The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-10
FIFTY YEARSTN
THE WILDERNESS
General Grants Memorable "On To Richmond" Cam
naign Vivid Recollection in Connection With
That Movement, as Written by One Who
Participated.

and the next morninf, in looking ovcr
the field, all the pockets of the dead
, I'cdcrals were sticking out Our men
had been looking for gold or silver, and
there was a superstition that il was
bad luck To place the pockets back.
! our men had also got the shoes and
| Undertaking and all tho knapsacks.
guns and ammunition. ! got nre
minnie rife.
We were inactive on the 9Th, but
could hear tho battle raging on our
RICH, between Warrcns and Long
streets Corps. John W. Daniel was
wounded In this light, and General
Lees Traveller was caught by the
bride by ono OF tho Texas Rangers.
who told Genera! Lee 10 get TO the
rear. na they were doing the lighting
On May : tho dead IN our front were
much swollen. and General Lee ordered
their burial. We had not buried but
"A few when orders came 10 fall IN. Cen
eral Grant was on the move. On the
s,h Of MAY VIC passed tho scene OF con
nict between Warren and I.onGstrcct.
The woods were afro. and many OF the
dead and wounded had been burned.
! and the odor OF the burning hesh was
sickcninr. some o! The wounded had
crnvlcd and caught hold Of bushes ana
their charred hands still ciasped the
bush
There was continual fighting as We
moved by tho right flank. and on tho
uigh, Of MAY 10 VIC had reached a point
about a mile and half northeast OK
Spotsylvnuia Courthouse. and all nipht
IL. 81 t,,c II Z u
our bayoncts and threw out dirt "!th
tho tin pans wc used FOR our rations
nv the night OF May nth we had COM
pletcd tlic celebrated Dead Angle, when
was In shape OF horseshoe. ~ night
fall II d-izzlinE rain commenced ana
we huddled together in tho mud ana
rain and covered our heads with the
fow rubber tents We had. Early morn
ing. MAY 18th. General Hancock charged
us with three columns IN front, and
they got within ten feet OF our works.
and without our knowledge MeaShcrs
Irish Brigade got in our rear. heard
ono my men shout: Don't shoot any
more; they VIII Kill all OF us. About
that time looked back on line OF
battle in our rear and on tho brink Of
our brcastworks. y drunken IriShman
had his gun with!u about eighteen
inches OF my body. and with an oath
ordered me 10 surrender. and when he
cooked his gun ana pulled tho trigger
IL failed To explode on account OF the
darnpncss and before he 2ot ready
again | hade lcaped the brcastworks
and jumped into the columns We had
been lighting In front. Many of our
men had been killed IN tho trenches
after surrcndcr!ng. our Adjutant. Ar
rincton. from Concord. VA, had his
brains dubbed out by s;alwart.
drunken Irishman. while he (Arringtom
] All
when VIC GOT into the three columns
in front we had about four guards grab
each prisoner and rush rs TO the rear.
II was not on account of our personal
safety. but they wanted TO get out Of
the fight. lust after We left the breast
works, General Gordon came up in
Mcaghcr's rear and tumhlcd his men
into thc works we had left. Some OF
our men caught the shots OF General
Gordon as we We're rushed back: also
some OF the Federal guards. When we
got back about q mile we came upon
General Grants headquarters. and the
general took in the situation at once.
and ordered one OF his aids "Rcorgan-
izc that line. and for every fourth pris-
men To the front" The officers had
quite II time getting the men In line.
and drew out their swords and threat
cned death. In the mean time. the bat
tie was raging fiercely over the salient.
General Gordon was forging ahead to
fill up the gap made by SO many guards
going with us. All day the battle
ragged as they marched us to camp. near
Fredericksburg in rain.
We met 20. 600 artillcrymcn armed
as infantry. who had been guarding
Washington; had no use for them at
Washington. as General Lee was OH the
defensive. From the 5th OF May to
l2th May General Grant lost 10000.
while our loss was some 10000: ours
so much less because we had about 3d.
600 on May 9Th, and wo were on tho
defensive in nearly every engagement.
call SpotSylvania Courthouse fight
the Dead Angle. My Nire nia com
radcs say Bloody Angle. and if any one
wishes TO know OF its severity let them
go to the Smithsonian Institution, in
Washington. and see tho red oak tree
some eighteen inches In diameter which
was literally Clipped away by Mimic
balls. as artillery could not be used
on account of the density Of the forest
Nashville. Tenn.