December 13, 1862.

McLaws; next to it, that of Gen. Pickett; and vens, and darted blood-red tongues of flame next to it, the division of Gen. Hood. Proceeding swiftly from the meridian down to the horizon, now to Gen. Jackson's corps, the ground between was accepted by the confederates as the cross Gen. Hood's right and the railroad at Hamilton's outlined on the sky was accepted by Constantine crossing was mostly held by the large division com--an earnest of assured victory. manded by that excellent officer, Gen. A. P. Hill. Behind the line of Gen. A. P. Hill, the division of Gen. D. H. Hill was held in reserve. To the right of Gen. A. P. Hill, the division once commanded by Gen. Ewell, who lost his leg (if I mistake not) at the second battle of Manassas, but now commanded by Gen. Early, held the woods right up to and across the railroad at Hamilton's crossing. In front of Gen. Early the powerful artillery of Col. Walker was thrown forward, to fire, as was expected, into the enemy's flank. Across, or to the east of, the railroad, on the extreme confederate right, General J. E. B. Stuart, with his cavalry and horse-artillery, covered the flank of the confederate line, his rear almost resting upon Massaponax Creek.

The morning of the thirteenth of Decembera memorable day to the historian of the Decline and Fall of the American Republic-broke still and warm, while, as on the preceding day, a thick haze enveloped the town of Fredericksburgh and the circumjacent valley, and delayed the opening of fire by the antagonistic batteries until the sun had been up some three or four hours. It was strange to contrast Saturday, the thirteenth of September, with Saturday, the sixth, and to compare the intense cold of the earlier Saturday with the spring-like warmth and calmness of the later. The day which I am describing was one of those outbursts of that Indian summer which As regards the disposition of the Federal troops, lingers long and fondly in beautiful Virginia; the nothing more is known than that the three great morning haze, which shrouded heath and plain bodies of troops were commanded, that on the Fed- and forest, was the ordinary prelude to the eral right by Gen. Sumner, that on the Federal cen- warmth and glow of the sun at noonday. As tre by Gen. Hooker, and that on the Federal left by the fog lifted, about ten in the morning, and the Gen. Franklin. It is estimated that not less than sun burst through the clouds, the long lines of forty thousand troops were engaged in the attack the Federal army, which had passed the whole directed by Gen. Sumner, and that fifty thousand preceding day in deploying and preparing for the were employed upon the Federal centre and left. attack, were distinctly visible in the plain, and Friday, the twelfth of December, was employ- gave awful indications of the amount of the Fed-* ed by the Federal generals in arranging and efal host which had crossed the river. The conmassing their troops for the next day's attack. federate army, wholly undaunted by the extraActive skirmishing was kept up by the pickets on vagant stories about the strength of their foe, both sides for several hours; and in the after-waited calmly, drawn up for the most part withnoon, with a view to feeling the confederate posi- in the fringe of the woods, confident in their potion, the heavy Federal guns thundered across sition and in the valor which has never failed the river, and were only feebly replied to by the them. batteries on the confederate left. The solemnity of the immediately approaching battle cast its shadows over the scene, and that earnestness and tranquillity of demeanor which, on the eve of momentous events, overtake even the most garrulous and thoughtless, reigned unmistakably upon every countenance. At night, as the pickets of the two armies were stationed within a hundred yards of each other, the confederates could hear the earnest and impassioned speeches of Federal orators rousing the spirit of their troops, and making vehement appeals to the sanctity of the "old flag.' "The old flag is played out!" shouted the confederates in reply. "Somehow," remarked one of the confederates to me, "there must be a want of grit among the Yankees, otherwise they wouldn't want all this talking to." It is impossible not to contrast the spirit of the two armies-the confederates, so calm, so resolute, so satisfied with their generals, so suffering, yet rejoicing to suffer, as long as hardship is the price of liberty; the Federals, lashed into the field by the thong of golden bounties, and in the field lashed against the enemy by the invective and appeals of able spokesmen, so distrustful of their generals and each other, so pampered, and yet so dissatisfied. The aurora borealis, which overspread the hea

