CA. 7. Hills and JACK
| sons old corps, had been fighting Grant
i three days i'm the Wilderness tnrous u
which the plank road" runs. before the
| Sunday mentioned by General Hundiey:
| So far from Longstreet having marcnea
In front down the Plank road. tnat
| general GongstreeO was with MS corps
| at Gordonsville during the first two days
| fighting In the Wilderness. for the pur-
pose of watching threatened movement
| of a portion of Grants army th3t hau
been lying across the Rapldan at Liberty
Mills. five miles from GordonsViile. Inns
danger over. Longstreet's Corps was the
| last of the three army corps 10 reach the
| wilderness, which il did. however, In the
nick OF time to strike Ranking column
| that Grant was attempting 10 throw
| AROUND GentTdl H. ls'c iiSHe. w.
louisville and Orange Courthouse were
General r. H. Lees rear and Spotsyiva-
MIA Courthouse his right flank. The bulk
| OF Grants army had been halted by Gene
raj r. E. Lee before II got four miles
south OF the Rapidan. and so well enter
| tanned that but for the loss of time follow
ing the confusion of Longstreets having
been wounded, and OF a Confederate brt-
gade firing into our own men, Longstreet
Corps would have reached the Brock road.
and would have effectually blocked Grants
march to Spotsylvania Courthouse. AS II
was. however. no particular attention was
paid to the force Of Yankees threatening
Spotsylvania Courthouse. l will not
be positive, but my impression Ia
that II. II. Anderson's Division had been
drawn out OF the lines on Saturday night
and marched as far as Todd's Tavern,
en- route to Spotsylvana Courthouse,
which they reached early Sunday morning
/ recollect very distinctly that General
r. Il. Lees headquarters, with which
was serving In tho headquarters battalion
OF cavalry. reached our camp south OF
Spotsylvania Courthouse that Sunday eve
ming. and that we did see number OF
dead cavalry horses. but no dead cavalry
men. Perhaps these latter. with their pro-
verbal touRhnesx and tenacity OF life
had recovered and gone of with Company
Q for remounts. OF course, II was mere
omission In General Hundiey to speak oil
Longstreets s'Dlvisicn'' having been com.
mandcd temporarily BY General Stuart
as Longstreet was at that time. and FOL
q year or more previously, commanding {