The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-04-14
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.

ANN VI I'LL ~ OMI Az
Continued from Arst psgeJ
cupy, and tie thieket was SO dense as not
only to ruiz out of use the cavalry and
artillery arms. but to make the movements
of infantry very difficult, indeed almost i'm
possible except by trailing muskets. II It
be added that amy line drawn thereon
while the woods would form a perfect
screen for any hostile movements of the
enemy, the military disadvantages Of the
locality will beafully appreciated.
LEE HURRIED TO CONFRONT HOOKER.
The withdrawal of the column that had
moved out on the right. and that which
had moved out On the left, was made with
out difficulty, though the Confederates fol-
lowed up with some show of force; but
the retirement Of Sykes, who had the CEN
ter, was an operation of more delicacy, for
he had met a considerable body of the
enemy, and had gained his position by a
smart fight which cost him 20 men and
now the constantly arriving forces of the
| Confederates began to overlap both his
| TANKS. Hancock's Division, however, had
moved up to Sykes's support, and, under
cover of his line. Sykes was retired, and
then Hancock also withdrew. and the
| enemy followed up, diminishing, closing,
and firing artillery from the crest, which
Sykes had been ordered to abandon. (10)
The force that had been met in this
| series of simultaneous reconnOissa noes was
| the van Of Jackson's command, which, on
the disclosure to Lee Of the real character
| the direction of Fredericksburg, and after
marching all Thursday night and Friday
morning, had just arrived on the ground.
| On finding the Union force returning from
| it's advance, Lee pushed forward the heads
of his columns rapidly and deployed in
| front of H0oker's position at Chancellors-
vile. ..s
HOOKER DECIDED TO FIGHT DEFENsIvELY.
Hooker disposed his line of battle, run
| ming east and west. along the Fredericks-
burg and Orange Court House plankroad.
on which, at the point of intersection of
| that road with the road from Fredericks-
burg to United States Ford, stands the
Chancellor House-that is, Chancellors-
Vile Charlottesville is placed in the mid
die of clearing some 800 yards in ex-
tent, and all around are the thickets of
| the Wilderness. The line of battle, as
| formed on Friday evening, was about five
| miles in extent, stretching from a short
distance east of Charlottesville (where the
left wing was somewhat refused, west
| ward, in front of the Orange plankroad for
| about three miles. when the right flank
bent sharply back in defensive crotchet
Meade's Corps (Fifth), with one division
OF COUGHS tSecond), formed the left:
Slocum's Corps (Twelfth), and one divi-
sion of Sickles's (Third), the center; and
Towards eleventh the right. The other
divisions -xyere held in reserve. AS Gen
Hooker had concluded to fight defensive
battle. trees were felled in front of the line
to form abatis, and rife-pits were thrown
up: and during the whole night the woods
resounded with the strokes of thousand
Confederate ax-men engaged at the same
work
LEE PROPOSED OTHERWISE.
Next morning Saturday, May p Hook
er stood on the defensive awaiting battle,
and it seemed at first that his opponent
had been Heguiled into playing into his
hands by making a direct attack: for the
Confedera tes began early to make threaten
ing demonstrations. First they felt COUGHS
then they assailed Slocum's 'front.' moving
down on the ,plahkroad, and throwing shells
into the clearing at the Chancellor House,
where Hooker RS headquarters were estab-
lished and the wagons were parked (2O)
afterward they menaced the line still fur
Their to the right, and these operations they
kept up at intervals during the whole day.
But Lee had quite another object in view:
lie knew too we'll the risks of direct at
tack with a force so inferior in numbers
as he could dispose of: and while he en-
gagged HOoker's attention with these front
demonstrations, he was putting into ex-
ecution bold move such as he may have
learned, in his military studies. from Fred
erick the Great. 1 shall in the following
section indicate the nature of this opera
tion,, and detail the manner of it's execu-
ton.