And here it may be as well finally to dispel those illusions under which it is the custom of the Northern press to veil the disgrace of defeat, when the fact itself admits of no denial. The whole number of confederates in the field this day did not exceed from eighty thousand to ninety thousand men. Of these, some twenty-five thousand men, taking the very highest estimate, took part in the fight. By the urgent entreaty of several of the leading confederate generals, it has long been sought rather to keep down than to swell the numbers of the Southern army. It is well known to the sagacious generals of the Confederacy that such an army as obeyed General Lee's command this day, if well handled, and imbued with a fine spirit, is more than a match for any number that can be led against them. The statements of the Federal Secretary of War, to the effect that he has eight hundred thousand men at this moment in his pay, carry comfort rather than dismay to the hearts of the confederates. So cumbrous and unwieldy a machine as the Federal army cannot but break down by its own weight, and by the vast amount of transport which its pampered soldiery requires; and, in addition to many other testimonies to its immobility, the statement of the Prince de Joinville, that one railroad is not sufficient to supply such

an army as General McClellan led against Rich- of three Federal field-batteries, while from across mond, will carry conviction to the European public.

the river two other heavy batteries joined in the strife, and made Major Pelham and his gun It is impossible for me to describe the positions their target. For hours, not less than thirty of each of the numerous confederate batteries Federal cannon strove to silence Major Pelham's which stretched along the length of their six-mile popgun, and strove in vain. The unyielding and line of battle. It will suffice, if I indicate the undemonstrative courage of Major Pelham, his batteries which were most hotly engaged, and composure under the deadliest fire, have long bore the brunt of the action. By far the most made him conspicuous, but never were his noble important position was occupied by the Wash-qualities the subject of more glowing eulogy than ington artillery, commanded by Col. Walton, of upon this occasion. General Lee exclaimed: "It New-Orleans, and posted on the heights in the is inspiriting to see such glorious courage in one immediate neighborhood of Fredericksburgh, not so young." (Major Pelham is not more than more than four hundred yards from the town. twenty-two.) Gen. Jackson remarked: "With a These heights, which are precisely of that alti- Pelham upon either flank, I could vanquish the tude which is most favorable for the play of ar- world." tillery, are surmounted by a brick house-now At half-past eight A.M. Gen. Lee, accompanied riddled by round-shot-belonging to Mr. Marye, by his full staff, rode slowly along the front of and are commonly called Marye's Heights. At the confederate lines from left to right, and took their base a road winds, protected on one side by up his station for a time beyond Hamilton's the hills, and on the other by a solid stone wall, crossing, and in rear of the batteries on the exabout four feet in height, over which a brigade treme confederate right. It would be presumpof confederates, themselves perfectly sheltered, tuous in me to say one word in commendation of poured the deadliest and most effective of fires. the serenity, or, if I may so express it, the unA little further back, to the south-east of Marye's conscious dignity of Gen. Lee's courage, when he Heights, stands another and higher hill, from is under fire. No one who sees and knows his which the most commanding view of the entire demeanor in ordinary life would expect any thing field is obtainable, and which, as it is the usual else from one so calm, so undemonstrative and station of the commander-in-chief, is now known unassuming. But the description applied after as General Lee's hill. From this hill, during a the battle of Alma to Lord Raglan, by Marshal large portion of Saturday, a thirty-pounder Par- St. Arnaud, and in which, noticing Lord Raglan's rott gun, cast at the Tredegar Works in Rich- unconsciousness under fire, he speaks of his mond, poured a destructive fire into the Fede- "antique heroism," seems to me so applicable to rals. Suddenly, about three o'clock in the after- Gen. Lee, that I cannot forbear recalling it here. noon, on its thirty-seventh discharge, this gun At a subsequent period of the day Gen. Lee asburst with a dreadful exploslon, but happily did sumed his station on the hill which takes its no injury to any of the bystanders. At the name from him, and thence, in company with moment of its explosion, Captain Phillips, of the Gen. Longstreet, calmly watched the repulse of Grenadier Guard, (favorably remarked this day the repeated Federal efforts against the heights for his behavior under fire,) Major Venables, of on which he stood. Occasionally Gen. Jackson General Lee's staff, and Major Haskell, were con rode up to the spot and mingled in conversation versing within a few feet of the gun. Their es- with the other two leading generals. Once Gencape without injury was little less than miracu-eral Longstreet exclaimed to him, "Are you not lous. As the confederate line trends away to the right, the batteries of Gen. Hood's division were actively engaged against the advancing columns of Pennsylvanians; but next to the batteries on Marye's Heights and General Lee's hill, I should The battle opened when the sun had let in say that the artillery commanded by Col. Walker enough light through the mist to disclose the took the most effective part in the action, as it near proximity of the Federal lines and field-batpoured a flanking fire into the enemy's left. One teries. The first shot was fired shortly before other battery deserves favorable mention, which ten A.M. from the batteries in the Federal centre, it obtained in the short and modest report of the and was directed against Gen. Hood's division. battle which emanates from the pen of Gen. Lee. The Pennsylvania reserves advanced boldly under On the extreme right of the confederates, in front a heavy fire against the confederates who occuof the position occupied by Gen. Stuart's cavalry,pied one of the copsewood spurs, and were for a a few batteries of Stuart's horse-artillery were time permitted to hold it; but presently the conthrown forward to flank the Federals, between federate batteries opened on them, and a deterWalker's artillery and the river. General Stuart mined charge of the Texans drove the Yankees ordered Major John Pelham, his chief of artillery, out of the wood in a confusion from which nothing to advance one gun considerably toward the en- could subsequently rally them. Simultaneously emy, and to open upon him. Major Pelham a heavy fire issued from the batteries of General obeyed, and opened the fire of a twelve-pounder A. P. Hill's and General Early's divisions, which Napoleon gun with great precision and deadly was vigorously replied to by the Federal field-bateffect into the Federal flank. The galling dis- terics. The only advantage momentarily gained charges of this gun quickly drew upon it the fire by the Federals in this quarter, and which is

