The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-07-10
SAINT PAUL. FRIDAY, JULY 10. 1863.

- - y i u A ~ Ia - AVAA)
front the Topped branches we're interviewer
with felled trees, and an abattis difficult
and impenetrable beyond description,
seemed to defy attack. To four brigades
of Gen. Anderson's division was intrusted
the perilous task of storming works strong
enough to have stood siege, and defend
ed by vastly superior numbers OF Federals.
But there were no more
GALLANT RUsHEs
during six days of unprecedented gallantry
than those Of the brigades CT POsey's Mis-
sissippians and Wright's Georgians against
the almost impregnable intrenchments of
their foe. With admirable sagacity, Gen.
Stuart had fastened upon the hill lcalled
Fairview, and opened upon the flank of
the Yankees an enfilad ng fire of twenty
Napoleon guns simultaneously right up
to the breastworks rushed Posey's and
Wright's brigades. They spring into and
upon the felled trees and matted branches;
they bound like tigers into the works, and
drive the panic-stricken Federals from
their cover. Never shall forget the vel
which rent the sky, and announced that.
the enemy was broken. Yielding works
from which ten times their number should
never have driven determined men, leav-
ing behind them knapsacks, canteens,
overcoats, oil-cloths, books, cards, paper,
newspapers, muskets Federals rushed
quailing to the rear, and never stopped
until they had got behind the building at
Chancellorville, beyond which their artil-
lery opened a heavy fire.
THE LOSS.
The battle at Charlottesville was over
for the day. The loss of Posey's and
Wright's brigades, Notwithstanding the
terrible works they carried, was slight.
But in the three divisions of Jackson's
corps the loss in killed, wounded and miss
ing could not have been less than 5000
men. Such sight as the inside of the
Yankee breastworks, just after they had
left them, never may see again With
astonishing accuracy Stuart's enfiladiDg
fire had torn through their ranks. In ev-
cry variety of attitude of death, torn, rent
and shivered into scarcely distinguishable
relics of humanity, lay what so lately had
breathed and moved. Still more terribly
and strangely appalling was the road from
Charlottesville toward Orange Court
House, along which, and on either side of
which, jackson had descended to the har-
vest of death. Tumbrils overthrown, cais-
sons exploded, horses dead and dying,
sometimes with broken legs, sometimes
with ghastly wounds, human bodies in
every guisesof suffering and death, tortu-
red and riven trees, and, most fearful of
all, a cracking fire running swiftly thro'
the grass and black jack brushwoOl, and
suggesting dreadful thoughts of wounded
and helpless men perishing by the most
agonizing death known to humanity, froze
the blood with horror, as tie spectator in
agony turned his eyes to Heaven, to gain
a moments relief froL? the unutterable
and wOful anguish of earth
GEN. LEE.
Shortly after one O'Clock, for the first
time, l encountered Gen. Lee, calm, un-
ruffled, evenly balanced, but not, even at
that time, wholly devoid of that quaint
humor of which so rich vein runs through
his composition. In answer to my heartily
congratulations, he answered that they
were premature, that things were not 60
ing everywhere as he wished them, ''for,
said he, ''we have lost Marye's Heights"
l then learned that at an early hour upon
Sunday morning the Federals had made
two or three abortive attempts to storm
the heights, which were held by one Mis-
sissippi regiment (the Twenty-first) on the
top, and another Mississippi regiment (the
EIGHTEENTH in the lane at their base.
The writer next describes in detail the
recapture of the Heights by the Confeder-
ates, and under date of May 4th, writes:
At Chancellorville the confederates lay
all day within the lines which, with indoln-
table energy, they had in the night traced
around the position of Hooker's troops,
and which hemmed them in, leaving only
the United States Ford open, the sole ex-
odus of that army which had advanced in
full assurance of victory five days before.
Along these lines for considerable Dor
ton of their length it was my fortune to
ride to-day, and never did l witness any
thing like the mirth and glee of the troops.
1t was touching to hear the complaints of
the skirmishers who had Just returned from
the front, and who felt themselves per-
sonally agrieved that the Federals refused
to skirmish this morning, and that, in fact,
no fight could be got out Of them. Strange
and unprecedented fatality-8O,O 900 troops
surrounded and hemmed in by one-third
of their number, powerless to break
through, or make any demonstration
against their puny foe; to this pass had
"the finest army on the planet +" inglo-
riously come!
CONVERSATION WITH GEN. LEE
TUESDAY, May 5.-Early this morning
I rode over to Fredericksburg, and found
that not Federal soldier, save large
batch of prisoners around Salem Church,
was left on the south side of the Kappa
hammock. proceeded to General Lees
headquarters, and had the great advantage
Of riding back from Fredericksburg to
Chancellorville in company with the Gene