The Washington herald., 1914-05-06

federates. and though he had not driven
Lee from the feld. Grant felt that he had
inaugurated his process of wearing down
the enemy by mere attrition" with sue
cess.
The scere Of the fighting in the great
battle was about fifteen miles west of
Fredericksburg and from five to ten miles
south OF the Rapidan River, in Spottsy!-
vania County. Va The dominant fea-
lures Of the field We're the impenetrable
thFckets and second-growth woods of the
so-caIled Wilderness, the roughness of
the ground and :he location and the char
acter Of the roads.
II one fancies a country Of broken
forest and small Clearings nearly fifteen
miles from edge TO edge, with one i'm
portant road traversing ii from north
TO south and two from east to west. and
crossing near the forests center. he will
have in his mind a fairly accurate view
Of the Wilderness battlefield.
The nOrth-and-sou road leading from
Germanna Ford on the Rapidan had
been followed by Grants advance column
on his first days march toward Rich
mond. as far as it's junction with the
principal east-and-west road. the Orange
turnpike mile south Of that point
the Germanna road became the Brock
road. This read, a small highway in
deep woods played a determining part
in the fortunes OF the battle. II crossed
all the east-and-west roads on the south
ern side of the field and was the key
to the Federal position. for by it the
enemy could approach the Federal flank.
One of Grants columns, Hancock :
Corps, had marched to Charlottesville
When the battle developed, on the Fifth.
Hancock was ordered into the Brock
road.
On the east-and-west roads. known, re-
spectively. as the Orange turnpike and the
Orange Plank road, Lee had thrown for
ward two of his corps on May 3. with
orders not TO give battle until the third
under Longstreet. came up. Grant had
attacked them at once. The battle had
begun at noon on May 5 and had halted
only at dark, without decisive result
NnssinE for Early Blow.
In the warm. smoky darkness of the
night the troops bivouacked in the forest
and lay so close to each other, and in
such irregular lines, that thirsty and
powder-grimed men seeking water STUN
bled without warning into their enemy S
lines
There seemed no coherency in the sit
uation, and the common soldiery CROP
ing about in the dark woods, working
on intrenchments or lying down to the
heavy sleep of exhaustion. there was
none. Only the GENERALS had mere than
a vague idea Of where the various units
of the two armies lay
After the first days fight, Gen. Grant,
following his custom OF forcing the fight
ing. had decided TO issue orders for an
attack at 4:50 in the morning. Gen.
Meade, commanding the Army of the
Potomac, wished the attack made at G
o'clock. Grant reluctantly granted a de-
lay to 5 o'clock.
He expected to have Burnside's corps.
which had marched forty miles 10 reach
the scene, in the battle line and to pre-
sent a continuous front to the enemy.
crossing both the roads on which the
Confederates lay.
Lee. foreseeing the course Of battle,
aimed to get his full strength also on
the field in the early morning. Long
street also had marched forty miles and
should reach the field at dawn.
Thus the whole strength OF both sides
was to be massed for an early blow.
Grants line was TO be composed Of the
Sixth Corps Gen. John Sedgwick, on