Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-08
EIGHT At sPOTsYLVAN|A
DRAMA IN THREE ACTS
Opened With Hancock's Charge and
COunterattack of Confed-
crate Army.
STRUGGLE DAY AND NIGHT
Dead on Both Sides Piled in High
Responsibilities Fire Standing On
Bodies OF Comrades Who Have
Been Killed.

troops OF Generals RanScur and ltodcs
wore rushing Upon General Han
cocks dissolvinE corps from another
point, and Longs artillery and other
batteries were pouring a deadly fire
Into the broken ranks of General Han
cocks mon. General Hancock was re-
pulsed and driven out every foot OF
the lost salient, and carthworkS was
rctakcn cAcer, that small stretch
which tho Confederate line WAS too
short to cover. These glorious troops
had redeemed the pledge which they
had sent ringing through the air,
thrilling the spirit of General Lee, No.
VIC will not fail him" IL had
they redeemed ii. and at ~ fearful cost
hut the living were happy. and ! verify
believe that If tho dead could have
rpoken they. TOO, would ave assured
General Lee OF their compensation in
tho rescue OF his army. Among the
gallant men who gave up their lives
here was the accomplished and knight
ly Major Daniel Hale. Of Maryland. who
served on General Early's STAFF. lie
had passed unscathed through the
heaviest fire. but At tho very climax
of thc victory he fell dead upon the
rccaptured breastworks.
II speculation he desired as 10 what
would have been tho result OF failure
in that fearful assault upon General
Hancock, some other peu must he IN
vokcd for the task. II is enough for
Mo to repeat in this conversation maj
tho two wings Of General Lees army
had becn completely and widely sew
cred, that General Hancock, who WAS
Justly called "thc superb and who
was one OF the boldcst fighters ;md
most accomplished OF soldiers, wa III
that branch aud literally revolving IN
his victory, as evidenced ~ his char
actcr!st;c field dispatch to General
Grant. ~ have used up General john
son and am going into General EarIy.'
EARLY IN COMMAND
OF THIRD CORPS
7 will state here that General Early
commanded the Third Corps, a l..
Hills; that through this fearful breach
General Grant could quickly hurl inc
bulk OF his army upon the right ana
left hanlis of General Lees Wings.
which were now cleft as,inder, and
that General Lee himself thought the
time had come, as such times 90 come
In the experience of all truly great
lcaders, when the crisis demanded that
the commandments should III per-
SON Iead the '~forlore hope"
Long afterward, when the last bitter
trial at AppomattON came, General
Lees oVcrburdened spirit REQUIRED 10
that momcntous hour ut SpotsylTihia,
and he lamcntcd that he had not been
permitted to fall in that furious charge
or in some subsequent battle.
AS above stated, there was n short
stretch Of Confederate works still LETT
In dispute. All that portion TO the
right Of the salient, II salient itself
over which General Hancock hho
Charged and where General Edward
Johnson and his troops wore captured
and a portion OF our works to the let
OF the salient had been retnkcn. There
was not one Yankee soldier lett VIII
arms iii his hands inside OF that grca,
crescent. An had been rcpulScu unc
driven out, but these daring men IN
blue still stood against the outer slope
of the short line OF ntrenrhment which
had not been struck by the Confeder-
ate hurricane. There on that short
stretch OF hrcastworks occurred the
unparalleled lighting OF which | have
made brief mention.
The questions often have been asked
why did the commanders OF the TWO
armies put forth such licrculcan ct-
forts over so short a line. In what
rcspcct was this small space OF earth
works SO essential to either army rs
TO Justify the expenditure OF tons OF
lead and barrels OF blood" ! will en-
deavor TO make clear the answer 10
three very natural Inquiries. That
short reach of works was an integral
mart Of General Lees battle line. The
Confedcratcs held tho inside o. il. the
Yankees tho outside. These high
spirited CoDfcderates and Yankees
wore standing. against the opposite
slopes of the Same works. and so close
together that they could almost thrust
their bayOnets into one unothcrs
breasts.
COULD SURRENDER
SUCH AN IMPORTANT POINT
TT General Lee could drive General
Grants men from the outer slope his
entire line would be completely re-
csts hlished. X General Grant could
drive the Confedcratcs from the inner
slope he would hold "a breach In thcii
lines; narrow, il is true. but still Il
breach. through which he nigh, again
force his way, driving General Lees
army = second time. Therefore,, thu
complete posscSsion by the Yankees oi
that disputed section meant to Genera
Grant a coveted opportunity. To Gen
cral Lee il meant a serious menace
Neither could afford to surrender sc
important a point without 81 desperate
and the followers Of both
seemed instinctively to comprehend tho
situation and to be prepared for AN!
cyac;inG 81 blood or life which II might
make upon them.
of that struggle AT ~SpotSylvauia
write as an eyewitness, and not from
bcarsay. 1t WAS a drama OF three ErcH'
act. The first act was General Han
cocks charge. Tho eccond was ,h'
Confederate countcrchargc. The thiT1
and last. was the ~night-and-day wrcs,
tic of giants on the same brcastworks
The whole Of that long and cory dram,
upon which the curtain rose in tn
morning mists Of The twelfth and die
not fan for more than twenty hour.
is as vivid and real 10 me now as i
was tho day after IL was. enacted
Each act OF il differed from Tn. pre-
ccding act in no respect. except il
shifting the scene from orc blood,
place TO another Sill more bloody, from
IFS beginning With General Hancock.