The Washington herald., 1914-05-13


Hancock's early success 1t was not read
aloud. according to custom. In Difference
to Gen. Johnson's feelings. On leaving
headquarters. Gen. johnson was fur
nished with horse on which to ride 20
the rear.
Gen. Steuart was not taken to head
quarters. He had met Gen. Hancock in
the field. and the gallant commander OF
the Second Corps. who had known Gen.
Steuart in earlier times. extended his
hand in greeting. Gen. Steuart. drawing
himself up. said: Under the present cir
cumstances. must decline to take your
hand"
To this Gen. Hancock made reply:
''Under any other circumstances. Gen.
Steuart, should not have offered It."
No horse was offered Gen. Steuart.
who made his way with the other pris-
oners on foot In the rain to the Federal
base at Belle Plain. on the Potomac.
Discipline and Rewards.
The day following the battle at the
Bloody Angle was one Of reckoning In
the Army of the Potomac. Gen. Grant
felt that he had lost Q golden oppor-
tunity to shatter Lee, and had lost II
through inability to handle his troops
as he wished, because Of the remissness
Of Gen. G. X. Warren, who occupied the
right of the line with the Fifth Corps.
Warren had not assaulted when ordered.
Grant felt that had he done 50. even
IL beaten off he would have held enough
Of Lees troops in his front to relieve the
pressure on Hancock at the Angle, and
enable him to cut Lees army In two.
Grant had held high opinion Of Gen.
Warren, who was a brilliant and con-
scientious officer, and had thought Of
him as commander Of the Army Of the
Potomac in the event of accident to Gen.
Meade. A weeks fighting had convinced
him that certain defects in Gen War
ren's character which were beyond his
control. rendered him unfit for such
operations as had been entrusted to him.
One was a tendency on receiving an
orders always to think Of what the rest
of the army was doing. Another was a
weakness for assaulting with one division
at time when ordered to assault with
his whole corps.
Grants discipline Of Warren was Sc
we're. On May 12 he had ordered Gen.
Meade 10 relieve Gen. Warren from
comma nd unless he assaulted at a GER
tain hour. Gen. Warren had assaulted
and mad failed.
On May Is Gen. Grant virtually or
dered Warren's Corps broken up. One
division was sent to the Sixth Corps.
one to the Second and one was lef to
Gen. Warren. who, however, was
further disciplined by the assignment
off Gen. A. A. Humphreys. Gen. Meade's
chief Of staff, to be always with him,
and give him orders in Gen. Meade's
name. .,
fortunately, perhaps, for all con-
cerned. this arrangement did not last
long.)
Another disciplinary change in the
army. was the reduction. OF Gen. Ger |
shom Motifs division OF the Sixth |
Corps to a brigade. In the assaults OF |
May 10 Gen. Motifs division had not |
reached the enemy's work. This was
the penalty.
On the same day Gen. Grant bestow-
ed rewards, sending the names Of q
list of officers to Washington for pro-
motion. Gen. Meade, who, he wrote. |
Has more than met my expectations"
he named for a major generals COM
mission il the regular army, and Gen. |
Hancock for a brigadier's.
Masters Game at Chess.
In the afternoon Of May IS Gen.
Grant issued orders for new combina-
tions against Lee. 1t had been charged
against Grant that he said he never
The maneuvers he exc
cuted at Spottsylvania were many and
brilliant. They were matched by the
Ol ltt, thc
developed into one that is studied to-
day by military students and teachers, /,
as comparable to the campaigns of the
best generals of Europe.
Grant and Lee were playing a great
game, like a masters game of chess;
with army corps for their chief pieces
and regiments for their pawns. They
studied each others game increasingly.
and each tried to outplay the other to
obtain position.
This was not better illustrated than
on May 13, for Grant then appeared to
turn his back upon the Bloody Angle"
and Lees front, and issued orders for
a large part of his army to move rap
idly and secretly by night toward the
left.
This was the beginning Of a turning
movement by which Grant was to
force Lee to uncover the roads to
and eventually fall back
from Spottsylvania, to other positions
nearer the Confederate capital.
Tomorrow, sherman at Resaca.
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