When the enemy cross on their great advance, Ewell is ready to face
east; Hill will close in on his right; and Longstreet in the same
manner on Hill's right. Then the army will be in line, ready to strike
at Grant's flank as he moves through the Wilderness.
For Lee is going to strike at him. The fifty thousand are going to
order the one hundred and forty thousand to halt.
Stuart's cavalry is watching. It extends from Madison Court-House,
along Robertson River, on the left of the army; and on the right, from
Ewell's camps, past Chancellorsville, to Fredericksburg.
Such was the situation on the first of May. The two tigers were
watching each other--and one was about to spring.
XVII.
FORT DELAWARE.
To descend now from the heights of generalization to the plains of
incident and personal observation.
For this volume is not a history of the war in Virginia, but the
memoirs of a staff officer belonging to Stuart's cavalry.
May, 1864, had come; we were soon to be in the saddle; the thundering
hammer of General Grant was about to commence its performances.
One night--it was the night of the first of May--I was sitting in
General Stuart's tent, looking into his blazing log fire, and musing.
In this luxury I was not interrupted. It was nearly midnight, and the
rest of the staff had retired.
Pages:
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201