The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-07
FRon eeHEaAl LEES aRHY.
fraox oun own coaaEsroxDsxr.l ]
AnmY or NoRTHsRx vInsINlA,
Jan. 4th. 1854.

AAnT OF N01fHsRN vInSlElA,}
Jan. 18th, 1854.
The series Of bstties fought between Fredericks-
burg and Chancellossvile, on the lst, ID, ID, and
4sh Of Me-, 1853, will, am persuaded, be viewed
By the impartial historian In IN after day - the
most decisive the southern cause Of any fought
dufing the war for Southern Independence. Up "
that time battles had been contested with hut
paraftve slight loss either side. In these en-.
sasementk, however, the Fe.efal army had not .
man less thar thirty th'seand placed hov de- com.a.,
whilst own casueiles footed up fanres APPROX
imatiug tn ten thousand. But this was not ALL
the Federal General had placed everything upon
the hazard Of = die; he had sworn to fight and to
defeat the rebel hosts; he bad planned for sue
cesstul campaign, but allowed nothing for mis- :
elsase of his plan, OF want nf success in III. bat.
H.. Hence It was that when Haileck nrst learns
ot HookeF's defeat, 90 overwhelmed was he " th
disappointment that be dispatched orders 10 DO
! stfoy the stores at Aqua Creek; subsequently,
however, sounternanding these orders In time to
prevent the destruction coniemDlatt 4.
Here, as Il the 6rst Frederic kshurg 6xhs. II wss
ffbund fmp0s 1D4e 10 fnoW mp the eBeunypAs1 esusU
the river into ~taffofd, for many reasons, but
| chiefly for want OF pontoons and lack OF force.
| think there can nav be no improperly in my
saying that our effective fighting force in these bat
ties was, when impaired with the Federal army,
| - the ratio of three to kn-a force though quite
adequate for defencr could yet scarcely be relied
| upon 70 pursue the enemy into an entrenched 20.
sition such as they held and cou fall back to on
| ths Stafford heights. Hooker came with eight
days. rat'ons, and with a plan Of battle lacking
but Que. essential to complete success. The Soss
| pfacticed by him in throwing across small force
| below Fredericksburg, while with the main body
Of his army he marched above and passed arst the
| Rappahannoek and then tho Rapidan, was most
j nuCcoaAflf. And IL until Hooker had
crossed both rivers and was well fortified at Chan
| celiorsvie, directly In our rear, and In complete
avoidance of the numerous Notifications we had
erected during the winter with which to guard the
front, that hts plans became fully understood
Then came the "tug Of war;" We had either to
| fall back without fighting, or to drive the enemy
from bis entrenched position In that "tan gied will
derness, Gen. Lee very apily spoke of it In
Official order. 30 far Hooker had done well
enough; bat now came his mistake, and doubtless
be bitterly repented ofit That mistake consisted
In nothing less than relieving his cavalry from their
appropriate place and work on the tanks Of his
army, and sending them on the "wild-goose chase''
known as "Stoneman's raid" If HOOker's fanks
had ben properly guarded with cavalry, it would
have been impossible for Jackson to have been so
successful in his flank movement. Their cavalry
must have discovered and defeated 1t. As Ii was,
we took the % enemy BY complete surprise, TO sum I'm
in the choice Of position, but failed to realize
success for three obvious reasons-frst, because
Of the absence of his cavalry; secondly, because
ment, and In nothing more than In the great rapid
ity with which il was executed; and thirdly, he
cause of the failure Of Sedgwick to unite with
Hooker. Ii Sed2wick had crossed at Fredertcks
burg on Friday, and carried the heights on Satur-
day. believe the results might have been very
different. But whilst our success was very great,
still the failure to capture Sedgwick ut Banks's
ford on Monday evening, May 4th, was as fnex-
cusable as believe the surrender into our hands
of the whole Of Hooker's force at Charlottesville
would have been inevitable but for the wound
Gan Ina aksnp unA 21t tupdo
Ia strange that Hooker, having piaDned well,
should have allowed his grand schemes 10 fail by
such blunders detaching his cavalry and the want
OF cO-r peTation by Sedgwick. Besides the pri
ers captured at Charlottesville, we obtained not
less than thirty thousand small arms and some
artillery, whilst the field was literally covered with
blankets and overcoats. too few OF which, unfor-
unately for our now suffering soldiers were saved
BY the Government, but we've appropriated by the
battle field plunders. Il IL little singular that
jackson, the first General ofthe Stoae wall brigade,
aud Paxton, its then commander, should have
fallen on this f-ld.
