Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-02-02

EHHAA ~ VI g. aA I
the fullest mssning Of the term and PERTAINS
these lines, written on The scene and at this Pc
Rod IA the annals Of the place, may be read
with interest by many hereafter. The bsttle
field was stripped Of sl the marks Of conflict.
except cur slight eaFthwoTks for infantry and
worthless articles which we're 100 v~alueless to
attract attention. No ore would have supposed
that a great battle could have been fought hare.
and that the holIow5 AMI gulies Of Deep Run
and other portions Of the field were, a short
time since, crowded with live Yankees cow
ering under the Gre Of cur artillery and getting
ready to attack us. The expsnse Of hill and
meadow looked quite psaeeful, and but for one
object you might have doubted that there had
been any battls--that auy war existed. This
was 5 fort oppasites IN which were mounted
some ugly looking 30-poUnderS with black
muzzles %pTotruding 5sfenlly towards the North
en shore. Yankee officers were riding along
she crest Of lie bib, tho lszylooking pickets
we're iouDging Oh the river bank, and of 20 the
right l saw the SMOKE of 9 large camp, beyond
the hill, which is most probably that Of Sum
nsr's grand division There IS another extern
siYe encampment beyond the pines on the oppo-
site side, opposite Falmouth, and in the night
are numerous tents which dot with their white
sides the slope Of the bill.
Its0k another LOOK in passing. at the spot
where she enemy threw across their main lover
ponteOn. They had six in sil, but, opposite this
one. 1 observed or the days preceding the bat
tie, the heaviest body of troops, massed, with
long lines stretching down, ike a huge spiders
legs, toward the river. TIE character Of the
ground here is well known by this tine. The
stream is not broad, and the banks rise-almost
too abruptly to admit Of riding up or down
them-about fifty yards from the margin. It
was under this declivity that the enemy aimed
to shelter themselves from the anticipated can
nonade, which, however, did not disturb them.
They must have been sogely puzzled b. that
silence Of our guns, and any general but Burn
side would have taken warning from that omin-
ously quiet reception. tyTo might have known
that a foa who neglected such an opportunity to
harrass him, was sure Of the game, and waited.
OF the defepsss here I viii only say that they
are more than sufficient.
a short ride brought me to the streets Of Fred
ercksburg, and l rode through 3 part Of the
town which I had not before seen, though I
had visited the place frequently since the battle.
It was here that BsTksdsle's brave shsrpshoot-
eTs were ststioned-close TO the bank, and in g
position to haTass the p~ontooners most terribly.
The enemy appreciated the Importance Of dis
loging them, SO destructive was their FIRE; and
throughout Thursday, the 11th, poured an IN
ceasing storm Of shot and shell on Barksdsle.
The consequence wss, that this portion Of the
town was fairly riddle with cannon balls. It is
dlllDok AMHDGo4sAp 10 EoutEy any Nba yl Ll6 tA-
tent Of the destruction. TAe houses are fairly
tornto pieces, the poTches, everything. splintered
to atoms. In the front Of one small house I
counted the holes of fly cannon shot aud
there is scarcely g building Of any description
ia this quarter of the town which has not its
roof pierced, lis gable knocked p, or It's chin
ney broken by the enemy's FIRE. The cannon
shot passed clean through in the msjoTity Of
instsces-ss the batteries we're placed on the
- Z E~I ~ Ill - ~ 81
had full swing az the doomed quarter.
As I advanced along the Main street, every
object which met my gaze spoke eloquently Of
that hot Thursday, and the Yankee inroad
which succeeded the withdrawal Of cur forces.
