The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-19
THE BIC FIGHT A I
SPOTsYLVAN|A c. H.
Graphic Account of the Wonder
full Battle Of May
II, 1864.
BY CAPTAIN ]. s. M'NEILY
1T Was a Day Overcast With
Fog-I'hc Beautiful Sun
rise Not There.

lH5faF + OC-lllC EDCdulIlul q sJNt'A ~
rise" Not There.
edited by John w. Daniel.)
Below is an admirable account OF the
4 battle OF SpotsSlr:1niaf Courthouse May l..
1864, by Captain ]. S. NicNeilS, editor OF
the Eicksburg Herald. 1t is noteworthy
for lis clear and painstaking analysis of
the battle, and for recognition OF the two
coca s!ons during fits progress when Gen-
81 er,l Leo was called back by his men
white advancing 10 lead them, the inci-
dents with Harris's Mississippi Brigade
and Pegram's Virginia Brigade being both
we'll established. Recent articles in The
Times Dspa tch by Colonel Gibson, Coll
onel Christian. CAPTAIN Bumgardner, w.
NV. Smith, ESD. and other have led 70
this clarified ton of varying accounts ana
TO the production Of this excellent essay
81 The evidence is Overwhelming that the
day was overcast with heavy fog. as
contended by Captain McNeily. am
therefore of opinion that Colonel ]. Cat
lett Gibson to whom he refers has prob
5S ably overcolored the sun rise, and that
iit was doubtless the dawn Of day which
revealed to him the enemy's line to which
he refers in his valuable paper. Colonel
ss8 Gibson was not only one of the most
gallant officers Of the Conf but
is a thoroughly reliable man, and while
~ think he has described too vividly the
sunrise which only brought the light of
1ay ia modify tie effect of the fog rath-
y ei than to penetrate 1t with clear radi-
58s ance the 4 general accuracy of his ac-.
count will mot be questioned.
JNO. w. DANIEL.
80, ~
lowered,
And heavily in clouds came on the day
III The great, the important day.
10 The Tirnes-Dlspatch:
Your series of personal narratives of
the great hattie of May y. 1864. by
survivors III Pegran,,s Virginia brigade.
of Gordon's division, has been read by
mo with much interest and Instruction..
Inevitably some errors appear. And In
IA his graphic and minute description Of
General Lees presence on the firing line
May s12,a 1854. Colonel Gibson, OF the Forty
ninth Virginia, Pegram's brigade. Cor
dons division. has slipped a cog In meni-
ory's wheel. in a most fateful particular
of the great spotsylvania battle. He
says:
"Just then I saw the heads OF the enc
my bobbng up.in irregular order on the
far side of ,our, .para1icts. and saw the
sun rising beautifully above the trees
and lighting up the scene OF approaching
conflict with rich, mellow rays
Had there been "a beautiful sunrise"
ON the morning Of May II 1864. there
would have been no failure OF JHcksons
proud boast: Our men sometimes fail
to drive the enemy from his position
the enemy always fails to drive u.s."
So decisive was the mist and fog of thar
morning upon the disaster Of the day
that 1t recalls lecture heard q good
many years ago, by the most cntertaln-
ing and eloquent DR.. Laffcrty. OF Rich
mond, on Luck and Pluck" He so
threaded the histories OF the Revol,l-
tionary and the secession wars as TO
u demonstrate how success had attended
3 the American cause in the former by u
happy combination Of the two. And
how a seeming fateful crossing OF the
lines of pluck by III "Luclt' ,hwarted
Southern genius In the later war Crises
were stated illustrating the verify OF
tho contention as to each--ainong them
the fall Of Johnston at Shiloh, OF jack
NJ son at Charlottesville. and I.ongstreet
at the Wilderness Each was struck
down while directing and controlling 4
food tide OF victory. Tho argument
that the South failed through n chain
of i'll luck strokes may be extended to
other occasions than those In the lecture
referred To. One was at Spotsylvania,
where Lee. through the mschpnce Of "A
dense fog, sustained loss in the pi'ac-
teal destruction Of one OF his nine divi-
,sons of .'incomparable infantry that
crippled his mighty arm to the wars
close. In truth. ''the overcast dawn"
served Grant as we'll as tho rain soaked
fields did Wellington at Waterloo. .,Haa
the Garth been dry" wrote lTuga, ''and
The artillery able 10 move the battle
would have been Won and over before
The Prussian interlude.'' How the ole
inents fought against Lee deserves "a
place IN the Spotsylvanla battle chapter,
the material for which may be drawn
from, The record reports.
b THE ABSENCE or THE ARTILLERY.
r. FROM GENERAL EDWARD JOHN
SONS FRONT.
9H So great was the numerical disparity
In the TWO armies IN the campaign OF
1884 that Grant could engage Lees full
strength IN front Willie moving Il power.
full force upon his either flank on, ais
line OF communication. Thus encom-
PASSED, the great Confederate commando
could not afford 10 await the devotion.
merit OF such Ranking moyemeilts-he
Was compelled TO anticipate them. ever
al imminent Risk. AZ the wilderness
IA feeling sure Grant wopld not resort /,
another front attack aftni lie blooaS
repulse of the 9Th. Lea OWNED an M
tempt On hts right, II SO proved. All,
was cheeknated by the prompt ant
daring night march OF Two Of his ,lyi
sinlis 10 Spots yiyania. After Grant ha,
bsen repn,seii Tiers with heapg loss ol
the sih 9Th aud 10Th, there was Il lnl
IN the fiti, For once General Lee al