AKMY OPERATIONS. 



83 



ceived to move on and join the other divisions, 

 which had gone through the city. The height 

 and the city were thus abandoned, to be occupied 

 soon after by the enemy. About five o'clock, the 

 advance was overtaken a few miles out of Fred- 

 ericksbnrg, engaged in a brisk fight with the en- 

 emy. The division of Gen. Howe was deployed 

 to the left of the road over a broken country, 

 with the left wing to the rear, so as to confront 

 the enemy reoccupying the heights and mass- 

 ing in the rear. Jn this position Gen. Sedg- 

 wick's force remained in line of battle during 

 the night, distant about six or seven miles from 

 Gen. Hooker. By morning of the 4th, the en- 

 emy appeared in strong force in front and on 

 the hills to his left. About 4 p. M. they moved 

 up to attack, and Gen. Sedgwick's artillery 

 opened fire on every quarter, but could not 

 check their slow and steady advance, before 

 which he gradually fell back toward Banks's 

 Ford. The engagement was- hot, and lasted 

 until 9 P. M., with a loss to Gen. Sedgwick of 

 nearly four thousand. That Monday night he 

 recrossed the Rappahannock. The crossing 

 was effected in good order, with the camp 

 equipage, mule trains, etc., except a few of the 

 latter, which were taken when the enemy first 

 appeared in rear at Fredericksburg. All the 

 work on the left was performed by this corps 

 of Gen. Sedgwick. It built three bridges, con- 

 stantly skirmished with the enemy, stormed 

 the heights of Fredericksburg, and advanced 

 to support the right, when it was flanked by a 

 heavy force of the enemy and forced to retreat 

 across the river. 



The movements of the enemy in this affair 

 were thus reported by Gen. Lee ': 



To His Excellency President Davis : 



At the close of the battle of Chancellorsville on Sun- 

 day, the enemy was reported advancing from Fred- 

 ericksburg on our rear. Gen. McLaws was sent to ar- 

 rest his progress, and repulsed him handsomely. 



That afternoon, learning that his forces consisted of 

 two corps, under Gen. Sedgwicfc, I determined to at- 

 tack him, and marched back yesterday with Gen. An- 

 derson, and united with McLaws early in the afternoon, 

 and succeeded, by the blessing of Heaven, in driving 

 Sedgwick over the river. 



We have reoccupied Fredericksburg, and no enemy 

 remains south of the Rappahannock or in the vicinity. 

 R. E. LEE, General Commanding. 



While these operations were going on under 

 Gen. Sedgwick, the enemy made no serious at- 

 tack upon Gen. Hooker. On Monday, at day- 

 light, they placed guns on the heights, which 

 commanded the ground north of United States 

 Ford, and began shelling the trains of Gen. 

 Hooker. These guns were soon silenced by the 

 twelfth corps, which relieved the eleventh, and 

 now occupied the extreme left. During the day, 

 the enemy continued to feel the lines of Gen. 

 Hooker from the extreme left to right, making 

 vigorous feints, driving in pickets, picking off 

 artillery horses and officers on horseback. It 

 was in one of these forays that Gen. "Whipple 

 was mortally wounded in the spine, while 

 standing against a tree in his own camp, sup- 

 posing himself to be in perfect security. Gen. 



Hooker continued during the day to strengthen 

 his position with a second line of rifle pite. 

 During Monday night slight skirmishing con- 

 tinued along the lines, with frequent volleys of 

 musketry from some portion of the rifle pits. 

 Batteries of flying artillery were used to shell 

 the camps, which changed position as often as 

 guns were brought to bear upon them. Thus 

 the Federal troops were harassed and exhaust- 

 ed during the night. 



Early on Tuesday all the pioneers and men, 

 with extra tools, were employed on Ihe roads 

 leading from the army back to United States 

 Ford. Old roads were repaired and new ones 

 cut through the woods. The trains and artil- 

 lery commenced moving toward the river early 

 in the evening. The rain then was falling rap- 

 idly, and the night became quite dark. The 

 crossing commenced at ten o'clock, and at three 

 o'clock on Wednesday morning all the wagons 

 and mule trains and artillery had passed the 

 bridges, and 'the passage of the infantry com- 

 menced. The second corps, under Gen. Couch, 

 led the advance. The fifth corps, under Gen. 

 Meade, formed the rear guard, with Gen. Sykes's 

 division of regulars to cover the retreat. The 

 passage of the river was effected without any 

 disturbance from the enemy. The dead on the 

 battle field of Tuesday were left unburied, and 

 many of the wounded remained. behind. The 

 rapid rise of the river prevented the immediate 

 advance of Gen. Lee. 



The movements of the cavalry force, under 

 Gen. Stoneman, do not appear to have pro- 

 duced any advantage in favor of Gen. Hooker. 

 As has been stated, the storms which ensued 

 prevented active movements by Gen. Stone- 

 man until the 29th of April. On that day he 

 crossed at Kelly's Ford. The division of Gen. 

 Averill moved to the Orange and Alexandria 

 railroad, and encountered two regiments of 

 the enemy, who retired toward Gordonsville. 

 Thence he proceeded to Culpepper, and dis- 

 persed a force of the rebels there, capturing 

 their rear guard, and seizing a large amount of 

 flour, salt, and bacon. The enemy were pur- 

 sued by way of Cedar mountain toward the 

 Eapidan. Here he received a despatch from 

 Gen. Stoneman, desiring him to push the enemy 

 as vigorously as possible, and keep him oc- 

 cupied. On the 1st, scouting parties were sent 

 up and down on both sides of the Rapidan. On 

 the 2d, orders were received by him to join 

 Gen. Hooker at United States Ford at once. 



Gen. Stoneman, after crossing at Kelly's 

 Ford, moved the main body of his command 

 across Fleshman's creek, and encamped for the 

 night in an open field. On the next day, the 3d, 

 Gen. Buford crossed the Rapidan, two miles 

 below Racoon Ford, and drove a body of in- 

 fantry from the ford, where Gen. Gregg cross- 

 ed later in the day. A lieutenant and thirteen 

 privates of an artillery company were captured 

 here. At night the whole force bivouacked 

 one mile from the river. On the next day the 

 march was commenced, and at Orange Spring a 



