Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-02-02

Especial Correspondence of the Chicago Times
WASHINGTON Jan. y.
The foreboding expressed in my letter OF Jan
20 (date printed enormously ~ respecting the
result of the movement of the Al nv OF tie 20
tOmac which had at that time been ordered, have
been more than realized. Burnsldes secoHd at
tempt To take Fredericksburg has failed even
more completely aid ingoriously than The first
No doubt Haleck will seek To throw the Odum
OF this failure also upon Gen Burnside. Yet
this second attempt TO take Fredericksburg was
made IN exact pursuance OF orders ISSUED by
Haieck ana Stanton. The preparations for the
attack Ue-an De made soon alter New Years
Day. Ever since that time these preparations
have been carried forward by Gen. Burnside and
his officers with great vgor, but at the time
With great publicity. The tact that Gen. Burn
side was seeking for other iOrds to cross the Rap
pahHunock Mas trunpeted through one OF tine
+ stern pipers. and thus comes straight to tie
Rebel Generals. All the other preparations that
be was engaged in making Tor more than two
week regularly communicated TO the
enemy, day by day. by the iuh .btants near Fa.
mouth k,ery day, from the 81 10 the 2jth OF
Jhuuy, Gen Lee WAS correctly informed, not
only OF tie exact numbers and strength OF each
one OF burnsiGes c0rls, but also OF the move
meuts that had taken place, the progress OF the
preparations for crossing the river, and the pro
grc>s oi tae uiS tifectiOn among the trDOps Owin-
% the withholding oi thelr pay: ami sis move
meuts were re. uiatcd by %hat he thus learned
l. burnside moved division ten miles above
Faim nth. Lee moa Ell 4 brigade To "a point OF 20
site, where tire uiDs emenis of the mon division
couid be watched anu tie Cln.s-eraie brigade
amused themselves alti Kept Themselves warm
by fH- "a re.!eaht or digging rife pits,
ds Go Coniunlru TIE iutd, II there was one there
IL Burnside moved brigade ten miles below
Falmouth. Lee made a corresponding m1N ement
with regiment aud every where opposite 10
where our troops moVeI they saw the enemy ia
force
Gen. Lees moN emeLt-, during al this time.
were cOHducte. w4th tsi.t Judgment which alwass
marks IN military chag tcter he knew that,
Wherever our arm, could cross, Fredericksburg
would ice lac pJius OF .tt,ca: he therefore made
tfelerIeks uis h.s central point. ana kept tie
boiA Il Ills amy here Bu; he kaew that the
crossing wound not be attempted there a sec0nd
time, therefore lie distributed hls force both aoO e
aua below. But the wh0le line which ne guarded
cia not exceed thirty miles "a length; that - from
Batretts Ford 70 Port Ro,al. fifteen miles above
and fifteen miles below Frederick sburs Aud his
roads were 20 constructed that he couid concen
trate all his forces on any given point on THIS line
10 very few hours Besides this, the hills along
tbs whole Inc hrstled with inIreuchments, which
las army has been engaged IN erecting ever simce
the l1ta - December. "a "A reference TO your tel
egfaphic column will show His arrangements,
IN a word, we're such that even il the storm had
not taken place. even IL troops had succeeded
IA crossing. Ne should, ia ali probability, have
been again defeated
In the face OF all these facts, there are men 80
infatuated a. 10 say that. II il had nos been Tor
the storm. burnside would have taken Gen. Lee
bv surprise. Why, 60 say nothirs OF the Tact that
Seu Lee knew OF every movement Burnside
maae, there we're circumstances which occurred
just heiore the storm which prove that, owing 10
Burusdes bad generalshp the crossing, in any
event. would have been 80 delayed that the enemy
would have bad abundance of time TO concentrate
hls forces, even # he had been surprised Orders
had been issued to Frankiin's grand division to
advance by certain road Hooker's grand iii
vision Was ordered 10 advance hy road be,ring