The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-12-26
The Battle Of Fredericksburg.
GALLANT AND PERSISTENT C0NDuCT 0F
CIR TROOPS. .
Events Is the General Head
quarters,
A3UAL.D&E3 10 0.7EIGEE5,
GREAT ADVANTAGE OF THE RE
EEL POSITION
TIE: SUNDAY FOg.zoyrHNc>.

Later "details of the battle Of Freloricks-
burg 10 not materially alter tle facts al
ready eiyan. There is but one opinion re-
sarQ;ng i, which is taaJ our army was
overwhelmed With disaster, without in
flicting any corresponding injury on the
enemy. The New York papers give &c
counts from the different army corps,
which are mainly confined to military
movements The Times describes the
first grand charge Of the second corps:
Look at the positio to be stormed,
There is 4 bare plateau of a thir;l Of a
mile, which the storning party will have
to cross. In doing so they will be expos
ed to the fire, first, of the enemy's sharp
shooters, posted behind stone wall rum
ing along the base Of the ridge-of q
double row Of rifle pits on the rise Of the
crest-of the heavy batteries behind strong
field works that stud the top of the hill
Of a powerful infantry force now lying con-
cealed behind these-ofa plunging fire from
the batteries on the lower range-of Il
double enflading fire from "cannon to the
right of them Sebastopool was not half
rs strong. 80 .
The moment they exposed themselves
on the railroad, forth burst the deadly hail.
From the rifle pits came the murderously
aimed missiles; from the batteries, tier
above tier, on the terraces, shot planes of
fire; from the enflading cannon, distri-
buted on the arc Of circle two miles in
extent, came cross showers of shot and
shell.
Imagine, if you can, for my resources
are unequal to the task Of telling you, the
situation of that gallant but doomed divis-
ion.
Across the plain for a while they swept
under this fatal fire. They were literally
moved down. The bursting shells made
great gaps in their ranks; but these are
presently filled by the ''closing up" of the
line. For fifteen immortal minutes at
least they remain under this fiery surge.
Onward they press, though their ranks
grow fearfully thin. They have passed
over greater part ofthe interval and have
almost reached the base of the hill, when
brigade after brigade of rebels rise up on
the crest and pour in fresh volleys of mus
kerry at short range. To those who,
through the grass, looked on, it was a
parlous sight indeed. Flesh and blood
could not endure it. They fell back shat
tered and broken, amid shouts and yells
from the enemy.
Gen. French's division went into the
fight six thousand strong; late at night he
told me he could count but fifteen hun
dred
AT GENERAL SUMMERS HEADQUARTERS,
The same correspondent gives an ac-
counts of events transpiring at General
Summers headquarters
Returning to the right, | found Gen.
Sumner seated on the front seat of an un-
yoked ambulance, at the Lacey House, di-
rectly opposite Fredericksburg, at the
point where the first pontoon bridge spans
the stream. The veteran soldier had been
extremely desirous CT crossing over, and
directing in person the movements of his
Grand Division, but the Commanding Gen
eral would not permit it, and as a COM
promise he had to come down from the
Phillips House (Which Gen. Burnside had
made his headquarters for the day., amile
from the river, and established it here at
its brink. could not help feeling regret
that the leashed old war-dog was not let
loose at the throat of the enemy. Mean
while, as Fredericksburg had become en-
tirely too hot to visit with respect for ones
safety, l remained with the General in the
ambulance, to follow the tide of battle as
reported by constantly arriving aids and
couriers.
The old man looked anxious and fearful
Things were not going well with his COM
mand. For three hours the men had been
fighting at fearful odds. They were much
exhausted, their loss was excessive, and
nothing had been accomplished. Indeed
to the test of the ear, at the point where
we were located, it seemed as though they
were being badly pressed. The batteries
had been brought down and planted at the
heads of the streets. The troops were hug.
ging the city closely to escape the fearful
fire. ''Where is Franklin ?" was the eager
inquiry, Everything depends on Frank.
Inns coming up on the flank"
Franklin's position was plainly observa-
BILE by the line of smoke and fire couple