Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-07-23

Mich.
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road until il had fanked Howard. In
! simple language he told the story Of the
J day. but" he added, u was not with
! Jackson when he was shot. | had been
sent by him with message 10 General
Stuart"
"Who was in your house at the timer"
1T was occupied by General Devens as
! his headquarters. From the hill over
! there Jackson and | could see the Yankee
! officers out on this lawn. They dld not
seem TO be aware that we were IN this
| reighborhood."
PRIVATE SOLDIERS EXPECTED
TROUBLE.
IF the officers did not know It, said
| a Federal officer, "there was not private
| soldier in the ranks who did not expect
| the corps 10 be smashed. They had heard
from many sources that the enemy was
marching upon us but the officers seem
ed to think that there was no danger.
y GU know they thought that Jackson
army was in retreat. Instead Of that.
| IL was marching upon us. We were just
| getting supper at the time, and were not
prepared to resist an attack"
Il remember" said Tally, laughing,
"Our men snatcbed up pieces OF beef from
! the frying-pan as they rushed by. The
meat was so hot that they could hardly
| hold it,"
Curiously enough. on the lawn was also
n man named Hawkins. who lived In the
! house across the road. Hawkins had car
! red some mail that morning over in the
direction Of the RappahannOck. and had
! been warned that the Union army was
I'm the neighbOrhOOd. In trying to get
back home he was captured and made a
prisoner i'm his house. where there were
about twenty-five women and children
who had fled there for shelter. His home
was General Carl Schurz's headquarters
zone of Schurz's staff officers" said
Hawkins. as he placed a chew Of tobacco
In 1...fr hfa Id
I'm the house. and throwing down his
sword, said he would go out and see the
fun. lie had heard some firing. and
thought IL was a skirmish. He never
same 70 get his sword ] had been IN the
Confederate army. had been discharged.
but as ] stood i'm the door Of my house.
my old company came rushing right
across my garden. This was too much for
Ilsi ana, PICKING up a gun, ! went or
with them down the road yelling with the
rest of them. 1 heard all the officers as
they talked during the day. and not one
Of them knew that they were going TO be
attacked"
A NIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS
4 few miles beyond Tally's house the
party entered the Wilderness Never did
name seem more mishtted The valley Of
wilderness Run is beautiful. The fields
stretch away 10 the forests on every side
and are as green as a well-watered, fer
tile soil can make them. Instead OF
wilderness the country seems paradise.
II was only when, a few miles farther
on. after the Lacy house had been left
IN the distance and Palmer's field which
was once covered with dead bodies had
been passed, that the procession Of car
riages, turning into the woods encoun-
tered a real wilderness In the midst
OF an Undesirable tangle Of trees and
underground. the old trenches could still
be seen, although now men fought under
such circumstances was then and IS still
wonder. In the clearing was the house
of q man named Hall. an old farmer.
with a typical long, white beard, who
had his story to tell of escaping from
Union cavalry while he was trying TO
carry his family and his household goods
into the forest by hiding behind a rock. At
night the Chewing 7OuSe was reache ].
building conspicuous on the mihtdiJ
maps, for all around II were the Con-
federate works. In the morning the line
Of march was taken up along a private
road which led into the Orange turnpike
There are said 10 be about 10000 acres
IN the Wilderness. In olden times Al was
practically a trackless forest, but nov
there are farms scattered through l., and
IL is only In casiOnal localities thar
primeval nature is seen The demand
Tor railroad ties has been the principal
cause of the cutting down Of the enOr-
nous trees that were once the pride Of
Ike Wilderness.
A SIMPLE MONUMENT TO LEE.
Across the fields on each side of the
turnpike Longstreets men came, after an
all-night march. to relieve A. p. HuI
There is Tapps field" said Major Bis
coe Il was in HIS Division, and we
had fought through the 9Th Of May.
was lying down in that field on the morn
ing Of the 9th, when Longstreets men
came rushing over us on their way 10
meet the Union Army"
AS i came along with Longstreet"
said Mr.. Hume. the woods Were all on
fire. 1t was an awful sight Both the
dead and wounded We're being burned
The woods were full Of bodies"
Yes" said Captain Quinn. I'VE were
charged with setting the woods on fire
but we did not do it, We tried hard 10
eXtinguish the flames, but it was impos-
sible 10 do So"
Every inch Of the road was now full Of
historic interest. The point where Long
street was wounded where Jenkins was
killed, and where General Wadsworth was
fatally shot. were all pointed out. Then,
a few minutes later the party stood
around a rough shaft Of granite a hun
dred feet from the road. The stone stood
upon some smaller rocks beneath a tree
II marks the spot where soldier grasp
ed the bride Of General Lees horse.
There had been some wavering on the
part Of the Confederates. and Lee rode
forward. intending himself TO lead a
charge. lie placed himself at the head
OF a Texas regiment His evident pur-
pose changed the spirit Of the men "If
you Will go back we will 90 forward"
said they. and when Lee hesitated one OF
illtll stiLtA Ills nurse = IIlUle and turned
the animal around Then they FASTENED
70 the front and Lee went back The SOL
oilers placed the improvised monument on
the spot. and there IL stands TO this day
in all its solitude and simplicity the mute
reminder Of a wartime episode
ARTILLERY WORKS PRESERVED
II was one Of the many curious coin
cidences of this battlefield region that
the very road over which Jackson march
ed TO flank HoWard-known as the Brock
road-was also the point which a year
later Hancock told General Getty 20 hold |
at all hazards. II was then the line OF
communication for the Union army when
Grant was moving toward SpOtsylvania !
The point whore the Orange turnpike
crosses the Brock road was reached I'm a !
few minutes after passing the point where |
Wadsworth was killed There was despe- |
rate fighting along here between Hancock |
and Longstreet. The Brock road Is stu !
lined with the defensive works built by |
the Union army. while the artillery works |
erected by Barlow. on HancOcks extreme
left. We're found In a wonderful state of |
preservation. They could even now be |
used at a moments notice They stand |
I'm a small field on the brow Of a hill |
with woods surrour ding. Il remember" |
said Major Hine as he pointed across the |
field. that | was sent with two regl- |
ments 10 cut down about 800 acres Of oak /,
over there. so as 10 give ample play 10 |
our guns"
The trenches are in the deep woods and |
arc covered with a carpet OF pine needles. |
They are nearly all still waist-deep. The |
forest Is very thfck-Very much as N must |