Show tra tragedy gedy of the sunken R head oad how flow burnsides Burnsl Jp s mon man were shot down nt at fro dericks burg we are back among the memories of the civil war the year la Is 1862 the month la to winter ivea gives a keen ken adga to the winds we are in a little city in virginia bred l bcd ericksburg ita IN historical bi tiding Is a house in which lea targe george tx rge wash ington a mother it has ha three natural features ot of im por tanco the river It tights which are of very moderate elevation tareo of a iche hack back from the river and at he the toot of these hills la Is a narrow depressed country way a sunken road so called in what la Is going to happen an awful tragedy this cold month of Dac december embr 1862 the sunken road Is ot of more importance than river or bills hills think now af barmouth bal jal mouth of the sleepy muddy river of the sleepy lit tie city of the hits and especially of the sunken road alave you a map of virginia handy hunt up acnula acquia creek on the potomac trace the rail road to fredericksburg and then down to richmond how easy this plan looked in the campaigns of the great civil warl war that sunken road though did one think of that ghost hiding in that depress depression lort and having something to say about plans and suit campaigns marches and attacks tackeT it the union army w wis is reputed to have men it hal bat a bood cause and plenty of equipments it wa wait under a brave general burnside ltd lid was not the greatest general that ever lived but he had much merit as a commander lie was a solelar of en ergy then all the north wanted him to be as energetic as possible and washington clamored tor for a forward movement so the huge army like a mighty stream poured across the country and kuok possession of falmouth it spread out on all those heights it PO posted its big batteries it studied up a daring plan of attack upon the southern army over the river it sent for the materials out of which to build pontoon bridges when these were constructed when ac across rose the river the arny had been led what opposition from an inferior stray at my could block this northern adan adian et el alaa alas that in ignorable Igno rauLe they left out of the problem that element of taj sunken road so closely fled frith with the but notice the movement on the hills rising up from the sunken road 11 the southern army array haa has stretched upon those hills a una line of defence almost five miles long they are reputed to have about men at their head Is 1 robert leo lee a great soldier one of bis his generals Is I 1 ot sit me newill I 1 jackson he lie marches he fights he be prays the winning sido side in battle Is likely to be the elde side he fights on however of more consequence than leo lee or jackson Is the sunken road I 1 the union army sill have no pic pie nic me la in getting across the Rap nock in waiting for its opportunity te army teele feels the hard grip of the birtler an officer writes in his life diary under date of 0 dec 7 very cold plenty of enow snow men suffering cold outdoors ice indoor indoors in my room Romet something Pom ething bing worse than the enow snow or the ice or the winter wind sharp and cutting Is that sunken road what union officer la Is thinking about that does any one ordering his men to clear abi 14 1 4 camp of now snow and leu imagine agine that there la is near the coming battlefield a trench liko lilo nay ay that will need clearing in the delca divit ilca of this grand army into corpa corps thre thore are three assigned to gens frankiin sumner and hook er they cove a stretch of three miles franklin la Is at the left sum ner commands com manda the center hooker will lead the right in the tory story left behind by a con federate officer it la Is graphically told how he the grim battle era opens it Is ai I early hour on the alth nf decem ber lee lees a army la Is stretched along those fredericksburg hills a distance diet anre of almost five miles the lonely sen entry Is pacing his chilling beat beal among the tempera tec pera how few are dreaming that they may be nea r the ai A that knows no waking nty the crash of a cannon goes achu 9 from bill hill to hill bill and up and down the icy ley rappahannock Happa Rappa hannock wake cupl cries 1 a sou southerner themer springing out frair the fold folds of hie his blanket wake up what s that there are thoa those in lee a army who know if a second gun bays out in the dense nl it sail owe it means a ignal signal from the new orleans 1 artillery that the federals Fd erale are getting ready to cross the river the signal comee comes at four the union army li Is moving toward the arena of battle an said aid above they are divided into three corps under three brave expert encee officer officers gen franklin Is at the left gen sumner commands he the cen ner nor gen hooker on 01 the right has before him a path blo moo