Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/220

216 far, and endeavored to dissuade Burnside from it; but he was now desperate and obstinate, and insisted upon the order. Humphrey's division was selected for the sacrifice, and as a preparation for the advance, a heavy cannonade was ordered upon our lines, and continued with great fury until after sundown. The division then moved forward, apparently relying upon the bayonet. But why waste words? It did not get within bayonet distance, probably not more than 80 or 100 yards; the repulse was overwhelming; out of 4,000 men they lost 1,700.

Here fought Ransom, Cooke, Kershaw, Cobb, Kemper, Colonel Alexander, Colonel Walton, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana. They stood side by side, supported and sustained by each other. There were no laggards, no stragglers; every man was in his place, and every man a soldier; and what was said of one State may be said of all who fought on the right or left on that memorable day. Six times did the foe, with great heroism, rush to the assault within 100 yards of the foot of the heights, and six times were they repulsed with bloody slaughter. If the battle raged furiously on our right, it was still more terrific and bloody on our left. The women and children of Fredericksburg, with all their sufferings, were terribly avenged, and the enemy sorely punished. On the 14th the Confederate troops were in line ready for the attack, which everything indicated would be renewed.

The Federals were also in line, but nothing was done during the day, save a fire at intervals from Stafford's hills on the Southern lines. The 15th passed in the same way. On the night of the 15th a storm of wind and rain raged most furiously; under cover of this Burnside returned to the North side of the Rappahannock, and the battle was over. 113,000 Federal soldiers under fire had been actually engaged with the vast artillery on both sides of the river, except a part that could not be used, which was left in the streets of Fredericksburg. Lee had an army of 78,000 (according to Palfrey and President Davis), of which only about 20,000 were engaged. The Federals lost 13,771 in killed and wounded and prisoners, 9,000 stand of arms and a large quantity of ammunition which had been left