The Washington herald., 1914-05-12

ING OF the war occurred at the Bloody
angle at spoftsylvania. where thou
sand fell. many In nand-to-hand. night
ing, In an attempt by Grants army to
secure the key to Gen. Less defenses.
from morning TO dark men fought face
to face. with only single line Of low
oreastworks between. A. line after line
was cut down the bodies OF the dead
were dragged away from the shambles
to make room for fresh men In the bat
tie line
While thu aggregate losses of the day
Were less than at rome of the great
battles Of the war. being about 1900.
the character OF the fighting was more
deadly. because Of the concentration OF
large numbers OF troops In attack and
defense upon single point. Both sides
terness never before witnessed in the
long and bloody struggle between North
and South. 1t seemed a. II climax
was reached here that was to typify for
all time the horrors Of this great and
bloody human drama.
The respective objects of the COM
batants were clearly defined and Of eie-
mental simplicity. Grant sought to crush
Lees army by a mighty blow. The Con-
federates, nerved to. desperation by the
fury Of the Federal onflaught upon their
works. fought as II for life itself.
Only the day before ordering the gen.
eraI attack on Lee which focused in the
fighting at the Bloody Angle" Grant
had announced to his government his
purpose to ''hsht II out on this line IL It
takes all summer Lee. no less deter
mined than his antagonist, was Of the
same mind. Each. felt that he was en-
gagged in a struggle TO the death. of
which this was but one bloody step.
Prepare At NfGht for Assault.
Seven days of heavy fighting had
passed since Grant with 10000 men had
crossed the Rapidan, on his way toward
Richmond. In the two days battle Of
the Wilderness. and in the march hence
to Spottsylvania Court House. Lee had
met Grants every move and every blow
in kind. With an inferior force he had
barred the way to Richmond, and had
cost Grant 2o,oOo men,
Grant nevertheless was well satisfied
to have Lee stand and fight. His whole
plan Of campaign was embraced in the
theory that the more blows he could land
on the enemy. the sooner the end of the
war would come. Lees generalship had
been a revelation to him. but had only
reused in him a desire to force the pace.
When Grant found Lee intrenched ct
he hal spent day In get
ting his various corps into position-no
easy task. The grand units of his forces
as then organized had aptly been char
acterized as "a baiky team no two
pulling together" On May 10 Grant had
ordered an assault 1t had failed. after
initial success. partly because the forces
engaged did not work together, partly
because delays in preparation had
brought the. hour of attack too late in
the day.
On May IL Grant had planned another
assault for the 18th and had ordered his
corps into position for IT. with view
to striking Lees center with 1000 men.
delivering the heaviest blow at point
where Lees works formed blunt point
that was thrust forward more than
mile from his lines.
The character Of this point. or salient.
having been learned by reconnoissances.
Grant issued orders on the afternoon of
May IL for massing heavy force In
front of 1t. for an early morning attack
Hancock's corps. the Second. was or
dered to march from the right of the
Federal lines in rhe night. to lead the
assault on the salient.
The night proved stormy. Rain fell
heavily. and there was a high wind.
Darkness was complete. The roads were
deep in red. clinging mud. The officers
leading the troops had scant knowledse
Of the country. Progress was slow. II
was midnight when the troops reached
a point in the woods indicated to them
BY a STAFF officer. and were put into posi-
ton for the assault. which was ordered
for dawn. The Ninth Corps. Burnside's.
was to assault simultaneously on the
left.
Troops that Opened the Fight.
Massed at the head of the Second
Corps were the divisions of Cen Francis
c. Barlow and Gen. David b. Birney.
These were to lead the assault. Sarlows
contained four brigades, as fol-
lows:
First. Col. Nelson A. Miles. Twenty
sixth Michigan. Sixty-frst New York.
10Th, and 1s3d Pennsylvania