scared by that file of Yankees you have before you down there?" to which Gen. Jackson replied: "Wait till they come a little nearer, and they shall either scare me or I'll scare them."

noticed in Gen. Lee's report, was on the occasion pally committed the desperate task of bursting of the collapse of a regiment of North-Carolina out of the town of Fredericksburgh, and forming, conscripts, who broke and ran, but whose place under the withering fire of the confederate batwas rapidly taken by more intrepid successors. teries, to attack Marye's Heights, towering imThe cannonading now became general along the mediately in their front. Never at Fontenoy, entire line. Such a scene, at once terrific and Albuera, or at Waterloo was more undoubted sublime, mortal eye never rested on before, unless courage displayed by the sons of Erin than durthe bombardment of Sebastopol by the combined ing those six frantic dashes which they directed batteries of France and England revealed a more against the almost impregnable position of their fearful manifestation of the hate and fury of man. foe. There are stories that General Meagher The thundering, bellowing roar of hundreds of harangued his troops in impassioned language on pieces of artillery, the bright jets of issuing flame, the morning of the thirteenth, and plied them exthe screaming, hissing, whistling, shrieking pro- tensively with the whisky found in the cellars jectiles, the wreaths of smoke as shell after shell of Fredericksburgh. After witnessing the galburst into the still air, the savage crash of round-lantry and devotion exhibited by his troops, and shot among the trees of the shattered forest, viewing the hill-sides for acres strewn with their formed a scene likely to sink forever into the corpses thick as autumnal leaves, the spectator memory of all who witnessed it, but utterly de- can remember nothing but their desperate courfying verbal delineation. A direct and enfilading age, and regret that it was not exhibited in a fire swept each battery upon either side as it was holier cause. That any mortal men could have unmasked; volley replied to volley, crash suc- carried the position before which they were wanceeded crash, until the eye lost all power of dis- tonly sacrificed, defended as it was, it seems to tinguishing the lines of combatants, and the plain me idle for a moment to believe. But the bodies seemed a lake of fire, a seething lake of molten which lie in dense masses within forty yards of lava, coursed over by incarnate fiends drunk the muzzles of Col. Walton's guns are the best with fury and revenge. evidence what manner of men they were who pressed on to death with the dauntlessness of a race which has gained glory on a thousand battlefields, and never more richly deserved it than at the foot of Marye's Heights on the thirteenth day of December, 1862.

