The following letter from Maj. MCPHERSON to Col. HOSMER, contains interesting information in respect to the wounded in the Wilderness, the last moments of Gen. WADSWORTH, &c.:
ANNANDALE. Va., Saturday, June 25, 1864.
We are about starting to "Wilderness" with a force of contrabands to bury the many dead who have been lying as they fell in those furious battles of May 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. We came from there about one week ago, where our brigade had been sent to bring in some wounded said to be in the rebel hospitals in the Wilderness. It seems that the enemy were using all diligence to get them away from there, and had moved 100 but a few days before we got there. How unfortunate that our authorities did not move sooner. The balance (100) would have been taken away in a very few days. The poor fellows that were rescued were the "worst wounded cases'" and their joy and surprise when our cavalry dashed up to their hospital tents was extreme. They assured us that they had received as kind treatment from the rebel attendants as had their own wounded, many of whom were still there in the hospitals. They only complained of an insufficiency of food -- but were anxious to get away toward our lines, even if they died in the ambulances, (some of whom did.)
The "Wilderness" is of great extant, I think. I went up the "old plank road" from Chancellorsville to Orange Court-house, and after leaving Chancellorsville about two miles, you can enter the Wilderness, and at a distance of four miles we began to see evidences of the battle, in the number of newly made graves, and wounds from shot on the trees. A little further on, and we began to find the stench intolerable from dead bodies of both sides, that could be counted by scores along the road-side. Here the battle was evidently fearful, and from the effects of the musketry on the undergrowth and trees, attested the tenacity with which both parties fought for this point. One of my Lieutenants, returning from a short ride into the woods here, assured me that he found a large chestnut tree on one side of which was lying nine of our men, and seven of the enemy on the opposite side, and no place could be found twelve feet from the ground, but had been hit by bullets. Rifle-pits were constructed at right angles from the road on either side, and perhaps from one-fourth to one-half a mile apart, and the enemy when dislodged from one found a defence in the next. These pits were of fallen trees, trimmed and piled upon each other, against which earth was thrown up, and must have been a great defence to the enemy. In fact "extempore" defences were thrown up all through the woods, capable of covering one man, and from these I am led to, believe that every man looked out for a cover and fought on his own hook. There is no evidence to show that artillery was employed much. Occasionally a tree cut off by some shell, and an artillery horse lying on the road near the edge of the woods, where he was admonished by the sharpshooters to "stop," showed that artillery was advanced on the road as near as practicable to avoid flanking, but was soon withdrawn, as from the very level nature of the ground it could not be used by signal or otherwise, without damaging one party as much as the other. The timber is oak, hickory, &c., with a generous growth of small trees and underbrush in most places very thick: occasionally a narrow strip of pine would intervene, to the entire exclusion of all other timber. You know the difficulty of getting through a pine woods as well as I do.
Off from this main road, and on a cross road known as the Brock road, I saw the spot in which Gen. WADSWORTH lost his life. I was informed by Surgeon DONNELL, Second Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, who deserves honorable mention, and some lasting testimonial from his countrymen for his devotion to the wounded of both sides, and whom we released with our wounded at Wilderness Tavern, that a rebel captain from Georgia found Gen. WADSWORTH, and left him on the field with a piece of paper in his hand stating his rank and name. He was next heard from in the Reserve Hospital, (rebel,) which is about two miles up the road toward Orange Court-house, where he died. This hospital is a cluster of tents, and I cannot conceive of a more dismal place. A man coming in every few minutes with his wagon from the field to the hospital, recognized Gen. WADSWORTH as the former Military Governor of Washington, from whom he had received some kindness while he was in the Old Capitol Prison. This man is a civilian named PAT MCCRACKEN. After the battle, or at night, he went to his home, distant about four miles, and next morning (Sunday) brought him some delicacies, such as he had, for the wounded. The General was still lying unconscious on his stretcher, holding in his hand the paper, and which, if removed, he seemed uneasy at until returned again to him, when he would clutch convulsively at it. He seemed to realize the importance of the paper to himself. During Sunday he drank some milk. Monday morning when MCCRACKEN returned he found him dead. He got a conin made, and buried him (he says) in his own family burying ground. Dr. O'DONNELL says he thinks that he might have been saved had he had proper medical treatment at once. The bullet struck the top of his skull, but passed on, crushing the skull down upon the brain.
A mile above the hospital just named we broke off to the right, and after a six-mile ride, reached the "Wilderness Tavern." Here we found extensive rebel hospitals and a good many of our men. We took some prisoners here. The enemy were reducing the number of their wounded at this point everyday by conveying them to Lynchburgh, and soon will break it up, no doubt. This point is on the Fredericksburgh and Orange Court-house turnpike, which road we took toward United States Ford. After seeing as many dead on this road as on the former, which shows you at least that the extent of the battle-field is great, I reached United States Ford, and crossed my squadron over at 1 o'clock A.M., (morning,) taking a good position, and awaited the crossing of the ambulance train of fifty-two wagons by night. I remain, your friend,
J.A.M. MCPHERSON.
