FRANKLIN’S "LEFT GRAND DIVISION,”

131

As I remember, it was 011 the afternoon of the 10th of December thatGeneral Franklin received an order to have the head of his command at adesignated point on the river, about one and a half miles below Fredericks-burg, and since known as Franklin’s Crossing, at daylight on the morning oftbe 11th, where he would at once begin crossing by bridges which would befound ready.

On the morning of the 11th of December, at 5 o’clock, the First Corps,Under Major-General John F. Reynolds , marched to take position at thebridges, and cover the crossing of the Sixth Corps over the Rappahannock.A brigade of the corps had moved at 2 o’clock a. m., to protect the engineertroops while throwing the bridges, which were expected to be finished by day-light. The work was for a while suspended on account of the fire of sharp-shooters, covered by some fisliing-huts and a thicket 011 the opposite shore.Two batteries placed on the bank opened with canister and shell, and causedthe enemy to disappear, and work was resumed. When the head of theSixth Corps reached the bank at 7:30 A. M., only three or four pontoons ofeach bridge had been placed in position, and the bridges were not completedt'll about 1 p. m. It was not until about 4 p. m. that I received orders to beginthe crossing.

General Devens’s brigade held the post of honor and began the movement,Using both bridges. One of the commanders of the leading regiments, morePatriotic than wise, had placed his band at the head of the column, and*t was ordered to begin playing as it reached the bridge. This threw therQe u on the bridges into “ step,” and for some minutes it looked as thoughboth bridges must go down. Fortunately, through the reckless riding of aWild Irishman ” on the staff, an order reached the colonel, and the music^as stopped before any harm was done.

The troops were rapidly thrown across, when an order came to recross allout one brigade. This was done and General Devens’s brigade was left toj£ee P the bridge-head. The cause of this was that the upper bridges oppositeGie town, intended for the use of the right wing, had not yet been finished,^harp-shooters in the brick houses near the river had interfered with they°uk, and the heavy guns of the reserve artillery could not make the samelr npression 011 masonry walls that our field-batteries had produced on thicket^ud hut. Some volunteers finally crossed the river to Fredericksburg in°ats and cleared the other bank, and the bridge was rapidly laid.

. Gf course all chance of effecting a surprise was now over, and if we per-f’Ged in crossing we must fight for the hills south of the river. There was,owever, a very fine opportunity for turning what had been done into alr 't, and crossing the main army elsewhere. But this was not done, and|^ rl y on the morning of the 12th the Sixth Corps recommenced the passagethe river, marched to the front about a mile, and formed line of battle,s right was thrown across Deep Run, which, between the Sixth Corps and_ e river, was an impassable stream, separating us, until bridged, from the^ght wing of the army. In the right front was an open field, traversed by6e P Run from left to right, bounded by the hills and narrowing as it