ful artillery force, consisting of twenty-nine batteries of one hundred and forty-seven guns, destined to reply to the enemy's batteries, to control his movements on the plain, to command the town, and to protect and cover the crossing. At the same time, the troops were moved forward to positions immediately behind the ridge, and the ponton-trains were drawn down to the river's brink. It had been determined to span the stream by five ponton-bridges-three directly opposite the city, and two a couple of miles below. On the former, Sumner's and Hooker's Grand Divisions were to cross, while Franklin's Grand Division was to make the passage by the lower bridge.

Before dawn of the morning of the 11th, the boats were unshipped from the teams at the river's brink; and, swiftly and silently, the engineer troops proceeded to their work, amid a dense fog that filled the valley and water-margins, and through which the moving bridge-builders appeared as spectral forms. But no sooner did the artificers attempt to begin the construction of the bridges than they were met by volleys of musketry at short range from the riflemen posted opposite, behind the stone houses and walls of the river-street of Fredericksburg; and instantly the double report of a piece of ordnance boomed out on the dawn. This was the signal-gun that summoned the scattered Confederate corps to assemble for the long-expected attack.*

Aware, from the configuration of the ground, that he could not hope to prevent the passage of the stream, Lee made his dispositions to resist the advance after crossing. He, how

"The artificers had but got fairly to work when the firing of two guns from one of the enemy's batteries announced that we were discovered. They were, doubtless, signal-guns.”—W. Swinton: Correspondence of New York Times, December 13, 1862. General Longstreet says: "At three o'clock, our signalguns gave notice of the enemy's approach. The troops, being at their different camp-grounds, were formed immediately, and marched to their positions along the line."-Confederate Reports of Fredericksburg, p. 428.

"The plain of Fredericksburg is so completely commanded by the Stafford Heights that no effectual opposition could be made to the construction of bridges or the passage of the river. Our position was therefore selected with a view to resist the enemy's advance after crossing."-Lee: Report of the Battle of Fredericksburg, p. 39.

ever, caused a couple of regiments of Mississippi riflemen to be posted behind the stone walls of the river-street of Fredericksburg, to resist, as long as might be, the construction of the bridges. An unexpected success attended their efforts. At the point assigned for Franklin's crossing, two miles below the town, there was no such protection for the sharp-shooters, and they were therefore covered by rifle-trenches near the river's brink. But Franklin soon succeeded in dislodging this force, and by noon two bridges were available for the passage.

The attempt to construct the bridges opposite the town, however, met a different fate; for the keen-eyed marksmen opposed so vigorous an opposition to the laying of the pontons that the little band of engineers, murderously thinned, was presently compelled to slacken work, and then cease altogether.* Several hours passed in renewed but unavailing efforts, and it became clear that nothing could be done until the sharp-shooters were dislodged from their lurking-places. To accomplish this, Burnside, at ten o'clock, gave the command to concentrate the fire of all the artillery on the city and batter it down. On this there opened from the massive concentration of artillery a terrific bombardment that was kept up for above an hour. Each gun fired fifty rounds, and I know not how many hundred tons of iron were thrown into the town. Of the effect of this, however, nothing could be seen, for the city was still enveloped in mist; but presently a dense pillar of smoke, defining itself on the background of fog, showed that the town had been fired by the shells; and at noon the curtain rolled up, and it was seen that Fredericksburg was in flames at several points. Appalling though the bombardment was as a spectacle, it was of very slight military

* Two regiments of Hancock's division, sent to cover the working parties engaged in building the bridge directly opposite Fredericksburg, soon lost from their thin ranks one hundred and fifty men.-Hancock: Report of Fredericksburg. These regiments were, the Fifty-Seventh New York, Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman, and the Sixty-Sixth New York, Lieutenant-Colonel Bull, of Zook's brigade, Hancock's division, Couch's corps.

advantage; the hostile force lay out of range behind the hills in rear of the town, and the artillerists were unable to give sufficient depression to their guns to reach the river-front of the city, along which the marksmen were posted, and the conflagration did not extend but died out.

During the thick of the bombardment, a fresh attempt was made to complete the one half-finished bridge opposite the town; but this too failed. The day was wearing away, and affairs were at a dead-lock. In this state of facts, the chief of artillery, Brigadier-General Hunt, an officer of a remarkably clear judgment, made a suggestion that proved the fit thing to be done. He proposed that a party should be sent across the river in the open ponton-boats, and that after dislodging or capturing the opposing force, the bridges should be rapidly completed. The Seventh Michigan Regiment and the Nineteenth and Twentieth Massachusetts regiments of Howard's division volunteered for this perilous enterprise.†

Ten ponton-boats were lying on the brink of the river waiting to be added to the half-finished bridge. Rushing down the steep bank, the party found shelter behind these and behind the piles of planking destined for the covering of the bridge; and in this situation they acted for fifteen or twenty minutes as sharp-shooters, to hold in check the Southern tirailleurs opposite, while the boats were pushed into the stream. This being accomplished, the men quickly sought the boats, pushed off, and the oarsmen pulling lustily, they in a few minutes, notwithstanding the severe fire by which several were killed or wounded, came under cover of the opposite bluff. Other boats followed, and so soon as an adequate number of men were assembled on the Southern

* It has, indeed, seldom been found that such bombardments of towns are of any avail, and, as Carnot observes, they are generally adopted only when real means are lacking. Les bombardemens sont en général beaucoup moins à craindre qu'on ne le pense ordinairement. On les employe lorsqu'on manque de moyens réels."-De la Défense des Places Fortes: Bibliothèque Militaire, tome v., p. 523.

+ Couch's Report of Fredericksburg.