The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-12-23

The Potomac than myself: yet sense Of truth com
peis me to state that IL "a not by any naaus su.
conrasine. 10 renew au attack on the eremys
position during the night strengthened, az II ka,
hee', asceria aued this morning. by new batteries
With weakened nuinhers would prob ably result in
no 6ettsr success tssn that of yesterday. To con-
tinne In tue Position now held cannot be thought
An attempt to retrea. 10 this side of TIA river By
the prscarieus means Of passage, over a few fra
nfidges would undoubtedly bring the victorious
hosts OF the enemy a. once % the attack and might
result in the worst calamity of the war How the
army il TO be extrcated from these predicaments
a;n unable TO devise l trust that those entrrgt-
ed viii its fortunes have the ability to do II. -.
Among the officers reported Al killed at iRs bal.
lie OF Fredericksburg are Gen Bsyard. OF the cav
airy; Gen. Jackson. OF the Pennsyivs Sese-ves
Col A'nn, i3sd Pennsylvania; Lit Col. Dickns
All u s. artillery; 1t Col Curtis 4sh Rhode Island
~. Col. Sayles, 7th 8hods Islanc Meior Horean
eeth New fork Capt. Kelly, I4h InGaua, and
Capt. Mesgher Til Nsw York
Amanest the wounded the uarnes of 0ens
Vinton. O!b5on. Kin.bail Caldwell, and Campbsk
none Of them dsngerously. Cols Sinclair. 5.h Pa ;
N q Nugent, 69th n Y; Wissmau 2s,h n >; Sny
der n a; Miles, 6iss Y andrsrs, lst Della.
ware; MeGregor, ION Aasf; Hstcn, 4th n J. Ii
/ Coils Geo Dane, 9th Pa; Goodman. <fa Ohio.
Asi IRA Qoehel. 7th Ne~ YORK; @. q Knight,
ll9th PeDnsYivaDia; jennings, 2G.a New York;
OEeD. 6ed Now yolk Bsrd~ei Of Ponnsyl apia;
Cayar.ush 69sh New york Phiibrick, 10Th Massa.
causa te.
Captains Cameron. oh Gew York; Carpenter.
9th Ner York; Hsrt, Assistant AdiItsul fseae rsl
10 sten lyler, Andrew Mshoney. 18th Massa chu
se'4S; Il. Dunn. l9.h Ms4sscau sets Hsndr icsson
/ 9,s How York. G. g. Weymouth aud J. sriith
1868 fennsy syivanis; Slater, 18th n YORK. Leddy,
t9o Now York; Houghton lith Iudisna; Burke,
9Th New York; Donovan. oh New York; Cart
vecishT, Gtl Naw York
Our total iosa l. "tdoera aud ;nsa d vari1us,y
seated 1t f-o@ Ave tc sa thousand.
THE PLAN OF THE BATTLE
!
Siudes deaariplol Of .ha 5st;ls OF Saturday with
thu following reGsctio1s:
Shall say, thsn i ~ ~ dafsst7 Cartsinlg If
% Lave started oGt 10 accomplish certain object
cud 20 have failed il doing 50, he defeat you n
sply no other term to tbs upahot OF to dsy'a bat
tie
In spite o, all tie g'osses Of ofhciel dispatches
vhic y"u may receive, it acsIn9 he 70 night that
tye have suffered deisAt. Lot Ii. hops that, when
inliy prepared, the assault may ba renewed with
Few tactical eoalhiGa 0.', lha position carried and
TIE day retrieved II it 13 nct So the l3th day Of
, beceInber nrs' he accounted 3 hlgcA Gsy IN the
pa'anda. Cf the EepuDiic
If you disposed 70 uiU!ge IL siicistl on the
i"o ct tie bsttle II Fred TttssSurg i: will be
difficult pciHt out it. aat and adnal dsfccts
20 E"pe hurled toIwarr .es Of aga;ns. the
irriii!o3 works of thoss TERRACES rGR Certainly
!Aeniie7'A:ion q dsriGg uutsup-ced By the sigh.
ea pfUI Hcs Was 4 Gos aso u fatal arror - have
rlss q Il" shHa s'ecass Of tha plan the accom-
piishtHeTt4E n 2ertsil Iasapuvie, (tra1kn > abi-
ity 20 sws8 I9cud ~ he rs9ei faDxs NAMELY J
"hefa All ja7 "i2 rIit5 ~ tse p-0h COR
p.etsly wanting What fearful tstatity, t1o that
cU' Acc lG uiat.5a 4 artillery ~ Gil blt euGreiy
eiss II -, 0STiog Ia tia iiltanee Of tLa rsnge
sH;s tte 2xFl Enrs ni our oT'l tsc ops Ard 1hs1
MISFORTUNE ,Qu>v Iatnrafsole. that the approach
~ The 2 bel petitions back IF &-dsri~ keau
! ~ area SC rs4t.ictei th4t a9d batteries woro
Gltlos. eqna.y useless o.siEg ths impossibiiity
of mecss Igreiug
In he course Of tils sepoodence, from the
fsI,1 ,,F dr. l.Io
intog'ned you Of tina 81 .Gua development OF ths
reb-l position. .roT sn aosou.e!y defenceess con
dion 20 the time IA Il became sn0t her di3fit5r
Never FOR moment d:i we, who watched this pro-
gre =, SUPP pOGs iaGs l. ysG,d ever be attempted to
| pe taken oy kuflin2 I2asscs OF sgsjnst tho5o
| works. We nad supposed tbst the resources OF
strategy would Gs5Cfady aifor3 2tA9r Of SC
comp pilsbiCg the desired eiI!
