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the army, 113,000 strong, at Fredericksburg.
General Lee, discovering his purpose, rapidly concentrated the army of Northern Virginia, and when the Federal army crossed the Rappahannock, he was in position ready for Burnside's attack.
Burnside crossed the river on the night of the 11th of December, 1862, with a division, and occupied Fredericksburg.
On the 13th his troops were all over the river, and at 9 a. m. his advance was made on the right wing of our army commanded by Gen. Stonewall Jackson. A. P. Hill's division, on Jackson's right, was fiercely assailed.
General Archer, commanding the Tennesseeans, reported that when the enemy advanced upon his brigade, several batteries were brought forward and placed in position, about 1,000 yards distant; at 10:30 they turned all their guns on his line, and after thirty minutes Meade's and Doubleday's divisions boldly came forward to the attack.
This advance was met with such a destructive fire that the enemy in front hastily fell back and took shelter in a railroad cut, where he remained during the action.
In the meantime another column of troops entered the point of wood on Archer's left, passing around his flank, and attacked the Nineteenth Georgia and Fourteenth Tennessee in rear with a superior force, and compelled these regiments to retire, leaving 160 prisoners in the enemy's hands.
A part of the Seventh Tennessee, seeing the regiments on the left give way, left the trenches in disorder.
The First Tennessee, said General Archer, with Lieuts. F. A. Timberlake, O. H. Foster, B. Wilmouth and Wm. T. Baird of the Seventh Tennessee, with a portion of their regiment, held the ground gallantly, and after ammunition was exhausted, charged with empty guns under Lieut.-Col. N. J. George (Colonel Turney having been wounded early in the action) across the railroad track, with Hoke's brigade of Early's division, and forced the enemy to retire in confusion.
Gen. R. E. Lee, referring to this action in his official report,
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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