Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-24

fought without any plan. It was mo- ment of confusion and indecision in- side of Grants lines, especially around headquarters, in the early morning of May G. when General Longstreet brought his veteran corps of Confed- crates to the danger point and saved the day for Lee. The confusion was due to two causes-first, reaction from the excitement of charging blindfo!d, and, second, the nature of the battle ground.
 When Robert IL. Lee discovered that he had caught Grants marching bat talionss at 8 disadvantage ill the swampy Wilderness thicket he said that he had his new foe just where he had Hooker in the Charlottesville campaign--that is, practically outgen- eraled and beaten before u blow had been struck. What open ground there was in the region Lee had covered with his batteries before Grants col umns came forward. The result was that when Grant ordered his famous and unexampled charge all along the lines'' at o'clock the morning of May 6 his divisions were separated by wide
 
 gades could not, keep touch of elbow with one another, and his regiments were not always certain whether the people on their front were friends or foes.
 The chief of staff of the Army of the Potomac, reviewing the campaign, said that Grants expectation was to march his army through the Wilder ness thicket to the open ground be- yond. He added: T do not perceive that there is anything to induce the belief that General Grant wished to fight in the Wilderness. His doing so was under the circumstances unavoid- able.' As to Grants grand charge at s o'clock May 6, its difficulties and achievements, the line of battle com prised upward of 10000 men. General Sedgwick's Sixth corps on the extreme right confronted the Confederate left, composed of General Ewelrs corps. General Warren's Fifth Federal corps confronted Ewelrs right. Far to the left of Warren General Hancock's Sec ond corps fought with General Hills Confederates, Longstreet's reserve corps not being in position at that hour. General Burnside was to bring in tue Ninth Federal corps and cover the space between Warren's left and sHancock's right. Burnside started ill the night without guides and was not in position when the attack began, but General Wadsworth's Federal division started from Warren's position before daylight with orders to charge right through" the unoccupied space as signed to Burnside and unite with Hancock line.
 Wadsworth got his division through and was killed soon after he Joined Hancock. Meanwhile both Sedgwick and Warren were repulsed in successive assaults Hancock's line of four di- visions drove Hill's men back mile through the forest. His divisions be came mixed in the thicket, and, more over Wadsworth's coming on the right flank crowded the line toward the cen ter. That was the moment to go ahead but for the confusion. As it was, the leader of the charge ordered the men to halt and rectify the lines for final advance. This delayed advance was checked about 6 o'clock by the arrival of Longstreet's foremost division to the aid of Hill.
 The Confederate leaders took advan- tage of the confusion and delay among their enemies to return the charge upon Hancock's line. One division of Long streets fresh men remained in front of Hancock, and the other, supported by one of Hills divisions, marched around the flank to serve Hancock's line as Stonewall Jackson served Towards Eleventh corps at Charlottesville. This blow would have succeeded and given another turn to the history of that day but for the nature of the bat tleground. Hancock's line faced west, but the right brigades had fought for ward farther than the left so that Longstreet's column did not go far enough to strike the unguarded flank. After marching east some distance the Confederate fianking column swung northward and struck Hancocks cen ter, where Longstreet's leading division and division of Hills were fighting with Hancock.
 Longstreet in person was on the old klnC AA 1EOAt 01 I1auCOGA. WACIC AlS troops had checked thes Federals an hour before. When he supposed that the fanking column south of the road had gone far enough he ordered the brigades at hand to go forward. Just then his own troops ill the thicket south of the road, supposing they had met the enemy, opened terrible fire upon friends. Longstreet rode ct the head of the column, with General Micah Jenkins by his side. Jenkins said 10 his chief, "I am happy and feel assured that we will put the ene- my back across the Rapidan before night" At that moment bullet from the Confederate flanking column south of the road struck Jenkins from his horse, dead. Another bullet passed through Longstreet's right shoulder in- to his throat. The force of the bullet lifted Longstreet in the saddle, and his arm dropped at his side, but he set tied himself in his seat and started