Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-01
ON TO APP0MATTOA.
A PICTURE OF LEES RETREAT A.
SEEN ny AN ARTILLERYMAN.
WHO pROPOUNDS SEVERAL QUESTIONS
R~ecolIections OF Parchcd Corn
sBoys, IL IL All Ip"-A Very SAD
orderOtber Interesting Confcde-
rate Matter.


TO the Editor or the DlspdtCh'
AS a private, embraced in the ana
basis" of the forty thousand" from the
lines Of Petersburg to AppomattoX. COW
ering the period from the I'd to the 9Th
ct April, 1866, your correspondent Will be
under obligations 10 any ex-Confederate
through the columns OF your paper for
information on the following points:
/. Did the rupture of General Lees
line. occurring at or about dawn of Sun
day. April I'd. happen at one point only
or were there several points. broken
through by Grants army? Was not the
principal point south Of the A~ppomattox,
and about what distance from General
Lees extreme right, at "Hatcher's Run?
2. How many engagements Of several
hours duration. or more. were there du-
ring the retreat; on what days OF the
week and at what points did they occur?
8. The place of their occurrence, and
the name of the engagement which &C.
Cured between the left retreating col
umn of Lees army, and the enemy on
Sunday, after leaving the lines, and
which lasted from 10 a. NJ. to ) 7. NJ. The
left was caused to halt on the left bank
Of a stream. flowing into the A~ppomattox.
the enemy massing artillery and sharp
shooters on the right bank. and being
protected by a heavy piece OF WOOD, on
the crest of the hill. The distance be-
tween the two positions was about four
hundred yards; the Confederate infantry
having an improvised entrenchment from
three-quarters OF a mile TO a mile. The
writer knows nf only one hdftgrV nf ar
tillery, consisting of four guns, engaged,
that of Captain William G. Marshall. OF
Fauquier county, known originally as
"Stribbling's Battery With this bat
terry was Major Wright, who had won his
commission as major in the battle Of
the Crater" and who belonged to the
class of Confederate soldiers who were
strangers TO the metaphysical mystery
of fear. The end of this engagement
was caused by the enemy's striking our
left flank through a railroad cut, from
the direction of Petersburg, causing a
retreat to higher ground a mile distant,
whers. striking the great thO%roughfare
road, running westerly, the column re-
sumed its march.
4 At what point and on what day of
the week, was the following engagement
fought? The impression OF the writer is,
that the day was either Tuesday or We'd
nesday. The enemy had thrown a con-
siderable force of infantry and artillery
across the line of retreat, and occupied
elevated ground, protected by wood; the
retreating column fought, as it had done
the Sunday previous, behind improvised
breastworks Of two and a half feet high.
and extending along the edge of a piece
OF wood Of, perhaps, a mile in length.
Among the infantry was McLaw's Divis-
ion, also Wise's Brigade. The writer
knows of only three guns Of artillery en-
~gaged-the battery OF Captain William c.
Marshall above referred TO, one gun
having been lett behind In the retreat
OF the sunday previous. The intrepid
officer referred TO, Major Wright, also
participated in this affair. which lasted
from the forenoon 10 nightfall, when the
retreating force was withdrawn, and the
retreat resumed with its course detected
from the south to a more westerly direc-
ton.
5. If any one reading the above can
recognize from this inadequate descrip-
ton a section of the broad, Colonial
road, vending its way through an UNI
d%ulating country, and a distressingly
long portion of IL, upon which a number
Of gum OF the enemy's artillery played
necessarily from wooded heights from
either side of the road, l would be obliged
for d description of that boulevard of
destruction, which Gas in my mt /
'~rebehold" it, belongs. generically. to
the class OF perilous places represented
by the Pass in 'Dante's Inferno"-
which never yet a living person left"
l feel that i am taking a liberty, but
one which his generosity will excuse,
in stating that my immediate com
pagnon du oyage on this highway was
the Rev. Virginius Wrenn. now a minis
ter OF the Episcopal Church. residing at
Amelia Courthouse. and whom l have
not had the pleasure of meeting since the
army was disbanded. The retreat OF
General Lee constituting the extreme
right. when in the breastworks az Pc
t%ersburg, and with which your cores
pondent was connected). was a march
through time, Without regard to the d.
viding line of night and day. Aside from
the two engagements described, there
were no stops. save those pauses caused
by 4 disabled wagon, or a CUR or cais-
son. with its wheels stuck in the mud,
or short stops during the morning of
each day TO feed teams, and TO distribute
r~ations. the last OF which the Federals.
pressing US closely. took care 10 see
were not distributed, by the capture OF
our supply trains. In the command TO
which the writer was attached there was
a single ration Of bacon, a days supply.
Issued during the week. Parched corn
was our diet. the aroma of genuine
Yankee coffee" as IL affected the olfac-
tories OF Il Confederate. is revived with
this reminiscence. A. friend, connected
with Colonel Stribling's headquarters.
came each morning OF the retreat and
invited me TO "Colonel's headquarters"
to get a cup Of coffee. and this privilege,
its exhilarating effects. and my friends
kindness are indeiibly stamped on nv
memory. During the night-I thlnk IL
was Sa~turday-of the retreat, at an early
hour we were IN an especially dlsordered
condition. Artillery guns. caissons. army
wagons. and tho ''disjecta membra'
generally, OF a retreating army. closely
prsssed-men who We're. for the time
scattered from their commands. with oc-
~casionally an Infantry soldier riding .
bareback mule Escaped from some quar-
tsrmaster), constituted our caravan.
Just as We had obeyed tDe orders OF
Men. shoulder 10 the wheel!' ana had
gotten our gun out OF the mud. am
spparitlon appeared within a few feet OF
\ the writer. A horseman, we'll mounted
ana elegantly attired. appeared I'm the
sioafning or the night and asked. I'm a
' musical voice. Whose command here ?"
40 the reply made b. Lieutenant Rogers.