The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-10-13
BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS.
ehaetIy Recolleotlaas OF the Field.
What the Dead indicated.

and can give you none," was Grants
famous reply to Lee, when, under
flag of truce, cessation of hostilities
was requested long enough to bury
the dead. Thus one great and awful
feature Of the battle of the Wilnerness
was the unburied dead, that lay for
days and weeks all over the blood
stained field, one Of the most horrible
and CHASTITY sights ever exposed to
human vision. Probably no battle
field of the ci,il war offered such an
opportunity for inspiration rs this.
Ordinarily, after fight, buryiug
larties were detailed, and the long,
deep trench, a common grave, was
dug, and the dead were at least cover
ed. but not so here. Grant could not
etop, and the long stretch of country,
ovcrrun with Mosby's guerrillas, that
interviewed between the Rappahanaock
river aud the nearest Union lines pre-
vented aid from that direction in bury
ing the thousands that were slain in
the Wilderness and in the fight at
Spottsylvauia Court House.
/ sat OF my horse looking over the
portion of the field where the fierce
and deadly fighting Of May 4 and 5,
1864, occurred 1t was four or five
days after the fight, about the 9th or
10th Of May, A small detachment Of
our regiment had been sent as an
escort to train of ambulances to
gather in the wounded, who were being
temporarily cared for in barns and
farm houses near the battlefield, and
I thus had an opportunity to view this
historic scene. During the 80 years
since, it has been an open question
s:hlether to be glad or sorry that l
visited that battlefield. 1t could not
be more wildly impressed upon me
had 1 seen it yesterday. 1t has been a
nightmare and horrid day dream all
these years. Often Have 1 prayed
that visions Of those upturned faces,
blackcned and distorted, of the staring,
glazed oyeballs, Of the stiffcncd, out
stretched hands, seemingly still grasp
ing for support, those rigid forms wrap
in. blue and gray, that had fought
| their last battle and now lay side by
side in that great charncl ficld, might
| be blotted forever from my recollection.
Then, again, have been glad that
| | knew so we'll how that battlefield
| appeared, and how barbarous, brutal
and inhuman it made war seem glad
that I knew how 10000 dead horses
looked, which had faced and met
death amid the wild frenz;ed scepes
Of ore Of the greatest battles in the
history of the world.
One Of the most striking features to
us that day, and the ono most thor
oughly fixed in our memories: was that
all over that battlefield, or at least
that part we visited, there lay three
boys in blue to one in gray. 1t will
be remembered that all through the
Wilderness fight the Confederatcs
were protected by system of earth
works and hastily constructed forti-
ications, and abatises, while the Union
troops were compelled to fight largely
in the open and assail the Confederates
in their strongholds. From these il
was utterly impossible to dislodge the
enemy except by the mastery series
of flank movements, SO successfully
planned by General Grant.
We saw in one place where the men
in line Of battle had taken off their
knapsacks and laid them in long.
row, evidently to be prepared to make
charge upon one Of these carthworks
of the Confedcrates, some little dis
taucc in front. These knapsacks re-
manned almost undisturbed, while tho
men Jay, some in heaps, some here and
there IN front Of the Notifications they
had charged upon. At this point the
| Uuion dead lay thickcst. | believe I
could have dismounted aud walked &
distance as great as two ordinary city
blocks and never once have stepped
upon the ground walking on dead
bodies all tho way Indeed, had 1
undertaken the CHASTITY journey, I
would haye been compelled in some
place &c Climb over heaps Of the dead
/ .ThcreFwis aslight growth of under
brush at this point, with a few trees
remaining. made careful examina-
|5tion.a and could not see a limb or twig
or bush, but was marked by bullet,
and aseme Of them in several places.
The wonder seemed not that there
weresso many.dead, but that any liyed.
Officers and privates all made common
/ cause here and rank was forever oh