But Lee adhered to his plan. He determined to lead his column in
person, and would have done so, but for the remonstrances of his men.
"To the rear!" shouted the troops, as he rode in front of them; "to the
rear!"
And he was obliged to obey.
He was not needed.
The gray lines surged forward: the thicket was full of smoke and quick
flashes of flame: then the woods took fire, and the scene of carnage
had a new and ghastly feature added to it. Dense clouds of smoke rose,
blinding and choking the combatants: the flames crackled, soared aloft,
and were blown in the men's faces; and still, in the midst of this
frightful array of horrors, the carnival of destruction went on without
ceasing.
At nightfall, General Lee had driven the enemy from their front line of
works--but nothing was gained.
What _could_ be gained in that wretched country, where there was
nothing but thicket, thicket!
General Grant saw his danger, and, no doubt, divined the object of his
adversary,--to arrest and cripple him in this tangle-wood, where
numbers did not count, and artillery could not be used.
There was but one thing to do--to get out of the jungle.
So, on the day after this weird encounter, in which he had lost nearly
20,000 men, and Lee about 8,000, Grant moved toward Spottsylvania.
Pages:
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266