Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson, and Twenty Great BattlesMcElroy, John
History
Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson, and Twenty Great Battles
McElroy, John
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction
“A profound silence prevailed during the night, interrupted only by
the groans and the shrieks of the wounded and dying, after a constant
strife, which had lasted for ten hours. No more sanguinary struggle for
the length of time was ever witnessed. During this day there was not a
single regiment of our troops that had not been more or less engaged.
The enemy's cavalry had crossed the run below our army and captured
and destroyed a great quantity of our provisions, ammunition, etc. That
night no rations were distributed. The poor boys gathered around the
campfires and anxiously inquired about missing comrades, and what of the
day to-morrow. Many of the soldiers thought our army surrounded. Three
of our Generals had fallen during the day, and many thousand poor
soldiers were killed, wounded and captured.
“That night Gens. Anderson and Sherlin met for the first time, and in
talking over the morrow both agreed that they would die on that ground
or win the battle, and they infused this same determination into all
they met.
“Biggs thought that Rosenfelt would retreat during the night. He could
not believe that he would undertake to maintain himself in the position
in which he bad been forced. He thought that he had only to wait until
morning to gather the fruits of a great victory. He was mistaken. The
next morning he found the Union forces in a compact line skirting the
timber, with hastily thrown-up earthworks. If Rosenfelt had made his
movement, on the information given by Mrs. Houghton, earlier in the day,
instead of the afternoon, he would, perhaps, have met with no disaster.
But the next day, when he found that Biggs did not attack, he determined
to do so. He made the same movement that he began the day before, and
was driven back in his first attempt to take the hill. He then began a
general assault, and retook all the positions lost the day before. The
loss of the enemy was very heavy, and the victory of the second day
was complete. Gen. Anderson moved out with his division by the side of
Sherlin, and the two seemed to vie with each other as to which could
face the greatest danger. The rebels lost two Generals, killed that day.
In the two days' fighting the losses on both sides were most serious.
In the evening, after the battle was concluded, as General Anderson was
riding over the field near Hospital Hill, he discovered a rebel officer
leaning against the root of a tree. There were two rebel soldiers with
him. He was very pale, and not able to speak in louder tones than
a whisper. The General dismounted, giving his reins to his orderly.
Approaching the group, the two soldiers arose and said:
“'General, we surrender.'
“The General replied:
“'That is not my purpose. I do not come to make prisoners, but to know
if I can be of any service to this wounded officer.'
“As the General spoke, the wounded officer said, in a whisper:
“'Tom, is that you?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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