Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-05-15
Correspondence Of the Daily Journal. ]
FROM WASHINGTON.


FROM WASHINGTON.
The Situation near Nedericksburg = Hooker
Pounds the enemy Beautifully, and re-
tu-ns by Prouidential Necessity The
National Capital full of Confidence,
etc., etc;
WASHINGTON Cry, May 8, 1868.
In do not know what sort of Geographic
dispatches GU may have received, upon the
late series of battles in the neighborhood Of
Fredericksburg, or what reasons may have
been assigned by the multitudinous sensa-
tional correspondents for Hooker's recrossing
the Rappahannock As to this last mention
ed matter, presume the statements have
been numerous, conflicting and tantalizing.-
At all events, they have been so here, and it has
not been without considerable pains and careful
inquiry that your correspondent has been
able to get at the truth of the matter.
As the glorious and immortal Samivel Wei
Ter would say, then, "Joe Hooker re-crossed
to the left bank Of the Rappahannock, be-
cause, as the very large vidder remarked to
the small young lady in pet by her side, who
vas fighting around at the Jenny Lind con-
cert, where seats were five dollars apiece, and
six for very little sofa, there is divinity
that shapes our ends'" 1t was by reason of
necessity, caused, as the lawyers say, by the
act of God, that Hooker re-crossed the river.
doubt if in the whole history of warfare,
there ever was more splendid military skill
exhibited than Hooker exhibited in throwing
his main army behind the army of Lee, and
compelling him to come out and fight on
Hooker's own ground. doubt if there ever
was better generalship displayed than Hooker
displayed on last Saturday night, and last
Sunday, in changing the front of his army,
(made necessary by the detection of the
eleventh corps), and in repulsing the whole
rebel forces, massed, and desperately charg-
ing against his centre. l think there never
was more terrific slaughter than he then and
there gave his foes. 1t is not figure of speech,
but the simple truth, to say that he literally
piled the ground with dead rebels. The first
line came up with the usual yells. 1t melted
away before the storm of double-sh0tted
grape and canister, and musketry, like the
mist before the sun. So with the second, and
the third, till not even gun -powdered whisky
could drive the rebels into the fearful mauso-
leum. The other engagements, of which OF
course you have had full particulars, were ad
mirably fought, and in oil two rebels were
placed hors du combat to one Union soldier
by the Sundays fight, believe five to one
would be low estimate. l4l.-.
Nevertheless, because Dix and Peck had let
Longstreet slip away from before them too
soon for Stoneman to avail against him, be-
cause of the nature of the ground, and 10 en-
able his men to do more deadly execution upon
the enemy with less havoc to themselves,
Hooker seemed to be slowly repulsed. By
studying the map in connexion with the bat
| = ho hot 10 1ack in
battle array was two and half or three miles
behind his first position. But he was not, in
fact. repulsed, except in the single instance
when the eleventh corps hed-a disaster which
was promptly retrieved by the heroic fighting
of Hooker's original division under Berry,
and the change Of front of the whole army
before referred to. Instead of being repulsed
Hooker was playing over Welington's game
of Torres Vedras. He was drawing his enemy
from slaughter-pen to slaughter-pen, with the
design of so reducing him that he could at
last be cut to pieces, and thoroughly destroyed
by tremendous attack.
Before that time came the storms came
The river began to swell. Part of the Acquia
Creek railway was already washed away by
the flood. The haversacks of the army were
nearly empty. A single batch cf drift might
destroy his pontoon bridges. 1t would moi
have been courage, or wisdom, or sense, tc
have remained with his communications mo-
mentarily threatened from on high. He re-
crossed the river, and exhibited to the world
as fine specimen of true military caution as
he did of courage when he crossed it in the
first instance.
Such is truthful outline of the events
which have taken place, as have had them
narrated to me by men who took part in the
engagements, and who are now here, wound
ed. Among them may mention Col. Sam
Ross, of the Goth Connecticut, formerly Of
Dubuque, who was in command of thu ID
Brigade, LIST Division of Slocum's Corps
Williams Division-which won unfading lau
res for its splendid conduct through the
whole eventful week. Col. Ross was wound
ed by the bursting of shell, on Sunday, but
did not leave till Monday. He is now at Will
lard's, doing very WELL BY conversations
with officers just from the army, learn thai
the troops feel that they gave the rebels 8
most tremendous pounding, and are anx
ious to go at it again to pound 'em into jelly.
And it will not be long before they DO it
either. The fee-faw-fum stories which pop
eyed suffers and frightened visitors got of
have not had much effect here. The city il
full of confidence that the battle is not ye
over, and this confidence penetrates ali cir
cles from the Presidential mansion to contra
band quarters. The secesh chaps wear long
faces.
A word as to the Eleventh Corps. Its bad
conduct was the immediate cause of change
:. opposition, which, though splendidly executed
induced material change in the general plan
and at length resulted in the abandonment Of
the enterprise. But for this believe Hooker
would have had the rebels so badly used thai
he would have made his general attack or
Monday, with overwhelming success, Ye,
: the men Of that corps are good fighters, as
they have since abundantly shown. Gen
: Howard had not long been in command o.
them. Gen. Schurz is the ablest philosophic
al orator in America, and man of great per
sonal courage. He cannot see but about
twenty feet. He may be a good General, but
his troops do not see it. 1t was a want Of
thorough knowledge Of Howard and of conf
dence in Schurz which caused the panic -
Had Sigel been in command there would have
been no panic. Halleck, then is the man to
curse for the want of success His atrocious
mand-another damnatory count in the in.
uIctInenI Tile country Is lnuluS against nlIll,
and which Of itself ought to hurl him into
the deep Tartarus of universal scorn.
I have written this much upon a subject
which may be hackneyed by the time it shall
reach you, in the hope that your readers may
have truthful view of the matter, which
they will not certainly get, as notice, from
the New York dailies at any rate. Poor III
G." is about played out. have about con-
J. L.
panic. And the other metropolitan journals
do not seem to be a whit better.
S. p Adams, Esq Of Dubuque, has been
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