Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-11-17

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 co@e. 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 Confeder- 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 one
 meaning, an attack in force upon Or ange Court House, the junction of two fine wagon roads and railroad leading
 from the Federal camps to Richmond It was the exact problem which Lee
 and Grant wrestled over six months
 later when Grant crossed the Rapidan.
 When the sun went down on Nov. 29
 the Federals on the original line east
 of Mine run looked for speedy victo- ry on the morrow They supposed that the Confederatess 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 intrenchments seen from across the stream were but fimsy structures.
 Besides, the flank movement of Warren sweeping down the other side of the
 run would make the intrenchments
 useless, whatever their strength. The troops on the main line wsfe 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 Fredericks burg, but were confident of winning at
 Mine run so confident that the soldiers
 of the different divisions boasted that
 they would be the first to enter the Confederate works and invited one ar1- other to eat there on Nov. 80 belated | 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-
 " harassSG14 the column continually. Warrens 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 l Lees position as well as on his main front. -
 Lining up his brigades for the charge, | Warren awaited the hour for the grand l attack. Daylight revealed 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 l charge.
 Tt is worse than the stone wall at | Fredericksburg" was the verdict of the l men. Tn anticipation of fate like that
 which befe11 the heroes on the terraced | slope of Marye's 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 | DuRlGFS TOuG OuI lO SOuIIu lnC
 dispatch came over the field wire from Headquarters, Suspend the attack"
 On the main line Sedgwick's batteries
 had opened fire in the morning and
 were answered gun for gun by the Con-
 federates Still confident, the soldiers
 were ready to charge, but the leaders
 had a different mind, especially after
 hearing that Warren's flank movement
 had been discovered by the enemy and
 a bloody welcome awaited his advance.
 Thus the campaigning of 1863 ended
 with Lee securely lodged upon the Rap
 idan, long distance barrier between
 the Army of the Potomac and Rieh-
 mon1. GEORGE L. KILMER.