The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-05-09
The Fighting OH the RappalsaH-
mock.

Below We give in that condensed form.
which our limited space compeIs, an account
of the severe fighting and army movements
transpiring on the Rappahnnnock during
last week. The fistes again seem to have
interposed for the discontinue Of the Army
of the Potomac, but let no one despair or
complain, but try again. Success final and
complete is certain to crown the efforts of
the Republic.
The movement which resulted in the bat
ties referred to began on Monday, April
18th. General Hooker had determined to
force General Lee out OF his strong deenscs
at Fredericksburg, ~ getting to his flank
and rear; and being aware that all the
iorIs of the RappahaEnock were strongly
guarded by the Rebels, he was obliged to
resort to strategy to cover his point Of
crossing. With II view to this he sent three
OF his corps down to the point. two miles
| below the city. where General franklin
crossed in December last. But two Divi-
Sons. however. actually crossed the river ::
but the whole uf the three corps were skill
fully marched along the slope of the hills in
sight of the enemy, and u portion Of them
being left in PORTION, the greater part were
! marched back through a ravine. These
were again paraded in sight of the enemy.
and so kept marching round until they as
sumed the proportions Of an army Of u
hundred thousand men.
In this way the astutc Lee was outwitte1,
and he massed his forces to the left of our
position to meet the supposed advance in
that direction. Meanwhile, Gen. Hooker
had despatched three other corps to Kelly 5
| Ford, twenty seven miles above. where the
| R.1,. H. e tl,a,,,
were easily driven in. All these corps were
then DETECTED to the left to bring them back
towards Fredericksburg, and by Thursday
night were in position on an angular line
extending right and left from Chancellur-
| vile. which is n cross roads twelve miles
west of Fredericksburg. On Thursday they
were joined by Couch's Corps. which had
crossed lower down. Thus was accomp.
lishcd march of thirty-sx miles, with
trains and artillery, over "a road traversed
by two rivers. the result placing seventy
| five thousand men in the rear of the Fred
erlcksburg Notifications.
At some period of this brilliant move.
mcnt it does not appear when, General
Sickles' Corps was also Withdrawn from the
front of Fredericksburg and massed with the
others at Characteristic, leaving Sedg-
wick $ alone to hold the enemy in check at
the former point.
Lee wns completely surprised, and when
| he woke up tlly to the situation on Thurs
day, he discovered that the adversary he
was lying in wait for to the east of I'reder.
icksburg was in position on his flank and
rear twelve miles to tic west Our line
there was formed in this wise Howard S
Corps had the extreme right to the south
west Of Characteristic. then came Sicklcs'
then Slocum S, then COUGHS, then Meade S;
| H,,,,,h,n,', D,,.;.,,,, ri 10
holding the extreme left on the Rappahan-
mock, between Banks Ford and the United
States Ford. While these dispositions were
being made, General Stoncman had been
sent with his cavalry to destroy the railroad
| bridges over the North and South Ann
rivers, about twenty miles this side Of Rich
mond
Threatened by such skillrul and formida
bic combinations, General Lee was Of
course obliged to bcstir himself with the
utmost energy. He was compelled to come
out and fight. Massing his troops for a
desperate onset, he commenced his attack
on Saturday by jackson and Hill, upon
Howard's Corps, on our extreme right
below Charlottesville. Anticipating this
movement, General Hooker had thrown
forward the Corps of General Sickles, en-
bracing the Divisions of Birney and Whip
ple, and the Brigade Of General Barlow,
with Berdan's Sharp shooters and Ran
dolph 5 Battery. This column was intended
to cut jackson in two, which was actually
done by those gallant soldiers, when all the
fruits of their victory were turned to ashes
by the disgracciul flight of the division of
Carl Shurz, which division received the
first shock of lackson's onset. This was at
five o, clock on Saturday. Siekles, Birnesy
and Whipple had to be recalled. Our right
| wns a manic (,nnaral Rarrv ,rar sor+ hv
General Hooker, with the Second Division
of the Third Corps, to stop the rout. He
succeeded, but it required night attack
from our side to eXtricate the right of our
line from the pcrious position in which 1t
was placed by the flight of Shurz Division.
This was made at eleven o'clock, by Gen
erals Birney and Ward, and was completely
successful. So closed Saturday night, with
our right considerably shattered, but with
the enemy batfled and repulsed in his main
purpose.
AS Lee was in position to attack General
Hooker's right flank and rear, it became
necessary for the latter to change front to
meet the emergency, and this he proceeded
to do by laying out new line for his right
flank during the night. That work was not
fully accomplished when Lee commenced
the battle Of Sunday at half past i've in the
morning. 1t begun considerably to the
front Of the new line, and it ragged with the
most intense fury for nearly six hours. 1t
WAS marked by the conspicuous gallantry
of Generals Berry, Birney, Whipple, vii
iams, Slckles, Slocum, French, Mott and
Hancock, ard their officers and men, The
troops of these Generals occupied the field
in front of the right wing and engaged the
enemy, while Reynolds and Meade Corps,
which formed the new right got into posi-,
ton. When everything was ready, the
divisions thus engaged fell back, and the
enemy found himself Jorccd dozen apon or
.front, instead of having an easy a.fair cM the
rear. At halfpast eleven the enemy,
thoroughly foiled and repulsed at every
point, ceased firing. The loss appears to
have been heavy on both sides, but the
enemy sranks were moved down by our
artillery as they were at Malvern. Five OF
his divisions engaged in the assault were
fearfuly cut up, and two thousand Of them
remain prisoners in our hands.
So ended the battle of Sunday. The enc
my having experienced the same transient
successes, the same repulses. and the same
terrible slaughter we went through at Fred
ercksburg and this is due to the plan
which compelled him to come out and fight
on our ground instead of him forcing us to
do battle on his.
| II o,o ,r,, =. tb;rd Lott1o TIL, r,,, ~ n