The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-20

/ N'llh"l Wrongly Hfr"ucn~u Er~Uion
clos" 20 tn hrirch they were ready In
max. savage rests, anr- against any force
that might assaIl them
With his cautions advanCr u was about
half past Z when S-dwiCk = -kirmlsh-Ts
came upon the iiSmountei cavalry Gov
cring the rnsmy'- line in tn" rear and
forced the;Ii back upon Mcl.aws at salem
church This pnsIl ion was well chosen.
and a. they now numbered about 10000.
nearly all Of whom were covered bv m
irenChments. II WAS "A difficult and doubt
f'rl task To di>lodSe them Much sever"
lighting vas followed low partial success
and mach loss pn either side ON the who'll"
the nnf-,ierates held heir ground. ami
At was half past when the Frderals agaln
rushed "a the attack and tried Ia turn
the iid,' II ba,,lr Their lin. was broken
and driven IN confusion tu the rear. b'i'
fresh troops arriving from Fr-derick--
burg were thrown across the road 10
stop - ragglrT- and make good the i'Osi-
ton llpou which to reform III. hrns-n
Federal lines With over ~ O0O men al
his disposal S-dg~ lex mad assaulted the
in'r-mch"d position OF The enemy with
:, sI men In. ODDS wer. two ro one
against him. bUt had he waited u" hi-
whole force had joiued him they would
haN" hesn twO To one against the enemy.
The opposing forces slept ON their
arms that night with tn. dead lying nm
buried near them S.dgwiCk was greatly
disturbed. ~ we'll h. might bc While he
anew hu, litti. 81 what had happened Co
Hooker, Ia. was fully aware of the fact
'hat his own operations w"r" not only
behind time. bur that nIs movement had
h"-n thwarted hy the Confedsrates whom
he had found Ia suck strength barring
his WAY. u - said thar h" slept scarcely
AZ all that night. hut rising from his hlan
k-t IN IN. damp grass he would walk "a
lew PAGES apart md listen. and then
returning. throw himself upon the ground
and try IN vain To sl.sp. The tonfed-
crates w-r. guiesceIs al-o. hut as Hooker
had retired and showed no signs of assum-
ing rue offensive. Lee decided to r--u-
force that parr 81 his army AT Salem church
So thar II might assume the offensive az
AN early hour the newt morning
Under this arrangement Stuart with
1000 Confederates was 20 confront
Hooker and his 81. 40 men. while Andsr-
son. Early and McLaws with about ,3.ODo
men Were TO he thrown against Sedgwick.
whose forces on the, field now numbered
fully 1900. IL IL therefore clear that the
opposing forces ~ Salem church were
more nearly equal that morning than
upon any other occasion Of the campaign.
though the advantage was decidedly
with the confedsrates. But while l..-.s
now thought Sedgwick had two corps
instead III one. Sedgwick believed that
Confederate rsenf orcsments OF Is. go from
Richmond vad occupied rhe heights 81
fredericksburg. cutting him OF from
the town. Ia other words each com
strength Of tn. other a. about twice a.
great a. II actually was.
At NJ May Anderson with three
bri gades started 20 JOIN McLaws at Salem
church. BY =, Ea-ly with Lees first
from Richmond had taken
IN. heights OF Frederick sburg. and leav-
ing about go men and Is piece- 10 bar
the road 20 the west against Gibbon. with
the remainder Of his force. amounting to
10 tOO. marched against Sedgwick's rear
hut did no, think It prudent 10 attack
TIL Anderson had joined McI.aws. which
he did az II o'clock A. this juncture Lee
arrived on the ground and arranged n
general attack front and rear on S.dg
wick TO he made az tn. firing 81 three
signal guns in ~ r ID succession.
Meanwhile Ssdgwick had deci.i,d 10
hold his present post on till dark and
then to withdraw 70 the bridges az Bank
and Scots fprd- From the map n will
be- seen that this was not only an abandon
in.nt of the road to Fredericksburg but
a retreat uorthward TO form junction
with Hooker. who's. left now rested ~
Scott Ss'dgwICk had no means II
the "n-my's strength. but pll"-
ing u Al W.no h. thought himself heavily
putnumb-r"d From tn" despatches b..-
w~.n him and Hooker II appears that he
ielt ~ liberty. after Withdrawing 10 the.
north. TO hold hrs new position on tn.
south bank Of the RappahannocX or Ia
'ro-s over. a. h" mi ght think hest at that
IN" But the situation WIS complicated .
~ rh. fact that Hooker since tbs. blow me-
received az ChanceIlorsviIl. had been
Utmost continually alternating between
sleep and stupor.- during which his -raf
lad written and sent "n the dispatches
= hch i"ft S-igwI"k ~ doubt ~ Ia what
I- was expected nf hun AMI what h-
'hould do Fortunately for him. how
'N"r. is'' WAS A. ThctI IA iOub' A. nus
,pT,"neni. and tn" afternoon -wor. away
II .krmishing for Information and g.ttrng
mt" position" I'm" writer SAYS that after
personal examination al S.dgwick's
position I.". CAV" orders To- break IN
lis Crntr,. defeat fh.. two wing.
and scatter IN. Who'll. force bur
h. author thinks his plan was to crush
'sdgwick's loft and hriv. him in the
General direction Of tho Plank road. and
mus prevent him from forming a juno
ION with Hooker.
Il" all this rs il NAV. 10 was not .ill S 10
,. NJ that LOGS thre. signal guns were
ir'd al d his troops moved 20 the attack.
iuCh dIsjOint 4 ignring occur. d. IN
which Brooks ard Howe on ono SD. with
lord on. Pos"y ard Perry on the other.
ook par. and tn" Federal lin" was forced
Jack step by step toward Banks Ford.
which Il finally cos".- d al night. Al
10 y VI Is-'. nOtiii'd McIaws that ha
ou'dn't find any of ia" "n.my south ~
h" Plank road. but II lett alon" till