Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-03-09
THE BEGINNING OF THE BLOODY
CAMPAIGN OF 1s84---GRANT
MAKES HIS FIRST STRIKE AT
LEE.
BY J. Russell Wright.
(First PAPER. )

armies OF the united SotateS,s and had
taken command in person of the
Army of the Potomac, confronting
Gen Lee on the Rapidan. This was
the death struggle when Grant faced
Lee.
Before the curtain rises. and the
cannon begin to roar, let us glance
at the relative numbers and the pro-
gram Of the Federal leader. Grants
available force for duty, May 1st,
1854" was, according to the Fede-
raj Secretary Of War, 141,166 men.
Lees force, present for duty" as
his army rolls will show, was ST.
626 men. Lee afterwards received
about 10000 reinforcements from
Beauregard's column. Grant receiv-
ed about $4,000. With about g.
600 men Lee repulsed the attacks Of
Grant with about 100000 men, from
the Rapidan to Petersburg, inflicting
loss on his adversary, by the Fede-
raj statement, of more than 10000,
men.
These numbers may be denied, but
the proof Is on record. Grant in
tended to hammer continuously" as
he wrote President Lincoln, and
crush his adversary at whatever ex-
pense Of blood and money
From 1861 to 1864 war had been
war, such as the world understood it.
Pitched battles had been fought and
won. Grant had determined TO
change all that. 1t had been tried
and failed. The army Of the United
States was his sledge hammer He
was going to clutch that weapon,
strike at Lees crest and try to end
him. "The rebellion must be crush
ed" the sledge hammer must strike
until Lees keen rapier was shatter-
ed. The hammer must beat down
the rapier, or fall from the grasp of
him who welded it. Such was the
program Of Grant 1t was not war
in the old acceptation Of the term.
1t was not taught by Jomini or prac-
ticed by Napoleon. Grant was not a
great commander, but he was a man
Of clear brain. He saw that brute
force could alone shatter the Army
of Northern Virginia; that to wear it
away by attrition, exhaust it's blood,
drop by drop, was the only thing left.
And he had the courage to adopt that
plan.
To come back to the events on the
h~ ri,
Lee is ready for the great collision
as Grant moves through the Wilder
ness. Lee is going to strike at him;
the fifty thousand are going to order
the one hundred and forty thousand
to halt. Grant had no thought Of
fighting in the Wilderness. The two
tigers were watching each other, and
one was about to spring. Gen. Lees
great mind competed with matter.
Grant Strikes His First Blow.
Grant crossed the Rapidan on the
4th day of May, 1864, with what re-
sembled countless host. Heavy
masses Of blue infantry, with glitter
ing bayonets, huge parks Of rifIed
artillery, with their surrounding can
noneers, long columns Of horsemen,
armed with sabre and repeating car
bines, made the earth shake and the
woods echo with their heavy tramp,
mingled with the roll OF wheels. In
front of them a little army Of gaunt
and ragged men looked on and wait
ed, without resenting their advance.
Did they intend to dispute the pass
age of that multitude toward Rich
mond? That was exactly the inten-
ton Of Lee. lntsead Of retreating
Lee advanced and delivered battle.
The first collision took place on the
5th of May, when the Federal army
was massing in the Wilderness. Lees
aim was plainly to shut up Grant in
the Wilderness, and drive him back
beyond the Rapidan or destroy him.
Gen. Lee knew that Grant could not
use his cannon and cavalry, and on
the 5th day Of May, 1864, the two
armies met in the triangle and
grappled with each other. Hancock
directed the assault here, and we
have Gen. Lees testimony to the fact
that the Federal attempts to drive
back Gen. Hill were repeated and
desperate" All failed. Hill stub
bornly held his ground At night the
enemy withdrew and gave up further
attempts on that day to make any
headway.