Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-18
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The Taird and Fifth army corps. under Gen.
Hooker. formed the center aud so-oper,te,l airh
sumner : cs,lamB during the battle. Gen Burn
SIDE va anxious that movement should be
made early a. psgs-iille and accordingly at the
break Vl day the troops began % move toward
the enems's e1rthworks The mea we're ful OF
hope and confident of success, and they filed out
of the city IN splendid opler Skirnsishing com
mencef shortly after daylight. and a short time
alterward the rebel artillery commenced playing
upon Us through the fog. The firing was 30 in
accurate, however. that our troops paid but lit.le
attention 10 IL. ard kept pressing ON, regardless
OF the desdy miSses which we're fsing through
the air By and by our artillery responded. and
for hours a most terrific FIRE was kept mp on both
sides The enemy's position was one OF exceed
ing strength, aud appeared 20 be invuinerable TO
our artillery. notwithstanding guns ex-
cellently handled. About noon. the infantry,
who had been waiting for the fog TO clear off. ad-
vaRced for the purpose of Storming the enemy's
post on on the hill Confident OF victory. the
troops marches stesdly up to within muSket-shot
OF the batteries; but marerous fire from the rebel
rifemen. added 10 the fury OF the canuOuade,
compelled our men to isl! back with heavy loss
The attempt to carry the rebel batteries was re-
peated again in the afternoon. and the attacking
party. strongly reinforced. started the double
quick; but the enemy, who was also heavily re
inforced. proved too much for us. All along the
line the battle ragged with unusual ierceness. and
when night came il was hard to say who were the
victors. OF the killed and wounded there were
probably many the side of the rebels
ours. No correct estimate can be formed OF the
loss in Hookers corps. but il was pretty heavy.
The firing of musketry ceased abont half past five
o'clock, but the rebels continued 20 csnnouade
the city until long after dark.
SCENES IN FREDERICKSBURG.
A correspondent of the New York Tribune
SAYS:
] have spent the dayi in this city | have sev
eEai times described what FGedercksburg was !;
what Fredericksburg is, you have also learned by
telegraph in advance OF the mail. The citv has
not only been in part burned. but ruined beyond
almost all hope of recovery. All who passed
through the village of Starpsburg. two DAYS at
the battle of Anrietam. thought it would he al
most impossible to make a town look more desc
late and forsaken. but the appe trance OF Sharps-
burg, compared with that of fredericksburg, is
homely and pleasant.
After the severe cannonading of yesterday, IL
seems TO have been generally understood that The
city would have been given up to piIlage upon the
occupation of troops. The leading citizens
have long been known a. the most bitter and ma
gnant rebels in the State. and to have hid much
TO do in carrying Virginia out of the Union, in
contrary The ladies' of Frederi cksburg, e.
pecialIy, were spitefu ard venomous To such a
degree that one almost forgot to recognize them
as women. Oar soldiers. last spring, were sub
ected 10 considerable insult. In several instances
they poisoned. or at least made dangerously
sick by the water they drank and the food they
obtained of the citizens. They were called hire
llngs, thieves. State prison birds. and low bred
Yankees to their faces In no city in Virginia
is not strange, therefore, that there was "A dispo
sition the part OF our soldiers to trea. the city
somewhat more harshly than had been their wont
in occupying the towns OF Virginia. 1t well
known, too, that upon the approach of Burnside
at the head of the Army of the Potomac. the lead
ing ladies besought Gen. Lee on their knees not
To surrender the city to the low lived Y aukees.
and preferred that it should be sheled sacked
and burned rather than fall into our hands.
But notwithstanding all their insults. Gen
erals. simply tor the preservation OF discipline
among the troops, would not have countenanced
piage had not the leading mansions been Occu
pied by rebel sharpshOOterS, who shot down our
soldiers without giving them an opportunity to
fairly return the fire.
Strange indeed would il have been If we had
allowed these brick and stone fortresses TO remain
standing monuments over the graves OF our
brave soldiers. But to day these fine mansions
is all that remains of them. OTHERS, less o~ten-
tatious in their style of architecture, are riddle
and torn with shot and shell; the furniture broken
ard delaced; the bedding ripped and stripped,
taken INTO the streets and trodden under foot;
elegant chinaware and cutlery. choice Libraries OF
books. rare works of art are all heaped together
in the streets, and are scrambled tor as trophies.
The old mansion of Douglas Gordon, perhaps
the wealthiest citizen in the valley. is now used
"A he lpa l.lrfp of Gnn Hn ward. lint haf
he occupied it, every room had been torn with
shOt. and then all the elegant furniture and works
OF art broken and smashed by the soiClers, who
burst into the house after having driven the rebel
sharpshooters from behind it, When | entered
il. early this morning. before its occupation by
Gen. Howard, found the soldiers OF his fne d
vision diyerting themselves with the rich dresses
found IN the war.lrobes; some had on bonnets of
the fashion OF last year. and were surveying
themselves before mirrors, which. an hour two
atterward. were pitched out of the window and
smashed to pieces upon the pavement; others ha'i
elegant scaris bound around their heads in the
form OF turbans. and shawls around their waists
after the fashion of the Turks
What saw in this mansion was repeated in
nearly every one which &c fumes had not de
stroyel.
lie is but the truth to say that the wealthy cit
zens OF Fredericksburg possessed something more
than wealth. and of much greater valne-cu
ture doubt II there is a village in New Eng
land that possesses more choice private libraries
than did Fredericksburg the day before the BON
bardmeut. You ear see that the orthodox relig.
i0us element enters into nearly every one o;
them. Said "A soldier 10 me To day. raking among
a magnificent private library. halt covered with
mud in tie streets, How intensely religious
these rebels are Not only solid works upon
religion aud philosophy found among the Ii
braries, but hooks il nearly all the modern Ian.
guages, which looked T. if they had been well
read and appreciated.
We destroyed by fire yesterday nearly two
whole squares of buildings, chiefly used for buSi-
ness purposes, together with the tine residences
of q. Mcdowell, DR. Smith, j II. Kelly. A )
Scott, VIM. Slaughter, and many other smaller
dwellings. Every store. think. without an ex
eep;ion. was pillsged of every valuable article
A fine drug store which would not have looked
badly on Broadway was literally one mass OF
broken glass and jars.
Strange To SAY that, during all this great de
structon of property, but one citizen j. known TO
have been killed About $50 rebels were killed |
by exploding shells on; the citizens. having hid |
den themselves IN the cellars, escaped uniniured /
Ia the street fighting of last night loss will l
probably amount 10 lcO killed and wounded. 4
Col Halls brigade OF Gen Hoaard's division 4
are the principal sufferers. The Massachusetts i
regiments suffered more severely than the 7th /
Michigan. although the latter lad the advance /
q n Howard speak in the highest terms ct Col /
Halls brigade. and has cOmpllmentei the officers 4
IN person for their sallantry, and also that of the
troonS under their command.