December 8, 1864
There came down an
elephant of a young Englishman, who, if there be brains in his skull, they are so
well concealed that nobody has found them hereabout. To entertain him is like
rolling a barrel of potatoes up a steep hill. Nevertheless, he is a Lieutenant
of Engineers. I should think he might construct an earthwork in, say, a
century. I fancy he has played out all his intellect in trying to spell and
pronounce his own name which is the euphonious one of S-tt-rthw—t; you will
find it gives you a cramp in your tongue to pronounce it. Query — would it not
be for the best interests of the human race to drown all Englishmen? Gibbon's
division of the 2d Corps got in a towering passion, because, having erected log
huts just a little way outside the line of parapet, they were ordered to pull
them all down and come inside, for of course these huts would give cover to an
attacking enemy. This was what I call a stupid thing all round. Stupid in the
infantry commanders to allow it; stupid in the inspectors not to see it; stupid
in the artillerists and engineers not to stop it — in fact, stupid all round.
Gibbon came over and pitched into Duane, who received the attack with
stolidity; so Gibbon thought he would get good-natured. At evening I had the
greatest sight at a lot of stragglers that ever I did. It is always customary,
when possible, to sweep the path of a column and gather up all stragglers, but
I never before had a chance to see the leavings of a large force, marching by a
single road. When Warren got to the Nottaway, he took up his pontoons behind
him, so that the laggards, who were toddling leisurely behind, as well as those
who really had no intention of catching up till their rations were out, were
all caught on the north side. General Warren sent back about 100 cavalry to
sweep the whole road and bring the men back to the lines: and after dark, they
arrived, looking, in the dusk, like a large brigade. Schuyler, the
Provost-Marshal, put them in ranks, had them sorted and counted, and there
proved to be 856! Their way was not made soft to them. They were marched three
miles more, making twenty in all, and were then put out on picket in a right
frosty night. This seems a large number, and it is more than it ought to be, a
great deal; but, in reality it only made four and a half men out of every 100
in Warren's force. That they were able to go on is proved by the fact that they
were able to come back, though some did limp merrily, and others were so
stiff that, when once down, they could scarcely get up. A force of a few
hundred cavalry was sent in the afternoon down the Vaughan road to reconnoitre,
and see if they could see that any troops were moving against our rear, or
against Warren. They got at dusk to Hatcher's Run, where the opposite bank was
held by the enemy in a breastwork; and, after losing half a dozen men, our
cavalry came back.
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 291-2
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