The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-27 00:00:00

CTOSSING 01 7HE RAPPAHANNOCK.

(From the Aew York limes of Dec. 13.)
FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA,
THURSDAY NIGHT, DEC. 11.
The advance of the right grand division of the Army of
the Potomac rests here to-night, after a series of operations
which are certainly among the most extraordinary of the
war. To those who retired to rest uninformed of what
night was destined to bring forth the spectacle this morn-
ing must have seemed strange enough to be the improvisa-
tion of the magician's art. 150 pieces of cannon covered
the circular sweep of the heights of Fredericksburg ; 150,000
, men in battle array had sprung from the earth, and lay
ready for the advance behind those heights. But to the ini-
tiated, who spent the night in vigils, and knew what work
crowded its busy hours, it was all intelligible enough. All
night artillery came, and came with its ceaseless heavy
rumble, and as each battery arrived from the rear it was
posted in the place selected for it' by the Chief of Artillery.
All night the perpetual tramp of men moving to the front
filled the air. Pontoon trains unwound their long snake-
like forms, and were drawn, each boat by its team, down
to the river's brink.
It had been determined, in council of war, held on Wed-
nesday, that instead of extending our lines of operations
along the river from Falmouth to Port Conway the entire
army should be crossed at or near Fredericksburg.
Five. pontoon Ltidscaworo Cu bo thrown cterocc the river,
the first at the Lacy-house, which lies directly opposite the
end of the main street of Fredericksburg, half a mile be-
low Falmouth; the second and third within a few hundred
yards from the first. The remai ,ing two were to be thrown
over a mile and a half or two miles further down the stream,
and on these the grand division of Gen. Franklin—the left
--would cross ; while Sumner's and Hooper's grand divi-
sions, right and centre, would use the three upper ones.
It was about 3 o'clock this morning when the boats were
unshipped from the trains of the river s brink. Swiftly
and silently the Engineer Corps proceeded to their work. A
dense fog filled the valleys and water margin, though which
the bridge builders appeared as spectral forms. The re-
cital of the limes' special correspondent with the left will
inform you of the details of the construction of the two
lower—Franklin's—bridges. Work there was performed
with perfect success, the Engineers being allowed to com-
plete the first without any interruption whatever, while the
construction of the other was but slightly interrupted by
the fire cf the rebel sharpshooters.
We were not so fortunate with the upper bridges. The
artificers had but got fairly to work when, at 5 o'clock, the
firing of two guns from one of the enemy's batteries an-
nounced that we were discovered. They were signal guns)
Rapid volleys of musketry, discharged at our bridge builders
immediately followed. This was promptly responded to on
our side by the opening of several batteries. The fog, how-
ever, still hung densely over the river. It was still quite
dark, and the practice of the artillerist was necessarily very
mueh at random. The Engineer Corps suffered severely
from the fire of the sharpshooters concealed in the town.
The little band Was being murderously thinned, and pre-
sently the work on the bridges slackened, and then ceased.
Meanwhile the firing from our batteries, posted about a
mile from the river, was kept up vigorously. The effect was
singular enough, and it was difficult to believe that the
whole affair was not a phantasmagoria. It was still quite
dark, the horizon around being lit up only by the flash of
projectiles, which reappeared in explosive flames on the
other side of the river.
Daylight came, but with it came not clearness of vision
for onlookers. The mist and smoke not only did not lighten,
but grew more opaque and heavy, hugging the ground
closely. Our gunners, however, still continue to launch
their missiles to a venture. The rebel batteries hardly re-
turned our fire, and this chariness of their ammunition they
preserved all day--not a dozen rounds being fired during
the whole forenoon.
Towards 8 o'clock a large party of General officers, among
them General Burnside, the Corps commanders, and many
others of high rank, had congregated in front of and on the
balcony of Gen. Sumner's head-quarters, Phillips'-house,
situate about a mile directly back of the Lacy-house. The
performance could be heard, but not seen—the stage was
obstinately hidden from view, and all were impatient that
the curtain should rise. Aids and couriers came and went
with mesoeges LO one froui trle baitelieb autl IULICIE,vo.
At half-past 9 o'clock official notification was received
that the two bridges on the extreme left were completed,
and Gen. Franklin sent to Gen. Burnside to know if he
should cross his force at once. The reply was that he should
wait until the upper bridges were completed.
Meanwhile, with the latter but little progress was made.
During the next couple of hours half a dozen attempts bridges,
but each time the party
was were made
repulsed t o
wth complete
severethe
loss.On the occasion of one
essay, Capt. Brainerd, of the 50th New York Voluateer
Engineers, went out on the bridge with 11 men. Five im-
mediately fell by the balls of the rebel sharpshooters, Capt.
Perkins led another party, and was shot through the neck,
and the 66th and 57th New York Regiment, which were
supporting the 50th and lbth New York Volunteer Eugi-
neers—Gen. Woodbury's Brigade—suffered severely. It
was a hopeless task, and we made little or no progress.
The rebel sharpshooters, posted in the cellars of the houses
of the front street, not 50 yards from the river, Behind stone
walls and in rifle-pits, were able to pick off with damnable
accuracy any party of engineers venturing on the half-
completed bridges.
The case was perfectly clear. Nothing can be done till
they are dislodged from their lurking places. There is but
one way of doing this effectually—shell the town. At 10
o'clock Gen. Burnside gives the order, " Concentrate the
fire of h
believe
yourve t
they guns
w e
roen
notthe
lo city,th to obey. The artillery of and batter it down I" You
the right-8 batteries—was commanded by Col. Hays;
Colonel Tomkins, right centre, 11 batteries; Col. Tyler,
left centre, 7 batteries ; Captain De Russy, left, 9 batte-
ries. In a few moments these th rty-five batteries, form-
from 10-pounder
iPnagrroatt'tsottaol4:-finclh"siegguens;unrsa,npgoinstged along the convex
side of the arc of the circle, formed by the bend of the river
ttegi opened on the doomed
rrific, and regarded merely
city.an and
'rho
effectojopos
was,te F ro et, doeorni cr ks
es
,b
as a phenomenon was among the most awfully grand con-
ceivable. Perhaps what will give you the 116eliest idea of
its effect is a successim, absolutely without intermission,
of the very loudest thunder peals. It lasted thus for up-
wards of an hour, 50 rounds being fired from each gun, and
I know not how many hundred tons of iron were thrown
into the town.
The congregated Generals were transfixed. Mingled satis-
faction and awe was upon every face. But what was tanta-
lising was that, though a great deal could be heard, nothing
could be seen, the city being still enveloped in fog and mist.
Only a denser pillar of smoke defining itself on the back
ground of the fog indicated where the town had been fired
by our shells. Another and another column showed itself,
and we presently saw that at least a dozen houses must be
on fire.

