Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-12-18
-. capture fredericksburg.

Tbe Capture oth
%, extract the following particulars OF the
,no Of Fraderioksburgh from the aoooOnt
NV a correspondent Of the N, Y Times
gya,g from that city, Thursday night, he
ss
,,.,b,c this letter FrodericksOurgh, but
v,s,"mredly "liyng Freicrcksburgh "no
~ y civ soulleSs, rent by wrack of
aa0; and shooting up in flames athwart nights
v" u tbo pretty little antique spot by the
sSMno,bannock, erewhile the peculiar scene of
a rp,fel ease and retirem Mt.
oEg Y, bad been determined, in council Of war,
"A an Wednesday, that, instead OF extending
l y. lines me- of operations along the river from
rarnoptb 10 Fort Conway, thu entire army
n"nIJ be crossed at or near Frederlckburgh.
NV E,e pontoon bridges We're TO be thrown
.a,.s the river-the first at the Lacey House,
rbch lies directly opposite the end Of the
.sin street OF Frede ricksburgh, half mile
Ssn, Falmouth; the second and third within
sv hundred yards from the first. The re-
.,iring two were TO De thrown over mile
nj half or two miles further down the
,raam. and on these the Grand Division of
IAN Frankin-the left-would cross, while
SINNERS and Hooker's Grand Divisions
s,ht and centre-would use three upper
eS
Il was about 3 o'clock this morning, when
No boats were unshipped from the teams at
-er's brink. Swiftly and silently the En-
meer Corps proceeded to their work. A
spsc fog filed the valleys and water margin,
through which the bridge-bullders appeared
s spectral forms Work upon the two lower
Frank hn's-bridges, he says, was p eriorm-
d with perfect success---the Engineers being
lowed to complete the first without any in
eruption whatever, while the construction of
be other was but slightly interrupted by the
he of the Rebel sharpShooters.
We were not so fortunate with the upper
| ridges. The artifcers had but fairly got to
& ork, when, at five o'clock, the firing of two
| uns from one Of the enemy's batteries an
{ounced that we were discovered. They were
gnal guns. Rapid volleys of musketry, dis
Diarged at our bridge-bulders, Immediately
Flowed This was promptly responded to on
lr side, by the opening Of several batterles.-
| he fog, however still hung densely over the
liver. II was still quite dark, and the prac-
! CO of the artillersts was necessarily very
|noch at random. The Engineer Corps suffer
4 severely from the fire of the sharpshooters
|once.led in the town. The little band was
Isng murderously thiuned, and presently the
York ON the bridges slackened, and then
eased.
Meanwhile the firing from our batteries
oste! about a mile from the river, was kept
n vigorously. The effect was singular
nouph, and II was difficult to believe that thC
sbole affair was not phantasamagorla. /
vas still quite dark, the horizon around being
| i up only by the flash of projectiles, whlet
reappeared in explosive fame en the be
rde of the river.
Daylight came, but With it came not clear
ness of vision for on-lookers. The mist ant
moke not only did not tighten, but grew NOR
opaque and heavy, hugging the ground close
v. Our gunners, however, still continued Il
sunch their missiles at venture. The Rebe
batteries hardly returned our fire, and TN
DARKNESS of their ammunition they preserves
BIZ day-not dozen rounds being fred durlnl
tbc whole forenoon.
At 9 IL o'clock official notification was re
Eeved that the two bridges on the extrem
ssA were completed, and Gen. Franklin sen
b. Gen. Burnside to know if he should eros
bis force at once. The reply was that h
,hould wait until the upper bridges also yer
Completed.
Meantime, with the latter but little progress
sas made. During the next couple of hour
kalfa dozen attempts were made to complet
Nh bridges, but each time the party was re
Dulsed with severe loss. On the occasion
he essay, Capt. Brainerd, of the Fifueth No
Fork Volunteer Engineers, went out on ii
lrdge with eleven men. Five gmmedlatel
Il by the balls of the Rebel sharpshooters.-
apt. Perkins led another party and was shot
pneck and the Sixty-sixth and Fifly-seyept
ew York regiments, which were supportln
50th and 18th New York Volunteer III
neers-G an. Woodbury's Brigade-sutfere
Eerelv. II was hopeless task, and we mac
c or no progress The rebel sharpshOo
posted in the cellars of tse front stree
fifty yards from the river, behind stor
lis and n,riie pits, We're able to pick o
fh damnable accuracy any party of eng
hrs venturing on the half completed bridge
Ihc case was perfectly clear. Nothing ca
done till they are dlslodged from their lurl
fplaces. This is but one way of doing tn
fctually, shell the town. At 10 o'cloc
n. Burnside gives the order, " Concentra
fire of all your guns on the town, and ba
it DOWN. You may believe, they we
10th to obey. The artillery of the rig
teight batteries-was commanded by &c
fys; Col. Tompkins, right centre-eleve
tterles-Col. Tyler, lelt centre, seven bate
+; Capt. DeRussy, left-nine batteries
few moments these thirty-fve battere
Irming a total of one hundred and sevent,
ne guns ranging from ten-pounder PARROT
four and half inch seige guns, posted alor
e convex side of the arc of the circle, forr
by the bend of the river and land opposi
fredericksburg, opened on the doomed city,
ne effect was, of course, terrific, and, rega
ed merely as phenomenon, was among Il
post awfully grand conceivable. Perha
hat will give you the liveliest idea OF its {
Pct is succession, absolutely without int
flsslon, of the loudest thunder peals. 1t la
pa thus for upwards of an hour, fifty roun'
felng fired from each gun, and | know n
pow many tons of iron were thrown INTO &
Down.