The Tandals had sacked every house, robbed
them of their contents, and IN the Impotence of
malice, ransaeked boxes CT private letters, and
scattered them broadcast 10 the winds. Hero
were the dearest treasures Of Southern gentle
men end ladies-letters from sons and brothers,
ard husbands and falhers-the sacred leaves
of pure-hearted women and famiies-fallen q
prey to worse than Goths. I thought, when I
looked at these familiar arehieves, there scat
tered and torn, as l have often thought before,
IA following the traces of these people, that
there is s5msshing barbara aud besstlV in their
nationsl character. From the horrible letters,
with their terrible o5seenity, picked 10 at Ma
~Dasssa, to Lhe results of their occupation Of
fredericksburg, there is nothing which does not
reveal z depth Of degradation aud ~vileness in
conceivable. We're there no other grounds for
eternal separation between the North and the
South except these evidences Of vulgsrity and
lusiai c9arseness, these alone would De enough
to make every SoutherRer resolve to die where
he stands, rather than have the old Union re-
stored.
Opposite the Chatham House, where a flag
wss ripping IN the wind, the appearance Of the
town was unspsakably mournful and d~esolste.
lIssW What / had read Of ID books, bas meyer
expected to see on American sell, a city which
had bsen sacked and si0ost destroyed. The
bank and many OF the finest shops were messes
trims. Tnepepers Of the bank were scattered
far and wide in the cutters. sud the whole vicin-
ity was one scene of houses tern by me
balls, walls toppled down, fronts without backs,
backs without fronts-aad Wild desolstioa.
Here a handsome IRON railing, sUImounted with
silver robs, and forming the handway up mar
bls steps, rose up from aTWin Of bricks and NOR
tar. There wooden house, riddlsd ike = tar
get, hung by beam and afteT, abo1t to fsI. On
one side s handsome sign and lamp we're half
torn away by 8 round shot, on tho ether, 3 tbsu-
sand-aricles of household use were scattered
over the street, left there by the enemy when
they made their coWar1iy retreat.
on the rivers bank our picket guard, with a
wooden, noyeshle she'd to keep the wind eli, sat
idly with cartridge boxes at belt, and musket
balanced carefully across the knee, watching
the equally idle Yankee piekets en- the opposite
side. Flags of truce arc frequent, ard 4 pom
toon boat on the other side furnishes the Rsans.
Of communication. Many letters pass thus be-.
tween the two armies, and the inhabitants Of
Stafford are frequently permitted to take refuge
within our lines The pickets are on perfectly
good terms, and seem to have made q tacit
D ~a-..a4cuE 70 No frfnnHa sfIl ffnnwH Ffn,n - 81
lounge IN the sunshine with an inert eli, which
tells plainly that there is no danger. Yankee
officers are occasionally riding about with a
sluggish air Of businsss-ofieers Of the day on
guard, I suppose.
The whole town presented more or less tie
appearance above described. The fine house of
Douglas Gordon was torn and dismsntled ike
the rest, and the church sseeple near had been
struck more than once. In leaving ths place I
took another look At the field which the gallant
Cobb streEed with the enemy's desd-the stone-
wall from behind which his brigade fought, and
the tree where be fell. This combat has net
been sufficiently noticed. It was one Of the
most obstinate Of the war, aad with Barksdale's
defense of the town, viii take its place forever
in history. Three times did the enemy, with
unquestioned courage and nerve, charge up to-
ward the Coufederates and thrice were they re-
pulsed with the most terrible slaughter. Some
OF baem goS Riuhl1 tweusy u 1Htsy JsidS u
the stone breastwork and fell there.
It's q doubtful compliment to our own brave
men to say that the enemy do not fight hard.
TLey certainly did p~erssYege in the attempt to
drive Cobb's brigade from this position with the
most dariag courage-bnt It did not sVail them.
The field over which they advanced st q double
auiek. was crowded with their dead. It is lite
TaTv trua that they dragged the bodies together,
oiled them up, and fought from behind ibis new
5necieg If b~reast-work, When they retresfed
5esnsir from before The heroic men who
naUred into their ranks such an awful fire, the
enemy were completely disheaTIeaed, and there
80 "a more eight in them. They had played
sbsir Isst esrd. rose from the table conquered,
and gave up the game
The locality win be one Of the chief historic
6afnres Of his new historic spot. No hand
sbould ever be laid upon that old s~tonssal
uhich shalAared 30 many Southern hearts rom