Miles's division of
the 2d Corps was sent to aid the cavalry in forcing Hatcher's Run. They marched
out early and found several regiments holding the crossing; a severe skirmish
followed; our poor men went into the icy water up to their armpits and drove off
the Rebels, though not without some loss to us. I know the cavalry Lieutenant,
whom I saw bringing in all those stragglers last night, was killed there. Then
Miles built a bridge and sent over the cavalry, which went as far as within
sight of the Boydton plank, where they found the enemy in their works. They
captured a Rebel mail-carrier and from him learned that A. P. Hill was
yesterday at Dinwiddie. General Meade had to read all the letters, of course,
and said there was one poor lover who promised to marry his sweetheart when the
war was over, but “how could he support her now, on $12 a month?” We
sent out another body of infantry and our own “red-legs” and the engineers, to
support Miles, who we thought would be attacked. They all spent the night midst
a wretched snow, sleet and rain, and raw wind.
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 292-3
No comments:
Post a Comment