ANNANDALE. Va., Saturday, June 25, 1864.
We are about starting to "Wilderness" with a force of contrabands to bury the many dead who have been lying as they fell in those furious battles of May 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. We came from there about one week ago, where our brigade had been sent to bring in some wounded said to be in the rebel hospitals in the Wilderness. It seems that the enemy were using all diligence to get them away from there, and had moved 100 but a few days before we got there. How unfortunate that our authorities did not move sooner. The balance (100) would have been taken away in a very few days. The poor fellows that were rescued were the "worst wounded cases'" and their joy and surprise when our cavalry dashed up to their hospital tents was extreme. They assured us that they had received as kind treatment from the rebel attendants as had their own wounded, many of whom were still there in the hospitals. They only complained of an insufficiency of food -- but were anxious to get away toward our lines, even if they died in the ambulances, (some of whom did.)
The "Wilderness" is of great extant, I think. I went up the "old plank road" from Chancellorsville to Orange Court-house, and after leaving Chancellorsville about two miles, you can enter the Wilderness, and at a distance of four miles we began to see evidences of the battle, in the number of newly made graves, and wounds from shot on the trees. A little further on, and we began to find the stench intolerable from dead bodies of both sides, that could be counted by scores along the road-side. Here the battle was evidently fearful, and from the effects of the musketry on the undergrowth and trees, attested the tenacity with which both parties fought for this point. One of my Lieutenants, returning from a short ride into the woods here, assured me that he found a large chestnut tree on one side of which was lying nine of our men, and seven of the enemy on the opposite side, and no place could be found twelve feet from the ground, but had been hit by bullets. Rifle-pits were constructed at right angles from the road on either side, and perhaps from one-fourth to one-half a mile apart, and the enemy when dislodged from one found a defence in the next. These pits were of fallen trees, trimmed and piled upon each other, against which earth was thrown up, and must have been a great defence to the enemy. In fact "extempore" defences were thrown up all through the woods, capable of covering one man, and from these I am led to, believe that every man looked out for a cover and fought on his own hook. There is no evidence to show that artillery was employed much. Occasionally a tree cut off by some shell, and an artillery horse lying on the road near the edge of the woods, where he was admonished by the sharpshooters to "stop," showed that artillery was advanced on the road as near as practicable to avoid flanking, but was soon withdrawn, as from the very level nature of the ground it could not be used by signal or otherwise, without damaging one party as much as the other. The timber is oak, hickory, &c., with a generous growth of small trees and underbrush in most places very thick: occasionally a narrow strip of pine would intervene, to the entire exclusion of all other timber. You know the difficulty of getting through a pine woods as well as I do.
Off from this main road, and on a cross road known as the Brock road, I saw the spot in which Gen. WADSWORTH lost his life. I was informed by Surgeon DONNELL, Second Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, who deserves honorable mention, and some lasting testimonial from his countrymen for his devotion to the wounded of both sides, and whom we released with our wounded at Wilderness Tavern, that a rebel captain from Georgia found Gen. WADSWORTH, and left him on the field with a piece of paper in his hand stating his rank and name. He was next heard from in the Reserve Hospital, (rebel,) which is about two miles up the road toward Orange Court-house, where he died. This hospital is a cluster of tents, and I cannot conceive of a more dismal place. A man coming in every few minutes with his wagon from the field to the hospital, recognized Gen. WADSWORTH as the former Military Governor of Washington, from whom he had received some kindness while he was in the Old Capitol Prison. This man is a civilian named PAT MCCRACKEN. After the battle, or at night, he went to his home, distant about four miles, and next morning (Sunday) brought him some delicacies, such as he had, for the wounded. The General was still lying unconscious on his stretcher, holding in his hand the paper, and which, if removed, he seemed uneasy at until returned again to him, when he would clutch convulsively at it. He seemed to realize the importance of the paper to himself. During Sunday he drank some milk. Monday morning when MCCRACKEN returned he found him dead. He got a conin made, and buried him (he says) in his own family burying ground. Dr. O'DONNELL says he thinks that he might have been saved had he had proper medical treatment at once. The bullet struck the top of his skull, but passed on, crushing the skull down upon the brain.
A mile above the hospital just named we broke off to the right, and after a six-mile ride, reached the "Wilderness Tavern." Here we found extensive rebel hospitals and a good many of our men. We took some prisoners here. The enemy were reducing the number of their wounded at this point everyday by conveying them to Lynchburgh, and soon will break it up, no doubt. This point is on the Fredericksburgh and Orange Court-house turnpike, which road we took toward United States Ford. After seeing as many dead on this road as on the former, which shows you at least that the extent of the battle-field is great, I reached United States Ford, and crossed my squadron over at 1 o'clock A.M., (morning,) taking a good position, and awaited the crossing of the ambulance train of fifty-two wagons by night. I remain, your friend,
J.A.M. MCPHERSON.