Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-30
The Battles Fought About That
Historic City.
WHIfEAELD'O CURSE ON THE TOWN
Subsequent Events Seem to Indi-
cate Its FulfilIment,
TIA Rec GREAT ESTS


IN the morning. the confederate batteries
opened fire on the Union forces under the
command of Cen Joe Hooker. who lay in
the rife pits around Chancellorsville walt
Ing TO be attacked. and for three days there
ragged one OF the most horrible battles Of
the whole war. which ended In victory for
the rebels and a loss in killed. wounded and
missing on both sides of nearly $1,000 meni
In commemoration OF that bloody fight
the fifth corps Of the Army Of the Potomac
has been invited by the Confederate Asso-
ciation Of Fredericksburg to visit that city
and go over the battle grounds. five In
number. that lie within a radius Of a dozen
miles or less around about X. and a large
number Of the veterans will take advan-
tage OF the invitation. They will visit the
National cemetery on Maryes Heights.
where. surrounded by the graves OF 1900
Of their comrades who wore the blue.
1900 Of whom sleep under marble slabs
marked unknown they can look out
over the little city that lies In the plain
below and mark the line Of advance on
that fatal day. when 1900 brave men paid
the last debt OF devotion. The city has
changed but little in the thirty years. and
they will not have much trouble In locat-
ing either rebel or Union lines. They will
can be accurately traced from Chancellor
House to the point where. a few miles be-
low. Jackson accomplished his surprise
and where he met his death. They viii go
over the maneuvering ground OF the Mine
Run campaign. which will go down in
history as a duel Of strategy. Scarcely
five miles away they viii find the wilder
ness" where for twelve dreadful days
and nights the Union forces. under Grant.
struggled through the tangled forest. fight
ing awful. because unknown evils. and
left nearly 1000 brave men and true on
the field OF battle. Five miles south they
will stand again on the Bloody Angle of
spottsyivania, where thousands Of those
who lived through the Wilderness laid
down their lives. II will be sad sort of
pleasure that the survivors Of these five
fearful battles will experience, but It is
meet that they should pay the tribute to
the dead comrades. who rest where they
wearied and lie where they fen.'
A Curse on fredericksburg.
In 1769 George Whitefield. one Of the
founders OF Methodisrn, and. until they
split on doctrinal rocks. the fast friend of
John Wesley, pronounced a curse on Fred
erfcksburg. which. in the light Of today.
seems almost prophetic. The reformer was
an eccentric man. as full OF whims as a
watch is OF wheels. and he was, hence. the
legitimate prey OF the small boy. who was
ubiquitous then as now. While preach
ing in the open air. over against the
Heights OF Fredericksburg In 1859. the
young hoodlums OF the town set upon him
and drove him to a frenzy. Turning upon
his tormentors. like an avenging demon, he
cursed the town and all that 1t held. In the
1urid language of the day. in which he con-
signed all to hades. and ordered red hot
trimmings for the reception decorations.
He predicted that for the ungodliness of
the town and its inhospitable treatment
OF himself misfortune should overtake its
Inhabitants and before the curse should
be fully worked out the streets should run
red with blood He concluded by saying
that for one hundred years IL should stand
still. and not q soul should II grow till the
century was gone. When the census of
1870 was taken the population numbered
Just four more souls than IL did when the
old man turned his invective loose upon It.
How the soul of the old Calvinist must
have gloated over the fulfilling of his
prophecy. the climax to his curse, II IL was
lowering over the pretty little town on that
foggy morning thirty-two years ago, when
the plain Over which he stretched his bony
hands was turned into a veritable Col
fEotha. and the Rappahannock ran red with
blood
A Biblical Parallel.
Over In the land OF Palestine there is a
little valley that was called EsdraeIon.
when the feet Of the Savior pressed its soil
centuries ago 1t is eighteen miles long by
fifteen wide. and Is washed on one side by
the blue Mediterranean. and slopes to the
Jordan the east. Forty centuries ago
st was the center of fertile fields and fruit
trees. OF rarest flowers and quaint habfta-
lions. Today il Is given over to the abomi-
nation OF desolation. Gibbon said of this
plain that when the last trump sounds
more bodies VIII answer its summons from
Esdraelon than from any other spot the
same size On the inhabited globe. Robin
son. the traveller. says OF his visit there I'm
$50: We took leave Of IL from the summit
or Mount Tabo-. as it lay extended before
Us. quiet. peaceful and serene in the
brilliant light of an oriental morning so
tranquil, indeed. that il was difficult 10
connect II with the idea of battles ana
bloodsaed OF which for long succession of
ages IL has been the chosen scene. Here
Deborah and Barak, descending with their
Forces from Mount Tabor attacked and
discounted the host OF Sisera, with his
nine hundred chariOts of IRON from E,ndor
20 Taanich and Migiddo where the Kishon
swept them away. In and adjacent 10 the
pam Gideon achieved his triumph over the
guarantees. ana here, too. the glory OF
Israel was darkened for a time by the fall
OF saul and Jonathan upon Gilboa In was
also adjacent to Aphek, in the plain mat
Ahab and the Israelites obtained a mirac
NiSSClS over the Syrian5, under Ben
natad- While at Megfd6o the pious Josiah
1ell in battle against the Egyptian monarch
Ihef came the time of the Romans pitb
pattles unde- Gambinius and Vesna sian
Hhe period OF the crusades furnishes lie.
wise us account Of contest in and around
tne plain. and almost in our day the battIs
OF Mount Tabor was one of the trIumnbs
of Napoleon. From Mount Tabor the IL.
tooh IN also. on the one side the region -,
Eattln, where the renown of the Cr1Isadsrs
sank before the star OF Saladin whtIa NJ,
Tar distant on the other side, the mama ot
AKA or Ptolemais recalls MANY deadI,
ana Dreadful struggles Of the same eoocb
mere TOO. Napoleon was baffied. and
oriVen back from Syria and IN our -
Gay torrents Of blood have Aowed ,v,th,r
and around its walls during the long siege
end subsequent capture of the CITY by az
Egyptian army in 1892" '"e
1t was here. too. that six or seva, 49,.
turtles before the Christian era the Ass,
nan king, Sennacherib. and his hosts A.
scenaeo on Jerusalem and was slsughtered
by the angels OF the Lord. For the crIn,as
and bloody battles fought there and 90
Ertef at the death OF Saul and jonathan
hing David wept and rnOurned that .sth
beauty OF Israel Is slain" And then &,
transport OF sorrow he pronounced anaths
ma upon IL Ye mountains Of Gtlboa iet
snere De no dew. neither let there be rain
upon you. nor fields Of offerings" Ana e.
The present day the curse ia IN go, 70
though rich and fertile soil. no hands o'i'
nvats II, and only the rank thistle no,s q.
me WING. while the wild fox digs its boIa
hnscared. - Aoie
The Curse FULFILLED.
The geographical and battle-scarred nor.,
tel between the plain Of Esdraelon and ,ha.
or fredericksburg is as striking ,s ,na
anatheFna thar aach haa ,...- 80