Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/89

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tured at Hare's Hill, or Fort Su-adman, March 25, 1865, in front of Petersburg, along with one hundred and eleven officers, and nine- teen hundred men. The Forty-ninth Virginia Regiment was in (ordon's Division, Jackson's old Corps, afterwards Early 's and Gordon's successively.

GRANT'S "ON TO RICHMOND."

General Grant commenced his "on to Richmond" by crossing tin- Rapidan river, May 4, 1864, the terrible battles of the Wilder- ness, or Parker's Store, taking place on the 5th and 6th of May. ( irant being worsted, he commenced his slide around, or flanking policy, only to find General Lee boldly confronting him on the heights at Spotsylvania, on the evening of Sunday, the 8th, after a tortuous march through the Wilderness, which was on fire, and burned up to the road on both sides, and in very warm weather, too. It had been evident that preparations were being made for a tre- mendous conflict, and it came. In the meantime, the famous horse- shoe and other earthworks were created, and a sortie was made by the enemy on the evening of the loth, on a portion of our works, a little to the left of the toe of the horse-shoe, and it was carried, but speedily retaken, with considerable loss on both sides. On that day and the next, the nth, our brigade, or division, was used as a sup- porting division, consequently we occupied a position in the rear. On the morning of the I2th, we were moved up to the front line, a little to the left of the toe of the horse-shoe, the latter being a thicket. Our position, a small open field, connected with another field a little farther to the rear by a narrow strip of land, like an isthmus. We were doubled upon, or supported, the Louisiana Brigade. I said to one of the Louisiana Tigers, "What's the matter here? You've had us waked up before day and brought out of our shelter into the rain." He replied: "We will have the Yankees over here directly to take breakfast with us."

A GALLANT OFFICER.

It was hardly dawn, and pouring down rain, when Hancock landed his 40,000 men against Johnson's Division, in the toe of the horse- shoe, when his 3,600 as brave men as the world ever saw, with its commander, who had won the sobriquet of " Bull" Johnson, were overpowered and captured. We, being immediately on their left, of course, the enemy were to pay their respects to us next. A gallant