Evening star., 1863-05-04
HOOKER'S MOVEMENT UPON
RICHMOND.
THE SUCCESSFUL CROSSING OF THE
RAPPAHANAOCK AND RAPIDAN.
CHAhCELLORYILLE., TEN MILES SOUTH
WEST or FREDERICKSBURG, OCcU-
PIED BY GEN. HOOKER
GEN. SToNEMkN PLAYING THE MISCHIEF
WITH HIS CAVALRY IN THE REAR
OF THE REBELS a..
GENERAL LEE SURPRISED.

I L
| -&--
! We have scrupuiously reframed from giving
publicity to any of the late movements OF Gen.
eral Hooker, and in accordance with what was
understood to be the wishes of the Govern
ment, did not reproduce whaI had appeared in
| the Northern papers. As the Chronicle and
| Iutelligencer have now given them fnH ventila.
ton, nothing can be gained by withholding the
| same information from our readers. While
! giving these details OF what has already trans
! pired, we shall carefully avoid furnishing any
thing OF what is occurring in the present or
likely to in the future, calculated afford any
!; possible information to The enemy, and trust
! that our contemporaries will be guided by the
! same sense OF dnty. III the present encouraging
position of affairs We can well afford to wall a
short season for the full development of the
! plans of General Hooker, which have thus far
| been carried out with such brilliant SUCCESS.
| The following information of the grand
movement of the Army of The Potomac is given
| in the following letter from correspondent Of
! the New York Tribune:
! HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
| Thursday, April ;jU.-Dn Monday morning. AT
! nve O'Clock, the Eleventh, Major General
! Howard's Corps. the Twelfth. Major. General
! Slocum's, and the Fifth, Ma jUr- General Meade
! Corps. struck their tent and marched west
/ ward ON the several roads leading to keiiy's
! Ford, distant from .he line ot Aqua Creek
/ and Fredericksburg Railroad about twenty
, five miles. The Eleventh Corps, being in the
, advance, reached keliy's Ford al eleven
! O'Clock on Tuesday morning.
! a brigade from this corps, commanded by
; Colonel Bush beck, had been guarding the ford
! ever since the ad anc" of The airy TWO
/ weeks ago. The position had been reconnoitred
! aid hence immediate pre- para ions were made
| Lay seem TO '-straLegists," We're i'll the right
| place at the right time. The engineering was
| directed by Captain Comstock, OF Hooker g
staff: but both the laying OF the bridges and the
! crossing We're superintendent by Major Gene
| raj Howard. i'll person.
! The position is admirable for The
| exercise OF little strategy. Marsh Run emp
! ties into the river Just below 1be fords, after
! stealing its way round Il high bluff. The pom
| tccI boats we're mGDrrd in this creek behind
+ fhe.hluh; iii seventeen boats, Wo hundred and
! ffty-fve men from the Seventy third pannsyi-
! vanla Volunteers aud the DnP-huuQr and
| fifty fourth New York regiments, suddenly
! darted from the shadow ofthe III II, and pushed
! vigorously across the riverand seized The bank
! The Rebel pickets, about twenty i'll number,
; attempted 10 fire. but their powder being wet,
| succeeded only in swapping few caps at the
+; men in the boats.
Ski1mishes were deployed to The righ- left
! and front. but the enemy wao nowhere TO be
found. The remainder Of the TWO regiments
crossed in boats. while the bridge building was
pushed fnrw'"rd ",i'h +" ',"st t'uIgoitd,oio
viGor Early i'll The evening The Eleventh
Corps commenced crossing, and the Twelfth
biVouacked on The commanding .biuhs that
surround the ford.
On Tuesday morning, long before the day
! had dawned the tramp Of feet was again heard
the floating way. and when the grey light OF
morning rose OF the scena; long black lines
| were projecting themselves in Tldi1 from the
| pontoon launching, and the plain beyond the
| river was soon covered with moving masses OF
men.
