New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-12-24
prur FREDnRxCTlsBURa EATTLE.
Continued from First Page.

80 rosei NV he SHARED should be filed with bard
lire d and small comass.1Fy stores, and, VIII large
rnnher of beef cattle, starred down 20 Frodercks
bur- on the road by way Of Oumfrics, aud that TINS
veCou.trau and herd OF cattle should be lreceoea
bv n yon,o1u-train large enough to span tho
Rappahannock twice ; stated ihas tni.
wagon train could mcve IN perfect safety, because
would be all the time between our army ana the
Potomac, OF in other words, cur army wou'. De az
Sic time between the enemy and thai TRAM pn' ~
Tx same time said that If cavalry escort could
not 10 furnished from Washington, You'd seno
some Of ny cavalry TO ee'fd tlo ~ on VIC
with refer nee 10 the ponoone, "a | lad not teard
OF their stsr.ng, / directed my ChiNf Engineer 70
teleQr.ob again with reference to tbsn.
O. To whom did bo telcgTaphl
a He telepfephed to Gen. Woo ibury. OF 70 Major
Standing; il subsequently appe lred that that was
she first they had heard OF wish 20 have the
poutoon train started down 10 Fredericksburg, al
though the authorities in We .siingion had had my
plan ssut to them Oh the " a u November and It
had also been discussed by Gen. IialIeck and n.
Neiss AZ ny headquarters on TIE night Of the lin
sud I2th OF November, ans after discussing Il fully
tiere, they SAT down ana sent kilograms 10 Wash
lnyton which, as suppC sed fully covered the case,
and would the ~ artlug o. the pontoon Trans
Ct once. l supposed, o. course, that those PORTIONS
OF the plso which required 10 be attended to 10
Washington would Dc Carried ou there at oGeel co "a
have scnt officers of my own there 10 attend
50 those matters and perhaps made & mistake IN
not dong So as Gen. halieck stterwaTd told me
that ught net 70. have trusted 10 them IN W ash
ing on for the dc tails. In reply 70 the telegram
hso Q; dered 10 be cent Gen. Woodbury. telegraphed
hack. TIE pom oons would start Oh sunday morn-
irg probably and certainly on MONDAY morning,
which would s2ye been on the 18th or 18th OF NO
vslroer, and would have been in time. They did
no, however start until the 18th, and that day il
ronmenced raining wklch delayed them much
mi the roafs became So cad that when they got 10
panfries, they Assted the pontoo1s of
tie wagons and sent to Washington for d
steamer, and carried them down 10 AoQuia
Greek by water sending the wagons around by land.
Tho pon,oons did not get here till the 22d sd Of
November. On the 18th OF November started the
column down the road 10 Fredericksburg, rot know
Ing anything about the delay Of the starting Of the
pOntooas, because the telegram announcing the dc
lay did not reach Wsrrenton Junction until | had
left 70 cone Down here with the troops, aud that
telegram did no; reach ne ill arrived here the
morning of the 18th, when it was handed me by EN-
orderly, who had brought il down 10 Warren
ton Junction. After reaching here, i saw
si once that there crossing Tie Rappabsnpock
with tie army 0t that tine. II commenced raining,
end the river began rse not 20 any great extent
but did no, know how much it might rise. There
were no means o. crossing except by goiog up to the
foTds, and 1t would be impossible TO DO that, because
OF the inability to eupply the troops after they
should cross. Gen. Sumner arrived here with hi
troops in tie advance. He cent 70 me, asking me i
be should cross tho river. lie was very mucl
TENTED To take lis own corps across to FrederickG
II
enemy there except very small force, l did 10
thinkit advisable that be should cross ut thai time
Tie plan mad IN contemplation WAS, II the store
and those bridges bad cone here - / had expected
