The National tribune., 1909-09-16

:
himself behind Lees army and Rich
mond This was good strategy, andi
would have been entirely practicable
if General of sufficient ability had
been in charge of the movement. Thet
execution was so clumsy, however that
Lee at once saw thru it. and obtained
confirmation from raid by Stuart.
| Lee lost no time in moving toward
Fredericksburg TO thwart this move
ment by Burnside, who reached Fall
mouth. opposite Fredericksburg, ahead
of Lee, and had he acted with energy
could have forced a crossing of the
| river and planted himself on the all
| important nights behind the town.
| There was no burning earnestness in
| Burnside, however, and, moreover, the
vital pontoonS were not at hand. Hal
| leck was to attend to them, but he
| claimed that he expected Burnside to
do so. Burnside listlessly waited for
| the pontoons, making no effort on his
part for precious days while Lee was
hurrying to concentrate his army on
the frOwning nights. BY the time the
pontoons finally arrived Lee had gath
cred at least 10000 men in a strong
position and there awaited with conf
dence the assault.
The dolorous story of the battle at
Fredericksburg, which cost us II. 900
men, is in the same sad strain as is the
F., earlier history of that magnificent army.
Men never fought better; men never
showed more desperate courage than
did the divisions that one after another
forced their way thru that tempest of
fire to within few yards of the deadly
stone wall. and only retired when their
ranks We're decimated. and il was GER
tain that flesh and blood could go no
further. These brave fellows We're sac
rificed to the incompetence Of their
Commander-in n-Chief. While the divi-
sions of Hooker, Couch, Humphreys,
French and Sickles were assailing with
such devoted courage the impregnable
slope of Marye's Hights, Franklin. who
might have turned the awful defeat in
to victory, was standing with nearly
half of the army far away on the left.
holding it idle and even refusing to fol-
low up the brilliant assault by which
Meade led his division thru Stonewan
Jackson's lines on the crest of the
Hights.@
The awful sacrifice of that short De-
cember day might well have been the
death knell of less strong nature than
Lincoln's. There was absolutely Moth
ing gained for all this slaughter except
the sad pride that American soldiers
would attack their enemy with uDfal-
tering courage, no matter how hopeless
they might see the expenditure of their
blood to be.
The corresondent of the London
Times wrote his paper that Fredericks-
NOulu Dt ii fntHOTdDlt Gay 10
the historian of the Decline and Fall of
the American Republic"
Battles i'm the West.
Close on the heels of this terrible
reverse came melancholy news from
the Mississippi. Gen. Grant had planned
a movement against Vicksburg, with
Sherman going down the river to make
a direct attack upon the defenses, while
Grant moved overland to encounter the
| ma "a bar Do
fore Grant could reach and strike Penn
berton Van Dorm got in his rear seized
| and destroyed his depot of supplies at
4 Holly Springs, and compelled Grant to
retreat, while Sherman, carrying out
his part of the plan, attacked the nights
above Chickasaw Bayou, where the Con-
federates had assembled in full force
to meet with bloody repulse. The
only rift in the clouds of darkness and
gloom which settled down at the close
of the year 1862 came from the Army
of the Cumberland. Rosecrans had
moved out promptly from Nashville
and encountered Bragg 25 miles from
there at Murfreesboro, and a stubborn
and sanguinary battle ensued, lasting
four days. with terrific losses ON both
sides. but the Confederates abandoned
the field, and we were able to claim a
victory.
Lowering Clouds Everywhere
| 1dfnI-ntaEItu everywhere Snfank
under this swift succession of 'nisfor-
|, tunes. The price of gold leaped up, the
J value of the Governments paper money
sank like a plummet. The continual
! call for men, the depressing lack of sue
cess in the field, brought about a sense
OF dIstrust in the ability Of the Admin
istrafi0n to carry on the war, and this
manifested itself in the stiffening up of
the opposition to the war and the
alarming success Of the Democrats. The
great Republican States of New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and 1lli-
nois reversed the heavy majorities they
had given Lincoln, and were carried by
the Democrats. In the other strong
Republican States there was a decided
decrease of the Republican majorities,
and in the House of Representatives,
, where the Republicans had a majority
of II, the Democrats gained majority
of 10. The Democratic campaign slO-
!, gan had been the perversion of the
war for the Union into war for the
, negro" and dissatisfaction with the
Emancipation Proclamation was taking
, officers and men out of the army every
where. President Lincoln had to face
the gioomieSt of New Years with con-
ditions that might well have disheart-
ened a man of superhuman sefength.
There was not the least shrinking in
|, his moral courage, however, and Jan.
1, 1863, he issued his final Emancipa-
ton Proclamation, according to PROM
ise.
Cheer to the Army.
In the midst of his terrible depres-
sion President Lincoln did not forget
!, for a moment the gallant men who had
, done all that lay within their power to
secure the victory, and he sent the fol-
lowing dispatch:
Executive Mansion,
| Washington, Dec. %, 1862
ITO the Army of the Potomac:
, Il have just read your Commanding
Generals report of the battle of Fred
ericksburg. Altho you were not sue
cessful. the attempt was net an error,
: nor the failure other than an accident.
The courage with which you, in an
open field, maintained the contest
: against an intrenched foe and the con-
summate skill and success with which
you crossed and recrossed the river, in
/ the face of the enemy, show that you
: possess all the qualities of a great
army, which will yet give victory to the
cause of the country and Of popular
: government.
"COndOling with the mourners for
} the dead, and sympathizing with the
severely wounded, / congratulate you
, that the number of both is compare
, lively so small
, j tender to you, officers and soldiers,
the thanks of the Nation.
!