The Washington herald., 1914-05-12
Tie sais.t IlIveslnents

had been hurried up to support them,
formed ON their right and Joined In the
battle.
The troops Of the Sixth Corps fr,t
brought into action were the divisions of
Gen. David A Russell and Gen. Frank
Wheaton. The first consisted of the First,
Second. Third. Fourth. Tenth, and Fiji
teenth New Jersey. forming the First
Brigade: Fifth Maine, Izlst New York.
Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth Pennsyi-
vania. Second Brigade; Sixth Maine.
Forty ninth. and 11sth Pennsylvania. and
Fifth Wisconsin. Third Brigade; Sixty.
NTH, Sixty-seventh. Ind New York.
Twenty-third and Eizhty-second Penn.
sylvania, Fourth Brigade.
Wheatou's Division consisted of the
sixty-second New York. Ninety-third
.Ninty ty-eighth. 103d. and 10th Pennsyl-
vania. First Brigade: Second. Third
Fourth. Fifth. and Sixth Vermont,
Second Brigade: Seventh Maine, Forty
York. and Sixty-first Pennsylvania, Third
Brigade; Tenth and Thirty-seventh Mas
sachusetts. and Second Rhode Island,
Fourth BRIGADE.
The brigade last named, commanded
by Col. Oliver Edwards. Of the Thirty
seventh Massachusetts. led the march of
the corps to the woods It was about
o'clock when the Sixth Corps got into
position and the bIoodiest fighting in the
war began to rage along the line Of logs
and mud that formed the angie
Struggle at the Breastwori<s.
The Confederates were determined to
recover their entrenchments at what
ever cost" writes Gen Francis Walker
who was on the fieid-in his History
of the Second Army Corps" For the
distance of nearly a mile, amid a cold.
drenching rain, the combatants were lit
orally struggling across the breastworks-
They fired directly into each others
faces. Bayonet thrusts were given; men
even grappled their antagonists across
the piles of logs and pulled them over
to be stabbed or carried to the rear as
prisoners"
Batteries were planted within 800 yards
of the captured works. and these poured
solid shot and shell over the heads of
the Federal troops into the space crowd
ed with Confederates. Other guns were
run UP to the works. and with their muz-
zles protruding into the faces of the
enemy, poured out death dealing canister.
The grimmest figure IT is possible to
conceive of the soldier in action was
presented by the soldier fighting here
The men stood in red mud up to their
ankles: their clothing were dripping
n5Disture; their shoulders. arms and
faces were smeared with the plastic red
soil which attached itself to the nusket
butt every time the gun was loaded
Their lips were blackened and parched
from biting cartridges to release the
powder. They fought without food or
drink or any thousht of it
Brfgades that suffered most severely or
had exhausted their ammunition were re-
lieved by others and drawn to the rear
to be reformed and to replenish their
boxes.
Hour after hour men stood at the
breastworks and fought steadily on
was supplied the Federals
from boxes brought to the scene on the
backs Of mules. and opened at the feet
Of the soldiers No such expenditure Of
had ever before been wit
messed. and many men fired 400 rounds
before being relieved
When ammunition failed on the Con-
federate side the men fired away their
ramrods. One Federal ohicer was shot
through the arm and body with one Of
these. missiles.
Never before, since the discovery Of
had such a mass of lead been
hurled into space so narrow as that
which embraced the scene of combat
writes Gen. Walker.
to the ground by infantry fire alone.
On either side a long procession Of the
had gone limping or crawling
TO the rear. On either side the dead lay
in mounds. intermingled with those who
we're too severely hurt to extricate them
selves from their hideous environments
All day this horrible struggle went on.
and even at night II did not cease. The
lighting then settled down to continuous
firing in the dark, the opposing sides be-
ng guided by the flash of their enemy's
weapons
At midnight the tumult gradually be-
gan to die out and the Confederates pre-
pared to abandon their salient. They had
q second and stronger line
,f works half a mile in the rear while
The battle ragged. and behind these they
withdrew. Lees main defenses were as
strong as ever, but his army was much
weakened
The losses on the Federal side for the
md about 500 missing. No statement Of
he Confederate losses was ever made
Their Moss In prisoners was about 1000
men, and their total loss for the day
must have been about 5000 men.
Tomorrows Buying the dead at
he "Bloody ANGLE"
tCopyrisht. isl4)
APRIL FIRE LOSS $164,341.