Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-11


manders to surprise Lee. strongly in
| trenched near Fredericksburg. When
| the first news of the fighting between
Hooker and Lee was received on the
4th of May. 1863. the battle had been
| in progress for three days. and the
initial impression made in Washington
| was that a great Federal victory had
been scored. As the full particulars
Of the battle came to he known, how
| ever. this victory was shown to have
been a defeat In The Star of May 4.
| 1868. is printed the text OF an Or
der issued the 30th of April by Gen.
Hooker announcing that the operations
| of the three days preceding had de-
termined that the Confederate chief
must either ingloriously fly or come
out from behind his defenses and give
us battle on our own ground. where
certain destruction awaits him" The
Star said that it's reports of the three
day fighting since the issuance of
the order had been of character to
fill every patriotic heart with joy, but
we do not feel at liberty to enter into
particulars" A postscript was added
to the effect that since that statement
was written city contemporary had
| issued an extra purporting to give
particulars of the fighting. which ex-
cused The Star from further reticence
as to the facts. It then gave half a
column OF generalities concerning the
engagement and continued:
The public will await further intelli-
gence with hopeful interest. On a
Held of such large dimensions it will
| take some time for the smoke OF con-
| fiict to clear up sufficiently to afford
an Intelligent idea of the whole con-
fiict- But We have that confidence in
our brave army and it's leader to feel
sure that they will not only wrest a
victory from the enemy. but one that
shall be so decisive as to crush all
hopes for the rebel future"
| The next day. May ). 1868, the dis
| patches and summaries of official in
| formation We're not so
Falling hopeful. In brief resume
uoro. OF the situation The Star
0Pe0' said:
Up to noon today no information
had reached here from the vicinity of
Fredericksburg leading to the conclu-
sion that the general engagement had
been renewed yesterday. though much
desultory firing took place throughout
| the day: none with artillery after 10
| am Up to the evening we continued
| to hold the town (Fredericksburg) and
the portion of the heights north and
west of the town we took Sunday
| MAY -. At am. Gen. Gibbons divf-
sion, which was temporarily occupy
ing the heights laying south of the
town. withdrew from them and they
were Immediately reoccupied by the
| rebels. belief is current in official
| circles here that up to last evening we
held all we desired to hold that we
had taken in the course of Saturday
| and Sundays fighting. though Gen.
Hooker had evidently called in his ad-
vance so as to concentrate his force
to better advantage"
| In the news columns occurs this
passage:
"The present Army of the Potomac is
| undoubtedly the finest we have yet
put In the field. being composed of
majority of them having been in as
many as six engagements heretofore
In this respect Hookers army is SUI
perior to the Army of the Peninsula.
which, up to the time of its grand trial
battles. had been in no engagement %
consequence. If We except Williams
| burg. Such an army cannot be beaten.
and. with commander of the bulldog
ltenacity of Hooker must eventually
force the rebels to the wall no matter
| gle or how protracted the conflict. \
reverse on either side will be no half
way affair, but overwhelming. and
| hence we may expect the most sangui-
nary fighting. of the war before the
contest is settled.
The public here continued TO believe that
a victory had been achieved at Chan
cellorsville. despite rumors
Rockers and southern claims to the
contrary. In The Star Of
"eIAeo'' May &. 1858, are given ex-
| tracts from Richmond papers of the 9Th.
asserting that the Confederate forces had
been victorious. But these reports were
all discounted. In The Stars summary
in it's late edition occurred this para
graph:
by way of illustrating the wildness
of the rebel newspapers concerning the
recent events we may mention that they
claimed yesterday that Lee had actually
driven Hooker's army across the Kappa
hammock on Sunday
That Hooker had actually recrOssed the
Rappahannock was made plain in the
issue of the next day. May Q, 1853, when
it was set forth that the Federal COM
mander. threatened by an excessive down.
pour of rain. had been compelled to shift
Of his communication. Comfort was per-
haps to be had i'm these sentences in The
Stars account of the situation:
ION the whole. it is Gear that a de-
cisive victory was Snatched from our gal
liant troops only by the elements. Gen.
Hooker brought off with him an aggre-
gate of 900 prisoners.
This disquieting news from the Army
of the Potomac was somewhat Offset by
a report printed
Better News From in The Star of
Porter and Grant. Aam,r., 1 po a.sa
commanding the Mississippi squadron, re-
lating his capture of Grand gulf, which
was regarded as of vital Importance in
opening the door to Vicksburg, toward
which Grant was advancing with his
characteristic persistence. Then the next
day, May 8, 1858. dispatch from Grant
to Halleck was printed, telling of his
victory at Port Gibson, which occurred
the LIST of May. This was one of the
forward steps In Grants campaign. which
a few weeks later was to result in the
fall of the most important Confederate
stronghold in the Mississippi valley. In
the same issue of The Star is this short
statement of confidence in the Army Of
the Potomac:
I'VE apprehend that those who imagine
that the events of the past week upon
the Rappahannock have materially dam
aged the efficiency of Gen. Hooker's army
will ere long find themselves much mistaken.
1t will not be very long before the rebels