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

tho line Of baltic onn safely slcop.
because tho slsirsnish line is out In
front OF II, and always @ number OF
tho skirmishers can sleep a others ro-
main awake, but vidette can never
sleep: he Is always out In front OF
the other AneB and remains until ro-
loved. He gives the signal of tho
enemy's advance. nrcs his gun at
them. and ruHhcs back TO tho line UNI
less killed in going, which was FIRE.
quently the case. asked To be re-
lievcO at IL o'clock. and was promised
relief. Pointing to the top OF GER
tnin tree. ! was to SO there and wait.
Behind that tree had been firing
at tho enemy when night came. Il
WAS only about nifty yards out, but
was fully an hour crawling to It.
About 10 o'clock, away off to the OK
tremc right OF our army, some four
miles the boys sounded tho IicbeI
yell. IT was taken up by brigade ar
ter brigade; division after division,
end corps after corps gradually com
Ing down the line: IL was grand, ear
piercing and inspiring. I could not.
nor never understood why 1t was done:
simply some magnetic influence IN
spring the whole line 10 scnd up the
yell that always nrecccdcd tho charge.
i'ONh TUG tluc II continued untl II
ceased At our brigade. thought it
was sigHal for charge. n night
attack, on the enemy The enemy
thought 81, too, and the following
morning we icnrncd that almost the en-
tire line OF the enemy broke In the
guns. and running back. We were
not aware Of this. however. About
that hour Grant took up h!s limo Of
march TO seize Spotsylvanin. hut our
Mac 81 H. i
Longs'rects corps To Sppisylvanla also,
penetrating Tho move Of Grant. and
utterly Falling him In getting between
us and Richmond. The Wilderness had
been fought and all our positions
held.
the best advantage. The Secuud Corps
had nsvGr behaved better. aud took UP
the new lin OF march in the best Of
spirits. The cnemy's losses in the
three days' battle in killed wounded
and missing has heen estimated at
10000 men. Our loss estimated at
5000.
\ Northern writer describes the
GROWTH Of !ow-limbed and srraggy
pines stii; and bristiing chinlsa pins,
scruh oaks and hazel. 1t Is q region
OF gloom and the shadow OF death.
of tho question, and only indian tao
tics told. The troops could only re-
cei.e direction BY q point OF the COM
p pae 'sT Te, on osn e5 from the lines srS
OF bio commander, but no officer could
see ten files on each side ot him. Ar
tillery was wholly ruled out OF use:
tho massive concentration of 800 guns
place or section could be brought into
play In the roadside. Cavalry was
still more uselesg. But in that horrid1
through II lurid rrcs played, and
though no array OF hattie could DO
seen, there came out of ,ts depths the
roll and crackle Of mnsketry like the
told tho dread story OF DEATH"
A Southern writer describes the
struggle In equally vivid langua se:
The land was sombre--a land Of
.n,ekst uRasrssowth' innslsi o9se
twenty yards OFT. and assault had to
10 made by tho compass. The hghts
there wero not as easy as night at
,aohs In open country. for Mt night you
unseen: regiments stumbled on each
other. and sent swtft destruction Into
each others ranks guided by the
. cracking of the bu6hes IT was not
war. Military manoeuvring, science
had rs little to do with II as sight.
Two Wild animals were hunting each
other: when they heard each Others
steps they sprang and srappled. The
where. Here, In blind
wrestle as at midnight did 100000
men in blue and gray clutch each other
ters. On the low line of
the works, dimly seen in the thickets,
rested the rnuzzles spoutlns name {;
from the depths rose cheers: charges
were made and repulsed, the lire
scarcely seeing each other: men tell
and writhed and diod unseen, their
bodies Loaf In the bushes. their death
gFoans drowned in the steady. conttn-
uous, never-censing crash"
II was a horrible place for battle
held. Our dead were buried In the
tangled junElca. whe-o never a gentle
hand can find. Their brave spirits
gone to Join their comrades gone be-