The Wilderness to Cold Harbor

The first week in May 1964 floated in on us stirring news of prolonged desperate fighting "up in the Wilderness" 18 or 20 miles off. That we only heard of, as little or no artillery was used, just a jungle fight with small arms at close range and bloody enough, and a rumor of Gen. Lee being hard pressed and showing uneasiness one day, but his lines holding firm as ever -- but no further news from individual friends for some days. Then came ambulances with wounded friends, General Perry among them, painfully wounded in the leg and crippled for life. I was made his special waiter and nurse out in the "office" room in the yard and enjoyed the service, all but his intense suffering. Dr. Thomas, his brigade surgeon, came to see him while the army remained near us, but when we were uncovered to the risk of raiders again, these wounded officers and men able to be moved were carried to the Richmond hospitals to our mutual regret.

Our brother Alfred's wife and their first boy baby were with us at this time, and in the confusion and anxiety for want of further news from him, after the Wilderness battles Father and my next older brother Lewis took a supply of clean underwear and home "grub" (always welcome to a soldier in those times) and rode down towards Spottsylvania Court House to fall in with his command. When they reached the Block House cross roads (between the Old and New Courthouse) Anderson's Division was hurrying past to relieve Fitz Lee's dismounted cavalry then engaged with Warren's Federal infantry advancing to seize the coveted strategic position at the Court House, one and one-half miles off.

It was some time before Alfred's command was identified and longer before he could be made out in the dusty column trudging along in spite of a hard chill and the surgeon's advice to stay with the ambulances that day. Father said he had about given up all hope of seeing him again alive when he at last came by. There was only time for a hasty greeting and handout of food among his comrades, then another Good Bye (God be with you) and on into the fight, again in the nick of time to hold the line selected by Gen. Lee. Lewis went with Alfred till they got under fire, when he was ordered back to help the surgeons with wounded in a field hospital.

It took twelve days more of manoeuvering and obstinate fighting (culminating in the "Bloody Angle" at McCoul's farm) to satisfy Gen. Grant that he would have to find another battlefield that proved to be still worse. At Cold Harbor near Richmond June 3, 1864 the loss of 13,000 men in less than an hour satisfied him to finish that year and winter in the trenches around Petersburg.