Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-12-04
THE CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA
ENDED,
Meade's Army Falling Back---He
has Recrossed the Rapidan.


McdUe u Ne removed.
Eight Counterfeiters of Treasury
Notes Arrested in Cincinnati.
Bragg's Army Reinforced.
-O
Special to the New York Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Q.
The army of the Potomac encamps tonight
on the ground it left en- the morning Of
Thanksgiving. The reasons of this sudden
change OF programme without forcing gen.
eral battle are these: At council of war.
held Monday night, facts demonstrated the
enemy strongly entrenched behind formula
Die works, which they were strengthening
the fearful loss which we would sustain, in
case we should attack the enemy, in wounded
who would perish with cold, were some of the
considerations which induced the subsequent
movement. Our rations and forage had very
nearly run out, and the roads were too bad to
allow the transportation of supplies from our
distant base. These weighty considerations,
1t is claimed, induced the commander to issue
an order to fall back, and the army of the
Potomac rests tonight on its old base, on the
line of the Orange & Alexandria r. R.
AS late as ten o'clock yesterday morning
we rode circuit in front of our advanced ar
tillery, from which position we could look
over into the rebel works and see greybacks
digging away with wonderful activity, their
guns all mounted and frowning at US.
Rumors are rife IN camp that Longstreet
has reinforced Lee and our forces are falling
back on Fredericksburg, but could trace
them to no trustwor by source.
We maintained our entire battle line in the
enemys front till about 7 o'c clock in the after
noon, when all fell back, crossing the Rspi-
dan at the Germania and Culpepper fords.
Our total loss in missing and wounded are
$40, and GO killed. Our wounded suffered
severely in their ambulances from rough
roads and the cold, as they must again to night.
A special train has already been dispatched
up the road to bring down the disabled.
The railroad track and telegraph wires are
uninjured.
Our main army left the front about mid
night Tuesday night, and its advance could
be seen approaching Brandy Station at 4
O'Clock this morning.
party of rebel cavalry came dasbing
up to the West bank of the Rapidan after our
bridges were up. They were greeted with
Shell and rapidly vanished.
Yesterday morning some guerrillas caught
a private of the l42d Pennsylvania while
guarding the railroad near Catlett's Station.
They stripped him Of his clothes and shot him
dead with Lis own musket.
New YORK, Dec. 9.
The Worlds Washington dispatch SAYS
the campaign in Virginia is ended. All for
ward movements on the part of the army of
the Potomac have ceased, and our forces have
nearly completed their return to the base
The retrograde movement commenced on
Tuesday.
1t is said in Washington that the failure to
carry out the plans of the War Department
involves the loss of Meade's position as com.
mander of the army of the Potomac
The reasons given for abandoning the cam
paign, are that Lee so en.renched himself
daily as to delay any rapid advance on our
part, and at the same time to prevent an at
tack. Our army fell back in safe and or
DERBY manner, the enemy being ignorant Of
our movements.
Gems. Sedgwick and Hooker are promi-
nently named for Meade's successor if any
change is made.
A special to the Herald states that the
condition Of the roads and want of supplies
induced Meade to fall back to Brandy Station,
which is now Meade's base Of supplies.
Trains loaded with provisions are rapidly
reaching that point from Alexandria.
Our army, after the check administered to
Gen. Warren at Mile Run on Monday, fell
back to the Rapidan and crossed over in safe
ty at night.
The Herald has the following:
Mink river is a stream 100 feet wide but
very shallow, if we judge by the depth of
clear water, but very deep when we count
the mud at its bottom. At It's sides, extend
ing several rods back. is a low marsh, miry
and reed-grown. From the edges the marsh
land rises gradually to the height of perhaps
one hundred feet half mile back from the
right shore. These slopes are open and in
many places cultivated. Patches of young
pines dot the slopes and extend back to the
denser woods which crown the summit of the
hills. The enemy fortified the western slope
by strong Notifications at its summit in front
of which felled trees, shrubbery and brush
formed impenetrable abattis.
A Tribune special say that on Sunday
morning Gen. Warren, I'd corps, with the Sd
division of the 9th corps, moved down on the
Fredericksburg plank road, which runs par
allel with the Orange Pike, and about three
miles from it, and proceeded for mile, when
he encountered the enemy's skirmishers, who
were driven forward q mile and half to the
west. The enemy then opened with artillery
on the I'd division, from some temporary
works On hill half a mile south of the un~
finished railroad, but were soon driven out
by the I'd corps, which rested for the night
with the intention of charging and fanking
the rebels in the morning. Early yesterday
morning Gen. Warren requested his COM
manders to inform their men of the nature of
the task before them and exhort them to make
a gallant assault upon the enemy's works in
their front which had been thrown up during
the night. He then made personal inspec-
ton of the works for an hour and half, and
hesitated to act. After an hours cannon
aiding, he was to make grand charge, and
the men were instructed to reserve their fire
until they entered the rebel works. No charge
was made on the left.
At 1880 Gen. Meade came down to the left
and was for long time employed in earnest
conversation with Gen. Warren. He seemed
to be administering rebuke to Warren.
CINCINNATI, Dec. 8.
Eight persons have been arrested here for
counterfeiting $40 Treasury Notes.
A dispatch received from Gen. Foster Chief
of Staff, dated Cumberland Gap LIST, says
nothing of the capture Of 5000 prisoners
at Knoxville.
Memphis advices, of the S0th ult, say the
steamer Black Hawk was fred into by
guerrillas near the mouth of Red River, and
several on board were wounded. The boat
put back.
A Chattanooga dispatch, of the I'd, says