Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-18
ARMY toRRESPONDENcE.

y
hoSk WAS consummated in the moet ordeYi,
eho military style. The nieht was one OF IN.
s'oimIest OF the seeson. The wind blew o per
along, many OF them losing their caps and tbet,
coat capes blowing over their heads incon vent
enc, many, especially those having no KNAPP
he steady tramp. with the noise made nv tns
vibration OF the bridge, was drowned nv ths
ieariul whistiing OF the wind as t travsS~d
down through The gorge in which the river
r-nt. First came the cooked ralions. rol,.S
over by fatigue party, then came s1iII Nv,
th' n came infantry. The night was ift-ns.fy
tie very food gstes OF the heaven. were abov,
10 open for the purpose Of again noodinr the
| EARN. let there was no Decentralization: All
Gen. Burs.iee was there, 80 was Gen Snmna,
aho Gen Franklin and Gen. Birney-aIi. in
TACT, OF our leaders. - "
ehonld evscuate without the loss OF life. "A I,
| was patent to every one that once the enem y
ol"nea, many poor fellow would have been
launched into the rapid and rising river ktlI~d-
wounded or drowned. The whole annir "a.
conducted with the skill worthy Of our Oh.
| GERS. w.
Many persons would na,pr.ur ,0,,.
be led 70 believe, that our army is al nrs..n, ~
| dreadfully disorganized condition on arrount
! OF the recent repulse. This IT, not 80 Our men
are lust as ht and as eager again for another
| connict as they were one week ago. OF cour-e
| ihey 90 not desire 10 be led against the hatse =
| irs, because they are inpregnsble; they want
| 70 iueet he enemy on an open field, or where
| mere lie chance 10 win, with coral forces
Many Of the wounded have been sent to
hquia Greek, some Of whom have already
oeen transported to Washington and the North
where they VIII no doubt be received by pzlr
| worthy and benevolent citizens AZ horne ~ssh
open hearts and hands
Last night the air was chill and cold, and the
! large hospital tents having no stove. as vet
/ htted mp IN them, the poor wounded fellow.
sumpreu consioerably, ~ all wounded mes
rfrlrx xkx.r< 4. -.
lts great glory is gone IL no longer can he
! ranked as city. Between the cannonad;nr
from our four and half inch rifed pieces and
piece on the left of he eneny,s oentye i'm 10
more days nothing WILLIE left but a n,is AZ
bricks and mortar: All day yesterday both
what damage they could.
during yesterday nag Of truce left Gen
RUNNERS headquarters for the camp Of the
ensnnS; Inc mission Of This was secret and
Many OF the citizens Of Falmouth have ~
turned TO their homes, they coming 70 the c,r.
cIusloh hst horne was the best place for them
Ihry had been scattered around among rhe
farm houses.
General Sigers forces continue TO arrive
.io~! ana iook worn out with their hong
march. The roads tolerable IL takes a
team ten hours 10 go five miles Dead horses
and mules line the roads in every direction
A. soon az ihe rebels discovered our leaving
lhey came down into the town, and. on srriy
ing there, let out several OF those strange wells
familiar TO them and them only Thsv hw
mus early returning, succeeded In capturing /.
those OF our stragglers who were left behind
and considerable officers baggage, which vas
left there, there not scrng transportation
wagons enough at the time of leaving 70 trans
port IL.
From all this you will discover that our .it
uatlon, with the exception OF being consider
ably reduced In numbers, Is the same ae =
week ago. Onr batteries retain their position
and hence no danger need be feared Of An a.
tack from the other side
A correspondent of the New York Times con-
eludes description Of the battle Of Saturday
with The following reflections:
Shall we say, then, il was a defeat1 Ger
taiuly, il 10 have started out 10 accomplish a
certain object, and TO have failed in doing 60,
b" a defeat, you can apply no other term 70 the
upshot of to-dayis battle.
In spite Of all the CLOSES OF oficia dispatches
V hich You may receive, IL seems here Tonight
that We have suffered a defeat Let us hope
that, when fully prepared, the assault may be
renewed with new tactical combination, the
position carried and the day retrieved. IL it be
not SO, Saturday, the i3ih day Of December,
must he accounteda black day IN the calendar
of the r. public.
Ifyou are disposed TO indulge in critcism on
the plan of the battle of fredericksburg it will
Loi he difficult to point out ats great and rsdi-
cal defects. To have hurled forward naesee
Of men against the fortified works Of those ter
RACES was certainly mantle tatisn Of daring,
untemp. red by the slightest prudence. Was
il not also s. fatal error TO have risked the
" hole success of the plan on the accomplish
memt OF a certain maneuver lFranklin'e aoility
10 swing round on the Rebel flank, nameiy,)
where all the elements Of the problem were
completely wanting What q fearful fatality,
too, that our accumulation OF artillery was al
snt sn6irely ,S r.sls.. & 70 ", owing to ths dis
own troops. And what a misfortune, equally
lanentable, that the approach to the Rebel po-
sition back OF Fredericksburg was an area 60
restricted that our field batteries Were almost
equally useless, owing to the inpossibliit- Of
Ipaneu vering.
time OF our first occupation Of Falmouth, have
informed You Of the grad al de elopment Of the
Rebel position, from al absolutely defenceless
condition 10 the time that IL became a.ofher
Gibraltar. Never for moment did we, who
watched this progress, suppose thatit would
eNenbe att mpted TO be taken by hurting massee
Of men against those works. We had supposed
that the resources of strategy would assuredly
afford other means OF accomplishing the de-
sired md.
Regarded as a position Of defence that which
the Rebel leaders have taken mp on the Rappa-
hammock, and which we have been pleased %
assail i'm the manner indicated and with fhe re-
| suit known, none could possibly be more may
| nihcent or more nearly impregnabte. With
| 5c,UO0 men they should easily hold il Against
! three times that number OF assailants. And in
than about i thst number. ESery time W. pooSeS
| forward fresh men, they had ready reinforce
| ments TO match. From prisoners taken learn
| that on the right, com mmanded by jackson, half
! of the force only (and chiefly the division Of A.
! i. Hill and Early's Brigade) was engaged. i
take il that they had along the line Of the Rap
pahannock about 10000 men, and that $4,000,
! more or les, were actually engaged in the con-
/ test.
| The Conf deratP leaders have acted with
their usual Witness In this whole matter.
| They did well 10 let easily into Fredertchs-
| burg, firing but half a dorm gums when they
could have broughta hundred 70 bear upon us-
! The city itself was the yeriest trap that ever
| WAS laid-and we have walked into it.
L. any wonder that with such a position
/ on the inside efan arc Of circle of batterses-
/ =" Ma uppT. neither and - rounding 6res.n
| IoOps wers over and over again broken
! ami shattered in the attempt TO take itl TD<
| wonder is that such admirable pluck wss
! shown.
| L. is 4 hopeless task now, TO go back over the
! series OF blundcrs that have made the disaster
| pc.sible-to inquire, for Instance whos re-
J sponsible for the delS'.ns OF the poutco
| bridges zen days beyond the nme promised
1 G.p Rurnside, thus enabling the Rsbrle 10
! r.pder their position impregnsbie. Enouxb
| iha. the inquisiuon Will come by snd by.
4 t'h,.ngo firm tuet ed a c<sxz