The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-05-15


unns Of gray and scattered lines like
leaves In the tempest About noon the
firing ceased. The Stiffness was more
impressive than the thunder Of battle
We had Won the engagement; theenemy
had been rsPalSed victory crowned our
arma. The wounded who had fallen In
side our SarthWorks were sent back to
the rear, hospitals were established at
every available point, and the dead were
laid away in their last resting place.
The afternoon was undlsturbed except
By the firing Of the sbarpshooters and
the occasional opening Of the artillery;
but the next day was anxiously looked
forward 10 for renewal Of the engage
ment.
Monday Morning
affairs remained quiet, unusually So
While these events Were transpiriug, the
First aud Sixth corps were active OF
Fredericksburg. Bridges had been
thrown across the river, the heights taken
and the enemy pushed back towards
ChsncellorVille. Itvas expected that
Simultaneous attack would be made BY
Hooker and Sedgewick. Had this beea
done, the two wings Of the army, dis
tant from each other only four miles,
would have been united, large force Of
the enemy cut Oft between the plank.road
and the river, o direct and safe line Of
communication established with Fal.
mouth, several miles shorter than that
used, and our entire army have been en-
abled to push forward like wedge to.
wards Richmond. Bot the First corps
re-. crossed, and moved up TO the United
States Ford. Sedgwick was attacked
by an overwhelming force. crushed and
driven back across the river at Banks
Ford, and Fredericksburg abandoned to
the enemy, with the guns Of its captors
and defenders laundering in the ears Of
our waiting army in the intrenchments
Of Charlottesville. The golden op.
portuuity was lost; but it was not yet 10
late to achieve victory, and the annihila.
ton Of Lee. Our troops were jubilant
anxious to advance. The enemy had
attacked rs, been driven back with ter
rible slaughter, while three corps Of, our
army were fresh and capable of pushing
on to Richmond, II supported BY the
others. ..,..
StOnemnn
had gone the long and weary route mark.
cd out for him. severed oil communities.
tion between the rebel army aud It's capi.
tai, and rendered successful retreat by
Lee impossible. Why did we remain
here idleH was the anxious query Of the
army. The rebels were strangely silent.
Now and then o struggling FIRE would
break out along our line, dying out as
suddenly as it began, while the troops
lounged in the shadow Of the oaks, and
wondered at the ominous silence. Was
Lee retreating and Gen. Hooker hurry.
ing up supplies to enable him to follow
after, or was the rebel army crossing the
river above to pounce upon our rear p
Some expected q fierce attack upon our
right near Ely's Ford, some believed that
our communication with Aqua would
be cut Of, others looked for orders to
pursue q flying enemy-all had faith in
Hooker. Monday wore away with no
excitement after that occasioned by the
shelling Of our pontoons at the United
States Ford, and
Tuesdays Sun Rose Upon the
+ Scene
with our army still waiting 10 its earth.
works. Then the troops looked mere
earnestly for something to do, and moved
uneasily to and fro, cha6ng with impa.
tience. At Falmouth the hills were
crowded by anxious listeners for the first
gun of the expected battle, and at noon
I left the old headquarters confident of
witnessing another engagement at the
rodt of the rebel army. 70 my aston
ishment met the wagon trains hurrying
down from the river, crowdiug and over
turning in the woods, and rushing fran.
tically on wherever the condition of the
roads would allow. Long professions
of ambulances full Of wounded men
streamed away towards Potomac creek
and Falmouth. stragglers Swarmed like
ants in the byways, and everything be-
tokened q retreat But that was impos.
sible. Fearing that the army had cut
loose from its base and pushed on after
the enemy hurried on 10 accompany it,
but found all quiet at the fords, and the
hospitals on the other side empty.
| About Eve o'clock in the afternoon il
commenced raining. The water poured
down in torrents; cascades leaped from
the hill sides; rivers rushed through
every ravine. The teams, blinded by
thedriving storm, staggered like drunken
men. Pack mules turned their backs tc
the tempest and refused to move, and The
soldiers crouched beneath their. rubber
blankets and behind the trunks Of th'
oaks. By aud by the storm aoated, aud
reaching the. front, the problem wat
solved. All along the road, from tht
rearthworks to the ford, there stretched {
line Of troops, their arms stacked ant
cartridge boxes hanging on them
Wagons, pack mules, stragglerS--al
were gone.
General Hooker,
surrounded by Q group Of Generals
talked low and earnestly. His stat
wandered to aud fro around him will
their horses saddled and their orderlie
OF hand. Twilight deepened into nigh
and in the gathering darkness, I rod
back to the hospitals, found them de
nnrAnh and ,nnahnd IN An Ihn Ennd MI