The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1862-12-19
Correspondence of the Press.
Letter from Fredericksburg.
HowARD's DIVISION,

lO-tdy ~ he III, 1Siis hllSOA WAS "
make an attack in front again with his corps,
l9th) and Gen. Couch was to support him.
This Division was to take the lead in COUGHS
corps. But 10 o'clock has come and gone, and
we wait Wilcox's advance. The two Corps
Commanders have gone over the river to con-
suit with Sumner and Burnside, whose head
quarters are still there. l trust our sadly
shattered brigades and regiments will not be
again pushed up right in the face Of these reb-
ell works. Push them up, the Generals will
say, and God grant the struggle may be brief
and less bloody than yesterday. Take us up
the men will all answer, though .feto reach the
crest, and enter the bredst-tcorks. Take us,
if there is no better plan.
have begun my letter as though you were
familiar with yesterdays great battle, but if l
complete my narrative, must GO back to the
evening when our Division entered Fredericks-
burg. A gloomy dreary evening, dismal
night it was TO many. and would have been to
all had it not been lighted and cheered by sue
cess. The rebels disputed every inch-had to
be driven from every house with point of the
bayonet When firing ceased. owing TO the
darkness, which endangered shooting our own
men, we had advanced three blocks, and held
the third street parallel to the river. Scarcely
wounded man had yet been cared for. Few
surgeons had yet crossed the river and the
hospitals are mostly upon TIE other side. We
were now busy till morning in carrying off the
WOuHueu lHeIt II IL I1Ospltdl SOfpS WHOse
duty it is to attend to this, but many of the
men assisted in taking away their suffering
comrades. Then were to be heard some loud
shrieks and many low terrible groans. But
for the most part the troops were in good spir-
its. There was the sure evidence of triumph
in the hundreds of houses laid open for them
to occupy. They did not hesitate to appropri-
ate whatever they could use for their own
comfort, nor TO to carry away anything of in
frinsip yaup If IFS hulk n weight vxpnld
nit
About 800 prisoners were taken, many of
them in cellars from which they had fired up
on our men. Citizens, shivering with fear,
were brought to Gen. Howard at intervals till
late in the night. They were usually those
who were too poor to move away from their
homes. Some were DESTROYS of going across
the river, saying they could not live through
another such day as the one just past.
In an incognito walk through the streets
and among his troops unaccompanied. Gen.
Howard found in a store in remote part of
the city, man talking with some of our sold
iers, and Boosting of what he had done for the
| Conlederacy. 1t seems they had made him
| believe they were Southern" soldiers. Gen.
| H. listened moment and found this fellow
| was the British Consul. In reply to one of
! his seditious sentences Gen. H. said "then
| will arrest you and send you to Gen. Burnside"
! John Bull was perfectly astounded, But to
I Gen. Burnside he went, very much crest-falen.
At dawn Gen. Howard ordered two of his
lxigades which had not been much in action
the night before in advance until they occupi-
ed the entire city. They moved cautiously
! along, taking more prisoners who had slept
too late in some houses But the enemy had
drawn off in the night the remnant of the six
regiments that had occupied the town, and our
pickets were established in the outskirts.
| To be brief as possible, Friday was spent in
i crossing the attacking army and getting into
position, and we made no further advance that
day. The generals took up their quarters in
some of the finest dwellings, none of which
had escaped our storm OF shot and shell. Ele-
CANT furniture, large and valuable libraries,
rich paintings, and what seemed Of no less inn
| portanee TO US, of sharp ifnot sordid appetites,
| whetted by days lasting, abundant stores in
the larder-these were the contents of the
! houses. Soldiers had already ransacked every
| house, emptying drawers, breaking open
trunks, smashing crockery, overturning libra
ries and completing the dishevelling and de-
| struction which the cannon balls, crashing
through, and the bursting shells, had too well
begun.
The rebels complimented us with the same
sort of proectiles often during the day,
whenever our columns became exposed to
view, and TO an enflading fire from their
batteries in position. We rested well on Fri
day night, and got under arms at daylight
simple process when we have slept upon them
Soon the order of attack was communicated,
and about 10 O'Clock a. IN. the enemy's batter
les opened with sound like the nearest thun-
der, and the shells came uncomfortably rapid
and near. They had opened upon French's
column which had begun to advance. Han
cock soon followed and at one O'Clock D. M
| Hancock's division marched in with steady
| tread and determined couDtenances.
1t would make this letter much too long to
give the details of yesterdays fight. Our
troops stood their ground nobly and charged
fearessly.
| Col. Halls brigade, which had been the frs,
to enter Fredericksburg, attempted several
times to charge over the enemy's rife pits but
failed to reach them, so overwhelming was the
deadly storm that met them. Col. Owens
brigade was scarcely less gallant, and Sen.
Suly, both by his own conduct and that of his
troops, among which are the Maine 10Th and
Mass. 18th, showed that it was correct esti-
mate which led the division commander to
hold him in reserve to lend help in the right
time and the right place. The loss of the d.
vision was about 1000 men. Gen. Howard
and staff were all spared, though their horses
were nearly all wounded. One of the staff
was slightly wounded in the leg, but not SO as
to be off duty. Gen. Sully was also slightly
wounded.
Perhaps some account of this terrific contest
may be given in future letter. Our success
was not what we hoped, neither here with
Sumner, nor on the left with Franklin. Hook
er brought in a portion of his command just
before night. but they were of no avail
There will be no fighting to-day. 1t Is now
too late to begin. Doubtless the country will
be thankful that we paused and did not desc
crate the Lords day with battle. We look TO
the morrow. w.