"If that
girl up yonder knows Cap's worth, she'll cry her eyes out if
anything happens to him."
A few moments later the birds fled to the closest cover, startled
by the innumerable bugles sounding the note of preparation. Soon
the different corps, divisions, and brigades were upon their
prescribed lines of march. No movement could be made without
revealing the close proximity of the enemy. Rifle-reports from
skirmish lines and reconnoitring parties speedily followed. A
Confederate force was developed on the turnpike leading southwest
from the old Wilderness Tavern; and the fighting began. At about
eight o'clock Grant and Meade came up and made their headquarters
beneath some pine-trees near the tavern. General Grant could
scarcely believe at first that Lee had left his strong
intrenchments to give battle in a region little better than a
jungle; but he soon had ample and awful proof of the fact.
Practically unseen by each other, the two armies grappled like
giants in the dark. So thick were the trees and undergrowth that a
soldier on a battle line could rarely see a thousand men on either
side of him, yet nearly two hundred thousand men matched their
deadly strength that day.
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