ear the town that they had occupied in the
morning.

On the left an equally terrible battle had raged all day, but here the
Northern troops were compelled to cross open ground between the town
and the base of the hill and suffered so terribly from the fire that
they never succeeded in reaching the Confederate front. Throughout the
day the Confederates held their position with such ease that General Lee
considered the affair as nothing more than a demonstration in force to
feel his position and expected an even sterner battle on the following
day. Jackson's first and second lines, composed of less than 15,000 men,
had repulsed without difficulty the divisions of Franklin and Hooker,
55,000 strong; while Longstreet, with about the same force, had never
been really pressed by the enemy, although on that side they had a force
of over 50,000 men.

In the morning the Northern army was seen drawn up in battle array as if
to advance for fresh assault, but no movement was made. General Burnside
was in favor of a fresh attack, but the generals commanding the various
divisions felt that their troops, after the repulse the day before, were
not equal to the work, and were unanimously of opinion that a second
assault should not be attempted. After remaining for some hours in order
of battle they fell back into the town and two days later the whole army
recrossed the Rappahannock River. The loss of the Confederates was 1800
men, who were for the most part killed or wounded by the enemy's
artillery, while the Federal loss was no less than 13,771. General
Burnside soon afterward resigned his command, and General Hooker, an
officer of the same politics as the President and his advisers, was
appointed to succeed him.

The cavalry had not been called upon to act during the day, and
Vincent's duties were confined to carrying orders to the commanders of
the various batteries of artillery posted in that part of the field, as
these had all been placed under General Stuart's orders. He had many
narrow escapes by shot and fragments of shells, but passed through the
day uninjured.

General Lee has been blamed for not taking advantage of his victory and
falling upon the Federals on the morning after the battle; but although
such an assault might possibly have been successful he was conscious of
his immense inferiority in force, and his troops would have been
compelled to have advanced to the attack across ground completely swept
by the fire o