Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/103

Rh and Howard voted to attack, Sickles and Couch to withdraw. General Hooker then announced that he would take upon himself the responsibility of withdrawing. Warren was directed to prepare a new and short line of defence, and to secure the army against any attempt to interrupt its passage of the river, and the 5th corps was designated as rear guard. On the morning of the 5th, leaving Early and Barksdale as before at Fredericksburg, General Lee ordered McLaws and Anderson's divisions back to Chancellorsville. Unwilling to be baffled of his prey, and his fighting blood rising to the occasion, he resolved to attack Hooker on both flanks. Anderson and McLaws were put in position on Hooker's left and Stuart on his right, and preparations were made for a daylight attack on the 6th. As the order for attack was about to be given, Fender galloped up to General Lee's headquarters then at Fairview, and announced that his skirmishers on advancing had just discovered that Hooker was gone. Those who were present report that General Lee manifested much disappointment at the announcement, but as he had neither pontoons nor transportation any thought of pursuit was out of the question. The crossing of the river was attended with much difficulty. At midnight the river rose suddenly over the bridges, and one of them had to be taken up to piece out the other. The night was dark and it rained in torrents. General Hunt in charge of the artillery did not think his guns could all be gotten over, and proposed that the movement be suspended for a day, but Hooker refused. The rain served to conceal the movement from the Confederate pickets, and Hooker's refusal to suspend probably saved part of the army from destruction. As a final adieu a lively artillery duel sprung up after daylight between some of the Federal and Confederate artillery, in which each side claimed to have put the other out of commission.

Thus ended the campaign, with the exception of Stoneman, who destroyed some property, and caused a good deal of alarm at Richmond, but whose raid was without material effect upon General Lee's communications, and contributed nothing to the campaign. To the absence of the greater part of the Federal cavalry may be attributed the surprise and destruction of the