The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-19
SPIES CARRIED
news TO HANCOCK
Some New Facts About the Fa-.
nous Bloody Angle.
THE REV. Mr.. DAVIS WRITES
Pastor of Epworth Was a Soldier Be-
fore He Became Minister, and
Fought in the Civil
War.
THE REV. Mr.. DAVIS WRITES

The Rev W. F. Davis. pastor OF Ep-
worth Methodist Church, of this city,
was soldier before he became min
lister and fought valiantly in the Civil
War. He was sergeant major in the
Charlottesville Artillery. Cutshaw's Bat
talon, and he appeared on many OF the
fields where history was made
In the following account the Rev MT.
Davis sets forth some new and highly
interesting facts in connection Win the
Bloody Angle" battle, where ne was
wounded:
The recent presentation to R. z. Lee
Camp OF the portrait Of General James
A. Walker recalls some facts of the
Bloody Angle battle which I have
never seen in print. On the 10th OF May,
1864. there was quite sharp hght IN
which the Yankees succeeded in break
ing through Lees line and capturing
a part of the breastworks few hundred
yards to the left of the noted salient.
They were. however, quickly driven oack
and the line restored. That evening the
battery to which I belonged-the Char
lottesville Artillery, Captain James Med.
Darlington, Cutshaw's Battalion-Wa S
brought up to relieve another battery
Gone Of the Richmond HoWitzer bat
teries, II I am not MISTAKEN. Two OF
our guns were posted in the trenches
ABOUT nall Way DeI"Seh tHo 1e1iiSAAe oiiN
the point of attack on the 10th. The
other two were placed some distance to
the left Of these and some twenty or
thirty yards back from the line Of breast
works, and pointed obliquely across
them over a marked depression OF sur
face, SO as to enfilade the approaches TO
the point Of attack Of the 10th. The posi-
ton was a wretched one for artillery.
We were in a corner of woods 10 our
left and in front was open land But
the clearing in front could hardly have
been more than a, hundred yards wide
| al dthe ground sloped downward, While
beyond it was dense woods. IT assault
had been made from that direction we
could not possibly have delivered more
than one rund before they reached US.
LOOKING FOR SPIES.
Now for the special facts to which
refer above. On the evening OF the
18th murky. dismal. our Caissons and
horses having been sent back to camp
| under Sergeant (acting leutenanD John
Hunter, Jr. (now of this city,. and the
whole of Pages Battalion. on our right.
having been likewise withdrawn to camp.
it seemed evident that General Lee be-
lieved the enemy to be withdrawing from
the front Just before nightfall a strong
line of skirmishers was detailed. it was
said, to feel for. the enemy. but for
some reason. perhaps the darkness OF
81. -
After we lay down under our shelter
tents a searching party came along the
line looking for two men-SuSpeCted OF
being spies. It seems that these two
men had been making themselves very
agreeable and familiar with the various
commands on that front and finding out
all they could Not until they had dis
appeared did it occur to any that they
We're not S they seemed, Confederate
stra gglers looking for their commands.
but spies. we'll remember. after lying
down with my bunkmate Sergeant Sam
uel J. Coffman, I think being called and
asked if we had seen and talked with
those fellows. or could say which way
they went. Now the very next morning
by light Hancock's assault was made at
the very point from which Pages Battal-
ion had been withdrown. Is there not
every reason to believe, as I have ever
since been persuaded, that these men were
spies. that they conveyed to Hancock
the information upon which he so quickly
and at first so successfully acted?
AS TO GEN. WALKER.
1t may be of interest to some of your
readers to add something further or to
explain what General Walkers name
had to do with this. He was in COM
mand of the Stonewall Brigade. which
held the lines when our battery was
worsted. He was the only general l
saw CHdl ldteIu! ulOlllllS ana ms tI!C
only commands I heard given on the
field; until half an hour or an hour later
q had and have little idea how long it
was) we were ordered to their rear by
the Yankees AS sergeant-maj Or, l had
no other post in a battalion than as aid
to the captain. IN order to have some
thing to do in the expected fight. 1
solicited and secured from the captain
command of Sergeant Hunters gun.
81 oil
heard through the open woods to our
right and rear we sprang at once to our
guns. At the foot of a large oak,
between the traverseS on either side OF
my gun and within a few feet of the
gun. General Walker took his stand
watching intently for the enemy to at
tack in our front. At first he ordered
our two guns (mine was the one on the
right to be trained to the right as far
as possible and shell the woods After
a few rounds he, ordered us to cease
firing. as there was enemy in
front Meantime the battle was going
on hot and heavy TO our right. We
could see nothing of it. because of the
woods. though they We're quite open and
free of underground: but the bullets
were coming in showers. 1t was not
long. not many minutes l think, after
this that the General was wounded He
Preston-and sent him to Colonel Funk
to tell him to take command of the bril-
gade. as he himself had to leave the
field So far as l could learn the bri-
sade received no orders after he left. 1t
turned out that Preston was shot down
before he got far in his search for
Funk, and the, probabilities are that the
latter never received Walkers orders.
The grand old Stonewall Brigade, in
stead. was swung back to meet the
enemy's advance. received no orders. but
was left to its own mind.
SURPRISED AT BEING CAPTURED.
To complete the story. SO Tar as my
personal recollection goes. no enemy
appeared in our front. the fighting con-
tinuing to our right and rear-out of
sight Receiving no further orders, we
concluded to reopen our guns and shell
the woods to our right front, as at first
directed by Walker. We could not have
fired to our right-in rear Of the brest-
works-because of our own men. our
timber chest the only ammunition we
had. was soon exhausted and we shell