The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON MONDAY EIVENING DECEMBER 29, 1862.

much for us. All along the line the battle raged
with unusual fierceness, and when night came it
was hard to say who were the victors. Of the
killed and wounded there were probably as many
on the side of the rebels as on ours. No correct
estimate can be formed of the loss in Hooker's corps,
but it was pretty heavy. The firing of musketry
ceased about half-past 5 o'clock, but the rebels con-
tinued to cannonade the city until long after dark.
They evidently intended to shell us out of our posi-
tion in Fredericksburg, but thus far they have been
unsuccessful.

DECEMBER 14.

The battle of yesterday was one of the most se-
verely and desperately contested of the whole war.
It raged fiercely throughout the entire day, and
even after darkw3ss had shrouded the field, it was
kept up with a determination on both sides as
though it was likely to last until one army or the
other had become so exhausted as to be unable to
maintain the fight any longer.

the day. A portion of this division crossed on Thurs-
day evening, and the remainder crossed on Friday.
About half-past nine o'clock the order was given to
advance, and Doubleday pushed forward cautiously.
The skirmishers met on a cornfield, and the rebels
immediately opened with artillery in the field. The
enemy were making an effort to turn our left flank,
when our artillery on the left of Franklin's position
was speedily wheeled into position, and opened
upon the enemy. The cannonading was for a time
very severe on both sides, while the sharpshooters
were at work in a very lively manner in front. Our
artillery on the other side of the river also opened
upon them, and they were soon convinced of the
uselessness of their efforts.

fected a passage, as the despatches stated that they
had got under cover of their guns, and could not
be interrupted in their construction of a bridge. At
last accounts, dated about noon, the fight was pro-
gressing on the southern side of the Rappahannock.
The gerieral conclusions from what we learn up to
the hour of writing are that the enemy had effected
a passage of the Rappahannock, probably in con-
siderable force; that the action of yesterday was
without any important fruits, or prefatory to a more
important action now impending; and that to-day
will witness a large and important, but perhaps in-
decisive, battle on the disputed lines of Fredericks-
burg. As confirmatory of this prospect, an order
was received last night at the Medical Purveyor's
office for all the ambulances and stretchers that
could possibly be sent from this city. These are the
gloomy indications of the work to-day.

" LATER ACCOUNTS.

" Through passengers who arrived here last night
from Fredericksburg we learn that, simultaneously
with his attempt to throw his pontoon bridges across
the Rappahannock the enemy bombarded the town.
The few inhabitants still remaining there began to
leave immediately and made their way towards
Hamilton station on the railroad. A number of
houses in the town were struck, and two of them,
Mr. John C. King's, near the depot, and a Mr.
Scott's, were burnt. One of the church steeples was
also struck, and some say knocked down. The num-
ber of casualties to citizens are variously stated.
Some accounts say that only one man, J. Grotz, was
killed, and another wounded. But persons who were
among the last to leave the town report that there
were six citizens killed, among whom were Mr. Y.
Grotz and his brother George, and a woman and
her infant. Heavy cannonading, and the occasional
fire of skirmishers was heard at the depot from 5
o'clock a.m. until 11, when perfect silence ensued
all along the lines, and continued unbroken until
1 o'clock p.m., the hour of the departure of the train
for Richmond. Persons who came down on this
train knew nothing of the movements going on ex-
cept such as they obtained from the flying inhabi-
tants of Fredericksburg, who knew nothing more
than that their town was being shelled over their
heads, and that their safety depended on a hasty
evacuation. The account, however, brought by them
does not differ in the main from that obtained from
more reliable sources. They say that at 5 o'clock
a.m. the enemy attempted to throw across pontoon
bridges at three points—the old railroad bridge
about the centre of the town, and above and below
Deep Run, a stream three miles lower down the
Rappahannock ; that at the first of these two points
the bridge-builders were driven from their work by
our sharpshooters, but that at the point below the
creek mentioned, the ground being low and open
for a considerable space on this side, his artillery,
posted on the opposite heights, had dispersed our
sharpshooters, and enabled his men to perfect the
bridge, At last accounts our artillery had been
brought into a position covering and completely com-
manding the open space upon which the enemy's
troops would deploy in crossing."

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE.

The following address from Mr. Ball, M.P. for
the county of Cambridge, has been published in the
local papers :

" To the electors of the county of Cambridge and
Isle of Ely.—Gentlemen,—Some ten years since
you did me the honour to invite me to become a
candidate to represent you in Parliament. Ui ged
by the entreaty of some friends, and encouraged by
the promises of others, I presumed to solicit the
suffrages of the constituency of the county and isle.
At the election in 1852, you more than realised my
expectation, and triumphantly sent me to the
House of Commons. Circumstances impose on me
the necessity of resigning that situation. I have
now entered my threescore years and ten, and
although, by the blessing of God, I have an ordi-
nary share of health, I nevertheless have not the
♦igour of body and freedom from pain which is
essential to the efficient discharge of the duties
of a county member. Permit me, therefore,
most respectfully and gratefully to resign to
your hands the high honour you conferred on me.
I assumed the position of one of your represen-
tatives with a profound sense of my unworthi-
ness, and I now relinquish that honour with
a deep recognition of your kindness and forbearance
throughout the whole period of my parliamentary
career.—l remain, &c., 4' EDWARD BALL.
" Burwell, Dec. 23, 1862."

The Cambridge Independent referring to this
document says:—" Though Mr. Ball says nothing
about the time of his resignation, we conclude from
the general tone of his address that he intends,
like Mr. Steuart, member for the town, to take the
steps necessary for such a proceeding immediately
on the opening of the session, and without taking
the chance of a dissolution of Parliament. What
steps will be taken to fill up the expected vacancy
we are not at present in a position to say. Until
to-day Mr. Bal.'s intention to resign has not been
made public, so there has been no time to concert
arrangements. We take it for granted, however,
that Lord George Manners will be in the field ; pro-
bably his lordship might have been made acquainted
with the intende resignation of Mr. Ball, and
hence the paragraph inserted last week by way of
feeler in the London newspapers. In addition to
Lord George Manners, we have heard the follow-
ing gentlemen named as not unlikely, one or other
of them, to be candidates ;—Mr. C. Toss nley,
Major Fryer, and Mr. Young, the Mayor of Wis-
bech."