Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1902-07-19

of the civil war. The year is 1862.
The month is December. Winter
gives keen edge to the winds We
are in little city in Virginia, Fred
ericksburg. Its historical building IS
a house in which lived George Wash
ington's mother.
1t has three natural features OF I'M
portance, the Rappahannock river,
heights which are of very moderate
elevation three-quarters of mile
back from the river, and at the foot
of these hills is a narrow, depressed
country way, ''sunken road" so
called. In what is going to happen,
an awful tragedy, this cold month OF
December, 1852, the sunken road is of
more importance than river or hills.
Think now of Falmouth. of the
sleepy, muddy river, of the sleepy lit
tie city, of the hills, and especially
of the sunken road. Have you map
of Virginia handy? Hunt up Acquia
Creek on the Potomac, trace the rail-
road to Fredericksburg and then
down to Richmond. How easy this
plan looked in the campaigns of the
great civil war;
That "sunken road" though. Did
one think of that ghost hiding in that
depression and having something to
say about plans and campaigns,
marches and attacks?
The Union army was reputed to
have 10000 men. 1t had a good
cause and plenty of equipments. 1t
was under a brave general, Burnside.
He was not the greatest general that
ever lived, but he had much merit as
. commander. He was a soldier of en-
.ergy. Then all the North wanted him
~
Washington clamored for a forward
movement
So the huge army, like a mighty
stream, poured across the country
and took possession of Falmouth. 1t
spread out on all those heights. 1t
posted its big batteries. 1t studied up
"a daring plan of attack upon the
southern army over the river. 1t sent
for the materials out of which to
build pontoon bridges. When these
were constructed, when across the
river the army had been led, what
opposition from an inferior army
could block this northern advance!
Alas, that in ignorance they left
out of the problem that element of
the "sunken road" so closely identi-
fed with the solution!
But notice the movement on the
hills rising up from the ''sunken
road" The southern army has
stretched upon those hills a line of
defence almost five miles long. They
are reputed to have about IS 900 men.
AT their head is Robert Lee, a great
soldier. One of his generals is Stone
wall Jackson He marches, he
fights, he prays. The winning side in
battle is likely to be the side he fights
on. However, of more consequence
than Lee or Jackson is the ''sunken
road
The Union army will have no pic
mic in getting across the Rappahan-
mock In waiting for it's opportunity
the army feels the hard grip of the
winter An officer writes in his diary,
under date of Dec. z: Very cold,
plenty of snow. Men suffering; cold
outdoors, ice indoors, in my room"
Something worse than the snow or
the ice or the winter wind, sharp and
cutting is that ..sunken road" What
Union officer is thinking about
that? Does any one ordering his men
to clear the camp of snow and ice inn
agine that there is near the coming
battlefield a trench-like way that will
need clearing?
In the division of this grand army
into corps, there are three, assigned
to Gems. Franklin, Summer and Hook
err They cover a stretch of three
miles, Franklin is at the left, Sum-
ner commands the center, Hooker
will lead the right.
In the story left behind by a con-
federate officer, it is graphically told
how the grim battle-era opens. 1t is
an early hour on the 18th of Deem
Der. Lees army is stretched along
those Fredericksburg hills a distance
of almost five miles. The lonely SEN
try is pacing his chilling beat.
Among the sleepers how few are
dreaming that they may be near the
sleep that knows no waking.
Suddenly the crash of q cannon goes
echoing from hill to hill and up and
down the icy Rappahannock. Wake
upi" cries a southerner, springing out
from the folds of his blanket Wake
up!" Whats THAR" There are those
In Lees army who know. II a second
gun bays out in the dense night siad-
ows, it means a signal from the New
Orleans Washington artillery that the
Federals are getting ready to cross
the river. The signal comes at four
O'Clock. The Union army il moving
toward the arena of battle.
AS said above. they are divided into