shortly after the battle Of Chaueeliorsvis, Gen.
Longssr ct, who had been absent near Suffolk, To-
turned to this army. The Inquiry On all hands was
IN regard 70 the successor Of Jackson. About tha
3oth Of May the President commissioned both
Mai Gems. 4. 8. Eweil and A. P. Hill 40 Lleuten
ant Generals in the Army Of Northern Virginia. To
each Of these Generals corps wa assigned, con-
Siding of three divisions, Gen. Lonastree, for this
purpose, parting with one Of his divisions. (An
| derson's) and A. P. Hills old divlson being re-
dnced by two brlgades, was assigned 10 Maj. Gen.
w. D. Fender. The two brigades th hus taken from
A. p. Hti,s division were united with .ettigrew's
aud another North Carolina brigade, and assigned
| to Maj Gen Heth, who, with Ma. Gen. PendeE,
were promoted from the rank Of brigadier-G Gen
| erals. Gen. A. r. Hin was assigned 70 the com
mand Of this corps. whilst Gen. Eweli retained
Jackson's old corps, con >istne of Earys divisions
| Early having been made Major-Geueral In Feb
ruary, AMI receiving command OF Ewell's cid divi-
sion, Rodes's division, ID. H. Hills old division
aud Trimbles division, to which Gen Ed john
| son, then just promoted to a Major -GeneraIshp,
was assls ed. 1t will De observed that Eve OF the
six Major GsneT1is now In the Infantry department
Of this army, and the two corps Generals, received
| theis promotion during the year just ended
The army thus recognized began 10 prepare fu
earnest for forward mo ement. AZ was generally
believed, tnto the eneny's conniry. Gen. Eweii $
corps took up the line Of march from its camps
near Fredericksburg on the morning of Thursday,
June 9TH, moving In the direction OF Cuip:per T..
n. On the same evening Longstreet's corps moved
In the same direction On Friday, June 5th, tile
! enemy crossed force below Fredericksburg near
the Bernard house, il they intended 10 move
| toms crossing up to Frederic ksburg. Ewel, and
LonsstTeet we're halted at or near Locust Grove, In
Orange county, TO await the issue OF the move
Hooker having made this diversion In our
| front, set himself TO work like beaver in
| removing hts stores and 10 retiring hts troops
| from the Stafford heights. The enemy kert their
force ON the south side Of the Rappaaannock from
Friday evening, June 5th, until saturday night,
June l3,h, when they recrossed 10 the Stafford
side and took up their pOntO0Es. On Sunday night
the last Of Hookefs forces left the Stafford heights
going in the direction Of Bull Rum. On the l7th Of
June, A. r. Hn's corps left the front at FredeIcks-
burg and moved In the wake of the other two
corps towards Culpeper =. H. The onward move
was now fairly begun In . subsequent letter |
will speak of the Pennsylvania campaign.
will close by mentioning, that the enemy left
the hills Of Stafford literally strewn with blankets
and overcOats, which, as at Chanceorsvil c, were
appropriated BY the citizens, and never snursd 70
The Government or the soldiers. Z.
! FslHAxDzHA, YLonDA.-ThS Yankees In this
subiugated town have been selling or stealing the
property of the citi1ens. The prices al which real
estate has been sold shows that they do not think
much Of their chance Of holding the property. Fo