CHAPTER LI.

AFTER THE BATTLE—­TELEGRAPH AND SIGNAL SERVICE—­MOVEMENT BY THE LEFT FLANK.

More desperate fighting has not been witnessed on this continent than that of the 5th and 6th of May.  Our victory consisted in having successfully crossed a formidable stream, almost in the face of an enemy, and in getting the army together as a unit.  We gained an advantage on the morning of the 6th, which, if it had been followed up, must have proven very decisive.  In the evening the enemy gained an advantage; but was speedily repulsed.  As we stood at the close, the two armies were relatively in about the same condition to meet each other as when the river divided them.  But the fact of having safely crossed was a victory.

Our losses in the Wilderness were very severe.  Those of the Confederates must have been even more so; but I have no means of speaking with accuracy upon this point.  The Germania Ford bridge was transferred to Ely’s Ford to facilitate the transportation of the wounded to Washington.

It may be as well here as elsewhere to state two things connected with all movements of the Army of the Potomac:  first, in every change of position or halt for the night, whether confronting the enemy or not, the moment arms were stacked the men intrenched themselves.  For this purpose they would build up piles of logs or rails if they could be found in their front, and dig a ditch, throwing the dirt forward on the timber.  Thus the digging they did counted in making a depression to stand in, and increased the elevation in front of them.  It was wonderful how quickly they could in this way construct defences of considerable strength.  When a halt was made with the view of assaulting the enemy, or in his presence, these would be strengthened or their positions changed under the direction of engineer officers.  The second was, the use made of the telegraph and signal corps.  Nothing could be more complete than the organization and discipline of this body of brave and intelligent men.  Insulated wires—­insulated so that they would transmit messages in a storm, on the ground or under water—­were wound upon reels, making about two hundred pounds weight of wire to each reel.  Two men and one mule were detailed to each reel.  The pack-saddle on which this was carried was provided with a rack like a sawbuck placed crosswise of the saddle, and raised above it so that the reel, with its wire, would revolve freely.  There was a wagon, supplied with a telegraph operator, battery and telegraph instruments for each division, each corps, each army, and one for my headquarters.  There were wagons also loaded with light poles, about the size and length of a wall tent pole, supplied with an iron spike in one end, used to hold the wires up when laid, so that wagons and artillery would not run over them.  The mules thus loaded were assigned to brigades, and always kept with the command they were assigned to.  The operators were also assigned to particular headquarters, and never changed except by special orders.