70 throw Gen. SINNERS whole corps across thi
Rapl ahannock, I'll, the wagons with as many small
IN azores could, anu having beef cattle along fO
IN neat; then 10 make rapid movement down tn
" direction of Richmond, and try TO meet the enemy
and FIGHT battle before jackson could mako &
function there. We knew that jackson was in tue
vslly sad felt tina, there was force enough on The
upper RaPpalsnnock TO take care Of tin. We
felt certain that IA soon as the enemy
knew of orr crossing down here the force
under Johnston would be recalled, and
we wanted to meet this force and beat it before
jackson coald make jenetlon WI n them, or before
jackson could come down on our flank AID perhaps
rTirrle as. | bad recommended thGs some supplies
should be sent 20 the mouth OF the Rsprabonuock,
viii IL view of establishing depot al Port Royal
Bi.er we lad advanced to Fredericksburg After
the FIRST delay in startug the portoons, I think
xbev were sent quickly they could have
bseo, and toe sap lies aud Quartermaster'e
stores have ALWAYS been in as great abundance as
We could have expected; for after the lJta OF
Move mbar, the weal her and the roads parjcl-
laily bad. HOrses aud mules, &c, were sent down
TO rs, 90 that our cayaty end teams were IN very
good condition. After it asceItained that there
must be delay, ard tfaG tho enemy t.d concen-
tTated IN such force to make IL very difficult to
cr0ss, e2cep, By numser Of bridges, com
Iencsd bringing up from Acqua Creek sill the
poutoOns we could. Alter enough OF them had been
4
several councils Of war to decide about
crossing the RsppahanDock. 1t was at fire.
decided 10 cross down at SINNERS Neck,
eoont - miles below bere but our demonstration
was simply for tue ruIpose OF drawing down tne:e
r. large force Of tie enemy as possible. then de
eided here; because. III tie hfs place, felt
satisfied that they did not expect 10 crOss here
tu; down below. III the next zee l ELI sati.led
that this was tho place 10 bsbt The most decisive
battle; fecause, If We could divide ,hei forces by
rierciug eir lines 81 one Two points, par@.ing
their lcfs from THAR right, en- vigorous attack
with the whole srny would succeed N breaking
their army IN pieces. TIE my had Gu; Ioad along
tie rear o. the line OF highs where made our
attack, y means vi which they connected TIE two
wings o. the amy aud avoided long cetOur rOond
Eroagh q 54d couutry. obtained rom q cooFco
Ioan. iron the O,1cr s1e Of the town, Information
ia regard % this oew road, WHch proved u DC COR
root. l wanted 20 obtain possession Of thai new
road. and tlst Tas the reason for king az attack
on the extreme ieit. ] did not ia'eld 10 MAKE the
attack Oh she rlgDt until that position had been t.
h. which 1 opposed would Slayer tie enemy,
suttipg heir lie II two; aud teen 4 proposed 20
ma Il direct attack on their front AND drive them
Out OF their wJr1s slccseoed IA build
In nX bridges ard taxing tie whole
amy across; tie two attacks were made, and We
were IcDlis,c, G,iu holding IOruOn Vi the ground
We have cggLt ap0a, tut not our extreme advances
that Yiglt went 'l over Tie Aeld on cur night, D.
L.. wG3 WITH nc 'le-rs and men uGii nearly
90 nght found the iellDg 20 Do rather Against an
EHark--lA f4ct % was decidedly against 40 re-
turu,Q 10 rs leadquutcis, @uG att,i CONVEX alton
Win Gen. Sam4or, told hlm that / wanted
b.ln 10 ertr tie Std Grpy corrs, villa
wls The COTS / originally COMMANDED, 10 form
The IeNt norainsa column Of attack BY Tesl-
rnsntsi J. ccu-is.ed ol so4e IS old regiments, aud
Soms uew ones, and desire ne cOinHn 10 make
ii ecu stack upon tue clemy's WO Ia. l ttO. stt
RIA. lh.,e Icr,lruts 10y arriving quickly up after
sao- OF e. o. would be at-e 10 carry the stone