The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-19

Hooker's headquarters. when on the morning of the srd or May Sedgwick. having crossed tne i river, had, after two repuises sncceed- ed in capturing Maryes' Heights ln front of Fredericksburg. with num- Der of prisoners and seven pieces of artillery. Barksdale's brigade ana Hays brigade of Early's division now retreated from their position near Fredericksburg, south to the Teleggaph Road in the direction where Early was leaving sedgwick in possession oI ths Fredericksburg end of the Plank Koaa, which opened a straight line to the r.ar af such of Lees forces as con- fronfed Hooker, ten miles away at There was nobody now to prevent Sedsewick's corps from marching along this road to Lees rear except Wilcox. with only our brigade. four pieces of Lewis battery and about fifty cavalry. The brigade. as stated. had been guarding Banks Ford l-z miles northwest from Frederickspufs 2, and General wilcox. when notifed Q. tha attack on Maryes' Heights, had marched towards the fight. But when he neared Fredericksburg he founql the enemy already In possession or the Hetrhts. To delay them we were put into line with skirmishers in front and with our artillery In place. two pieces on each flank. The enemy aa- vanced a heavy line of infantry Mltn skirmIshers in front and six pieces of artillery. and new Tn the first skir- mfsh that followed. near stanspury's
 house. the gallant Captain Mccrary of co. D.. with two or three men haa already fallen when General WILCOX
 discovered a heavy body of the enemy advancing up the Plank Road, which
 was still far to our right. dronted as
 we then were1 to surround us nere ln
 the bend of the liver. This discovery
 was followed by prompt order to
 withdraw While in sight Of the ene-
 my we retrcated in common time. but
 very soon a wood that was on our left
 as we fell back obscuring us from
 view. we made double quick time. Gen erai Wilcox In his report of this baltic co R. Series l. Vol xxe, Fart l. pp. ssa-sei) does not mention our aecele- rated movement. but 1t is a fact that never were legs more valuable than when we were making a straight line for pefnt on the Plank Road some thrae-ouarters of 6 mile beyond where were our friends, the enemy we reached efhe plank and stopped to get breath. Soon we continued on up the l plank" road to Salem Church, where
 General Wilcox selected a posi.ion 10. 70. 1 battle. wilcox had previously sent Major Collins with his forty or fifty I troops of the 18th Virginia cavalry down the plank road with instructions l to dismount his men and deploy them as sktrmishers to delay the enemy advance. This duty. handsomely done had given us time to do our double kauicking and reach the plank roaa I Refore Major Collins had recalled his 1 stirnIshers. in order to secure time | for the arrival of endorsements that 1 General Lee had been asked for w l were marched back from the Churcf | towards the enemy. say twelve hundred wards or more, to the toll-gate On tht l Plank road. Here we were aiignee across the road and with our skirmlsn CTS well cut in front and firing ane l our four pieces playing on the enemy 1 we secured a. further delay of say hal | an hour or more General Wilcox no" learned that General Lee had sent three hriga les 10 our aid and with the enem, still not close enough to seriously an nov us. we faced about and marched to the position near the Church whicf we were to occupy fin the coming bat tile.
 DispssHtion of Troops.
 It is not within the scope of my nresent work to give complete deserip tions of battles but an exception il made as te Salem Church because O Its irnnortance and because of the at
 tack being directed mainly agains General Wilcox, but partially Involving
 the brigades on his left" General K
 E Lees Report, O. R. Series l, Vo xxv Part 1.
 Salem Church is on a slight eminenc
 generally called in the Federal report
 asaienl Heights" sioping gently dow
 towards Fredericksburg. A wood sur
 rounded the church and grew thicke
 as 1t extended down the slope for apon 2ee yards to where open fields stretch d away, uninterrupted for quite dis
 tanee, except by Guests house, sa' , A mile away The woods around tn
 church stretched far away to both tn right and the left, so cencealing tn
 troops that had come to our assistanc
 1 as to lead the enemy to believe tha
 nobody was between them and Lee
 rear except Wileox's brigade, fey i, cavalrymen and four pieces of arttl . lery A fourth brigade came down, t , aid us if necessary, about the time tn . battle began and this brigade ~"-wa , placed on the extreme right, but tn , two brigades on our right were no , engaged in the coming battle. nor wer
 they even in sight of the enemy. , The enemy began by stationing artil 2 lery about fourteen hundred yard
 away, and shelled ohrs until Lewis . four pieces had exhausted their ammu hilton and retired. Then they shelle
 vigorously the woods, right and lief
 but we were lying down and receive , no Injury. And now the infantry cam : forward.
 , Our troops had been placed as fol lows The Plank road runs east dn ! west, with the church close to the roa : and a school house thirty yards , front (eastl The 10th Alabama wit . 2 it's left resting on the church. was sout ,, (to our right) on the road; the Sth we
 on the right of the 10th and the 9th 2 reserve with one of it's companies in tl scheolhouse and another in the ehurc z On the north side of the road (ot . left) were. first. the 11th and then tf Y 18th Alabama, with Semmes' brigae 7 7 on the left of that, and Mahone's occ, s pying our extreme left. Kershaw e brigade was on the right of ours. ar a later Wofford's came up and took p' e sition on the right of Kershaw, D, . these brigades were in the woods ar , unseen by the enemy. and neither them fired a gun. They were not r the line of attack
 a The disposition of the Federal fore Z I take from Series l, Vol. xxv, Part o. R.. citing that volume simply |. pages for both Federal and cenfedera = reports.
 ' General sedgwick, commanding u
 Federal forces, says CD. 559)
 A Brooks division formed rapid r across the road and Newton's upon u if right"
 q sedgwick had taken account of o 2 strength when we were drawn up ss the open field before him, near tl s toll-gate; he saw too the front V S l covered as we drew back into q Y woods. and now to cover this front ' . formed triple lines. extending part T, Newtons force beyond the left of O