The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-05-16
stouter; such as JOB printer might Sc
lect from fancy type
THE AFTERNOON.

eleven. jackson in the afternoon came
on to make second attack, still at the
apex The attack now instead of being
against the side of the ridge was uponit
point Again, as in the morning, the ar
tillery was massed. Exultingly the foe
came on, yet not so determinedly as in
the morning. He had lost life blood and
energy. Yet it was a vigorous attack
Again the artillery did its fearful work.
SUNDAY NIGHT.
Every attempt to move this second line
failed. That apex of men and artillery
was imuovable Long before night the
enemy retired, foiled in all his efforts to
break the line. He had pushed back the
pyramid-had gained ground and that
was all At Fredericksburg he lost
ground Sedgwick had carried the
heights and was we'll advanced toward
Hooker. In men be was 600 poorer.
His whole army had suffered.
How was it with Hooker? Reynolds,
Mesd's, Towards, nearly all of COUGHS,
and half of Slocum's corps were fresh.
The enemy had gained ground because
Hooker hand planned and had fought Il
defensive battle, but the enemy on Sum
day night had the wOst of it, Virtually
he was defeated. Hooker loss was but
FIVE thousand-notin including Sedgwick 5.
The time had arrived, as we look at it
now, for carrying out of the second part
of the plan-the advance upon the enc
my. Having received the blow-having
exhausted the foe-it was time to hurl
thunderbolt-to fall upon Jackson with
the fury of tornado-on Sunday night
or Monday morning. Up to this moment
! see but one impolitic feature-Sedg-
wick's attack The heights of Freder-
icksburg were of no account to Hooker.
Sedgwick had twenty thousand men to
carry them. 1t was bravely. calamity,
done. He captured guns and prisoners
but lost five thousand men 4 demon
stration with portion of the force would
have given Hooker additional power to
crush jackson. have no information
as to whether Sedgwick acted strictly &C.
cording to order or not.
Monday came. Lee sent an over
whelming force against Sedgwick while
jackson rested, and all that had been
gained, save cannon and prisoners, was
lost
Stoneman had not been heard from,
anu 14OOhCI uCIdff@u u SlElhC- U dHtll-
hilate the rebel army it was of the utmost
importance that StoLeman should do his
part of the work Wanting that infor-
nation, he waited. Candid minds will
duly consider the circumstances before
condemning the delay.
Sedgwick driven back, Lee was en-
boldened and strengthened. There was
rain up in the mountains. The Kappa
hammock began to rise. The rain was
falling fast; could he maiLtian his posi-
sition? Would it be safe to stay? Had
he right to imperil the army? Tues
day. and still no certain news from Stone
man. Averill, who had dashed toward
Gordonsville, was in with the intelligence
of the destruction of the Virginia Cen
Gral road in that direction; but that was
of no consequence if the Fredericksburg
road was intact The rain was pouring.
He -counseled with his officers, and the
decision I Ess t8 kFefTaTSS the OF RaRRahapg
what the Richmond papers had of Stone
fa fF-a fave ifgA ended. It was not so to be.
He who guides the stars contolled also
this event
Another such success to the rebels
would be terrible disaster They can
not long stand such an expenditure of
blood. When the history of this war is
written 1t would not be strange if the bat
tie OF Charlottesville was reckoned
about the most damaging blow thus far
given to the Confederacy.
Hooker recrossed the Rappahannock
noiselessly, bringing back more cannon
than vas taken over. The morale of his
army is excellent. The fact that FIVE d.
visions withstood the onset of all Jack
sons forces and two divisions of Long
streets, as We are informed by Rich
mons papers, has inspired the men.
Perhaps the question may be asked, why
Hooker did not bring in more troops
why he did not bring up Mead, Reynolds
or Couch on Sunday? He did not do it
for two reasons. The ground was not
adapted to the employment of such
body of troops, and it would be depart
ure from his we'll considered plan to
endure pounding till the enemy was ex-
hausted, then to rise in his might and
with sixty thousand fresh troops
crumble up the foe
1t may seem that he ought to have
moved on notwithstanding he had no in
formation from Stoneman; but that
would also have been departure from
his plan. thought over and over and de-
cided upon before he left Falmouth.
There will be universal regret that he
recrossed the riTer, but none will regret
it more deeply than Hooker. 1t was not
the foe in front, not the lines of bayonets,
the masses of men which the sent him
back, but the rising food threatening
his supplies.
But the country is not lost, not endan-
gered, even by the failure There is no
reason why men should loose heart, or
allow their hopes to go down This
struggle will not be decided by great
single victory, one grand triumph of
arms, the humiliation of an army, but
by powers of endurance The party
which can stand the pounding longest
will win.
jackson and Lee will not desire to
see many more such achievements,
when the victory is barren of fruit, when
the blow received is in untold measurse
heavier than that given.
In this account | have given only the
salient pointc If tho G0hf IN tho loft COW