The Washington herald., 1914-05-05
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
May ls6-The Bloody Battle Of the Wilderness Began One Of tn
Most Remarkable Fields in Hoy-he Army the Potomac Unde
Grant and Meade Attacks the Army Of Northern Virginia Under Lee
Written Expressly for The Herald.

sly for The Herald.
still wore the yellowish-brown. thread
gloves, with which he had set out on the
campaign the day before
The day was warm and clear. ano
through the forenoon only the STEADY
i tramp OF men on the roads. and occa
sional scattering musketry reports. brok'
| the stiffness OF the forest
About noon sharp. rafting reports oi
| musketry and a few cannon, two mile:
down the Orange turnpike. told that tbs
first heavy clash of the contending force;
was taking place. Thenceforth until dark
with few intermissIons, the gloomy VII
derness was giving back the roar and
crackle of thousands OF arms.
Two Distinct Fights.
Although Gen. Meade about 7:l5 a m
sent Warren's men against Ewell, on tho
Orange Plank roar. the first collision
of the day had already taken place or
the Plank road, where Gen. Hills COnfed
crate column Unexpectedly came upon a
Federal cavalry regiment. the Fifth New
York, that had been left at Farker's
store to await Warrens arrival there
This was about n m
II HuTs advance from Parker's store
were not checked he could gain a road
that was a KEY to the Federal position
This was a soItherly continuation of the
Gt rmana road. and was known as the
Brock road. It crosses the Plank road
II the enemy gained it they would have
a clear route to the rear OF the Fedora
army.
Gen. Meade had taken measures tc
held the Brock. road. At 80 a. m. an or
der was sell: 10 Hancock to halt in his
march. At $40 the division OF Gen
(Sedgwick's) Corps. was ordered forward
Il hold the Brock road at its junction
with the PLANK road. These orders had
ar important bearing on the battle. The
Federals were first at this important
point. Getty arriving there about II a m
and Gen. Hills column, accompanied by
Gen. Lee, arriving near there shortly
after.
Heavy fighting did not develop here IN
til afternoon. 1t had no connection with
that on the Orange turnpike. in the FED,
eral front The battle thus resolved 1t.
self into two distinct engagements-that
here, and that ut the center. on the turn
pike, where the corI S OF Warren had
been Joined by that Of Sedgwick. march
ing from near the Rapidan.
Death In Dense Woods.
A vidid glimpse OF how the great battle
begun for one regiment - to be had in
the diary of a yong officer. Capt. LemueI
A Abbott. OF the Tenth Vermont, of
SedgwiCk's Corps.
We pushed on to the front until we
struck the Orange turnpike" he wrote.
when We turned to the right and fol-
lowed IL. The road here ran
straight ahead of US almost as far as
the eye could reach. bordered on each
side with a dense forest and under
brush. The enemy fired a solid
shot straight along the pike, which tore
screeching through the air Just a little
above the heads OF the men in column.
till it struck the pike about midway the
regiment. providentially where the men
had split and were marching beside the
road.
Soon We turned to the left. or south
erly, into the woods and formed line OF
battle almost as soon as there was room
after leaving the road"
Here shortly she'll began TO explode in
the ranks. One struck a young soldier
full in the stomach. throwing him into
the air and whirling his mangled body
about in a manner that shook the nerves
of his comrades.
Owing TO the thickness Of the WOODS
and bushes the regiment saw no enemy
in their front. 1t was thus with most
OF those engaged. Often a voley. close
and deadly. would come from a thickel
where no emmy was supposed to be.
At times men met in hand TO hand con-
fliCt At others friend could not be dis
tinguished from foe. Again fire came
not from the front but the fianks.
1t was a grim and horrible melee,
through miles of woods-a nightmare OF
difficulties to :he men and a puzzle tc
the officers engaged. No one had a
clear idea of positions. and only after
the war. when surveys were made ana
old lines were sought out. could his
torians OF the battle tell where the op-
posing lines had been.
Getty. Great Stand.
With neither side enable to make head
against the other in the fighting along
and near the turnpike, the battle in
Grants front resolved itself into Cont.n-
UoUs and heavy skirnishing.
on the left the scene was different.
Getty was making a stand against odds
that wrote his name on the record OF
fame in letters of gold. Arriving at the
crossroads at almost the same instant as
the skirmishers Of Hills column. Getty