The Washington herald., 1914-05-06

and after a short, desperate fight broke
his front and drove his troops in dis
order through the bristling thickets and
down the road more than a mile to the
rear.
Grant believed that had the country
been such as to afford Hancock view
of the enemy he might have pressed
forward so irresistibly that Lee could
not have made a stand outside OF Rich
mond."
Gen. Lee. seeing disaster impending.
essayed to rally his troops in person,
| but as he spurred over the breastworks
hand was laid on his bride rein. and
with Go back. Gen. Lee. Go back! We
don't need to be led" he was persuaded
| to seek safety for his person and his
cause out of the battle line. The Con-
federate leader had made his headquar-
tiers in this part of the field and staked
the battle on the action here.
1t was a golden moment for the Fed
erals. Half a mile and half an hour
more would mean the shattering OF Lees
right wing At this critical moment
| for Lee the generals combinations
fortunately bore fruit. A more timely
and dramatic arrival than that of Long
street an scarcely be imagined. His
| advanced division received the shock of
| Hills retreat, stayed the rout and pressed
forward to a counter attack.
| Hancock, warned Of the menace to his
| left. had not been able to press his sue
cess with his whole strength. He now
fell back to readjust the formation of his
| line. disordered by success.
| This movement was favorable to the
Confederates. Strengthened. they rushed
| forward. and Hancock fell back to en-
| trenchments on the Brock road that he
had made the day before. The safety OF
the army depended on the holding of
| this road.
Longstreet Struck Down.
Meanwhile a part of Longstreet's men
had advanced through byroads to an
abandoned railroad cut. from which they
now swiftly threw themselves on the
| left flank of Hancock.
The blow was terrific. Federal bril-
| gsdes, regiments. battalions, were
| crumpled up and thrown back in con-
| fusion. For a short time it seemed as IL
the Federal left would be crushed, turn
ed, and the army endangered.
But the Federals made such a deter
mined stand that the Confederate tri-
umph was stayed. Then occurred an
other climax in the drama. Longstreet,
riding buoyantly to the front, was fired
upon from the flank by one Of his own
his throat. He was carried from the field
on a stretcher. feebly waving his hat in
his left hand. to cheer his men. He fell
about a mile from the spot where Stone
wall Jackson received his death wound
from his own men year before.
With their guiding spirit gone. Long
streets men lost force and were beaten
of by the hard-pressed Federals. At
II a. m. after five hours of terrific fight
ing. there came lull in the battle on the
Federal left
Fight In Burning Breastwork,.
Two miles away, along the Orange
turnpike, on the Federal right, the fight
ing of the morning had been in the ma
ture of heavy skirmishing and unsuccess-
full attacks by Warren and Sedgwick on
EwelTs corps. which had strongly in
trenched itself in the night.
Burnside was slow in getting into the
position assigned him, and hours were
lost in forming a continuous battle line.
According to Confederate authority,
Grant set a pace that his men could not
follow in the ENHANCEMENT Of this giants
maze of the Wilderness.
At 10:30 reports were such from Han
cock that Grant ordered Warren and
Sedgwick to suspend their attacks and
intrench. in order that he might take
troops from his right to aid Hancock.
At 3 p. m, Grant, still anxious to force
the fighting, ordered Hancock to prepare
for a grand assault in his front at 6
o'clock. Again the Confederates antici-
pated him by launching an attack of their
own at AIS before which the struggle of
the morning seemed mild.
Men hurled themselves forward upon