Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-12-22
n,TTLE OF FREDERIcKsBURG.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION rHEBoMBARDNENT-
THE BATTLE OF sATURDAY-seEsESAN AND IN
CIDENTS, &c, &c. a.,.ys .-.- ',' ~ .#
tesrspendsrss Of -@s Richmond Waig]
CAM "No-tANP,
.a..I.l. .b,..sr nnn La 1872

Et,r ar,aa ,,iest Itsea Il IL difficult write smd
the roar of artillery, and the longdraNn crssh Of small
smA Bat will Try to jot down before they pass rom
nv memory some details Of the "tstter days here
tho il must be DONE Just as getting the sdddei
and In a tent down whose log chimney, nor'n-Wes
Wind accomplished by rain, is driving the smoke
The; ball opened on Thursday before daylight. A
grand artillery symphony awakened US anu lno' n aS
great point OF interest The enemy were trying 70 cross
there and below-and Barksdae's Mississippi Brigade
held the town The enemy, as you have seen from pre-
yous accounts we're fired upon by these gallant troops
while they were constructing their ponoon bridge, IN
mite Of which they finished t. aud crossed hrksdae
drove them back and continued to hold the town ..
Then commenced and was kept up all day, one OF
the most terrific bombardmenis which the wpriq ever
witnessed; suppose one hundred guns rfPeatedly
firing In q minute The enemy planted more than one
hundred pieces of artillery the east and north sides
of the town, upon the Stafford hills, aud swept the
streets with round shot, shell and spherical case Ny
point Of view was the Long Tom Battery, which We
now call Lees I" uSt to the right OF the Ielegraph
road as IL descends toward Fredericksburg-on COM
handing promontory sfording fine view OF the town
| and the entire positions Of the enemy Generaf Lee,
Longstree Stuart and others there, and w9essed
/ the brutal art Of the enemy in all It's details. Never
have any thing resembling lit was that nre
of hen which Gortschakoff spoke of at Sebastopol-
The Quick puts Of smoke touched In the centrP with
tongues Of fame necessarily along the lines q the
euemys batteries the slopes and As the smokenosy
drifted away the believing roar came up In one con-
/ tnuous roll II was a symphony Of he'll truly. The
town was soon fred and dense cloud Of smoke en-
welcomed its roofs and steepes. The white churchFpis
still rose serenely aoft unframed by shot or shell,
| though a portion of one Of them was torn OH. The
smoke was succeeded by lurid flame, and the crimson
broughto my mind the pictures have seen oil Mos
COW burning
This ncessant fire of heavy artillery the doomed
town was kept up from daylight until dark. Bar s.
dale's gallant troops hnched but held the place
ike heroes In spite of the terrible enflading IRE sweep
ing the streets with round shot, grape and she'll right
and left. Amid houses torn TO pieces and burning,
chmneys crashing down and burying men In the ruins
amid Ere which might have demoraliZed the finest
soldiers in the world, they still held il. "Barksdse
has immortaliled himself" said some one-and he had
GEN Lee for spectator Of his herosm-a thought dear
10 every soldier Of this army Our General was looking
on calm and collected aways-in his old gray coat,
riding cape aud dark felt hatwith the serene air OF
one who is sure OF the event heard him speak little,
but remember these words uttered 10 his grave tone
| mperceptiby tiDged with sarcasm:
IL il delightful 10 them destroy innocent people,
without being hurt themselves II just SUits them"
When night descended on the scene Of this barbarty,
the flames Of burning houses still liz up the landscape,
aud the war OF the batteries bushed excep ran
dom gun at intervals seeming 10 indicate that their taste
for bloOdshed and destruction was not giutted
| What had they accomplished They had gained pos
session of the town which may or NAV not have beeu
intended and they had driven out and slaughtered cti-
Il reBs women aud children. 0ne young girl was shot
through the hp-hundreds Of ladies' and children are at
this moment wandering homeless and shetcres;, over
the frozen highway with bare feet aud ;R clothing.
