The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-02-04
1lE NATIONAL TRIBUNE WASHINGTON u O. THURSDAY

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and then form their attacking column
within few yards of our lines.
That evening the two other brigades
of Getty's were ordered back to the Sixth
Corps l was told that my brigade
could not be spared from the position it
held, which position was the intersection
of the Plank and Brock roads.
Let us again see what the "other
side" say of us. Gen. Longstreet, in
his report of the battle of May 6 on the
Plank road, says: " Having checked the
advance of the enemy, | ordered gen.
eral advance by my line. y x =
Before which the enemy was driven con-
siderable distance. The woods were
dense and the underground almost inn
possible to penetrate. This success was
not purchased without the loss of many
of the bravest officers and men Of my
corps"
Then he speaks of difficulties under
which his troops labored, and adds
"They not only held their own, but
formed their line, and in turn, charging
the enmy, drove him back in confusion
over half mile to line of temporary
works, where they were reinforced by
reserves"
The Temporary works held by my
brigade were the only ones in that
vicinity, and my brigade was the only
reserves " that occupied them. Long
street then tells how fanking force vas
formed to turn our left, consisting of the
brigades of Malone, Anderson, Wofford,
and Davis, and commanded by Malone,
and how, after reaching the desired po-
sition on the left of the Union army,
" they advanced in the direction of the
Plank road until they encountered the
enemy in flank and rear, who fell back
in utter rout with heavy loss"
Gen. Kershaw, who commanded di-
vision Of Longstreet's Corps, in his report
says: In the meantime Gen. Bryan's
Brigade coming up, was ordered in posi-
ton on Henagan's right. That officer,
in obedience to orders, had pushed for
ward and
DRIVEN THE ENEMY
in his front for some distance through
the dense thicket which covered the
country to the right of the Plank road
but they, being heavily reinforced, forced
him back to the line which Humphreys
had by this time reached. Here the
enemy held my three brigades so OBJ
stinately that / endeavored to bring up
Gen. Woford's Brigade to extend my
right"
Gen. Malone in his report says that
on May 6 he took command of the flank
movement by direction of Gen. Long
street, and that it was a complete sue
cess, and that ".the enemy was swept
from our front on the Plank road, where
his advantages of position had already
been felt by our line, and from which the
necessity for his dislodgment had become
matter of much interest" :"
Next day, May 7, there was skirmish-
ing in our front. Parties were sent out
to collect and bury our dead. Pursuant
to orders received, sent out skirmish-
line under Mai. Crandall, Of the 9th Vt,
who drove the enemy's skirmishers back
over the battlefield of the day before,
and captured piles of muskets that they
were gathering from the field and were
about to haul away. Gen. Birney sent
out teams and hauled them in.
We had opportunity to rest and look
over the battlefield. Where the Yer.
mont Brigade charged and fought May
the trees were marked and bruised by
bullets; they were very thick, most Of
them quite small, but nearly every tree
and sapling bore marks of the terrible
conflict.
In view of the evidence there, the
wonder was not that more than one-third
of the command was killed and wounded
but how SO many escaped. How men
could remain there during the battle
and still live seemed unaccountable.
Late in the afternoon of May was
relieved from the position held on the
Plank road, and ordered to join the
Sixth Corps. Soon after dark the corp.
started on its march to Spottsylvanis
Courthouse, and the battle Of the Viii
derness passed into history.