New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-08
Furious Fighting at Bloody Angle" Awed Grant

1ghting was concerned Ice was not anX-
ious 10 take the offensive through the
briars and tangled underground i'm front
He could depend upon his warlike opponent
to do that. General Grant was usually
ready 20 take the offensive on an even
chance.
On this day Grant was planning and
making preparations for another assault
on the tempting salient. to take place at
dawn on the following morning He was
also writing letters. That morning he wrote
one TO General Hallcck. II had not beel
an encouraging campaign in it's results
thus far: nothing but strike. strike. ham
mer. hammer. The expected success mad
not followed. "Wc have now ended the
sixth day OF very hard fighting" said he in
his letter The result up 10 this time is
much in our favor" The paragraph ended
with the famous phrase. 81 pro-
pose to fight 1t out on this line II it takes
all summer"
Extending north from the apex OF the
salient was a somewhat narrow open
stretch running back mile or more To
clearing in which stood the house OF
man possessing the unusual name oil
Brown. Starting at dawn, Hancocks
troops were TO make their assault through
this gap between the trees.
Nature was in no mood 10 hurry forward
the bloody work mapped ont for that cay
Fog and dark cloud whose fatncs5 burst
forth from time 10 time In drenchins show
crs. modified the efforts Of the chanticleor
OF Browns chicken understanding that ne
had not passed into the possession Of the
Union soldiers before that time-from get
ting Old Sol up and bis rays down. Usual
~ AT 4:30 a. IN. at this season Of the year
the sun is above the horizon. On the
morning Of May y. however, at this hour
there was hardly light enough to march
by 1t was amply early, however. for some
Of the troops had twenty hours Of straight
hghting before them.
The troops had assembled. Barlow on the
left, Birney on the right. At 1:35 o'clock
Hancock gave the word 20 advance. The
columns rushed down through the clearing.
The parapet of the salient loomed up before
them in the mist. They came 10 the abatis
and tore Il apart with their hands. They
swarmed up over the parapet. human
wave that recognized no barriers.
The night before the Confederate artil-
lery had been withdrawn from all the
points on the left and centre difficult Of
access" IN the belief that Grant was pre-
naring 10 make another move around the
right flank. in the course Of the night Cen
cral Edward Johnson. commander Of the
troops in the salient. bad observed that
Union troops were being concentrated in
preparation for a charge upon his front.
He asked FOR tie return OF the artillery, and
twenty pieces mad just been drawn into the
onelc when Hancocks men poured over
into the angle. There had been no time to
get them into action. They had been col
lected solely for the Use or the enemy. a
savage bayonet battle ensued. Then. with
whirlwind rush, the men in blue swept
over tho ground. capturing almost intact
Johnson's whole division and the score Of
guns 80 accommodatingly brought up.
FOR nearly a mile the Union troops con-
timed through the woods in the direction
Of Spotsylyania, suddenly coming upon the
heavily manned second line OF works run
ming GAS, and west across the base OF the
salient The existence Of this line had pre-
yiously been unknown. Lee rushed rem
forccmcnts 10 this point from al points.
Uancocks men were stopped ana hnalIy
forced back into the angie OF the Norhs
tbey had hrst taken. Establishing them
selves on either side Of the salient they
refused TO go further. Thus began what has
been looked upon ar one OF the most iurl-
Gus battles of the civil War. and the hahn-
to-hand contest whose fruitage has since
bccn described by the name With VINO"
that norton OF the Confederate WORKS was
aferward christened, Bloody Angle
Who shall describe the swayins PACK
and forth Of that all-day melee? The or
noslnR flags were sometimes on one sue o'
the works. sometimes on the other. me
hsvonet played over the loss Ike iorkeu
lightning. Prisoners were dragged BACK
and forth. torn between friend ana zoe
Standardized between the two ana threat
ned nv the rain Of bullets from both Con-
fcderates sometimes escaped defamation
only by raising piece Of tent cloth AZ 4
.ien,l Of surrender and then jumping over
the narapet below the guns and craving
rithtn the Union INES. Large trees we're
cut of BY the missiles. one oak "ithin
the Confederate lines twenty-one inches IN