STRUGGLING FOR THE WORKS AT THE “BLOODY ANGLE.”
The rain was still falling in torrents, and held the country about in obscurity. The command was soon given to my regiment, the 95th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Captain Macfarlan commanding,— it being the advance of Upton’s brigade,— to “rise up,” whereupon with hurrahs we went forward, cheered on by Colonel Upton, who had led us safe through the Wilderness. It was not long before we reached an angle of worts constructed with great still. Immediately in our front an abatis ha d been arranged consisting of limbs and branches interwoven into one another, forming footlocks of the most dangerous character. But there the works were, and over some of us went, many never to return. At this moment Lee’s strong line of battle, hastily selected for the work of retrieving ill-fortune, appeared through the rain, mist, and smoke. We received their bolts, losing nearly one hundred of our gallant 95th. Colonel Upton saw at once that this point must be held at all hazards; for if Lee should recover the Angle, he would be enabled to sweep back our lines right and left, and the fruits of the morning’s victory would be lost. The order was at once given us to lie down and commence firing; the left of our regiment rested against the works, while the right, slightly refused, rested upon an elevation in front. And now began a desperate and pertinacious struggle.
Under cover of the smoke-laden rain the enemy was pushing large bodies of troops forward, determined at all hazards to regain the lost ground. Could we hold on until the remainder of our brigade should come to our assistance ? Regardless of the heavy volleys of the enemy that were thinning our ranks, we stuck to the position and returned the fire until the 5th Maine and the 121st New York of our brigade came to our support, while the 96th Pennsylvania went in on our right; thus reinforced, we redoubled our exertions. The smoke, which
degrees, the right parallel, about the length of a small brigade, being occupied by General George H. Steuart’s regiments. This point was a part or continuation of the line of works charged and carried by General Upton on May 10th, and was considered to be the key to Lee’s position.
Just as the day was breaking, Barlow’s and Bir-ney’s divisions of Hancock’s corps pressed forward upon the unsuspecting foe, and leaping the breastworks, after a hand-to-hand conflict with the bewildered enemy, in which guns were used as clubs, possessed themselves of the intrenchments. Over three thousand prisoners were taken, including General Johnson and General Steuart. Twenty Confederate cannon became the permanent trophies of the day, twelve of them belonging to Page and eight to Cutshaw.
Upon reaching the second line of Lee's works, held by Wilcox’s division, who by this time had become apprised of the disaster to their comrades, Hancock met with stern resistance, as Lee in the mean time had been hurrying troops to Ewell from Hill on the right and Anderson on the left, and these were sprung upon our victorious lines with sueh an impetus as to drive them hastily back toward the left of the salient.
As soon as the news of Hancock’s good and ill success reached army headquarters, the SixthCorps — Upton’s brigade being in advance — was ordered to move with all possible haste to his support. At a brisk pace we crossed a line of intrenchments a short distance in our front, and, passing through a strip of timber, at once began to realize our nearness to the foe. . . .
I cannot imagine how any of us survived the sharp fire that swept over us at this point — a fire so keen that it split the blades of grass all about us, the MinicSs moaning in a furious concert as they picked out victims by the score.
MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN SEDGWICK, U. S. Y.
Killed at Spotsylvania in the Wilderness Campaign, May 9,1804. (From a photograph.)
held in readiness to assault on his right. The Confederate army was composed of three corps—Long-street (now R. H. Anderson) on their left, Ewell in the center, and A. P. Hill (now under Early) on the right. The point to be assaulted was a salient of fieldworks on the Confederate center, afterward called the “Bloody Angle.” It was held by General Edward Johnson’s division. Here the Confederate line broke off; at an angle of ninety
IN THE RANKS AT THE BLOODY ANGLE,— SPOTSYLVANIA.
BY G. NORTON GALLOWAY,
A SOLDIER OP THE NINETY-FIFTH PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS.
. . . General Grant’s orders to Hancock were to assault at daylight on the 12th in cooperation with Burnside on his left, while Wright and Warren were