THE OPERATIONS IN VIRGINIA—APPENDIX. 
255 
Secession, as in all civil wars, the population was everywhere divided 
into parties. The raiding cavalry found friends everywhere, even 
among their enemies. The means of obtaining news, the care of the 
wounded, and the subsistence of the troops took quite another character 
when it vras possible to count upon the willing assistance of at least a part 
of the inhabitants. Moreover, there were large forests in which the 
cavalry could conceal themselves and march quite unseen. On the 
other hand, the vast.extent of uncultivated tracts of land and the virgin 
forests made it necessary to ride over enormous distances before reaching 
the enemy. The whole character of the conduct of the war was 
different, and that which was good in America might perhaps be only 
a source of failure in our country .”—Prince Kraft zu Hohenlohe's 
“ Cavalry ,” Walford's Edition , pp. 20 and 113. 
General Sherman’s Studies. —When a young officer in Georgia 
he wrote, “ Every day I feel more and more in need of a good atlas ; as 
the knowledge of G-eography in its minutest details is essential to a true 
military education, the idle time necessarily spent here might be 
properly devoted to it. I wish, therefore, you would procure for me 
the best geography and atlas procurable.” He also studied, in 1844, 
“ Kent’s Commentaries,” “ Blackstone’s Commentaries,” “ Starkie in 
Evidence,” and similar books, writing, “ I have no idea of making the 
law a profession, but as an officer in the army it is my duty and interest 
to be prepared for any situation that fortune or luck may offer. It is 
for this that I prepare .”—Bowman and Irwin's Life of Sherman , 
pp. 17 and 18. 
The Field of Battle of the Wilderness.— General Hancock says 
of the field of battle of the Wilderness : “ It was covered by a dense 
forest, almost impenetrable by troops in line of battle, where 
manoeuvring was an operation of extreme difficulty and uncertainty. 
The undergrowth was so heavy that it was scarcely possible to see 
more than one hundred paces in any direction. The movements of the 
enemy could not be observed until the lines were almost in collision. 
Only the roar of the musketry disclosed the position of the combatants 
to those who were at any distance, and my knowledge of what was 
transpiring on the field, except in my immediate presence, was limited, 
and was necessarily derived from reports of subordinate commanders.” 
Humphrey's, p. 44. 
Spotsylvania—A Desperate Fight.— Brigadier-General Grant of 
the 6th Corps (Federal) says of it : “ It was not only a desperate struggle 
but it was a hand-to-hand fight. Nothing but the piled up logs or 
breastworks separated the combatants. Our men would reach over the 
logs and fire into the faces of the enemy, would stab over with their 
bayonets ; many were shot and stabbed through the crevices and holes 
between logs ; men mounted the works, and with muskets rapidly 
handed them, kept up a continuous fire until they were shot down, 
when others would take their place and continue the deadly work. . . 
Several times during the day the rebels would show a white flag about 
