Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 132, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1909 — More About Fredericksburg; What History Says of It. [ARTICLE]

More About Fredericksburg; What History Says of It.

Probably no article reminiscent of the civil war has been published in the Republican/6f recent years that created so much interest as the one by John C. Kresler, describing the part his division took in the fruitless attempt to capture Fredericksburg. Mr. Kresler’s recollection is very vivid and his article tersely told of the attack and repulse. It will pay any one to read the history of the battle of Fredericksburg. The capture of that city or rather of the fortifications above and beyond that city was a practically impossible feat, at least with the small army that was commanded by General Burnside, and Tie entered into the campaign without the sanction of his advising officers. The dilatory methods of McClellan, however, had brought about so much criticism that General Burnside determined to force the war as rapidly as possible. He placed the Army of the Potomac where Genejal Lee might have completely annihilated it bad he followed up the successful defense of his position by an Stack of the Union forces. Following the defeat of Dec. 13th the Union army took shelter in the partly ruined towh of Fredericksburg and along that side of the Rappahannock, and while General Lee was expecting another attack and planning his defense, General Burnside was trying to get his generals to consent to again lead the brave boys into the slaughter of another attempt to take the hill. After Burnside failed to get them to do this and the retreat was decided upon Lee might have shelled the town and followed the troops in their attempt to cross the river and probably have taken the entire army captive. Providentially he did not find out that the retreat was determined upon and on the night of the 14th of December the troops were marched back across the Rappahannock and when the dawn of the 15th made it possible for the confederates to see the old town ttfere was not a soldier in it and the troops were camped on the very ground where thdy had been on the night of the 10th. The bridges had been destroyed and the chance to follow up the repulse of the Army of the Potomac with a decisiye victory had slipped away. The successful retreat of almost 90,000. soldiers without the loss of a single man is one of the most remarkable events of the civil war.