THE BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS

         The following is on microfilm #283/34 in the Georgia Department of Archives & History, Morrow, Georgia in July 2005.  It is part of a collection of Civil War histories & memories collected from Georgia Veterans.  Evans Camp was the Civil War Veteran’s Unit in Decatur . Because the collection specifically states that the account was “recorded”, perhaps it can be assumed that this is a transcription of an oral account.

As recorded by David Harrison Mobley, Company G., 35th Georgia Regiment Brig. Gen. Edward Thomas’ Brigade ( Walton Sharpshooters),  Maj. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox’s Division, Third Army Corps under the command of Lieut. Gen. A.P. Hill.

             "We were in camp at Orange Courthouse, Virginia.  We had orders about sun-up on the 5th day of April to get ready to move at once.  Just before we were ordered to fall into line there came a member of my Company to me and proposed to swap his boots for my shoes. It occurred to me at once that if we got into battle that day, or at any time, the boots would be likely to shield me in case of a wound in my leg, and remarked to my Uncle that I would make the swap, and did so.  The boots fit me well, and the leather was stout.  They reached to my knees.

            The march to the Wilderness on the plank road brought us to the line of the battle near sun-down.  The hard fighting for that day had ceased and we lay that night on our arms, ready to charge the Yankees the next morning.  During the night they had gotten in our rear and about sun-up they opened fire on our line and I was wounded in my right leg, between my knee and ankle.  I went down to the ground, dropping my gun.  It occurred to me at once what I had said to Uncle Johnny* on leaving camp - that I might be wounded, and if I did the boots would help weaken the force of the ball.  I was carried off the battle field to the Field Hospital on a litter, with the balls flying thick, but my wound was on my mind and I paid but little attention to what was going on.  It proved to be only a flesh wound, and after thirty or forty days I returned from the Hospital to camp-and then- best of all, after my father failed to get me off home from the hospital on furlow [sic], on returning to camp I was promoted to Regimental Commissary Sergeant and did not carry a gun another day, and was at the Surrender of General Lee at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, bidding him goodbye on the 9th day of April, 1865."

*Uncle Johnny was John Ephraim David Mobley, a paternal uncle of David Harrison Mobley;  Private, Co. G, 35^th GA Volunteer Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia CSA “Walton Sharpshooters”. John E.D. Mobley survived and surrendered at Appomattox . However, 4 of his brothers, D. Iverson, Rutherford, Henry and Willie Mobley all died in service.