Another Picket Story, Playing Peace On The Rappahannock

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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Somewhere near Fredericksburg, pontoons across the river join two sides. Wagons and planks in foreground, men ( engineers? ) enjoying peace, however temporary. Gardner's print didn't catch the pickets along the Rappahannock, if he had he may have witnessed peace in that camp, too.

Always keep an eye peeled for these stories. Beyond the obvious fascination they represent ( maybe just to me ) who we are. Stripped of ego and agenda, peeling back all those shellacked layers composed of American caste marks, it takes little encouragement for plain, old Peace to break out. No one had a better idea we were over there and really, 'sides' can be silly ( unless the Steelers are playing Baltimore ) than pickets. You just know for every story printed where enemy pickets created cheated hate for awhile were ten more no one ever heard of.

A Massachusetts officer's eye witness account;

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Anyone insisting this is a made-up story is working way too hard 150 years later to keep war ticking over. Apocryphal accounts tend to be told with romanticized embellishments. This is ' quoits ', however they did this one. From Dictionary dot com, briefest description I could find.
  1. a game in which rings of rope or flattened metal are thrown at an upright peg, the object being to encircle it or come as close to it as possible.

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Officers were a obligated to break up this kind of thing- you just know this one hated to do it.
 
A beautiful piece, @JPK Huson 1863 no pun intended. You do realize that being the battle played out in the second week of December, the officers remark, "....since the late battle" gives us a refreshing insight to what a Spirit Christmas could bring for all. "Joy to the World" or any number of Carols may come to mind, if I needed to recite more. If I am not mistaken the photo is from the left flank of the Army of the Potomac, looking toward the fields that Franklin's Corps moved to on December 13, 1862. Thank you for a delightful reminisce.
Lubliner.
 
A beautiful piece, @JPK Huson 1863 no pun intended. You do realize that being the battle played out in the second week of December, the officers remark, "....since the late battle" gives us a refreshing insight to what a Spirit Christmas could bring for all. "Joy to the World" or any number of Carols may come to mind, if I needed to recite more. If I am not mistaken the photo is from the left flank of the Army of the Potomac, looking toward the fields that Franklin's Corps moved to on December 13, 1862. Thank you for a delightful reminisce.
Lubliner.


That's where these bridges were? Thank you! I've never been able to place them more exactly. Little nutty on pontoon bridges, this photo contains some of the wagons from the train so a favorite. There's an image from Jericho Mills that has more- bucket list, high on the list is walking across a pontoon bridge. A girl can dream.
 
You know the central picture of Fredericksburg proper, from the opposite side, surely? The bridge is blown out. Come to think of it, the Bull Run Bridge picture, and another in the swamps crossing the Chickahominy, the Grapevine Bridge picture, these were my first attractions, and I still haven't understood why I am drawn into them; like closely looking into an empty bucket to hear the echo; it astounds. The Federal force there in Fredericksburg built bridges both upriver and down river. I am pretty certain these are from downstream, but what else can I say about certainty? Glad you were delighted @JPK Huson 1863. Nothing could have been worse than a falling out around Christmas. Stones' River in the west ruined everyone's New Year. Enjoy.
Lubliner.
 
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