The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-24

fast us could. explained tho situa,-
tion. told him wo had captured two
cannon and tho gully WIS full of
our mon. j was hunting my brigade.
Ii' said my brigade was over on tho
right: TO get behind n tree and rest
and Join my brigade. found troo
some distance back. and. falling boz
hind H. smiling at General Rodes tell
int; MO to get behind u tree. Aa Rodes
left me. riding TO brow OF hiil I
noticed his face blnnched white. but
lie never hositated. Bullets wero fly.
ing like hail: no had Heard them DC
tore. and must sec what wus going on.
lie was brave. and iron, that moment
had my highest regard. Resting n few
minutes ] began looking FOR that lost
briSode. j went 10 tky brow of the
MI. AMI everybody was al work
digging and building brrastwurks: tin
CUPS, tin plates. pockctknives. tublo
knives. MISUNDERSTANDING that would
turn up carth-and IL WAS wonderful
how the hard eurtl, yielded 10 willing
inands. Going up the line. | found my
captain greeting INC. Where the
thunder have you BEEN" / explained.
Turning to the orderly. he said:
: Send word back that Discll Is NOT
Killed rB reported This was the sec
ond time such Is report had been made,
but was very much alive. at once
iojnsd In building the loreastworks. In
about ten minutes we got behind
what few we had built. and repulsed
1t terrible charge OF the enemy. who
were Oh MS before we knew II. as wo
could not see ten feet ahcnd of us.
Ten minutes later we were rushco to
Tic left Of the pike road TO aid Cor
don, who was being charged there,
tepulsinS the enGmy there. wa rushed
back TO our old position, Just In time
to rcpulsc charge oeins made there
hsh'ing continually for an hour. At
abort range we were again hastily or
dercd to aid Gordon, who was again
being charged on the left. II was dark,
and getting to Gordon's breaetworks.
they said for us to 30 back: they
did not need us; but we Nred O few
shots anyway.
Returning to our old position, we
went TO work ana completed our breast
works. getting ready for The morrow,
and then lay down to rest and sleep.
our loss had been severe during tho
day, but wu held our pusitlon--in fact,
on the left had gained some. Night
passed without disturbance but at day
light our sklrIn'shcrs were ut work,
and about o'clock VIC repulsed another
charge OF the enainy. Now the aston
ishins par, OF this charge, and nearly
oil the charges. was that we could not
src the enemy until thoy waro right
on us and ut close range. Their loss
Vas very severe. The Third Corps.
under y. +. Hin, Joined our right.
Their hshting OH tho oth was light.
BY this tine Grant found that Lees en-
tire army was in tho Wilderness. on
b. 'T,,- H..
therefore rnasscj his troops on tho
Plank Road, and on the morning of the
9th hurled HIS corps ON a. p. Hills po-
Eltion. For some reason this corps
gradually gave way before the repeated
charges Of The enemy. They had a
man named Hancock, who bothered us
a great deal, making charge AFTER
charge. Tile firing WAS away to our
right in tho early morning, but grad
uaily gave way until nearly to our
roar. II began to look seriouH, for we
knew 1t WAS our only way to get out.
suddenly we heard fresh roll OF mus
kerry. and round after round. Long
street had arrived. Hills limo halted,
reformed rechHrged. and when night
fall came was back in it's old position
on our right. Grants repeated charges,
with his immense number of men, had
utterly failed In driving back in two
days action the few cavalry that he
had estimated our force at on the
morning of tho 9Th.
Early on the mornsng OF the 9th
General Gordon conceived the idea and
asked permission OF Ewcll and Early
to make dash on the enemy in his
front, Sedgwick turn his lines, como
rushing down. each division TO Join in
as he passed, and turn tho battle into o
second Chancellorsville 1t WAS fea5-
wv ~ ar1, lie, .a1
TO II, and 1t was not done, Later Gem
eral Lee came 10 the left, and General
Gordon presented the facts to him. He
examined into II, told Gordon to go
ahead. anu Gordon, with his usual dash.
crossed the lines, hurled his force into
the enemy, drove them back, capturing
large number OF prisoners. But II
was too late IN tho day. Night had
come. and no further movement took
place. As night came We simply
crouched against tho breasworks, and
with our faithful guns In hand. closed
our eyes for needed rest. broken occa-
sionally by firing on the skirmish Inc.
at daylight on the eth We reused
and prepared for action. munching our
hard biscuits and washing them down
with water. For two days now we
had had no timc 10 wash our faces,
and the powder smoke and dust did not
make us~very prosentablc. lust at that
time we were not running on our looks
About o'clock the enemy was charg-
ing our breastworks again. AS before,
they were on us before we could see
them, but volley after vollcy of mus
kerry rcpulscd tho charge. As they
retreatcd the skirmiah limo followed
them, and wo were free to caro- for our
killed and wounded. About an hour
later, Major Nash. commanding the
sharpshootcrs, sent hack 10 double tho
sharpshooting line. This called for
two moro men from zach company. and
my name was called. tried to beg
OF, but could get no ono TO take my
place. About 200 yards out We had
captured the cnemy's brcastworks. and
our skirmishers were using them Ma
tor Nash said tho enemy had disap-
pearcd from our front. and we were TO
go forward and develop them. I knew
this meant a rapid advance. and posi-
bly, a very rapid retreat. We began