At Franklin Crossing, on the Rappahannock, occurred an incident that
proves how little things may change the whole trend of the best-laid
plans. The left Union wing under the command of General Franklin, composed
of the First Army Corps under General Reynolds, and the Sixth under
General W. F. Smith, was crossing to engage in the battle of
Fredericksburg. For two days they poured across these yielding planks
between the swaying boats to the farther shore. Now, in the crossing of
bridges, moving bodies of men must break step or even well-built
structures might be threatened. The colonel of one of the regiments in
General Devens' division that led the van ordered his field music to
strike up just as the head of the column swept on to the flimsy planking;
before the regiment was half-way across, unconsciously the men had fallen
into step and the whole fabric was swaying to the cadenced feet. Vibrating
like a great fiddle-string, the bridge would have sunk and parted, but a
keen eye had seen the danger. "Stop that music!" was the order, and a
staff officer spurred his horse through the men, shouting at top voice.
The lone charge was made through the marching column: some jumped into the
pontoons to avoid the hoofs; a few went overboard; but the head of the
column was reached at last, and the music stopped. A greater blunder than
this, however, took place on the plains beyond. Owing to a
misunderstanding of orders, 37,000 troops were never brought into action;
17,000 men on their front bore the brunt of a long day's fighting.
[Illustration: OFFICERS OF THE FAMOUS "IRISH BRIGADE"