The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-25

scattered iii The 4 = Way from M" The Rap.
paliannock TO tho Potomac.
Active operations were resumed on
roth sides the last week tn April Both
armies had had long rect. Hooker'a
coming 70 tho Northern army as chiei
n command had given it new hope. r.
MAJ, nag bee, been Wen fed, newly clothed, mad
ceived viaits from the President and
members or tho Cabinet, and was bet
ter prepared for battle than ever be.
fore In It's history.
On tho other size of the Eappahan-
mock was u reinforced Confederate
army, that had been we'll rationed, was
splendidly ofllcorcd, and was still re.
previous December. y crossing, was
old position. and also in the centre.
~ Crossing Battle Heroic.
Wisconsin, Indiana and, Michigan men.
has received graphic descriptions. -
wac ono Of the most heroic and spec
tacular actions Of the war. After
army across the Rappahapnock, in the
vicinity of characteristics. General
bee, IN meeting him, SO weakened his
line IN the vicinity OF Fredericks
Heights, witch he had SO stub
battle that portion OF General
sedgwick,s, Sixth Corps was able to
charge and capture the heights. that
cost the Union army SO dearly In
attempts 10 take them a few months
before.
In that charge q wisconsin regi-
ment covered Itself with glory that
VIII not fade SO long a Is the histories
Of famous charges arc made. | refer
10 the Fifth Wisconsin, led by General
Tom Allen.
IIooker's Failure Costly.
Hookers failure at Chancellorsyillc
Corps near Fredericksburg and heav.
losses to both sides, and IL rendered
necessary the Abandonment OF the
dearly bought Marye'a Heights and d
hurried recrossing of tho whole Union
army TO It's old camp grounds, where
II rested until carly in June, when the
the two old fighting machines, one IN
nluc and the other In gray. started oil
the way 10 Gettysburg. the confcd.
crates with credit for two great vic
iories-the December battle Of
Frederlcksburg and the battle Of
Chancelorsyille-an Hooker's army
credited with two whippinss that the
Grant kind OF generalship would have
shielded It from.
All that ] have related and very,
very much more came back TO me like
q resistlees flood as / stood on stat
ford Heights. touching memory's keys
and looked through both the eyes of
youth. old age and the pages Of his
tory.
Much Fighting Nearby.
People of Fredericksburg. the living
and the dead, have heard more great
battles fought than the people Of any
other city In the world. I have already
mentioned the two battles of Fred
cricksburg. Fizhugh Crossing and
Charlottesville. Add to these the two
mighty struggles In the Wilderness.
one on the 9Th and the other on the
9Th of May. a the opening OF Grants
campaign in 1863.
Hill. the battle OF Spotsylvan!a and
three other distinct battles In that VII
c!nity. including one which made the
Bloody Angle" memorable among the
great battles OF the world.
All OF these were fought within
hearing distance OF the ancient city.
Probably the people OF no other city
ever heard as many cannon explosions
as those who lived at fredericksburg
In the days of the Civil Wal. Within a
distance of ten or twelve miles from
the old city. ali these notable battles.
resulting in the killing and wounding
OF fully 100000 men, counting Losses
on both sides, occurred and We're dis
tinctly heard The soil OF the Old Do
ninion In that part of the State was
fairly drunk from the blood OF Amer
lean soldiers.
How little the almost painful quiet
of to-day all through that section.
outside of the city. compares with the
rattle, the roar and the excitement at
tending mighty battles fought by two
great armies nearly half century
ago.