The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-11-20
BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT
House, VIRGINIA.
CwRlrrEx FOR THE BOLIVAR BULLErIN)

~
signed.l
From the close of the Battle in
the Wilderness, on May eth, there
was continuous fighting every day
during the race to Spottsylvania
Courthouse. Gen. Lee directed
Gen. r IL. Anderson, commanding
Gen. Longstreet's corps, to march
without delay TO Spottsylvania
Courthouse, while the remainder of
the army followed as closely as pos
sible. He found the town already
in possession of a detachment of
Federal cavalry, which had succeed
ed in occupying the town in ad
vance of Gen. Warren's corps. In
the mean time, Gen. FiIz Lees
Cavalrymen holly engaged with
Gen. Warreu's advancing columns,
impeding their progress in every
possible way. Gen. Anderson i'm
mediately divided his command,
sending part of it to drive the Fed
eral cavalry out of the town, and
with the remainder Of his command
Gen. Anderson FASTENED to the re-
lief of Gen. Fitz. Lee. The result
was that Gen. Warren's command
was hurled back in confusion, with
its commander severely wounded.
And, at the same time, the Federal
cavalry were driven from the Court
house, leaving Gen. Anderson
hnl IN Of hn
On the morning of the 9th of May,
The entile Federal army was con-
centrated before Spottsylvania
Courthouse but under very differ
ent circumstances from those hoped
for by Gen. Grant when the march
was planned. That officer haCt
again been thwarted in his designs
by Gen. Lee, a I'D now found the
Confederate army barring his adj
vance as thoroughly as it had done
in the Wilderness. Gen. Grant,
knowing that he commanded three
times as many men as Gen. Lee
did, concluded to attack the whole
Confederate lines, and with over
whelming hunters drive Gen. Lee
and his ragged army before him in
his mad rush to Richmond. The
line held by Gen. Lee was very
strong. 1t enclosed Spottylvania
Courthouse in a semi-circle. Gen.
Anderson's corps formed the ri ht
wing, Gen. Ewell occupied the cen
ter, with Gen. A. P. Hill's corps on
the left. Our Mississippi troops
were in Gen. Hill's command.
During the 10th and 18th of
May, Gen. Harris brigade, to which
l belonged, was engaged in sharp
shooting, aud we kept up an active
fire upon the ranks of the enemy,
while they were getting their lines
arranged. Amongst the killed on
that occasion was Gen. Sedgwick,
commander of the Sixth Corps, and
one of the oldest and most es-
teemed generals in the Federal ar
my. La the meantime, Gen. Han
cocks corps crossed the Potomac
river TO find A. 2. Hil's corps
strongly entrenched, and he fell
back at once, and while recrossing
the river, he was attacked 10y Gen.
Heath's division of Gen. Hills
corps and driven some distance
with heavy loss. There was such
continuous fighting going on that
it is impossible for me to give you
a clear account of all of it.
At 4 80 o'clock on the morning
of the 18th of May, 1864, that gal
liant union general, whom Gen.
Meade termed Hancock the su-
perb," rushed a storming column
against au acute angle in our lines,
which was the weakest point in our
entire line of breastworks. This
point was held by a part OF Gen.
Ewell's corps. The Federals charg
ed right over our works and began
a hand to hand fight with our men,
and finally overpOwered them and
cut our line in two. At that time
Gen. Gordon, with his corps, came
to the rescue, and Gen. Lee dashed
up to the head of the advancing
column, took off his hat and offered
TO lead his men into the deadly hail
that was then sweeping over "the
bloody angle" But Gen. Gordon
shouted, "to the rear, Gen. Lee
to the rear. These are Virginians
and Georgians, who have never
been known to fail" Gen. Gordon
was followed by other reinforce
ments, among whom was Gen. Har-
ris' brigade of Mississippians, to
which command L belonged. Gen.
Lee also offered to lead US into the
fight, but we told him be was need
ed elsewhere, and we would follow
our leaders. Ii makes me shudder
now TO think of what we had to face
in that charge. We gave the 'reb-
el yell' and rushed into the very
jaws of death aud helped to retake
a portion of the broken line Il don't
think we ever got it all back under
the most CALLING fire ever met and
helped to hold it throughout the en-
tire engagement. The enemy made
charge after charge clear up to the
very top of our breastworks, and
when one line was cut down, anoth-
er would come, then another and
another continuously until midnight
or after.
The musketry fire was so intense