The evening times., 1899-05-02
ANNIVERSARY OF 4
GREAT CONFLICT
The Battle of Charlottesville
Thirty.six Years Ago.
StonewalI Jackson's Spirited Attack
on Howarfs Flank.
Review of One of the Most Memoir
able Fights of the Civil
War.

|
Thirty-six years ago today, there was
| great shedding Of fraternal blood. Men
were falling like the leaves OF trees swept
| by a winter wind. Great guns were crash
| ing and musketry was rafting. Flame
tinged clouds of sulphurous smoke were
| rising like Internal incense to the throne Of
| Mars. Widows and orphans were being
made.
! The battle Of Charlottesville was being
! fought.
There, on the moodish little Rapidan,
| close to its confluence with the Rappahan-
mock, fifty miles below Washington, twelve
| miles southwest of Aqua Creek, and ten
miles west of Fredericksburg. on the old
Orange and Alexandria Railroad. now the
! Southern. the Army of the Potomac, un-
der Gen. Joseph Hooker. and the Army OF
Northern Virginia, under Gen. Robert E.
Lee, met. The Federal loss in that battle
was. killed and wounded, 12.197: missing.
5000: total, 17.197. The Confederate loss
was, killed and wounded, 10. 266; missing,
2,153; total. 3.019.
The Federal killed and wounded by
corps, follows:
The Killed and Wounded.
Corps Couch, 1925; Third Corps (Sick-
ies,, 3,i39: Fifth Corps tMeade). 1893; Sixth
Corps tSedgewick), 1901: Eleventh Corps
| tHowardb, sos; Twelfth Corps (Slocum),
2.SS3; cavalry. etc. $50.
The Confederate los by divisions follows:
Early's Division. S51; A. P. Hills Di-
vision, 2.5S3: Colston's Division. 1858;
Rhodes Division, 2.17s; Anderson's Divis-
ion, l.lso; McLaw's Division. 1879; artil-
lery and cavalry. 22I.
More men We're killed and wounded at
Charlottesville than General Shafter COM
manded in the late Santiago campaign. 1t
was one of those battles that dye the
fighting ground red.
1t was on this May day thirty-six years
ago that the two great armies OF the North
and South were playing at the awful game
OF war for the sake OF principles which
both held dear.
In this fierce fight somebody blundered
Major Peter Keenan,. commanding the
Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry led a charge
as forlorn as that CT Balaklava, and Stone
wall Jackson received his mortal wound
General Hooker. a graduate of West
Point, who had held high position on the
staff of Gen. Gideon J. Pillow in the war
with Mexico. was assigned to the COM
mand of-the Army Of the Potomac, to sue
coed General Burnside after the Federal
disaster at Fredericksburg.
When the campaign of Charlottesville
began the Army of the Potomac was post
ed on the left bank of the Rappahannock,
opposite Fredericksburg among the Staf
ford hills, in position which was consid
cred almost impregnable. General Hooker
had under him force Of about 124. 500 men
of all arms, and General Lee about g., 600
| men.
The Campaign Opens.
Demonstrations for the purpose of con-
fusing the enemy were begun on April q.
when small force of infantry was sent
to threaten Kelly's Ford. General Stone
man had already been sent with 10000
cavalry to cross at the upper fords of the
Rappahannock. and to sweep down upon
Lees communications with Richmond and
intercept supplies. \ column under Aver
ell was sent TO attack Culpeper and Cor
louisville and another under Buford was
TO move 10 Louisa Court House and thence
to the Fredericksburg Railroad Both COL
umns were to unite behind the Pakumkey,
and Stoneman was to intercept Lees line
of retreat and detain him till Hooker, with
the main army. could assal him and COM
pel him to surrender. This was the Fed
eral programme.
On the evening of April 2S Meade's. How
ards, and Slocums corps had crossed the
Rappahannock and on the 10Th Hooker
was on the march TO the Rapidan. On the
|
| Charlottesville. Lee knew OF the move
and was coming up.
On May l, at IL o'clock Hooker moved
| out TO attack Lee, in four columns At
| that time there were two excellent roads
| leading from Charlottesville to Freder-
| icksburg One Of these was plank road
| and the other the '.Old Turnpike.
There was still another road. but very
poor one which ran near the river and
came out at Banks Ford. S!ocums corps
followed by HowaTd's. took the Plank
Road. Sykes division of Meades Corps.
followed by HancCck's division OF Couch
Corps. took the turnpike. Griftins and
Eumphrey's divisions of Meade's Corps
followed the river road.
Hooker expected to form line Of battle
by . o'clock on May 1 with his right rest
ing near Tabernacle Church and his left
covering Banks Ford. The character OF
the country was such that formation was
difficult to maintain and 1t was hard to de-
ploy detachment Of Pleasanton's Cav
airy at the head of Sykes division was
driven in by the Eleventh Virginia 1nfan-
try of Mahones brigade of McLaw's di-
vision. Sykes division advanced; Nc
Laws division advanced: Jackson came up.
| The two armies were encountering each
other Sykes division met McLaw's divis-
ion one mile out of Charlottesville and
drove it steadily back one mile further
when the latter was e-enforced by Ander-
sons division and Ramseur's brigade Of
Rode's division. There was terrific fighting
and Hooker retired. The engagement did
not become general on the first day.
Fields of ChancellOrsvtlle.
Gen. Abner Doubleday says: THAT por-
tion of the country around Charlottesville
within the Union lines on the morning Of
May 2, may, with some exceptions be de-
scribed as a plain, covered by dense thick
| cts. with open spaces in the vicinity OF
the houses, varied by high ground at Tai
ley's on the west and by the hills OF Fair
view and Hazel Grove on the south. and
terminating in deep ravine near the
river. Our general line was separated
from that of the enemy by small streams.
which principally ran through ravines.
forming obstacles useful for defensive pur-
poses. This was the case on the east and
south, but on the west, where Howard's
line terminated there was nothing but the
usual thickets to impede the enemy's ap-
proach. 1t is quite possible that sudden
attack. when our army was heaped up
around Charlottesville might have been
disastrous to us. Gradually under the guild
ance of Captain Payne. Of the Engineers,
the different corps took the position they
had occupied on the previous night and or
of