The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-02-24

was at the WuuefueSS' 1AO ooohoo "iiNA
vines were so thick we could not get at him
well. We again met him at the Battle OF
Spottsylvania Court House. 1t was here
that DR.. John A. Wyeth (good authority
in a speech before the Southern Society at
New York stated that Lee stood up all day
with 10000 men in an open field hight
against Grant with 120, 900 men and all day
Grant was begging Lincoln for reinforce
ments. And here it may we'll be said that
there is not now and never wasa any Bloody
Angle'' at Spottsylvania Court House.
The whole thing IS a myth. The Louisl-
anians built the breast works in the toe OF
the horse shoe-our right wing going off
or flattened towards Spotsylvania Court
House, while the left wing ran nearly due
South. The Stonewall Brigade was on our
left and Wofford's Georgia Brigade was on
the left of the Stonewall Brigade.
The Louisianans had hardly finished
their Observation-Disclosures were good ones
when Wofford's Brigade gave way and
Lee sent orders for the Louisianians to go
and take their place. 1t was at this toe of
the horse shoe that Grant caught Edward
Johnson's men asleep and broke his line
and poured twenty or thirty thousand men
inside. Much has been said about "Lee
to the rear" etc. Some claim that Gordon
did it. Gordon was just behind Wofford
when the latter's line gave away and Cor
don retook it and held it until the Louis-
anians could get in position. Others claim
that the Forty ninth Virginia Regiment Or
dered "Lee to the rear" and some others
claim that distinction.
Mr.. Editor, the writer of this article was
on the field all along the Battle of Spotsyl-
vania Court House. l give it as my best
belief that Stephen D. Ramseur's North
Carolina Brigade and John B. Hoods
Texas Brigade did the fighting it was
Hoods men who took hold of "Trayeler
and led him back out of danger. and the
hardest all day fighting ever knew was
done by Ramseur and Hood
The writer of this article was detailed
next morning to take 200 meh and follow
Grants rear until he found it, which he
did. He will state further, that the hard
est MISUNDERSTANDING from the dead men
and horses-was not in the toe OF the horse
shoe or angel, but in the rear of the line
where the Stonewall Brigade was stationed,
before Wofford gave way, and was done by
Ramseur and Hood. saw this field and
it was that morning that heard of "Lee
to the rear" by Hoods men, and the tree
being cut down by minnie balls, etc.
Grants next effort was at Hanover
Junction, now called "Doswell," in Han
over County, Va, but 1t was to be plain
open field fight, and Grant finding Lee
ready and the North Anna River in his
rear, concluded that prudence was the
better part of valor. He recrossed the
river and went to Cold Harbor, where, as
before stated, he had his head we'll mashed.
After this battle, Early was detached, as
previously mentioned. and sent to Lynch
burg, via Charlottesville, and reached
Lynchburg just in time to head off The
Marauder, David Hunter. We had little
engagement about sunset. Hunter, find
ing there was something more in Lynch
burg than old men and women and children
began hasty retreat. 1t was foot race
from Lynchburg to Salem, Va. give it
as my opinion if Early's men had caught
Hunter and his men that they would have
killed them and no power could have pre-
vented it, and Hunter believed it from the
way they made tracks. The last that was
seen Of Hunters Marauders, they were
hurrying their rear through a mountain
gap West or Northwest of Salem, Va.
At Salem Early turned his head of coll
umn North and marched us over the Natu-
raj Bridge, that his men might see the
great curiosity, and thence out of his direct
route to Lexington, that they might see the
grave and statute of the immortal Stone
wall Jackson.
AS we'll as l recollect, the first or next
battle was at Monocacy, Md, where we
met Lew Wallace (Ben Hurry, gave him
good beating and started him and his men
on the road to Baltimore, and they never
stopped until they were we'll under the
guns of Fort McHenry.
Gen. Early took another road to Wash
ington City, where he had an engagement
on July IL, 1854. He then retreated across
the Potomac River, but continued to
threaten Washington and succeeded in
withdrawing Phil Sheridan and 100000 men
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