The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-10-23
WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA.

II Is wen enough TO state In the |
first place, that the army returned
from the Pennsylvania campaign
greatly reduced in number, worn
out with fatigue, greatly discourag-
ed, hungry and in rags. Notwith-
standing all of this, the morale of
Gen. Lees army was not impaired,
neither was their confidence in
their brave leader diminished.
The condition of the army was
such that no aggressive movement
was attempted. The great problem
then was to get supplies for the ar
my, as all our ports were blockaded
except Wilmington, n. q.
During the winter of 1864, Gen.
Lees headquarters were in plain
army tent, on hill side near Or
ange Courthouse, Va, where be
shared all the privations Of his men.
In the meanwhile the entire militia.
rY power of the Union was placed
under the control of Gen. Grant.
So absolute was his authority that
Mr.. Lincoln, president Of the Unit
ed States, wrote him OH April 80,
1864: "The particulars of your
plans, L neither know nor seek to
know. | wish not to init ude any
CONSTANTS or restraints upon you"
1t would have been we'll for the
hopes Of the Confederacy, had sim
liar power been given to Gen. Lee.
Lee now commands about 10000
men all told, and they are very
Eoorly equipped in every particu-
lar for the great campaign which is
about to open, except their devo-
ton to their cause and the implicit
confidence they place in their lead
er.
On the othet hand, Gen. Grant
crosses the Rappahannock and Rap
idan rivers on the 5th of May,
1864, commanding lis, 200 men,
we'll fed, we'll clothed, and in fact
fully equipped in every particular.
with recruits coming in almost
daily. Some one has said that this
was the grandest army that the sun
ever shone upon. On the south
side of the Rappahannock is a great
scope of timber land known as the
"Wilderness." In the onward
march to Richmond, the massy
columns of this great army, and all
the commissary and quartermaster
luggage, had to cross this great
wilderness. L imagine they had
thoughts like the Israelites had
when they crossed the Red Sea.
While this gallant army was wend-
ing its way through the tanglewood,
ever on the watch to keep from
soiling or tearing their gay dress,
they were terror-stricken by the
same old rebel yell, which bursted
so suddenly upon Hooker's lines
the year before. The air seemed
to be filled with noise and smoke
even the rabbits and birds in their
flight fed before the rebel lines.
With rebels in front, rebels on the
right flank and the entire woods
seeming to be full Of them, Gen
Grant concluded that there was too
much Of it-that he had taken the
wrong road-that Richmond must
be in some other direction. So he
made a gigantic sweep to the left,
hoping thereby to get between Gen.
Lee and Richmond at Spottsylva-
MIA Courthouse. But before he
reached that point, the gray rifle
men of the ever-watchful Lee were
in his path, pouring their leaden
hail into the very faces of his adj
vance guards. Day after day the
intrepid army of the Union made
continued assaults upon our thin
and ragged lines. Sometimes our
ranks were broken by overpowering
numbers, but we would rally around
our brave leader, form a new line
and 60 for them again. Talk about
this battle and that battle, why we
were fighting every day. Almost
every field was a battle field, and
on every hill was planted a battery,
belching forth in thunderous tones
their deadly shot and shell.
III my next, L will tell you about
the battle of Spottsylvania Court
house. j. NJ. MORGAN,
Lott, Texas.
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC,