The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-08

| Fifty years ago TO-DAY the anNdHcs
column of the Army of the Potomac
marching southwark from the BLOODY
field of the Wilderness, where in two
/ days fighting g1,0oo men. of both sides
had fallen. arrived near Spottsylvanis
| Court House. to find their road blocked
by a corps of Lees army.
There had been a race at night be-
4 tween the vanguards of the two armies
\ for the possession Of this place when,
by reason of its command of the roads
between Fredericksburg and Richmond
4 and its strong possibilities for de-
tense, was of the utmost Importance in
the great game now being played between
the two foremost generals of the North
and South.
Fortune had favored the Confederates
| in reaching II first; but the sagacity OF
Lee, and not luck merely. was response
bic for their having started for it In time
to forestall Grant.
| In the battle of the Wilderness both
sides had fought until halted by night
on May 6, and had risen on the morning
of May with their power of initiative
in battle at low ebb. Neither side sought
| to renew the engagement. Both armies
| had intrenched, and after their great
| losses, to make attacks on intrenched
positions would have been to sacrifice
life without prospect of gain.
When Grant rose on the morning Of
| May his mind was made up as to his
next move. At $50 a. m he issued or
ders that preparations be made during
| the day for the army to make a march
! that night 10 Spottsylvania Court House,
| twelve miles south.
| Grant hoped to draw Lee into more
open country. to prevent him from NOV
ing rapidly back to Richmond. and crush
ing the small Federal army on the James
under Butler He hoped also to get be-
| tween him and Richmond.
| Lees observations during the day con-
| WINGED him that Grant would either re-
tire to Fredericksburg. in order to sup
| ply his army, or march to Spottsylvania.
II he did either it was incumbent on Lee
! to reach Spottsylvania first. either for
the purpose of barring Grants progress,
| or of attacking him on the flank If he
marched toward Fredericksburg.
| The movements that followed were de-
| termined on these premises During May
| Z the Confederates remained behind the
defensive works they had built in the
Wilderness. Both sides sought by Skin
| mishers to find out whether the other
was moving troops. The cavalry of both
armies was several miles to the south.
| contendins for the roads 10 Spottsylvania
Court House. Sheridan engaged Stuart
at Todd's Tavern, eight miles south of
! Grants position, and drove him away
| from that point through which lay the
most direct road for Grant to Spottsyl-
vania Court House.
Columns on the March.
1t has been often represented that Gen.
Lee did not intend to start his troops
on the march to Spottsylvania Court
HnISp until the .nlnrninE nf NAV hnr
that a forest fire depriving Longstreet's
corps of a place 10 bivouac. those troops
marched several hours earlier than or
dered. and, therefore, accidentally reach
ed Spottsylvana Court House first. Gen.
Grant makes this statement in his
memoirs. II has been repeated by most
Northern historians Gen. Grant also
states that his troops had the farthest
TO travel to reach the objective point.
While this was true of his ara as a
whole. some of the corps being obliged
TO follow circuitous roads. it was not
true of the column that moved or the
night of May :. The maps. both modern
and those used by the army, shows that
each side marched twelve miles, or a
fraction less, that night
The theory that Lees timely a1vLnce
was accidental is not supported by the
war records, which show that the re-
verse was the fact.
Gen. Lees orders to Gen. r. Il. Ander
son, commanding LOngstreet's corps.
were issued prior to : p. m. May Z. and
were for the corps to march as soon as
1t could be withdrawn from its POSITION
in front of Hancocks corps, which held
the left of the Federal line.
These orders were received by the
division commanders at 9 r. H., and at
II p. m. the corps was on the march. AS
the most direct route to its objective
point, the Brock road, was held by the
Federals. the column took a byroai to
the right of the Brock road.
The first corps of the Army of the
Potomac to take the road was the Fifth.
under Gen. G. X. Warren. which IN the
battle had held the center of the Federal
line, its right resting on the Orange turn
pike about a mile west of Old Wilderness
Tavern.
Warren's troops were in motion at $50
and before II p. m. the head of the col
umn had passed the left of Hancocks
position about four miles from Wilder
ness Tavern. At that hour, therefore,
the Federals had about seven miles to
go and the Confederates nearly twelve.
A Dramatic Demonstration.
As warren's men proceeded by the
Brock road they passed the rear of Han
COCK s lntrencnmentS, winch were 10 Dc
held. fully manned, until the rest of the
army had marched. 4 battle front was
thus presented to the enemy to cover
the movement.
Gen. Grant, Gen. Meade and their s.affs
preceded Warren's Corps at the start.
As they passed the intrenchments in
which Hancock's men lay. Grant was
recognized in spite of the darkness. A
dramatic demonstration then occurred.
The men began cheering. 1t was not
so much a personal tribute TO Grant as
their expression of approval of the West
ern general who had met Lee and had
fought a drawn battle. but was not
turning back. The men saw that Grants
morse was headed south. Amidst their
hurrahs for the general were mingled
cries of "On to Richmond"
In the intrenchments pine knots were
lighted. and their fitful flare revealed
Grant to the men as he rode past them.
The general was disconnected by the
cheering, for he feared it would apprise
the enemy that the army was moving.
Orders were sent ahead for the men to
keep quiet.
Gen. Grant and his party halted for