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10. “One Vast Golgotha”: Spotsylvania, North Anna, and the Arrival of Finegan
- The University of Alabama Press
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10 “One Vast Golgotha” Spotsylvania, North Anna, and the Arrival of Finegan The fires, ignited during the Wilderness battle, continued to flare throughout the night of May 6–7. Any movement or noise between the lines brought a hail of bullets from the nervous skirmishers crouching in the darkness near the breastworks, but soldiers, both blue and gray, put aside their fear and animosity to search the field for the wounded.The suffering of the helpless enemy touched even rabid Yankee-hater John F. Sale of Mahone’s Virginia Brigade on that night. Sale could not help remembering that “these men had been bought to come to our homes and do all the harm one human being is capable of doing to another, still I could not but pity them in their misery. I assisted them by giving them water, making coffee, and other little attentions.”1 Not all of the searching was of a humanitarian nature. As usual, many stole from the dead and wounded without remorse. Shoes, watches, and money were highly prized plunder, but anything that caught the scavenger’s eye was considered fair game. Even some who believed stealing sinful succumbed to temptation . Most of the Southerners were ravenous. One hungry graycoat recorded: “We got out of rations during this battle and could not get to our wagons, but the Yankees had four or five days rations of hardtack and bacon in their haversacks , and we could get them from the dead. I have been so hungry that I have cut the blood off from crackers and eaten them.” An Alabamian reportedly lugged a wounded Yankee from the burning woods and would not let the unfortunate Federal out of his sight.When questioned about the Confederate’s devotion to the dying enemy, a friend reported: “He had just brought him out of the woods on his back so as to get his boots as soon as he dies.”2 The battlefield was by all accounts a most unpleasant place.The odor proved Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Finegan / 113 almost unbearable. One of Wright’s Georgians described it as “the most intolerable stench from the thousands of unburied dead which ever assailed the nostrils of mortal man.” The cries of the wounded were deeply disturbing. A Federal surgeon reported that the unfortunates prayed for death, called for Mother, and generally “made the night hideous with their groans.”3 Dawn brought little relief. Both sides were exhausted. Gen. Lee’s veterans, basing their opinion on past experience with Fighting Joe Hooker, John Pope, Ambrose Burnside, and George B. McClellan, felt confident the Federals would fall back across the Rapidan by the next morning. Many bluecoats, for the same reasons, shared the Rebels’ assessment.4 For some of the Florida troops and others in R. H. Anderson’s division, the new day brought an additional hardship. They were part of the unfortunate contingent detailed to bury the “putrid”dead.The rapid decomposition and evidence of horrible burns made this thankless task even more disgusting. One of Billy Mahone’s Virginians recalled: “The graves were not over & above deep. The main thing was to bury them.”5 To his credit, U. S. Grant refused to let his newfound respect for the Army of Northern Virginia and his fervent desire to be clear of the eerie, shattered Wilderness goad him into an unwise action.The Union commander never considered retreat as an option. By 6:30 a.m. Grant had reached a momentous decision . “Make all preparations during the day,” he directed George Meade, “for a night march to take position at Spotsylvania Court House with one corps.” This move would accomplish two important objectives. It would ensure that Lee could not retire south and destroy the smaller army of Maj. Gen. Benjamin “Beast” Butler, who was advancing on the Confederate capital along the James River. More significantly, this change of base—if successful—would place the Army of the Potomac between Lee and Richmond. All Grant’s troops had to do was beat the Southern army to Spotsylvania.6 When the dawn attacks the Rebels expected failed to materialize, Lee ordered a series of probes along the line to determine Grant’s intentions. Results of the forays began arriving at Lee’s headquarters almost immediately. Southern skirmishers generally found the Union defenses abandoned and littered with discarded supplies. The Confederate chieftain sent his cavalry to find the enemy, and turned his attention to equally pressing matters.7 The wounding of James...