The National tribune., 1886-07-29
TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON THURSDAY JULY 1885,


Squads of our men were hard at work bury
ing the dead. Long trenches were dug in
the ground, into which the bodies of our
fallen braves were slung with as little re-
spect as if they had been dead dogs. Dark
ness soon shut out their further operations
from view, and / returned to my pallet Of
straw with heavy heart.
Night had once more spread her mantle
over gloomy and war-stricken Fredericks-
burg. A small lamp was set on mantel-
piece in our apartment, and several pieces of
wood were added to fire in an open crate,
giving to the place something of a cheerful
appearance. At about z o'clock few dis
charges of artillery were heard, but from
what locality could not then be ascertained.
In few minutes footsteps ascending the
stairs hastily were heard, and voice shout
ing,
"Put out the lights up there; put out the
lightsl"
A minute later two men rushed into the
room and quickly closed the windOw-shut-
tiers, which had been open, allowing the
light from the fire and lamp to be plainly
seen from the outside and from the Con-
federate position on the nights
What's the matter!" cried one and then
another of my companions.
"The matter-the matter" repeated one
of the men; the rebs are opening their bat
teries again on the city, and the light in this
room is making it good target for them"
This turned out true to q certain extent,
for soon the Kissing Of shells was distinctly
heard as they passed over the house, and a
solid shot took effect in the upper corner Of
the building, near where / was lying car
rying part of it away, and leaving a hole
through which / saw the sky next morning.
The firing, however, soon ceased and all was
still during the remainder of the night, the
enemy lying quiet behind his works, from
which not sound could be heard nor a
light seen.
Next morning (Monday) about o'clock
/ arose and buttOned my tattered and bloody
clothing around my body, and started for
one of the pontOon bridges and the opposite
| shore, hoping to get transportation north
| from there to Aqua Creek, then the base OF
| supplies for the Army of the Potomac. j
| found at least 100 wounded men at the
bridge when / arrived there, on the same
/ errand as myself, but owing to some misun-
derstanding on the part of the guard. in re-
lation to passes, they were not allowed to
cross. Half an hour afterward, however
| instructions were received by the guard to
/ PtAhAt dlA nOAh0Ca AuCnI CAthCA Win pseooc1
or without them, to Cross the bridge. l then
proceeded ON my way, and in 20 minutes
reached the northern side Of the Rappahan-
mock, thanking Heaven for my escape from
a terrible death on the bloody field of Fred
ericksburg.
FREDERICKSBURG EVACUATED.
The evacuation of Fredericksburg by the
| Federal troops was stern necessity, if the
army was to be saved. Destruction threat
ened it as long as it remained on the south
ern side of the river. A few brigades had
quietly withdrawn on Sunday night, but
the general withdrawal took place on the
nights of Monday and Tuesday. After all
the property ofthe army had been removed
across the river, and when the last regiment
had passed over, the pontoons were taken
up, and the army went into its old quarters
near Falmouth to reorganize. The eyacu-
alton was so well planned and executed that
the Confederates were not aware Of il til
Wednesday morning the 18th, and then
when they found that the "bird had flown,
they took possession of the city again, and
the Confederate flag once more waved over
it. Thus terminated drama in our late
civil war which, from the magnitude Of the
forces engaged, the terrible loss of life, anC
the crushing defeat sustained by the North
will 90 down to posterity as the memorable
and bloody field of Fredericksburg.