Regarded rs petition Of defence, that which tbs
rehsl leaders have taken " he 2appah aIG9 eek,
| sui " a!ch " have 03en pleased To sssal IL the
lnanaag indicA'si aid with -bs result Known, urne
cJu'i p3s-ib 51 more magnificent nearly
i8r.egDsoio tyita fifty thuJisgcl men they id
| .sy hOlI Il with theee ti1ss that number OF
/ Limits. And incCsi, thay appear never to haye
pioyed moro inan abCCt thea about that nuinnsr.
J time ne HtT9ii ioFIVaid fresh T1e2 they mad
cay reIufOTcG .lCEts - i-GLc Lch From prisoners
tak8a learn th4. tLe right, commanded by
| jackson, nall cf tAs tu5Ce oG!T {epi chiefly the d
! vision c: , IlLt sd Eatys brigade was en-
| gagged ita&a Ii i.a .iyy lad along iha line Of the
RappaGsrr ck about oce 1unGred Jhonsard men
| aaa Ihgt 5oujt, more oc les! were actually engaged
| il tLe contest.
uslls, witness IL This hole matter Thay di6 weii
| 10 let Us essijy ilGo Fredericksburg. firing brt
| balf dozen fuus, when hey couia have brought d
hundred to beac upon -. Tie city itss!t 80
werest tr.p nat ffA5 iaiI-.nG we have yak
| cd idtJ ii.
ID it any vsol.IsF, that with sa3a position on
tie inside Of arc OF = ci.cle 9! battesias-
Mid uppef. neither and surrounding fires"
| our troops were over and oyer ssaia broken and
sa&tfsred in the attempt to take itf The w5c Ger
il tia: such sdnirs0le puck wss shown
It is hopeless tasa Eow 10 so back the
series of blundsTs that hsye made ihis disaster
foycblsto inquire. fof inst snce, who is respons
D5 i1r the delaying Of the portoon bridges ten
ds-s Beyond the time promised Gen. Burnside, thus
e;.aluk the reb ss 10 Iendec their position impreg
| nable. Enough that tla inquisition vii! come by
and by.
At the close Of .hs battle tc tight, Gen. Burn
side declared shrt hs would ren5| the contest in
tbs III 1rniug Taere is, 10 my mind however, lit
t,a probability that this will bs dous, Gau be
done. Il i3 likely that tae couaci Cf Je1srals--
composed of Burnside, Snnner, Hooker. and
Franklin-noD meeting AZ this bouss, VIII shake
tsis determination a3 kco" :hey are ait opposed
to ;iie ne easurA. Indeed, ona has only go over
20 Frederic ksburg whero tG3 srJiy is hcdiie.,
AID sse is shattered and troken corditoL--resi.
lae4Is scattered dsorganiz ID, &c ,--t1 see .hat
renewz OF tue SRat IL tbs nIoTnlng for
soma t;ms, is wholly impossible.
~ .
tc b.. il is = cocts5 frui;less TO conjecture VS.
can, 10 doau, by .ns adoption of the right p.ao,
f0,u6 tLe,r position Their right is realty .hair esk
pviu., AID sha;, iy the w6y, they now busi.y
er sge ~ strengthening tonight. ghe line of the
river Is, hoe4vEi, entirely tao long Dc guarded
against snte-p .s.ng attacks, sud With the proper
dlspostiors tLsiT posit o. eau readily be fanked.
2hc situation of our army, however, az chtsH Ct
rverg Il pe-i.cus cne~9.Ie % taa IioBl dt moral
iziag know II; and it may be tae dictate of pru.
lanea 10 Withdraw the army IS soon SC possible 10
ilie North D3nk OF tho Gappahaancek.
PARTICULARS Of TIE CROSSING OF THE RAPPA-
HAMMOCK.
HEAnQ's Array or TaE POTOMAC
Dscemter II, o5.. :
Yesterday morning, vixen daylight appeared, the
arsil7 s.emed 10 be- SIS they no doubt wera pag-
fe~tlg .stonishej .he: oGr srany hai succeeded in
returning TO this eide Of the EaFpsnsnnocE We
returned already stated. 7Nit1out losing u single
n "a or 4 guQ il The retrOgr33a movement a few
soldiers who had strsgp.ed II made their appear
aute OF the river bank after jbe bon bridges
had been sealoved. bat they were brought over in
small boats aud few cagaryu eIi who were guard
ing hous. Inhabited bY private family were not
durus the nis..J aware ii crossing but only
became aware oG il III ths morning safely SWAN
the river
The picR.'s os the e0Dtsndng armies b5ng sep
aIatsd by few ards of spsce only rendered II
necessary that evary thing on our part should be
conducted itb tits ut.nost canton These Of our
troops on the ou 1posts we're unaware OF tbs move
neLt until Just before daylight whom officer
went 10 eaen individual L4ar. ana, III a low tone,
ordered him 10 fail bsek AIter they got sutt-
eientiy far TO 10 ont OF danger they were ordered
20 quick eu their pace anu reach the bridges
About 8 o'clock yesterday rlotn' 1s the enemy
advanced their skirnsLers slouS the entire line,
snd by noon haa established their pic1ets near the
river oank.
We had a lsfge number of desd OF wha! was