Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-10

sp0sdeat Biseusses the Battle Of R~sd-
erIeksbarg-Ehe Fighting or the Confed-
crates etc.
The London Tines has another letter from IFS
correspondent st Richmond, dated December 80,
from which We extract the following:
A week has passed since the grsa battle Of
FTederieksburg-the smoke has slowly cleared
away-ths Yankees, Teeling backward ia spite
Of the threats, the entrea6es, and the promises
of their officers, have, for Gle 6rss and only lime
IN the history Of this war, acknowledge ustsl-
themselves from a most perilous condition by
retfeatug precpitately across TIE R~apPahan-
mock. How peTil0us that position was, it is
obvious that the Confederafe generals, who
hoped against hope that the I4th or 18Th IF D.
cember would witness 8 renewed Of Ghs Federal
attack did not at the moment fully realize.
But summing up the results Of the lats battle,
i Is 5othelent % say that enough has been
gained by 1t, and although it's conceivable that
on the night Of the l3th or the atsrnoon Of tbs
l4ln or i0tha general advance Of the Confederate
lines might have turned the Federal rous into
1hag IS known on this continent az q Balls
Dinu anslf, stu, It IS more 10 accordance With
the Wei known humanity of such men as Gen
erals Lee and Jackson, that not eus life. even
the lie OF an enemy, should b. uunesesssriy
sacnheee, when already q suhieieua lesson had
been taught to their foe.
Ny last letter brought the narrative of events
before fredericksburg UP 10 the nigat Of 5atur-
Qays the 10Th CT December. IL would ne idle
to pretend that upon that night tho macpitp3s
OF the success winch had been esinsi hv ths
ConteJeIates was tully eaage1 and co-Drs.
heHded by their generals. It was borsd and
believed that Sundsy, the 18th, would witness a
renewal OF the Federal stack, ard the MONT 81
t2e - END ne a25ssqgea nighs ssse 5azily
employed cy Toe Contsderstes IL strengthening
tneir f0Thhcalons sHd throwing uy fresh ear-E.
works on the Confs5arat3 center AID rigb.
III 1 had only thrown up these works befo-e.'
exctslmeQ Zen Lee, sTo OF three days SITTER the
bstsle, Il should have saved many vaIusbl
lives That a renewal Of tbs Federal ATTACK
would Rave Dssn most disastrous 90 The asssl-
ants it is nov hardly Necessary TO state.
twas felt 5y the Confederals general that af-
ter Saturdays experience no serious assault
would again be directed against Narye's highs.
and ample provisions were inside for the heavy
onslaught which it Yves expected GA to-moroW
would be made against Gen. Jackson's corps on
the Confederate right. Never were the spnits
OF that geuereI more ecstatie shaa during the
fight On Saturday, and while his antagonists ap-
peared to mean business" on the morrow. Bat
it must be confessed tbat, while the bulk Of the
Confederate army believed Ii the renewal Of the
battle on the l4th, there were not wanting Con
fedeTste generals whose prescience told them
taat troops so roughly handled as the Yankees
would be little apt 10 resume the offensive
Among others, on Saturday night. Gen. Stasrt
hezarded the prediction that there would be no
fresh attack by the Federals On the Coufedsrats
lines lingering wish TO direct bis horse az
HlieYy there and then against the enemy's flank
was probably upperm0st that night in the gem
erals mind.
When Sunday, the 141h, came, it brougb. full
confirmation of Gen Stuart's words The day
was clear, calm and warm as its predecessor, but
totally devoid of haze or FIG. The Yankees, on
their left and center, had passed on sbe plain,
where darkness overto0k them, witnous blank
cts, without fires, and with only bslf rations.
