National Republican., 1885-02-07
BEFORE MARYES HEIGHTS.
A CONFEDERATE ACCOUNT OF THE CAR.
MAGE AROUND FREDERICKSBURG.
The Unfortunate Bombardment Of the Town
and It's PltlAble Results-A Tribute 90 the
Bravery and Tenncity Of the Union Troops
Under Very Adverse Circumstances.

Written for THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,.
The Major few weeks since started
out to give an account in The REPUBLI-
CAN Of the first battle Of fredericksburg |
from the union stand roint; but he had no
sooner gotten his batteries over the Rap |
pshannock and in comfortable position
near the historic Bernard house than he
was seized with ft Of philosophising on
the general cussodnoss Of tho nature Of
a private soldier and Of soldiers in gem
eral. The Majors observations were both
acute, interesting, and truthful; but the
managing editors remark-"Look here, 1
can only spare you n column and half
of space"-brought him, to q sudden halt
and tho Majors guns got no further
on paper.
1 propose to supplement the Majors
lccou mt with
MY REcoLLEcTIoNs OF THE BATTLE.
For long weeks Pickett's division Of
LonRstreet's corps had been in camp on
the ridge OF hills, facing Gen. Burnside's
position and almost In tho center Of Gen.
Lees lines. The weather for the time Of
the year, November and December, was
peculiarly mild and balmy, and, although
q battle was soon expected, the mouotony
of camp life was very irksome to mon
who had Just passed through the cam.
paigns of the second Manassas and
Antietam, and who had been almost con-
stantly on the move up to tho time that
Gen. Lee confronted Gen. Burnside at
Fredericksburg. Picketts division, to
which tho writer's regiment (17th Vir-
gt.su A,.f. ~ l,.I kAI bat
little to do during these weeks have
referred to. As far as l recollect, wo had
but few drills, no picket duty to perform,
and only an occasional detail for work
upon some redoubts being thrown up.
1T WAS A LAZY LIFE,
and we made tho best of it, as soldiers
are wont to do. For some days prior to
Dec. 10. 1862, there were rumors in the
camps that unusual activity had been OBJ
served in tho army over tho river. and
we "shucked ourselves" so to speak, for
marching orders, as we expected that If
an attack was made it would be over the
fords up tho river, whero Gen. Hooker
afterward made his demonstration. No
one in Lees army, l think, hoped for any
such good luck as a direct attack in front
on the strong position held by us. On
the night OF Dec. 10 the writer aud three
by the cooks fire in little ravine below
our camp engaged in an interesting game
of draw pokor-we had been paid OFF
several days before, The poker battle
had been waged with varying success all
night long, when just before daybreak,
Dec. IL, "bangp went gun from Long
streets headquarters on the left and after
short interval "bangW came another
report from Jackson's headquarters on
the right.
WE sPRANG TO OUR FEET
each one with the exclamation-"What
in the h-ll does that mean P'-for they
were evidently signal guns. Running
back to our tents we found tho adjutant
going around waking up the company
officers and directing them to get their
men under arms and in marching order
rs quietly as possible. 1t was then ascer-
tanned that the enemy had begun to lay
pontoon bridges for crossing the river
Immediately in our front. When the
regiment got into line wo could hear in
the direction OF the river tho rattle oi
the musketry, which showed that the
crossing was not being unopposed. While
shivering we stood in line in the cool o.
the morning, our old colonel, NJ. D
Corse, noticing it, rode in front Of us and
exclaimed, consolingly, ''Never mind
my bullies, well
WARM THEIR YANKEE JACKETS AFTEI
AWHILE"
About sunup, and when the fog had
lifted. the federal batteries opened upon
Fredericksburg and the sharpshootert
further down the river in furious can
nonade. At this time our brigade (Kem'
per's) was directed to move to the left
and to take up position on the road lead
inc fran Observation-Disclosures hv wau n
Marye's hill, and we were finally closed
in mass in double column of companies
on the left of this road and about hall
mile in rear of Marye's house. Here
while we rested beside our stacked arms
We witnessed a spectacle the most pitia
BILE that camo under my observation
during the war. Tho cannon of tho fed.
eral batteries on the heights could no
be depressed sufficiently to dislodge ou
sharpshooters on the banks of the river
who were opposing the laying of the pom
toons, but every shot crashed through
the houses of the town, and such of thu
inhabitants as did not take refuge in thu
cellars hastily seized their valuabies and
fed in a terrified mob from the destruc
ton which threatened them. The bonn
bardment was entirely unexpected, anC
no notice had been given for the re-
moval from the doomed town of tn,
women and children and other non
combatants. As we rested by our arms,
say, there came out Of the town
MoURNFUL TRAIN OF FUdITIvEs,
old men, women, and children, many o
them in tears. 1t was pitiful TO see wall
ing little toddlers but half dressed, hold
ing on to their mothers hands and alread,
tired out with their walk Of a mile o
more up hill. Every kind of vehicles
even hand-carts and whcelbarrows hat
been impressed to carry off necessar!
household effects and what showed forci
bly, the hasty terror of the exodus, wa
that many bore household utensils tina
could not possibly be of immediate servic
to them, for instance, one old lady, pre-
sumably an old maid. was bending und Q
the weight of a huge mirror, and sh
chung to 1t with desperate tenacity. Tn
worst of 1t was that there was no shelte
for these people anywhere within tel
miles of our rear, unless they took posses
sion ofour tents, which werestill standing
And so the rattle aud bang Of the can
non and musketry went on all day long
a seige train of six Parrot siege guns
each drawn by ten horses, and whic
passed us going to the front as We lay b.
the road side
ADDING TO THE INTERNAL DIN.
Just before sundown Pickett's divisio
was marched to the center OF the line q
battle md went into bivousc in order Z
battle at the foot OF tho amphitheater q
hills which approaching closely tho rive
above Fredericksburg, swept around t
the right and ended some two or thre
miles down tho river in low wooded un
dulations. On the crest OF this amph
theater of hills the confederate line {
battle proper was formed, Longstreet'
corps on the left and Jackson's on til
right Between tho hills and tho river wa
a rolling plain, intersected by dee
ravines and interspersod here and ther
with clumps Of trees. Across the plai
parallel with the river ran the telegrap
road to Richmond and the Rcl
mond and Fredericksburg railroad, th