Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-12-18
EN'E OF FRED
EkgCE6SEsEIRG
HEADQUARrEns Army OF PGroMAc, |
\ 4 Z

Today mas NllnOSSCu one OF tnOSe TUVc,
grand spcctaclcs OF war--the bombardment of
a city For days the attack had been looked
for with irvcrish anxiety, and with oaoh sue
ccssivc evening the morrow was prophcsicd
as the inaugural occasion Of the much talked
of winter campaigns but weeks passed by, and
vet we tested in our camps, while all along
the ridges Just across the river batteries
nightly spring from the earth, as if by magic,
aud the increasing smoke of the cnemy's camp
fires wrapped hill aud valley in undistingush.
able gloom. Wild, exciting rumors worO
grccdily accepted for facts, and thousand
statements, as ridiculous as they were contra
dictory, flew like wildfrc from camp to camp,
Throughout the week there has been idica.
tions that crisis was rapidly approaching,
and each night the troops retired at tattoo,
fully confident that the roar Of artillery would
be their rcyile.
Last evening, at sundown, the movement
commenced. Batteries fastened to the front,
wagon trains were removed fam the vicinity
Of the anticipated battle, the pondcrous pom
tocns joined the current hurrying riverwatd,
and night closed down upon us bright and
beautiful, with our pulses throbbing quick
with eager expectations. Artillery never
seemed to rumble so noislessly before, and the
sharp cluck OF iron aXlcs echo ed far and near,
as if in league with the enemy. Down by the
river everything was quiet as peace. Oar
pckets composed OF the 5lst Pennsylvania
Regiment, sat liStlcssly about their fires,
watching the rebel scntries and crunching hafd
tack. The river swept smoothly by, placid as
the sky above, and jus. over there, so close
one almost wished 20 tell them of their error,
stood the rebel sentries, while Il soothing
movement Of rushing waters in the rapids up
stream swcllcd softly down the valley. From
the thrcShholds of the city tho sharp yclp Of
Ian t1 tIf, Al u IA.
ear; but with the batteries in position the cause
OF ther outcry would be removed, and silence
again settled down upon the town, broken only
by the tones of the town clock tOliing the
midnight hours. And so the time slipped
along. The moon climbing higher up, and the
falling dew whitencd into frost upon our pom
chos, while the horses, restless in the chill
night air, moved to and iIo uncasily in their
harness.
| At = o'clock our Pickets were Withdrawn,
aud at three the pontoon train drove down to
/ the water. Lumber was uUislcssly piled upon
the ground, and the huge boats slid from of
their trucks. Then we hear splashing in the
river Il dark pathway lengthons out upon the
sivcr surface, shadows fit here and there along
it, track, the lusty blows OF hammers re.CchO
from side to sid. And yet no sound comes
from the enemy. 'ElIavG they evacutCd the
placc2' care we not to fight here after alll''
is asked, Suddenly, Crack! crack! crack!
from a hundred muskGts, tell us the ball is
opened. a cry Of pain comes up tho bank
from the gallant engineers, mules dash OF viii
pontoOns laundering alter, across the plot
the musketry grows louder, and the whiz OF
bullets more frequent; frightened teamstcrs
fly, panic stricken, and the artillery horses
plunge at the cassions. Suddenly, boom! goc.
a gum-anothcr, aud another, until thirty
pieces are pouring shot aud shell upon the
devoted city. Graham, who did so glOriousl,
at Antictam; Kirby, with Ricketts, old Bul
Run battery; Miller, Durrcll, Tyler, Hazard,
Smith, Kinsey and Dickson, all join in the
uproar, and the musketry is all lost to the cal
in the mighty roar that echoes again aud agal
from hill to hill. Gradually the fire slaclicns,
and the engineers again attempt the completion
of the bridge, but in vain; and after II third
trial they fail back, bearing in their arms their
wounded, dead and dying.
1t was designed to lay down two bridges
at once, one at the lower and the other at the
upper end of the city. The enemy, posted
in the houses and ccllcrs upon the bank OF the
river, were safe from our infantry, and main.
tanned Il continuous fire. Our infantry re.
turned the fire spiritcdly, but, finding it i'm.
possible to drive the rebels from their cover
/ finally Withdrew, leaving the disposition o
| the enemy to our artillery.
BY this time it was sunrise. The Engiuccr
| Fifteenth New York; aud the Fifty y-soycnu
and Sixty sixth New York regiments had snl
fCrcd severely, and the wonn1.d coon bogat
to crowd tha floors Of the Lacy House. 9th
| cr regiments also suffered though much less
and the surgeons soon had work enough.
About eight O'Clock the artillery ceased, -
The fog were 50 dense that objects were in.
visible one hundred yards from the guns.--
fredericksburg was as silent as before
A tltt., ado utI la
enemy drive them back; orderlics gallop to
the different batteries for instruCtOnS;a mes
sage orders from Aqua special train with
solid shot; and again the thunder breaks out
anew Fora time the roar is mdiScribably
awful. The city, from its walls of brick
hurls back a thousand echoes, which beat mp
against the Falmouth blnt, roll back again
beyond the town, aud then from the distant
hills once more swell over TO us, as though
the heavens were rent asunder, AT Gen.
Summers headquarters, half "A mile distant, it
becomes difficult to converse in n low tone,
while at the batteries must be sgnalcd. BY
and by the firing ceases, and one is almost
awe stricken by tho profound silence, Ihe
mist still ciings to tho river the sun struggles
red aud fiery, and the air is suilCCatiug with
the odor OF gunpowdcr.
Presently the bank Of fog begins TO lit O
| little, the glistcning roofs gleam family thro
/ that intervene, and Fredericksburg, utterly
desolate, stands ont before. A huge column
of dense black smoke towers like monumGn
above the livid flames, that leap and hiss auC
cracklc, licking up the snow upon the root
/ with lamhcnt tongues, and stretching like
giant Tho guns renew their roar, and w
see the solid shot plunge through the ma
sonry rs though it were pastebOardi othcl
buildings are fired. and before sundown
score of houses are in ashes, while not on,
seems TO have escaped tho piIilcSs storm o
iron.
p. A less number have been fired than was an
ticlpatcd; bat tho damage done by solid sho
is terrible, and will require years to repair
Among the Sufferers is Mr.. Gurland, u loya
refugee, who witnessed the hombnldment fro II
the headquarters OF Gen. Sumner, OF who's
stail his son is member. The residence o
| Mr.. Slaughter, father OF the Mayor, DIR. W al
| lacc's, Mrs, Hayes, and Timbcrlnke'S S auctiCl
and commission store, are among tho BUN
dings burned, An English ensign hung con.
spicuously irom one of the houses, which
fortunately Tor the inmates, Was loss exposed
to our fire. Females could be seen dariinl
through the streets, negroes carrying turnl
turc nom burning houses, and now and thel
a rebel gliding from one hiding place to an
other. Our ariilery would drive the enemy
from their coverupen ll.,s-As.tsSA the Fver;
Abut when compGllevl1O cease. in order not Ia
uudanger their regiments, the rebels woul,
/ Immediately steal back and pick oil'our mel
with the tillo.
Ia tho mouutms our troops lnod the hill!
upon this side rs far as the eye could reach
ali intensely watching tho operations. Artil