oller her than any he anticipated the leh of tho the army baa has little trouble in crossing tho the river it ie lit at itself in the street by hie the river in uio ue houses that line the vay way that the federals federate find a terrible aall all of 0 hostile fire are confronting them gen barksdale Dar kedala and his mississippians ace aire behind that wall and the kede federals rals trying to lay their pontoon bridge bridle deop before the mississippi rifles as the leaves on the fredericksburg Frederck burg forests fo reata ahen hen october charges upa up m thim there la Is a fero from the formidable union batteries to forre barkasdale Bark adale and his men out of thelt hi lit ling place and they will stubbornly tall fall back but not yet meanwhile the ath michigan 11 and the lath rush orward in their boats from shore to shore though the bullets rain down wounds and death thuy thor land chev press into the town mat mal y are to sacrifice in the street there la in the hattit collision Is the rev rey arthur arhur D B fuller of watertown maes lie sought a resigning trim bis his parish to get 1 it lie resigns 1 ids Ms this morning that he may riny get gulck quick access to an altar attar ills soul feels the heat and sweep of a t tame ame of devotion consuming him the chaplains altar Is in the very center of conflict lie ile seizes a gun he lie goes into the ranks as a private ie ile Is one of the first to volunteer to date the passage of the k he Is golna gains the bloody treet street ills rifle Is ready the crack of another rifle is heard beard and arthur D fuller of watertown own falls in the crims crimsoned oncil way the altar dams nam has done its work the of Dec december embee comes it Is to to brt bo the saddest day of slaughter on the left in Frank franklins lits corp corps gen meade almost pierces the confederate line unsupported he la Is forced to fall back the dead lie in far stra aching silent heaps on the ic I 1 deral light tight the light ning from the thunder sit t the confederate army is still more serious the lelh Is a a foggy miming there Is a deep veil yell of mis between the town of b with the northern army and that southern sout army on maryes marys bill hill willia hill lee hill and kindred heights the thes foit lifts though in the forenoon and obe be federals Fede iala proudly advance in their march against the bitterness bitter nees of death the lifting of tho the tog la Is only the rising or the curtain on one of the most serious disheartening cruel tra gedleg of ot tho civil war it should bo be sald al that the project 0 of this advance haa has not been heartily welcomed among the officers of the army there ha has been a strong blast from a wind called public opinion roaring oa on to richmond and the army Is obedient to the controlling ollinz will at its head re pon alve in its turn to ahat unreasoning pressure of public sentiment ment let ua us keep this distinctly in n mind the northern are now marching out to marti marty torn in long clean orae ome steadily on their colors are poudly defiant their attitude Is a challenge rhal leage to tl tle grave rave there Is a flash along t tae e frowning hills bills them there Is a roar and the southern balls maye make deep furrow furrows in those advancing rank ranks they v mill ill not turn though they press on suddenly sud deLly to their surprise like aprin ing up through the laet last ot of the morn mor mist like gnomes wriggling out of tte the ground rises a lone long clr lire ot of waiting rifles in the sunken road they hurl ware wave after wave of are fir and ball to which there therit can be no hopeful resistance broken cripp crippled leit the fall back in utter repulse As their lines fill all up they cone come again only to be broken crippled defeated again they keep coming but up out of the sunken read mad flash the fires of tho the hidden ri rifle flett and every time ume the charge Is in vain vala finally la in the sunken road are four liapi 11 of ot troops the front rank de livering its fire falls back the sec ond fires and other ranks follow no matter bow brove what advance could withstand those repeated deadly firest farr st the aun has gone down on the crimson a on snow when the last charge Is made it Is only an assault that Is in an invitation and the answer Is a braugh ler ter the horrors of the battlefield that night the sufferings of the wounded amid the wintry cold the discomfort of troops bivouacked abt under tinder tho chilling heavens cannot re described the confederate loais reported are killed tos wounded 4 1161 union killed 1281 1 wounded 9 0 the desire of gen to retrieve the next day bis his sad losses and to lead la in person another bearge finds fortunately no encouragement and the fredericksburg chipier chapter of the war Is closed tremble trouble and perplexity drive b to rayer and prayer drives away trouble and perplexity |