File:Battle fields and camp fires. A narrative of the principle military operations of the civil war from the removal of McClellan to the accession of Grant. (1862-1863) (1890) (14576054099).jpg

Identifier: battlefieldscamp00abbo (find matches)
Title: Battle fields and camp fires. A narrative of the principle military operations of the civil war from the removal of McClellan to the accession of Grant. (1862-1863)
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Abbot, Willis J(ohn), 1863-1934. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead & co
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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Text Appearing Before Image:
it was soon agreed that the pickets of neither
side should fire without due warning. But at daybreak a new detail
of Union pickets came on duty, and being ignorant of the unofificial
truce opened fire on the Confederates who were lounging about in full
view, and many of whom were hit. Irritated by this, the Confeder-
ates kept up a constant fusilade, and a general engagement was only
averted by the original suggestion of one of the Confederates, who
shouted across to a Wisconsin soldier: " Hello thar, you Yank. Let's stop this shooting, and settle this
quarrel with our fists." The Wisconsin man agreed, and the two, stripped for action, were
soon boxing between the hostile lines of pickets, who put down their
muskets and looked on with interest. The fight was declared a draw,
but it restored good humor, and for the rest of the day an amicable
exchange of tobacco, of which the Confederates had plenty, for coffee,
with which the Federals were well supplied, took the place of an
exchanege of rifle-bullets.
Text Appearing After Image:


FIGHTING IT OUT.


BATTLE FIELDS AND CAMP FIRES. 159

Two days thus passed away in unimportant skirmishing. On the
night of the 15th of December, the Army of the Potomac dispirited,
shattered and bleeding, crossed again with lagging steps the pontoo,
bridges over which five days before they had marched with proudly
wavng banners and hearts beating fast at the thought of giving bat-
tle to the enemy. Lee remained in possession of a field won easily
by him, though striven for desperately by his gallant antagonists. In
the effort to take the heights Burnside had sacrificed 12,653 men of
whom 1284 were killed and 9600 wounded. Over two-thirds of these
fell before the fatal stone wall. Hancock's division, which bore the
brunt of the conflict there, lost 2013 out of a total strength of 5006.
In eight of his regiments over half the officers and men were killed.
The Confederates on their part lost 5377 men, of whom 608 were
killed and 4116 wounded. Their heaviest loss was on their right
where Meade charged through Stonewall Jackson's line. But the gal-
lant charges against the stone wall, which cost the Union soldiers so
much blood, were repelled by the Confederates with a loss of but
1555 men

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