Al six o'clock General s;tonenlan's Cavalry
| Corps arrived IT the bridge and commenced
| crossing. Following these came the Fifth
! Corps, the Twelfth having already crossed
The wagon trains were all sent back frcm
! keliy's Ford and parked near Banks Ford,
! ana TO those who study th9iirections OF straws,
; il was evident that a. connection would he
/ forced from Banks Ford 10 the troops from
+! kely's Ford. From y O'Clock til one irreg-
! ular firing WAS heard in the direction OF Ger
mania on the Rapldln, and IL is supposed that
The enemy was there endeaVoring TO check the
rapid march of the National troops, though
nothing trustworthy has yet reached us.
!. At ~ O'Clock on Tuesday, the camps OF the
! First Corps, Major Gen. Reynolds: the Third
! MAJOR Gen. Sickles, and the Sixth. Major Gen
SedgWick. Wer, Abandoned and the troops pat
in motion. When daylight broke on Wednes-
day morning, National brigades had surprised,
surrounded and captured the enemy's pickets
and reserves, and the astonished rebels beheld
; two bridges connecting the hostile shores OF
| the Rappabannock, four miles below Freder-
! icksbHrg.
| AS at Kelly's Ford, so here, there was no
| waiting for pontoons; every thing was i'll readi-
ness and so skillfully and quietly was the
| launching Of the boats and the crossing of the
men conducted, that the first notice the rebel
outposts had OF what was gong on was the
approach OF the boats filled with men. They
fired yolley at random, which wounded some
twenty men of the 18th Pennsylvania volun-
teers, that regiment having the advance. Col.
Ellmaker is reported severely wounded.
The success OF the expedition in boats was so
complete as to prevent an alarm. The laying
of the bridges, though in the very face OF the
enemy, was, therefore, carried to completion
without his knowledge.
The hazy atmosphere of the night was most
favorable for the work. Though one could see
perfectly well for space Of twenty feet und,
objects more distant were wholly undstin-
gnishable through the mist Two bridges We're
laid near the same crossing, one by detach-
nent of regulars and the other by volunteers.
Apleasant rivalry sprung up, and the Holun-
teer hoys carried away the laurels by COM
pleting their bridge thirty min utes i'll advance
Of the regulars. After this third bridge was
A sufficient force to hold the bridges was
marched over and placed in position, after
which the crossing ceased for the day The
several commands on this siderWere adyan-
tageousiy posted TO await further orders. The
time, pnrport and execution OF these orders
will appear at the close of this drama.
Two miles further down the river General
Reynolds, with the First Corps, constructed a
bridge in the face of the enemy sFlfe- pitt and
effected crossing. The rseerance was stub
born, but of short duration. The fire OF the
artillery was too rapid and severe for the
enemy, and he wisely abandoned his earth.
works and fed, leaving in the hands OF party
who crossed in boats eighty-seven prisoners Of
Thirteenth Georgia and Sixth Leuisiana, at
tached to JacksOn's command. The prisoners
report Jackson as commanding the right wing
OF the Rebel army.
Yesterday, the Second, Couch's Corps, took
a position in the rear of Banks Ford, with full
facilities Tor crossing his own corps and
many as might be ordered to follow him. A
good road was constructed between Banks and
United States Fords, and only orders were
needed to put IN harmonious motion all the
departments Of this great army.
Later Intelligence brings in the cheering ne ws
that the eleventh and twelfth corps crossed the
Rapidan at Germania at three O'clock yester-
day, and that Gen. Meade, with the fifth corps,
crossed at point lower down at five o'clock.
The enemy was every where taken by surprise;
and nearly every picket force was captured.
From 500 to 500 prisoners and wounded bad
been taken up to four O'Clock, and the command.
was moving down in line order, buoyant with
hope and oSerf1owing with ecstacy. The line.
OF march is in the direction OF fChancelloryilies
south OF Frederieksburg.. .s.g
Stopeman, with his full corps OF cavalry, is
sweeping down ih q wide circle. determined,
with skill, energy and dash, to retrieve the
1 laurels of q r,2st f0rfni1hf j go