DAILY RICHMOND EXAMINER.


VOL. XIV.--NO. 324.

RICHMOND, SATURDAY MORNING, MAY 8, 1864.

PRICE TWO CENTS.

 

Gen. Grant Engages Gen. Lee In Wilderness

Losses Heavy!

Gen. Longstreet Wounded!

 

The opening battle of Grant's sustained offensive, with Federal Gen. Mead’s Army Of The Potomac, against Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, known as Grant’s Overland Campaign, was fought in the heavily wooded area known in Virginia as the Wilderness, on May 5-7 with heavy losses for both sides, including high ranking generals and our own Gen. Longstreet.  On the morning of May 5, the Union 5th Corps attacked Gen. Ewell on the Orange Turnpike, while Gen. A.P. Hill's corps during the afternoon encountered Yankee Gen. Getty's Division of the Federal 6th Corps. Union Gen. Hancock's 2nd Corps was on the Plank Road.  The fighting exploded between the two armies and was fierce, but inconclusive as both sides attempted to maneuver in the dense woods of the Wilderness very near Chancellorsville. Here Stonewall had charged and Federal General Hooker was caught by surprise just a year ago this very May, and was pushed back in full retreat.  In this second Chancellorsville, there would be no great Jackson charge, but complete total confusion as both armies got battle lines mixed up and twisted and turned in circles unaware of who was to their front and rear.  The soldiers of both armies simply loaded their muskets and fired in the directions of sound and flash, firing on their own at times in the confusing blindness that is the Wilderness.

