The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-21
An Incident at Spotsylvania.

80 Nav ~. 1854. The two armies
..ror.ed each other at Spotsylvanis.
rv.rythipg on the Confederate front had
r,sda ready for the assault that Lee
..,nsd 10 know was coming
p WINS corps occupied ridge about
"a, center. and tho enemy parallel
,,., with a gradually sloping valley be-
~, Here, on Hills front, was massed
i,,~r,ns battalion of artillery. seven hat
III, about forty-two guns. The horses.
| ras The custom in those days, had been
- tho rear, for fear they might be
killed
p..yanl had planted his battle nag and
i, .b,;shed his field headquarters in the
o.,,,r OF his guns, Around this flag for n
an roiu,ites we're grouped Generals lee.
ror,ou. Hill and Early. When they dis
,arsed Pegranl mounted his horse and
slowly rode along the line. closely scrutln-
ling every gun and detachment. He said
10 each battery commander;
aranlain. have dozen charges OF canis-
,sr run up to each piece; double-shot your
ans and have every man at his post. The
u NV sword Shoot the first man who
m,lls a lanyard units! the signal is given"
Already In the distance could be seen
I'M enemy massing for the attack. Their
srtiIlery opened terrific fire ON our line.
nwhch we made no reply. Then the blue
csfunn. brigade front, debouched from
tbsjr works and amid the smoke OF their
csn guns started down the hill. The cry,
Here they comet" went down our line.
Every gun Is loaded double shotted. -
nfimers fixed aud lanyards taut. The gun
ts.s are neryously lingering their elevat-
lng screws depressing their pieces to keep
ths range OF the ever changing blue tar :
ret The enemy are already across the
valley and are now ascending the hill on
which our guns are posted, and no signal
ut. II looks Al II they will soon be in
srong our guns. But suddenly Pegralr Is
ssber flashes from It's scabbard. and those
iory gins speak out as one piece Then
Ne order Is Fire at will IIilts I'M
hntry rise Up from behind the low Cur
tain that had concealed them and Join in
be deadly work. The blue oolumnE reel
tiaggsr, and go back to the foot OF the
bill, only to reform and come again.
Three times they try this desperate ven
tire and then 60 back crushed and bleed
ing TO .he cover Of their own works, leav-
Ing our front strewn with their dead and
wounded
But We had not passed through this
fiery ordeal unscathed The whole bat
talon had lost Heavily in officers and men,
and our battery had lost every commits
stoned officer. and Lieutenant Tom Wal
cham, now living In Laredo Texas, who
Pegran had sent from another battery to
take command Of 'fhe purcaII - had
scarcely taken his post when he was shot
down, the bullet passing entirely through
his face from side to side, crushing the
jawbone He is today suffering from that
wound
! The lat. Charles A. Dana, who was at
that time assistant secretary OF war and
who was with Grant at Spotsylvania. re-
cords In magazine article written shortly
before his DEATH that In those days the
constant theme of conversation with Of
neers and men OF the army OF the Potomac
was their terrible losses In those fights,
ana SAYS that he was in General Grant S
veal when the official reports of losses
anne IN, showing that from May 4. the
'ay Grant left Culpepper for the Wilder
ness, 10 May l6. they had lost little over
'SVVo men. and OF this number only 490l
were reported as missing, which doubtless
iheluded many of the unuccounted for
dead
1eneral Grant expressed regret at these
sppatling figures. and General Meade. who
"as also present in the tent, replied:
Well general. you know we can't err
peg 70 40 these little tricks without loss
Private A. s. Drewry,
feicell Battery, Pegram's Battalion Of
Arui'ery, Army Of Northern Virginia.