On 13 December the enemy opened the battle, moving a heavy force against our lines near Hamilton's Crossing, where Jackson's Corps was posted, with himself in personal command. They made a bold rush upon us, but we met them with such a storm of shell and canister and bullets that they were soon driven back. There was a place where our lines did not connect and a column of the enemy penetrated this gap and gained the crest of the hills; but we had a reserve line which raised the "Rebel Yell," and charged upon them and sent them flying down the hills again. In their retreat a large number of the enemy took shelter in a railroad cut that ran along the foot of the hills and our pursuing line charged right on over them, leaving them in the rear, while it pursued the others out on the open plain beyond. In returning to the lines all those men in the railronad cut were made prisoners, which they recognized themselves as being when we passed over them. The battle of Fredricksburg was now over, but we did not know it and we took advantage of the night to rearrange our lines and strengthen our position for the next day's anticipated conflict. But when the morning of the next day came and we were bracing ourselves for another grapple with the enemy, we discovered in looking out over the plain that they were not there. The enemy had learned by sad experience the impossibility of forcing us from our admirable position, and while we were busily engaged during the night in strengthening our position, he was silently removing to the other side of the river out of the range of guns on those frowning hills.
L. E. Powers,
Lieutenant Company A.
Rutherfordton, N. C.
9 April, 1901
note--Soon after Pope issued his braggart proclamation, above referred to, including his famous declaration his "Headquarters were in the saddle," news came rapidly of his successive and overwhelming defeats. Whereat the New York Herald, pithily and wittily said, "What else could you expect from a general who did not know his headquarters from his hindquarters." Copies of the paper got into the Southern lines and created much amusement.--ED.