Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-11-28
Ready to Do
and Die ~
"A Forfiefb
Annfx'ersorY
War Story
November 1880, ISG3

~
and the Maine officer promptly told
him he was under arrest But the
Yankee soldier holly protested against
| the outrage. Said be: mo; l prom
lsed him if he would come over he
should go back, and he is going. am
to blame in this matter and not he,
and I'm the one to be punished" Aft
er hearing the explanations the officer
allowed the Johnnie to 20 back to
his camp, and the Maine trooper was
sent to headquarters to give an &C.
count Of his strange conduct "Wen,''
said he, Il always did want to shake
the hand of real live rebel before he
had been tanned. Now I've done it and
am satisfied
On the eve of Thanksgiving the
Army of the Potomac broke camp and
crossed the Rapidan to seek battle
with Lee. Meade intended to surprise
Lee at Orange Court House, a point
twenty miles from the place of cross
Ing. but rainy weather came on, and
parts of the field Of operation were
turned into impossible swamps. At
the end of two days the Federals were
lined 20 on the east bank of Mine
run, tributary Of the Rapidan. with
Lee on the west bank in the shelter OF
1ntrenchments. The works which the
Confederates had hastily built seemed
30 slight that Meade ordered an at
tack all along the line the morning Of
Nov. 80 at o'clock
Meanwhile General G. K. Warren
had been sent out with a flanking col
umn to ascend Mine run, pass its head
waters and strike down the west bank,
rolling up the Confederate line like a.
scroll. Owing to the swamps formed
by the heavy rains Warren's march
was long delayed. Withdrawing from
the position already taken up on the
east bank of the stream, his troops
marched east, then south, then turned
west at the head waters of Mine run.
All these delays gave Lee ample warn
ing of what was to come. His active
scouts had reported the Yankees cross
Ing the Rapidan, and two divisions OF
Infantry had promptly occupied the
main roads over which the enemy
would naturally advance. Two sharp
engagements in which the Confe1er-
ates got the worst Of it showed that
the Federal leader. was marching a
strong force into the angle between
the Rapidan and Mine run. The
movement Of Meade could have but ON,
meaning. an attack in force upon Or
ange Court House. the junction of two
tine wagon roads and a railroad leading
from the Federal camps to Richmond.
| 1t was the exact problem which Lee
later when Grant crossed the Rapid2n.
| When the sun went down OH Nov~29
the Federals OH the original line east
Of Mine run looked for a speedy victo-
I ~ on the morrow. They supposed that
the Confederates on the west bank
| were only the struggling divisions
which had vainly tried to stay the Fed
eral march up from the Rapidan AND
| that the Entertainments seen from across
the stream Were but f1imsy structures:
Besides, the flank movement of Warren
sweeping down the other side of the
run would make the Entertainments
useless, whatever their strength. The
| troops on the main line were under
command Of General Sedgwick and
General French and had taken part in
the desperate attack on Lees fortified
position at Fredericksburg one year
before. They had failed at Frederieks-
burg. but were confident Of winning at
Mine run. so confident that the soldiers
of the different divisions bpasted that
| they would be the first to enter the
Confederate works and invited one an
other to eat there on Nov. 80 bel2ted
Thanksgiving dinner of hard bread and
| raw pork.
All depended upon Warren's success
in surprising the enemy's right flank
Warren had 10000 infantry. with guns
and wagons. A freezing rain fell dur
ing the whole march, and at the head
waters Of Mine run the enemy's caval
~ harassed the column continually
Warren's vanguard was led by the in
trepid pioneer fighter. Colonel Nelson
A. Miles. who plunged through am
bush, swamp and thicket up to the very
intrenchments of the enemy, for there
were intrenchments on that flank Of
| Lees position as we'll as on his main
| front
Lining up his brigades for the charge.
! Warren awaited the hour for the grand
attack. Daylight revealed a heavy line
of breastworks and fortified batteries
which had been finished in the night at
right angles with the stream. In one
battery alone fourteen cannon looked
down upon the field where two of War
| ren's division were to start in the
charge.
ut is worse than the stone wall at
fredericksburg" was the verdict of the
men. In anticipation of fate like that
which befell the heroes on the terrace.l
slope of Maryes heights. they pinned
strips of paper bearing their names up
on the lapels of their overcoats and lay
on the frozen. icy ground awaiting the
word to go forward. But just as the
buglers rode out to sound the charge a
! dispatch can't over the field wire from