The day wore away, and witnessed 20 Federal
advance. There was heavy skiFmishing be-
tween the pickets IN front and A. P. Hills d.
vision, aud occasionally the boom Of q heavy
piece OF artillery, fred from one OF the other
side Of the river, struck upon the ear, aud
sounded as a strange contrast to the incessant
and continuous rosT Of the day before On ths
night Of the lash, prophecies that the Yankees
had hsd enough Of it, and would 20 backacross
the river IS best they could, were more album
dants and when the morning Of The l4th broke,
and sal the Fedsrsis ailed % advance, &c b.
came neonte5tabLs thsa tbe Fedora army was
in q paTlous strait with Q deep rver and three
pont0ou bridges behind and With g victorious
and elsted enemy and three hundred pieces Of
artillery in frouz
As the afternoon Of tie Is b advanced, there
was the same coQusiuE or -ae PaH eff the Fed
erals as 90 asking permits ion % bury hair dead
and carry OF their wounded, as bad been de
played oy them on the field Of SbsIpslmE Ell
SharpsbUrg. rs has been msny Times previously
remarked, ths ground On which he battle was
fought was held b. the C5ufeder3te, To have
sent a hlg Of ttuce and asked permission 20 burg
his dead WCdld have seriously disczal.zsl ca.
McClelan's repeated kilograms that ao he'd
gained a great victory. Z became Lecs5ssr
therefore, to have recourse 60 article, and q fs1
o. truce was sent 10 BY one Of the interior Fed
ealgenera.s. which was subsequently di5sv0wed
and disciaimed, or psrhaB was never rscoguiz-d
by General Mcclellan himself. Such is believed
here 70 have been the secret history of the
Sharps0urg flag Of truce. Something of the
same kind was attempted on ths afternoon Of
December 10Th.
There was every disposition ia The COufede
rate generals 80 strain q point To alleviate She
misery Of the wounded Feierals who had now
lain three nights On the 6elj; bat Gsa. Lees
resolution that no Gag Of truce should Be &c.
cepted unless sent by Gen. Burnside 70 himself,
was hnal and iuex0Tabie. A flag seat in, as
was believed, by General Brnsy, vas there
fore rejected Every possible efort was inside
~ sN CSANuAGA@l1a 50 ArtcfG Aar oDLLrfALtE4 OF
those wounded men whom their eompsniors
had not carried off the field, but, as is usual on
sueh occasions, the iHdividUal cases Of misery
were terrible and he2r-rendiug. Such a scene
as a battlefield presents during the first night
after a battle it would bafas any mortal pen to
describe.
In addition to the ag5nizing cries for water,
ana to the groans OF tortured aud dying men,
may be heard voices, constantly growing fainter
grA kaawAnm -vea 80
bers Of thsiF regiments ia the hope that some oil
their comrades may BE- within hearing, or that q
party tfom their regiments may have been sent
cut to feteh in It's wounded men. "I4th BIAS
saehusetts" "l04th Pennsylvania "47tb North
Carolina 7" Such are some Of the shouts which
ring through the night air, and are never likely
to be forgotten by those on whose ear they fell
But in the meantime, en- the night Of Mon
day, 1t was determined BY the Federal generals
not 10 risk another day without putting the
river between themselves and their victorious
Toe. A more favorable night for their purpose
be conceived. On the afternoon Of
Monday the wind began 70 rise, end BIZ seven
II the evening and during the night it blew 8
hurricane from the South so thas all sound hom
the Federal army Was carried away to the
North m 6 direction contrary TO the position
occupied BY the CoDfsderstes. Al the same
time there fell q deluge Of rain.
Urea circuit h ceftainiy Qu9 g. the Federal E
for passing nearly 10000 men and all
Lneif cannon 10 one night across three pontoon
without accident or confusion. If the
Of the Federals had been pcnstratsd,
and the immense concentration of troops In the
streets Of Fredericksburg had been known 60
Ten Lee no doubt q few shell thrown into the
own might have caused considerable slaughter.
And ooeasioned great confusion among tie dense
masses OF the enemy. But when the morning
y the 10th dawnedi great was the surprise Of
zen. Les and Of the CoDfederates, to find that
lot q Yankee, saye those only who lay stiff aud
lark ana a lew wounded men in Frsdedcks-
'urg, too badly injured to bear traasporsstion
.erc IS t1e river, remained on the southern side
% the RaonaLannneE Ihara i es-t-in IL.