The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-12-07
SOME PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
 OF@TF1E BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS
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halt, repelled all attacks, connected their Hanks and held and strengthened their position and captured guns and prisoners. There own loss was considerable, but much less than that of their antagonists.
 Both sides prepared to renew the struggle at an early hour next day. Grant accumulated heavy masses against Hill on his left, some say, half of all he had. Hills two divisions had suf- fered so on the 9th that Lee determined to relieve them, by putting in their place Andersons division of the same corps which had been left behind, need lessly as 1t proved, to watch the army's rear. and Longstreet's division. Long street, with Fields and McLaws' divi- sion, coming from Godonville, on roads about parallel to the plank road on the 9th of May, about nightfall, reached "a point within ten miles of the fighting on that day, and there halted. Ordered to relieve Hills overborne division at the front, from some cause he did not move until the morning of the 9th, and had gone but short distance, before the firing announced that Hill. was again engaged. His men, much exhausted, and fully expecting to be replaced on the line by others were not, well prepared for the heavy pressure on 1t. They extended across the plank road at right angles. to some distance on both sides and such
 
 right flank. that it was forced back al- most to and on that road The situation had become perilous; but just at this time, Longstreet's two divisions, hav- ing made miles at doube-quick came down the plank road at that pace, side by side and were swung by brigades to the right and left of it against Hills as- sailants. It was at this critical juncture, according to the best authority, that General Lee proposed to lead the adj vance of Fields division at the head of the Texas brigade, which demanded that he should go back, that they might go on. The movement of Longstreet's men was irresistible. Hill was relieved; the battle line restored; and their ane tagonists forced far back, a mile OF more, to a point from which they did not again advance, where they com structed defences from which they could not be driven by direct front attack When this was discovered, under Lees direction Longstreet organized. fank- ing force from his own corps and An- derson's division of Hill's corps, which had then come up from Orange courts house, and sent them against the fed- eral left flank and rear to co-operate with the renewed attack in front. This movement was well planned, and 'op- perfume It promised great results and though belated, was succeeding finely, when Dy QiSdSlTOuS UllSDdD Long street who had ridden out to direct and urge 1t forward, was mistaken for an enemy by his own men, fired upon sew erely wounded and disabled and the op- eration arrested. Longstreet who had been sanguine of success, was borne bleeding to the rear, and as soon as pos- sible, General Lee himself took com mand at that point. But 1t was too late to renew the movement. The chances fer another Bull Run or Chancellorsville had vanished Grants left had recovered itself, and been reinforced during the
 inestimable interval and though bad- ly beaten back could not be destroyed. Though forced for a time out of It's breastworks of blazing logs 1t rallied, recovered and held them at dark.
 On the confederate centre and left in the meantime the fighting was vigorous but not so heavy and obstinate. There every assault of the enemy had been beaten back; and the day closed with fanking movement which with very. slight loss, brought in large number of federals as prisoners. TO multiply the honors of the occasion. on the even- ing of the 9th of May, the fire spread from the burning log breastworks to the roads, where besides the dead. be- ing multitudes of wounded and dying men. now many of whom perished miser- ably, by suffocation and burning can never be known.
 This battle of the Wilderness was ,(contInued on Jwentyfourth ;PageN,