/ knowing not where TO fluid place Of refuge. saw
iecae!y uurtured girls with slender forms, upon which
no rain bad beat which no wiud bad ever visited
100 roughly walking huredv, with unsteady iect uPoh
tho road seeking only place where they could shell
tar themselves Whole families sought sheds BY the
side made roofs Of fence rails and straw, know
nE not whittier to Ay OF to what friend to have re-
course This the result o. the eneuys lombard
ueu, Night had settled doWn-the lurid smoke lie up
by burning houses rested torn and shattered Vir-
nia city, hled with Confederate aud Yankee bodies
i tLat was The "suprcme result"
Our radiant troops had fallen back however no farther
an tie edge Of the town. where the telegraph road en-
ters Brksdales on, heroes were relieved during
lie night aud Cobbs brigade, supported By Cookies
| rl,ced thea 10 the morning ride down gave me
cor sci idea Of the position Of things General COBB
lad placed his iroOps behind stone val and In bitches
lost below Marses house. and She enemys sarp'hooters
o;cuped the houses of the outskirts The firing
tnimated On both sides and in excellent spirits
On. cav young fellow with fine face wss lying down
reading careless Of the Yankees and in response to my
ouestion what book he read, replied: History OF Ire
/ land second volume" Are you from the Cd coun-
try ," asked NO sir picked this up in camp
| Aud the pleasart smile Which accompanied the words
was Good suCgry Of game hope that boy With the
brave homes face was nos hurt. Col. Watons bst,a-
Ion OF the Washington Artillery Was on thc hills around
MArycs house and behind IT, rc took place tho hard
i fght on Saturday. when Gen. Thomas X H. tobD was
killed The enemy advanced up the streets toward his
position and as they in close range ueu rose
an and gave them heavy yollcy. They were engaging
the whole force OF the enemy this point when Gene
raj John T. Cooke swept down with his brigade to the
right in support. He and Cen Cobb were standing to-
cetber when both Crr srck-the former wounded dan
gerousIy in tho head the latter killed But there wGs
no flterng lu the troops. They seemed inspired With
/ new srdor aud repeatedly charged tue enemy, who
finally broke aud left troops in possession Of the
| ground which was literally piled with Yankee dead
had intended TO collect and embody the facts Of the
whole great struggle on Saturday but find that tho
regular correspondents Of the Richmond ptess have
forestaIed ue-especial!y the correspondent Of the
FrdJairsr who though inaccurate In some particulars
las embodied most Of the details into an interesting mar
ratiVe YOu have heard before this Tine, OF the hard
6rht on the len whore Pickett drove back the enemy
OF A. p HIS stubborn stand the rght-snd Of tue
good service done by all the batteries engaged. can
sny speak Of tha, portion Of the field on which hap
psned 10 be- leaving others, with more leisure and
opportunities OF collecting information the accurate
| summary OF events throughout.
Soon after day.break General Lee, accompanied by
Generals jackson and Stuart rode down to the right to
rrconnoitre the position OF the enemy who had already
commenced their advances. was struck on this occa-
sion as at ali times lately With the grave air OF satsiac-
ton and confidence In our great Commander IN Ciei,
| whose very look augury Of success Generals
Jackson aud Stuart equally sangune-and here let
me say In passing, that the famous General Sonewsll
| wore upon this occasion, bran new uniform, with
superb dark-blue overcoa and cap shining With gold
lace-a guise n which have never before seen him,
though have noted him, with close attention upon sew
era 6atle-felds But am wandering from events to
persons Ny only excuse Is that the hlest lines In rea'
ton 10 great the most traing particulirs-may
prove OF interest in after times aud these three hgnres
are already the property Of history,
Great landmarks standing every fIs
And saving those who eye them"
At the Bowling Green road, fine Wow was obtained
of the enemy lines they advanced at the distance OF
about 500 wards over the leTe bottom by dreoou OF
Gen. Stuart MsjoF John Pelham OF the stuart lorse
Artillery. immediately brought up Napoleon gun aud
opened on their loft flank three batteries replied aud
Tor many hours this ono gun fought them al With 10
4 yieIiIny frrine.s Minor Pelham and Captain Henry