Twice the Federals, gallantly led and handled by their officers, dashed against the forces of Gen. A. P. Hill and Gen. Early, and twice they recoiled, broken and discomfited, and incapable of being again rallied to the fray. The confederates drove them with horrid carnage across the An opportunity of sending this letter, with an plain, and only desisted from their work when encouraging prospect of its reaching England, they came under the fire of the Federal batteries compels me to defer a further account of the galacross the river. Upon the extreme confederate lant defence on the confederate left of the town right General Stuart's horse-artillery drove hotly of Fredericksburgh and of the battle-field until a upon the fugitives, and kept up the pursuit, sub- subsequent letter. But it is important to add sequently understood to have been effective, until that, even at this early date, there are abundant after dark. Upon the confederate right, where evidences that the confederates, themselves susthe antagonists fought upon more equal terms, taining a loss of about one thousand eight hunthe loss sustained by the confederates was great- dred killed and wounded, have inflicted upon er than on the confederate left; the Federal loss their enemy a defeat from which it will take him in officers and men far outbalanced that of their months and months to recover. Such was the opponents. General Bayard, the best cavalry demoralization this evening of the Federal troops officer in the Federal service, and almost on the as they ran through the streets and cowered in eve of the day which would have witnessed his the cellars of Fredericksburgh, that hundreds of nuptials, was killed, and Gen. Jackson, of Penn- soldiers exclaimed, "You may shoot us down, sylvania, shared his fate. Many other general may hang us, or do, what you like, but back officers were carried to the Federal rear, griev- there," pointing at Marye's Heights, we will ously wounded; whereas of the confederates only never go again." I forbear to state the estimates one officer of rank (General Gregg) fell upon the of the Federal loss, which place it at an appalling right, and only one (General Cobb) upon the left. figure, and yet are believed not to be far from Meanwhile the battle, which had dashed furi- the truth. It is not likely that the full details of ously against the lines of Gens. Hood, A. P. Hill, this battle will be generally known in the North and Early, was little more than child's play, as for weeks and weeks; but if, after the failure of compared with the onslaught directed by the this last and feeblest of all the Federal attempts Federals in the immediate neighborhood of Fred- to reach Richmond, with the Northern army unericksburgh. The impression that the confeder- nerved, demoralized, and starting asunder like a ate batteries would not fire heavily upon the broken bow, the Irish and Germans are again Federals advancing in this quarter, for fear of tempted to embark in so hopeless a venture, then injuring the town of Fredericksburgh, is believed is the conclusion irresistible that, in addition to to have prevailed among the Northern generals. all the shackles of despotism which they are alHow bitterly they deceived themselves subse-leged to have left behind them in Europe, they quent events served to show. To the Irish divi- have left also that most valuable attribute of husion, commanded by Gen. Meagher, was princi- manity, which is called common-sense.

} GENERAL: As the sub-reports are now nearly all in, I have the honor to submit, for the information of the General-in-Chief, the subjoined re-nessee to annoy Grant, and another large force port, with accompanying sub-reports, maps and statistical table of the battle of Stone River. To a proper understanding of this battle, it will be necessary to state the preliminary movements and preparations.

Assuming command of the army at Louisville on the twenty-seventh day of October, it was found concentrated at Bowling Green and Glasgow, distant about one hundred and thirteen miles from Louisville, whence, after replenishing with ammunition, supplies and clothing, they moved on to Nashville, the advance corps reach- McCook, with three divisions, to advance by ing that place on the morning of the seventh of Nolinsville pike to Triune. Thomas, with two November, a distance of one hundred and eighty-divisions, (Negley's and Rousseau's,) to advance on his right by the Franklin and Wilson pikes, threatening Hardee's right, and then to fall in by the cross-roads to Nolinsville.

it could be determined which Thomas was to sup-approved of his action, of course, the order to port. occupy Murfreesboro having been based on the McCook arrived at Triune, and reported that information received from Gen. Crittenden's adHardee had retreated, and that he had sent a di-vance division, that the enemy were retreating vision in pursuit. from Murfreesboro.