Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1862-12-26
The Battle of fredericksburg.

AFTER THE BATTLE AND THE EVACUATION.
Under date of Dec. 10, the correspondent
of the Tribune, at the head quarters of the
army of the Potomac, thus writes -
"All is quiet" on the Rappahannock.
Three shots have been fired from the Rebel
batteries at the pontoon bridge on the right,
and the same number returned by Benia-
min on the nights Of Falmouth, from his
twenty Founders.
wrote you at midnight last night, that
the battle would be renewed this morning
when the grand Division of Gen. Sige
would he on hand and take part in the action
My authority for that statement was de-
rived fiom the very highest source. The
pontoon bridges were kept open all night
for Gen. Sigel, but morning dawned and
he had not yet crossed them.
/ Late last evening council of war was
held a, the headquarters of Gen. Sumner,
consisting of the Commanding General and
the Generals commanding his Grand Divi-
1 sion and Corps. The session lasted until
an early hour in the morning. Without
knowing positively what took place, | have
reason TO believe that the plan of the cam
paign has in part been changed that after
the removal of our wounded from the hos
pitfalls in Fredericksburg the entire army
will evacuate the city. Among officers and
I intelligent civilians there seems to be bu
one opinion concerning the wisdom of thi'
NOV, ment.
10 D M Since writing the above
have obtained positive information with re.
gard TO the evacuation Of Fredericksburg
The entire army will move TO This si,l,
duri lg The night. The simple circulation
oil the report this morning seemed to rails,
the spirits of the whole army. All day
long the Rebels have beer sheling the cit,
from our batteries 10 The right Of the tele
graph road at intervals of about an hour
and not being allowed 10 return their fire
or rather having no batteries in position t.
command them, our soldiers were excess
lively annoyed by it. Soldier or civilian
could not ride through the streets of Fred
erieksburg without being in danger from
: shell or round shot.
The dead on the battlefield of Saturda'
still lie unburied. The Rebels having pos
session Of the gr, und, and being SO constant
ly occupied in watching US, and at wor
digging rife pits and throwing up intreaucl
ments, have not even treated us with th
ordinary Christian courtesies, and allo,
our dead to tester in the sun or freeze in tn
: cold, or rot with the changing element:
From the observatory of the Phillip
House, they can be seen lying all over tn
| small field in which French and Hancoc
5 were so fearfully cut up and mangled.
!, ii is not using too strong an expressio
to say that ia this battle we were butchereC
0 The loss of the enemy in comparison wit
; our own must be insignificant. More tha
d half of the division Of Gen. French wer
y placed hoyS du combat before they had fire
o shot. Having orders to withhold the
e fire, charge bayouets and rush upon thci
It intrenchments, they anticipated no obstacl
Y until they should meet in the hand -to--han
Il fight for the crest Of the first range Of bill.
But how little they knew the foe they ha
s to deal with.
u Lying close upon the soft earth, benin
u low stone wall and halfdestroyed fenc
o which we had not taken into our calculi
= tons as obstacles, the enemy watched Il
is approach of Gen. French until every ma
in the battle line came under the aim Of Il
e best sharpshooiers in the Rebel army.
d an instant, almost before the fence itse
e was discovered TO be an obstacle, Ion
'. thick line Of fame and smoke streamt
i above the fence and wall and at the m
d ment the FIRST voIIey was fired, sixty piec
" of artillery, charged with grape and cani
As ter, sent their internal contents straig
at through Our advancing lines, rakins them