Darkness came and thereby halted the fighting.  Reinforcements began to arrive on both sides, and were hastily rushed to the front.  At dawn on May 6, Federal Gen. Hancock launched an attacked along the Plank Road, driving Gen. Hill's Corps back in confusion. On this morning serious disaster seemed imminent.  Longstreet, though ordered that prior evening by Gen. Lee to commence a night march of his Corps so as to be in position come the dawn, did not arrive in time to reinforce Gen. Lee's line of battle in the position it held at the close of the engagement of the preceding evening. Hancock's well planned and executed attack on our right forced the two Confederate divisions from their position, and it seemed at once that they would sweep the field. Gen. Lee, most remarkably, gave orders to get his wagon trains ready for a movement in retreat, and sent an aide to quicken the march of Gen. Longstreet's two divisions. Longstreet’s boys came soon enough, a little after sunrise, at double quick, in parallel columns, down the Plank road and a sigh of relief was on Gen Lee’s face.  Gen. Longstreet arrived just in time to prevent the collapse of our right flank.  Lee was in the midst of Hill's confused retreating troops sent running from Hancock’s attack, when, he, Gen. Robert E. Lee in the most gallant moment ever before witnessed, stood high in the stirrups of the saddle strapped to Traveler aiding in the rallying of the fleeing men, and restoring confidence and order; Longstreet's men had just come gallantly in to reform the line of battle under Lee’s eye, as Gen. Lee rode to the front of line and resolved to lead the counter attack in person. Lee's presence at the front aroused his men to great enthusiasm. He was a superb figure as he sat on his spirited gray with the light of battle about his face. His presence was an inspiration to all who saw. The retreating columns turned their face front once more and reformed into line of battle, and the fresh divisions went forward under Gen. Lee’s eye with splendid spirit. It was on this occasion that the men of Gen. Gregg’s Texas brigade; always favorites of the general; came up to plug the hole created by Hill’s retreating men.  General Lee, now standing up in the stirrups, his hat removed waving it over his uncovered gray head, shouted, “Texans always move them”.  A yell of cheers and hollers went up from the Texans as never before heard.  Then, the boys from Texas, discovering that Gen. Lee was riding with them to the charge, shouted to him that they would not go on unless he went back.  They began to shout, “Lee to the rear” and when one boy ran over to General Lee to hold Traveler back from moving forward, Lee relented and the Texans began to go forward, some with tears in their eye’s at this glorious moment.  One Texan was heard to say, “I would charge hell itself for that old man”.   Gen. Longstreet had, indeed, arrived just in time to prevent the impending disaster Gen. Lee feared was coming on the right. Gen. Longstreet began looking for a way to take the offensive, when he learned of an unfinished railroad cut that would provide a covered approach for attacking the Federal flank.  He put his friend and adjutant, Lt. Col. G. Moxley Sorrel, a fine and polite man of great character and fondness, in command of four brigades to make this attempt.  Sorrel, never before this day had commanded men in battle, attacked in the late morning and overwhelmed the Federal flank. Federal Gen. Frank's brigade, almost out of ammunition when the attack started, withdrew under heavy pressure; the left of Federal Gen. Mott's division was also forced back.  Union Gen. Wadsworth was killed while trying to rally his troops and resulted in the Yankee line withdrawing to the Brock Road. A rider came up and informed Gen. Longstreet of Sorrel's success.  Gen. Longstreet immediately began ordering a follow up attack calling on his remaining commanders to position their boys for the forward assault.  He ordered forward the brigades of Benning, Law, and Gregg. Then Gen. Mahone's men fired by mistake on their own troops, thinking them Federal in the confusion of this dense brush and tree Wilderness, killing Micah Jenkins and seriously wounding Gen. Longstreet.  This horrible accident occurred most ironically; within five miles of where Stonewall Jackson just a year ago; had been mortally wounded under similar circumstances. Gen. Longstreet from the back of an ambulance, ordered Gen. Field to assume command and press the attack. Gen. Lee, however, arrived and upon seeing his favorite General seriously wounded, ordered this advance delayed until the lines could be straightened out.  By this time, the devastating Confederate flank attack in Hamilton's Thicket faded out when Gen. Longstreet was wounded.  The brigades were those of Wofford, G. T. Anderson, Davis, and Mahone. The fighting died over the area for several hours when Federal Gen. Burnside’s 9th Corps moved against the Confederate center.  Burnside had arrived, attacked near the Tapp House, took some ground, but was driven back by reinforcements from Gen. Heth's division and Gen. Wofford's brigade of Kershaw's division. Before Burnside and Hancock could comply with their orders to attack at early evening, Gen. Lee took the initiative.  Lee’s men advanced to the abatis 100 yards from the Federals' first line of defense and brought it under heavy musket fire. The Federal line held for half an hour; then Ward's brigade and part of Mott's division broke under the relentless fire thrust upon them.  Brush fires had started on portions of the captured Federal breastworks and were burning so profusely that they could not be defended. Although our boys planted their flags over the captured works, they were then driven back by Yankee brigades and a battery of artillery. Burnside attacked again but accomplished no more than keeping Gen. Heth and Wilcox from moving to Gen. Lee's support.  To the north Federal Generals Sedgwick and Warren had attacked repeatedly and failed to penetrate Ewell's lines. Gen. Gordon had found the exposed Federal right flank, but Gen. Ewell had refused him permission to attack it. When Gen. Lee visited this portion of the front he ordered the attack made.  Gordon's brigade, supported by part of Robert Johnston's, attacked Sedgwick's exposed right flank just before dark, while Pegram's brigade attacked frontally the results of which were not so great as hoped for, night came and put a stop to this successful rolling up of Sedgwick's line.

 

The Wilderness fighting closed with the night of the 6th of May.  Lee's grand tactics in these two days of battle had been a superb exhibition of military genius and skill in executing his plan of throwing his little army boldly against his opponent, where his great inferiority in numbers would place him at the least disadvantage. Where maneuvering of large armies were most difficult, and where superiority in cavalry and artillery counted almost for nothing. The losses of these two days were monumental.  The Federals lost an estimated 17,666 out of 101,895 engaged; of these, 2,246 were killed and 12,073 wounded. Generals Wadsworth and Alexander Hays were killed, Getty and Carroll wounded, and Shaler and Seymour captured. Our Confederate effective strength is estimated at 61,025. Although there are no complete casualty reports, Livermore estimates that our loses total 7,750. Generals Jenkins and J. M. Jones were killed, Stafford mortally wounded, Pegram, Hunter, and Benning were wounded.  And General James Longstreet, veteran commander of most every major battle of this army and in Tennessee, seriously wounded, and perhaps, out of this war for good. The battle was a tactical draw. Unlike the past, Grant is not to retreat, as the other Union generals before him, but move forward. The Federals are advancing.  Gen. Lee believes toward the crossroads of Spotsylvania Courthouse where Gen. Lee hopes to engage Grant before Grant can cut Gen. Lee off from Richmond.

 

Tom R. Grandy

Daily Richmond Examiner