The National tribune., 1908-04-30


until it cotnectH with sickles's line.
extended almost due north across the
pike, mile west Of Charlottesville.
Sickles covered also one of the roads
leading to United States Ford, which
the enemy Was tsxing to gain.
Hancock had in front of him Nc
Laws's Div1taon, o&hile Anderson's Di-
vision was IN fropt CT Geary's. on Slo-
GUMS left. { Before Berry's and Will
| liams's Divisions were the $4,000 or
more Confederates who had been under
Jackson, and were now commanded by
]. E. B. Stuart ~
Whippfe ahds eBirney's Divisions of
the Third Corps ,F'rench's Division of
the Second Corps and Sykes's and
| Meade's Divisions Of the Fifth Corps lay
Immediately around charlottesville as
a general reserve, with Reynolds's First
Corps a couple of miles or so in the rear
holding the road from Ely's Ford to its
junction with the United States Ford
road
Capt. Best had massed the artillery
of the Third, Twelfth and Eleventh
Corps OF the nights at Fairview.
Lee was now straining every nerve to
connect the two wings of his army. and
the surrender of Hazel Grove had given
him the most unexpected help in that
direction. Still there was gap inter-
vening which had to be closed at any
cost The fighting had begun on Han
cocks front at $3.50 in the morning.
with McLaws assaulting with much gal
lantry, and regiment after regiment
marching up to the abatis in Hancock s
front, to be compelled to fall back be-
fore the destructive fire.. The 64th n. Y.
is reported by Hancock to have special
ly distinguished itself in this repulse of
the enemy, with almost as much praise
due the 6ist and 66th N. Y... the I'd
Del, SD, 10th. 145th and 14Sth Pa.
and 9th Conn.
1t is claimed for Lee that in Ander-
sons and McLaws's Divisions he only
had seven brfgades ofiabout $4,000 men
to occupy a front two miles in extent.
1t had no reserves, every man being put
on the. firing line, and any determined
effort on the part Of Hooker would have
swept the whole line away and opened
the road direct to Fredericksburg and
Sedgwick.
A LuiI In the Hattie.
The fighting in the early morning on
the west flank had eliminated about 0
o'clock in both sides being in strong
positions on the opposite sides of n
gorge. Thus a renewal involved the
crossing of this gorge, which was diff
cult and dangerous. Both sides were
reluctant to resume the fight. for both
had lost heavily; they saw their dead
and wounded all around them as deter
ring reminders of what might be ex-
| pected from such move. Only the
cannon kept up continual duels. with
the Confederate artillery getting the bet
| ter of the contest, since it was on higher
ground and had much more to shoot
at in the dense masses around tn,
Chancellor House. a shell struck one
| of the wooden pillars in front of this
house against which Hooker was lean
| ing. and he fell to the ground insensblc
| from the shock. He was first believed
to be dead, and 1t was some time before
he recovered sensibility.
| The CDnfederates were the first to
resume theIaggressive in carrying out
Lees Efforts TO connect the two wings
| of his armyJi Fresh ammunition was
| hastened up to the artillery, with orders
to increase taeir2 fire to prepare for a
renewal of the infantry attack. This
quickly came, with every available man
on the west rushing forward 'agains,
Sickles and stocuifI, and as man-to-
man, breast to- breast fight this was
much the seyerest. struggle which had
iyet taken place. De Trobriand calls il
"a mad and desperate battle" Malone
said afterward. THE Federals fought
4 like devils at Chancellorsville.'
! On every part Of the line there was a
surging back and forth. with the enemy
gaining ground, only to be driven back
by the Federals, who in turn were
pushed back by 'reinforcements hurried
up TO meet, them. Berry. the gallant
division commander, whose fame is one
of the brightest in the history of Maine
was killed at the head of his troops. He
was succeeded by Gen. Mott. who wa!
soon wounded. and the command theI
i devolved upon Gen. Revere, wht
thought that further contest was hope
less and led his division out of action
for which he'was subsequently tried ant
4 dismissed
4 1t was the old story of lack of co,
i operation in the Army of the Potomac
Hancock, Williams. Geary. Birney ant
Il Berry had been permitted to wage. thi:
I desperate contest for hours while with
I in a mile were probably 10000 meI
\ Wilo had not fired a shot, and who were
eager to go to the help of their com
rades. The whole of the First Corp.
4 and three-fourths of the Fifth Corp!
had not been engaged, and fully one
half of the Eleventh Corps were anx
1 ious to re-enter the battle and vindicat'
; the stained honor of their corps.
When Sickles. finding himself running
out of ammunition and unable to mucl
!; longer Withstand the repeated attacks
of Stuart, sent back Maj Tremain t.
state the condition of his corps and t
Hooker was still in such stupor tina
he could not listen to him; Gen. Butter
field, his Chief of Staff was at Fal
mouth; Warren had gone to join Sedg
| wick, and Gen. Van Allen, who, next Il
| Butterfield, signed every order, did no
feel warranted in assuming command
or comforting 1t upon another. The mex
senior officer was Gen. Couch, some
what negative man. who hesitated a
responsibility, and tho he was at Chan
cellorsville and fully informed of wha
was going on, refused to assume com
mand and issue orders. Couch after
wards greatly regretted this and at
tempted to- explain 1t, but like man!
other explanations made after the wal
it failed to give satisfaction.
Lee Unites His Army.
Losing all hope of receiving reinforce
ments or ammunition, and seeing tn,
impossbility of making further head
way against the masses forming in hi!
front, Sickles began slow retreat. TIL,
Confederates We're greatly encouraged
by the success of Perry's Brigade, form
ing the extreme left of Anderson, which
found ravine by which it could reaci
Archer's Brigade on the extreme righ
of Stuart's command, and thus the TIVE
wings of Lees army We're at last united
and Lee himself took command of th
whole force He ordered the attacl
renewed with increased energy, alth,
/. Stuart reported to him that he had al
| ready lost 1900. men. The Confederate
: artillery took Geary's and Hancock
! lines in reverse, while Anderson an'
5 McLaws renewed the attack upon thei