Towards noon the curtain rolled up, and we saw that it
was indeed so. Fredericksburg was in conflagration. Tre-
mendous though this firing has been, and terrific though
its efft ct obviously was on the town, it had not accomplished
the object intended. It was found by our gunners almost
impossible to obtain a sufficient depression of their pieces to
shell the front part of the city, and the rebel sharpshooters
were still comparatively safe behind the thick stone walls of
the houses.
During the thick of the bombardment a fresh attempt
had been made to complete the bridge. It failed, and evi-
dently nothing could be done till a party could be thrown
over to clean out the rebels and cover the bridge head. For
this mission General Burnside called for volunteers, and
Colonel Hall, of Fort Sumter fume, immediately responded
that he had a brigade that would do the business. Accord-
ingly the 7th Michigan and 19th Massachusetts, two small
regiments, numbering in all about 400 men, were selected
for that purpose.
The plan was that they should take the pontoon boats of
the first bridge, of which there wet e 10 lying on the bank
of the river, waiting to be added to the half-finished bridge,
cross over in them, and, lauding, drive out the rebels.
Nothing could be more admirable or more gallant than
the execution of this daring feat. Rushing down the steep
banks of the river, the party found temporary shelter behind
the pontoon boats lying scattered on the bank, and behind
the piles of planking destined for the covering of the bridge,
behind rocks, &c. In this situation they acted some 15 or
20 minutes as sharpshooters, they and the rebels observing
each other. In the meantime new and vigorous artillery
firing was commenced en our part, and just as soon as tLis
was fairly developed the 7th Michigan rose from their
crouching palms, rushed for the pontoon boats, and, push-
ing them into the water, rapidly filled them with 25 or 30
each.

Tho first boat pushes off. Now, if ever, is the rebels'
opportunity. Crack ! crack I crack I from 50 lurking places
go reltsal rifles at the gallant fellows, who stooping low in the
boat, seek to avoid the fire. The murderous work is well
done. Lustily, however, pull the oarsman, and presently,
having passed the middle of the stream, the boat and its
gallant freight come under cover of the opposite bluffs.
Another and another boat follows. Now is their oppor-
tunity. Nothing could be more amusing, in its way, than
the result. Instantly they see a now turn of affairs. The
rebels pop
.up by the hundred, like so many rats, from every