The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-22
University OF Virginia,
NOV. oath 1871,

ceived. bought a copy Of Maj. Cooks
life of Gen. Lee and read therein! the myth
concerning the battle scenes OF May 18TH,
1864, at Spotsylvania courthouse. Mai.
distorted way some Incidents of the
fight on a portion OF Rodes front on
the afternoon or the 10th Of May, when
Gordon and others urged Gen. Lee to re-
tire from the front. with the great battle
of May 18th. You do right not to- permit
so gross n mistateincnti OF facts, which
robs the brave Missssippiars whom YOU
commanded Of their proper NEED OF
glory, to pass unlloticed.
You ask mo to relate the Incidents Of
the 18th Of May connecting Gen. Lee
with your brigade, in the bloody battle
OF that day.
Gen. Rodcs had Immediate charge OF
the troops who held the enemy at bay
IN the anglo OF our works which they
.ly he called the hero of the battle Of the
salient. Tho enemy, In attempting to
press their advantage, massed their
troops and made repeated assaults with
overwhelming odds on the troops sent to
oppose their further progress within our
lines Rodcs sent from time to time.
urgent message for more troops. Brig
ado after brigade was ordered to his as
sistance. as they cou.>. BIO spared from
other portions OF the line. On the receipt OF
one Of these messages from Rodes. Gen.
Leo sent me to our extreme right occupied
by Gen. Malone. to bring up your brigade
You moved rapidly across the open space
in rear OF the courthouse. When we
had reached a point on the courthouse
read near Gen. Lees position on tho
line, the brigade was halted for n few
minutes. Con. Lee rode up alone during
this halt. and gave orders that YOU
should move On at once to Gen. Rodes's
assistance and as the column moved on
he rode at your side at its head We
soon came under the fire Of the enemy's
artillery This excited Gen. Lees horse
and, as he was In the act OF rearing, a
round shot passed under his belly, very
near the Generals stirrup. The men OF
the brigade cried out, i"Go back, genera,
so back for Gods sake go back, ana
perhaps some made a motion TO seiL ~,
his bride. He then said. IF you VIII
promise me to drive those people from
our. works. will so back" The men
shouted their promise With Will. Cen.
Lee then gave ME orders to guide the
brigade to Gen Ttodes. We found Cen,
Rodes at the famous spring within 2
few yards Of the line OF battle ,.hf1in Of
our exhausted troops. As tlHouble Quick
Mississppians came HFh to Gen. Rodes
an IA idn,dessage from Ramseur that he
could hold out only a few, minutes lpn-
ger, unless assistance was at hand.
Your brigade was thrown instantly into
the fight, the column being formed into
line under a tremendous fire and on very
difficult ground. Never did brigade 60
into flercer battle. under greater trials
and never did a brigade do Its duty more
nobly. The entire salient was not re-
captured. but the progress If the enemy
was checked and they were driven into
a narrow space In the angle which they
had occupied The disaster of the mornA
ing was retrieved. and our troops held
their difficult position under a heavy,
increasing fire during the remainder of
the day, and the entire night. They were
withdrawn before light on the morning
of the 18TH TO the rifle pits constructed
under Gordons supervision, while the
battle was raging n short distance in
the rear of the old line. The enemy
abandoned the captured salient on the
same day as useless to them, or perhaps
as a ''ruse" preparatory to a grand as
sault on our left. ordered by Gen. Grant
at daylight on the 1ith, (htis we learned
from captured copies Of his battle or
dcrs). His troops. however, failed to
come up to the attack.
The day of the salient. which begun
in disaster to us, did not close without
many shatterng blows TO the attacking
columns.
OF the Incident of tho battle OF the
Wilderness on the 9Th of May In con-
nection with the Texas brigade Gotten
as you say. COMPOUNDED with the Incl!
dents OF May 18th. related above) | was
also an eye witness, and l believe that
few battle incidents recorded In his
tory, rise In grandeur above those two
occasions when Gen. Lee went into the
charge with the Texans at the Wilder 4
ness and when he led the Mlssisspplans
into battle at Spotsylvania.
am, General, very truly,
Your friend,
CEIAS. S. VENABLE.
TO Gen. N. II. Harris.
COL venabe published his account OF
this heroic scene in Southern historical
papers. March, $780, Vol, VIII, page l06,
1t is copied In Jefferson Davis's Rise and
Fall of the Confederacy." Could proof |
Of holy writ be stronger in contirmation?"
The strength OF the proof is the meas
ure of amazcment in finding John Esten
Cookies myth" in Gen. Gordons Re
That Major Cooke should I
have confounded in distorted way some
incidents OF the fight Of the 10th with
the great battle of May l2th' is not SO
strange. But that Gen. Gordon should
have repeated after him in the teeth OF
the true and circumstantial statement
OF Col Ncnable, is IA vertahle curiosity
OF historic literature, And In curious
jtlXtapositon with the lee to the rear
places its disproof There is foot note
10 the passage which reads thus; Gen.
Long, who served for time as Gen.
Lees military secretary, describes In his
"Memoirs of Lee, p. $685. the effort Of
the commander-in-chief to lead my troops
In the desperate charge, and says: Dur
ing the hottest portion of this engage
ment, when the Federals were pouring
through the broken Confederate lines and
disaster seemed imminent, Gen, Lee rode
forward and took his position at the
head of Gen. Gordon's column then pre-
pairing 10 charge Perceiying that It was
his intention to lead the charge Gordon
spurred hastily TO his side and, seized the
reins Of his horse and excitedly cried
Gen, Lee this il no place for YOU, These
are Virgnians and Georglans--men who
have never failed and they VIII not fail
now. VIII you boys" No no, Gen. Lee
10 the rear cried the men,
This citation as used fatty conflicts
with the testimony of Col, Nenable But
such is not the fact. Turning Ia Longs
Memoirs" this singular disclosure is pre-
scented: Tho Lee 10 the rear story here