Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-12-25
AMBROSE E. Burnside,

]
FALAoTH. Va, Dec. is.
The whole country will experience a
sense Of relief a, the announcement thai
the Union. army has been successfully
Withdrawn from its position before the
rebel Malakoff at Fredericksburg, tC
The north bank Of the Rsppahsnnock
that the sick and wounded have beer
safely removed; the entire material o.
the army saved. and the forces placed
1 in a position to renew the attack at its
leisure. upon a more vulnerable poinl
/ OF the enemy.
The telegraph will have already IN.
formed you that this took place last
night, upon thorough survey Of af-
fairs, and BY agreement cf all the Gen.
erals commanding st Council Of War
held on Monday. The order was not
given until evening. and the movement
was not even suspected by the troops,
who had just arranged their biVouack
for the night, and laid down upon their
arms, when they were ordered to fall in
and retire across the bridges TO the
north bank of the river. 1t is needless
to say that the order was obeyed with
aiacrity, and that every man took a
personal interest in its execution, for the
experience Of Saturday had fully salts
fed both officers and men that il would
be useless sacrifice Of brave soldiers
to renew the attempt to carry the rebel
works by assault. The position was
bnOws to be very strong one; but the
effort to dislodge the enemy revealed
new and Yerious unlocked for difficult
ties.
The enemy had been successfully de-
ceived as to the point we should attack,
and large part Of their army under
Jackson. had been rapidly marched to
APPOINT fifteen or twenty miles down the
river, and another portion Of it. under
D. II. Hill, IN the opposite direction, in
anticipation Of the crossing ct one or
the other Of those points.
Thus, while they w.ro Iss-t rf al a.-
pectIng the Union army to cross in front
Of the town, their forces were so dis
posed as TO make the direct attack the
only one likely to succeed. Their
forces had been divided, and sudden
assault u2oa their centre. promised to
place us in possession Of their we'll
chosen position, and between the right
and left wings Of their army, which
would have compelled them to'fall back
and open the way for our advance up
on Richmond by their line Of retreat.
These, understand, were in part,
the reasons which operated in the mind
of General Burnside for crossing where
he did, and it is presumed that the same
secured the assent Of the
majority Of the corps commanders to
the plan.
That it did not succeed is, no doubt,
owing to the delay of a whole day in
throwing the army across the river, and
attacking the enemy while he was off
bis guard-a delay which was caused
by the stubborn resistance Of brigade
Of Mississippi rifemen, (Gen. Barks-
dale's, who concealed themselves be- /
hind stone walls and in brick stores and
houses opposite to and near the landing.
and thrice compelled our men to aban-
don the attempt by their deadly FIRE.
A whole day was thus saved to the
enemy, who, notified of our movements,
rapidly eountermarched his forces and /
them behind bis skillfully- (
chosen position. Gen Jackson, on his .
return march. was just in time to fall
upon Gen. Franklin's left flank, who .
had crossed two miles below the town,
while the two Hills and Longstreet en-
gagged him iu front. and prevented him .
rom forming a junction with the right
and centre grand divisions, under Sum-
ner and Hooker.
The details Of the gallant fight which
was made by our troops. against one Of
he most formidable positions ever con-
ronted by an army, have already been
aid before the public, and its result is
inown. After an exhausting and
bloody struggle, beginning early in the
lay and lasting until long after the
darkness of night had thrown is mantle
,ver the 6eld. our brave boys laid down
reside their wounded and dying COM
AIDES upon the bloody ground, within
life shot OF the enemy's intrenchments.
which human courage and endurance {
Isd proved inadequate to scale. {
The natural formation of the ground
ad been most ingenuously improved |
y the rebels, on which to construct en- '
lading batteries, with long lines Of ri e
epits and trenches at the base Of the
ills, under cover Of their guns. These 7
Il raked our line of advance, and ex- '
osed our men to terrible fire Of shrap-
el, shell and solid shot. d
The position OF General Franklin on s
le left, though offering comparative
open field of operations, was found j
be very critical. beleagured as he C
as on three sides by the most exPe- s.
enced rebel generals in command Of a
e best portion Of the Southern forces, 81
Iual, if not superior, in numbers.--lc cl