The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-01
REBEL VAR HIsTORY
THR BATTLES OF FREDERICKSBURG AND cHANoEL-
LOUISVILLE.


LOUISVILLE.
Benjamin @. Humphreys, late a Confederate
General, has published an account of his "Re-
collections OF Fredericksburg Towards the
conclusion he sums up bis views In regard to
Fredericksburg and Charlottesville, as fol-
1.-THE battle OF Chancellorsville was fought
from Fredericksburg to the Wilderness along
Two almost parallel roads-the PLANK Road and
the SOld Turnpike'-and is Justly regarded as
one of the proudest achievements OF Southern
arms. Military critics are puzzled at it's result.
Lee knew with absolute certainty that Hooker
had ever l2O, 600 men. Hooker knew with equal
certainty that Lee had less than so, 900. Hooker
moved over 10000 to Charlottesville, and left
Sedgwick, IN front of Fredericksburg, with over
thirty thousand. Why did Sedgwick cross
portion OF his army over the river at Deep run
on the 10th of April? Was the movement pre-
mature, or was IL made TO threaten and hold
Lee a. Fredericksburg until Hooker could slip
through the Wilderness, and fall upon the flank
and rear of Lees army If so, why did Hooker
halt at Charlottesville, and commence forti-
flying on the 30th of April
After Lee moved up to Charlottesville and
confronted Hooker on lst OF May, why were
Hooker and Sedgwick both inactive? They
knew that Lee had divided his army. Hooker
and Sedgwick each had an army-had they
been Confederate soldiers-tbat could have
yanquished either half OF Lees army, If that
half had been any other but Confederate sol
dters. Yet they both remained inactive until
jackson gained the extreme right flank of
.
Lees army, and drove back the right wing of
Hooker's army upon the centre. Then Sedgwick
began to move IN earnest, on the Sd of May,
and Hooker remained on the defensive with his
ninety thousand against forty-hve thousand.
From the number of men that Hooker knew
jackson had on his right flank, stirring up his
Dutch, he must have known that Lee had but
few lett between him and Sedgwick. Yet
Hooker remained defending his ninety thou
sand as best he could against Andersons
twelve thousand and Jackson's twenty-five
thousand, and let Lee turn towards Fredercks-
burg, with two divisions-eight thousand men
on the 4th of May, and in hearing distance of
Hooker, drive Sedgwick, with his twenty thou
sand, across the Rappahanock; and on the 6th
became alarmed for the safety of his ninety
thousand, and precipitately recrossed the river.
That didn't look to-the Rebels like 'pulverizing
the rebellion much.
''Had Hooker been a Lee, and Sedgwick
Jackson, Sedgwlck would have moved out from
Deep run with his thirty thousand square across
the plateau between Barksdale and Early during
the night Of lst of May, and presented himself
on the hills on the Mine road. General Early
would have been captured or routed back to
North Anna-Rarksdale would have evacuated
Mayre Hill, and perhaps made his escape to the
plank road and gained Lee-and Jackson
would not have made his flank movement to
Hookers right flank. Still, then, nothing but
action on the part of both Hooker and Sedgwick
would have prevailed. II Hooker had pru-
IDENTIFY remained at Charlottesville defending
his ninety thousand men against half of Lees
army, now reduced by the loss of Early, Stone.
wall jackson would nave turned upon Sedg-
wick with the other half of Lees army, and
pushed him back across his pontoons at Frede-
ricksburg, and returned towards Charlottesville
and struck Hooker on his left flank and drove
in his left wing upon his centre, and Lee would
have pushed the whole dlsordered mass through
the Wilderness and across the Rapidan. But If
Hooker had been Johnson or Longstreet on
the morning of the I'd of May, with ninety thou
sand men at Charlottesville, and had Sedgwick
been Beauregard, d. II. Hill, or Hood, with
thirty thousand men on the hills back of Frede
ricksburg joint, active, closing-ln movement
would have been made upon Lee and Lee
would have been crushed upon the PLANK road,
and that would have looked like 'puverizng
the Rebellion But the supposed Sedgwick-
eauregard-Hill-Hood- - was not the real
Stonewall Jackson, and the supposed Hooker
observation-disclosures not the real Robert
E. Lee. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson
knew their men,"