The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-05-21


with great violence al midnishs, and sue
ceeded, poteenly in. recovering his mis-
placed divisions, hut In 1brSing nss1
line, which kept the whols Il -
still apps his front. o. Nj
ing, tho balnsd~ eaanJ sttsskSd n gfett
force again, and persisted bitterly Tor ssss
ssl houp; but. though be succsedsd ID
yeessinR = hck ward, for.about , mile,
\ faiisd - eGsn sny arrangement Of our
lines. Turaiag then upon Sedgwick,
(who. having been driven with his small
force from the highss by the eonfedera,es,
Who were advancing from the south, had
imrrujen,ly descended inward, from
them, TO lees rcar, instead Of falling
back to his cd position on the rivers
bauk,) Lee caught him right between
two converging forces. and obliged him
to escape BY the road toward Banks Ford,
With vesJ heavy loss. This error of posi-
tipn wdl found to hare been fault of
Sedgwiak's own, and va have but to re-
fer 70 the style OF liooker's position when
he allowed him to assail the nights, and
his answer to tho President when asked
if we had lost them, 70 establish that to
our satisfaction. :" Ii is so reported to
me, but ii 10 a matter of no conse-
queuce,' was Rockers tranquil answer
10 Mr.. Lincoln's telegram, and while
reading il, We are inevitably reduced to
the conclusion that be fancied, at tina.
time, that Sedgwiok had simply fallen
back to the margin Of the Rappahannock,
10 his appointed attitude Of observation.
II is impossible for any, but an utter
snake, to forbear admiring the superb self
reliance of the Federal commander, in his
ansve or to the President on the Confeder.
ate re-oocupstion Of the lights Of Freder-
icksburg or any but poisoned traitor
to deny. that regardless OF their loss. and
utterly regardless Of The raid Of Stoneman.
Hooker was master Of the situation. and
could not DO dislodged by any Conteder.
ate power. The enemy, BY his terrific
plunges. by his frightful losses. by the
wounding Of jackson. aud other casual
tee, we're utterly eIhats.et; while it Is in
hostile and malig nant proof, that HOOKER
had not been called upon to employ ni1re
than one u I'D his force. While thus re
eurely fixed, however, and wa,!e appa-
rently nothing but n superhunan power
could extricae the ConfsdeRte army
from his grippe. the heavens opened. and
a rain set IN, such as the season had not
known before. The angry streams rose
with the deluge, and presently the volume
OF the Rappahannock spread SO wide, as
to overflow It's banks. The furious cur
rent toreso madly against our half drowned
pontoons, that they threatened to yield n
every instant, and by parting from the
shore to go endwise down the stream. d
the eight days provisions with which wi
had started, our men had barely two days
raiions left. aud if our brigsdes failed u,
here, As they already bad 10 two places on
our own side, tie whole arm, would bt
severed fr4lit - g.a" ~, ane
Com mandei ~ c.fe as ~... 40 solilers
must all surrender in body. Undel
thass, circumstances. and consulting pru
dence; nay, yielding to the sternest die
tates of necessity, Hooker was forces
sorrowfully to give the order to recross
It is for this prudent and inevitable act
effected like the original crossing abso
lutely without loss, that the finest soldie
in this country has been disparaged b,
un,hinking people, and covered by tn
malicious, with measureless SANDER an,
abuse. Alrcads, howSvsr, the publ
have detected the motive of dis sudde
outcry, and trace it TO the factious sup
/ portors of chief,ain who never effec.e'
q successful movement in his life, An,
| who .scould not recolIect" whether or n
he hid himself away on gunboat, Will
the battle was raging hard BY at Malyer
/ Hill!
/ But thanks to Sthe sober secon
thought" the public An understand tn
matter now, and while they recognize q
the present distraction of the rebels be
tween Fredericksburg and Richmond, a
! the result OF nine days effort, they bchol
him recovered from his temporary retro
gade, again in possession Of the boaste
nights no long declared impregnable. an
once more beyond the Rappahan mock, o
the road to Richmond. That he wi
reach there victor, We have but litll
doubt; but il he fails in the attempt, III
page Of history cannot be obiiterated {
the firm imprint he has made upon it
while The unbiased critic will not fail ,
recognize him as the finest General of Il,
campaigp. TO another verdict on tn
4 face Of he same record do we leave tho.
base matignep WHO would accuse his plan
with The results Of the Tight Of the ! II
Corps, and Who are guilty Of the sham,
less assumption that the presence Of Stone
mans cavalry on that occasion (retrieve
as it was by Berr,'s charge and the fgf
Of Sunday night would have been MOI
than equivalent 10 the achievements
the raid. which still leaves Richmond con
! paratively at our mercy.
/ Our only comment is that the 10y
public should be more wary hereafter
the clamors Of the coppsrheads; and whe
they ind 1 soldier Of Joe Hooker's STAN
We advise them 10 stick by him, withov
wavering. After the Dutchmsn OF Il
18th Corps have not succeeded 10 bstra
ing him to the enemy, no Dutchman nee
= undertake to write him down.
!, 6 q y : I Q Il.