Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-05-09
SPECIAL DISPAT TIC HE'S
FROM WASHINGTON.
Why General Hooker Rstreated-
His Supplies Cut Off by the
Rains--HOW Fredericks-
burg was Rs.taken,
ITO the Chicago Tribune.l
WAsUTNGTou J

Yesterday General Milroy captured
rebel officer, on whose person was foun,
a fresh dispatch from General Lee, Stain,
that the rebel loss had been fearful.
The destruction of the railroad bridges
south Of Fredericksburg by Stoneman'l
force has surely placed the rebel army in
even q worse position for supplies than
our wi is at this time. As Hooker is now
where his communications are already es-
tablished, while those with Richmond must
continue unavailable for weeks to come, it
is necessary for them to scatter or fall back
in a body. It seems to us on the whole
that it is clear that a decisive victory was
snatched from our gallant troops only by
the elements.
In the course Of all the fighting through
out Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tues
day, the enemy had not ventured q gen
ersl engagement with his army, a portion
only Of which was in action at any one
time, and on no occasion with as great q
loss as he inflicted upon the rebels. Never
theless, as it became evident that this
greatest storm of the season would surely
cut off his supplies of all descriptions if
he remained on the south side Of the river,
awaiting an opportunity to induce the
enemy to risk a general engagement, he
evidently had left him but the only al
tentative of retreating, for the time being,
to where his supplies could readily reach
him.
Before daylight on Monday evening, the
enemy came back and re-occupied the
works which sedgwick had left when pro-
ceeding to attemptto join HaoLer7und Iigut
also discovered them msssed heavily on
the hills to the left and upon his front, their
total force aggregated there being appar-
emily between $4,000 and 10000 men.
Thus, they we're not only on his left flank
and front, but in the works between him
and GibbOn. Everything was quiet, until
about four o'clock in the afternoon, when
the rebels attacked from the left, and were
to by a single section Of artillery
Immediately in front of where they at
tackled.
As their infantry moved up Sedg-
wick's artillery opened from all quarters,
but could not check their slow and steady
advance under which Sedgwick gradually
fell backa mile and a half towards Banks
Ford. This was the main engagement of
Monday Afternoon, and lasted until 9 P. NJ.
In it our loss was about 1000 killed,
wounded and missing, making the totallOss
of sedgwick's and Gibbons commands, in
GLIDING those lost on the previous day,
about 5000, or half the whole loss Of Hook
ers army in the four days fighting.
On that Monday night sedgwiek re-
crossed with his force and Gibbons, to the
North bank Of the Ra~ppahannOck. It is
evident that the COnfederates played here
their old game Of massing their troops in
crushing force on our exposed points, with
rapid change of position, and that after
throwing themselves with all their weight
on Hooker, they with great celebrity moved
off to repeat the blow upon sedgwicks de-
taehed force, and this fact explains that
disastrous silence in front Of Hooker while
they were thus occupied with sedgwick.