The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-05-21
LETTER FROM THE RAPPAuANNOCK
FALMOUTH, Va, May IL, 1868.
A.. ,Ls EI3.Jars of the Evansville Journal:

mac may be OF some inVefes' W 49,
many readers. After our nine days
hard marching, and still harder fighting,
we are again in our old quarters. J
The Army of the Potomac is the finest
and best equipped army in the world.
No act of men ever went to meet an
enemy in finer spirits than did Hooker's
army when it left its camps on the 18th
ult. Each man felt confident of success,
and each was eager for the fray We
crossed the river without opposition,
established ourlines upon ground select
ed by our Generals, fortified them, and
awaited the attack. Nor did we have to
wait long. Heavy skirmishing on Fri
day reminded us that we had an enemy
in front; and on Saturday the fight COM
menced in earnest At noon on Satur-
day the rebels attacked our entire right
with a ferocity seldom equalled and
never surpassed. The roar OF musketry
and laundering tones of the cannon was
kept up until near twelve o'clock at
NIGHT. without intermission or Taxation.
The battle at night was terrible, and the
scene was grand beyond description. 1t
seemed as if the heavens were being rent
with bursting shells and missiles OF death:
The Eleventh Corps ingloriously fed, and
the rebels took possession OF our advance
line of rifle-pits.
Now all is quiet The two grandest
armies in the world are facing each other,
awaiting daylight to renew the deadly
strife. Occasionally a faithful sentinel
either sees some one or imagines he does,
and at once fires at the object Thus
the night is passed.
At half.past FIVE in the morning the
rebel General masses his forces and
hurls them upon our right, along the en-
tire line. The battle is renewed with
more fury, if possible, than on Saturday
Each army seems determined to win or
be annihilated upon the bloody field OF
Charlottesville
/ E;ght ocLock.-Some of our troops
give way-new ones are sent to take
their places, and the battle continues
with all its ferceness. One hour more,
and it is evident that the entire line is
: falling back Something must be done!
Hooker asks French if he has brigade
that can check the advance of the rebels.
French replies that he has; and at once
four regiments of his old Gibralter Brig
3 ade-the 14th Indiana, 4th Ohio, 9Th
E Virginia. and 2Sth New Jersey, COM
manded by Colonel Carroll-are ordered
into line, and the command Forward! =
n is given. All eyes are upon Carroll and
his devoted little band They advance
/ as though ON dress parade. They soon
meet the victorious rebels, and then 1t
a was that the most effective volley was
= poured into the rebel ranks-they waver.
A second volley is poured into them
. the order to charge is given, an order
o that was executed with yell of delight
IS bv our brave little band, and the rebels
n are driven IN confusion. For three
! fourths of a mile the enemy retreats, un
=. til he comes upon his reinforcement
y =ss,ssA zssazEss.ssks Of his guns. Further thar
;. that the day would have been ours, anC
- the rebel army annihilated. The rebel,
again press our lines, and we contrac
ie them: Our cannon are placed in posi-
tlon IN an open field, so profusely that il
Is impossible for them to be attacked
e with success. Consequently, at twelve
q O'Clock the great battle is considered
over, at least for the day During the
> day, however, Smelling and skirmishing
t. are frequent
h On Monday, neither side showed any
a disposition to make any formidable at
, tack, until near night, when the rebels
: charged our batteries through an open
} held. The contest was short but bloody.
r The rebels retreated in great confusion.
r tuesday was very quiet all day, and
at night to the astonishment of all, our
troops withdrew, the last of them leaving
about clock, and re-crossed the river
\ without molestation, a very fortunate
: thing tor US. There seems to be but one
reason why the rebels did not follow up
our retreating forces, and that is. that
) they were making similar movement.
: and that they had got five miles on their
way toward Richmond before they knew
that we were re-crossing the Rappahan-
mock. ~
Why we did not demolish the rebel
army is certainly unknown to me- We
had men enoogh to have eaten them in
} very short time, had they been good beef
Ne fought them on ground of our own
selection, and if we did not have the ad-
vantage, it was not their fault and vet
we retired, leaving our dead and the
most of our wounded on the field of hat
tie.
Fredericksburg is again occupied by
the rebels Our troops again occupy
the same huts that they have lived in all
wiHtar- and rAt ii Ia said hr-sanaa- thet
and that we very nearly Accomplished
all that was intended. This NAV he
true, but can't see it.
The medical department of the army.
is perhaps, if possible, the worst 6uther,
ed of any other department. The Sur.
geons bury their faults, while Generals
cannot entirely do so. l am glad to saw
that the 18th Indiana Is not so bad off in
the Medical Department, as it is in some
other respects Dr. McCune stands very
high, as surgeon, and is one of board
OF three, in the division, whose duty it is
to perform the necessary amputations
None but the best surgeons in the army
are placed in SO important position
Or. Z. ID. Sabin, recently of your city. |
Assistant Surgeon, is all energy and at.
tention, and stands fair as physician.
Co. E. lost in Sundays battle, Ser'et
James Fl. McMullen and John Stark,
killed; color sergeant Joseph N. Snider'
Casnpr apd a.