USA > California > A Volume of memoirs and genealogy of representative citizens of northern California, including biographies of many of those who have passed away > Part 2
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The rebel general, Stonewall Jackson, was making his way up the Shen- andoah valley, Fremont was in hot pursuit, and on the 3d we came up with his rear guard at Fisher's Hill; and from the amount of camp equipage scattered along the road we concluded that they were in haste to make some advantageous point before being attacked. At Mount Jackson they crossed the river and burned the bridge after them. This delayed our army two days in making pontoons and laying them across the much swollen river. for it had been raining continuously for about two weeks.
THE BATTLE OF CROSS KEYS.
On the 8th day of June we met General Jackson's forces in position at Cross Keys, where a severe engagement took place, lasting all day. The troops engaged on the federal side prior to this had seen very little fighting. but in this battle they behaved like veterans. The troops of Milroy. Schenk and Blenker, besides the artillery and cavalry, were engaged. It was in this action that the celebrated "Jackass" battery came into action for the first time, and probably the last. The mode of operating the guns was to load the miles as close to the enemy as possible, face them in the opposite direction in range of the enemy, and then fire the guns. The guns were four-pound howitzers. securely fastened to the saddle. If the mule was accustomed to this mode of warfare he stood quiet ; if not, he usually started on the run. These cannon were loaded with grape and canister and did good work, at short range.
After the fight at Cross Keys, Jackson, on the morning of the oth, crossed the Shenandoah river at Port Republic, burning the bridge after him. and Fremont's troops were left on the west side of the river. General Shields was on the east side ready to engage Jackson as soon as he crossed. Had Shields crossed and attacked Jackson in front with Fremont in the rear, it is possible that most of the Confederate troops would have been captured : but. as it turned out. Jackson fought Fremont, with partial success, on the 8tli then crossed the river and whipped Shields, with neatness and dispatch.
After but a few days' rest he was on his way up the valley, and about the 25th was in General Mcclellan's front. near Richmond, with banners flying. After the Cross Keys battle the Sixth Ohio was ordered down the
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valley with the balance of Fremont's force, going to Fisher's Hill. As we were on our way we passed through Woodstock, a small town the streets of which were very narrow and the porticoes of the houses overhung the streets; and as the Union soldiers filed by women came out on the porticoes and threw dirty water and other refuse upon them. The officers of the regiment held a council of war and some of them were for reducing the town to ashes; but better judgment prevailed and the town was spared.
An amusing circumstance occurred here. Nearly all of the men in the regiment thought it would be the right thing to keep up with the prevailing style of having their hair cut tight to their heads. Of course I couldn't think of being out of style: so, after the barber had finished his work, I went to Captain Richart's tent and doffing my cap, remarked, "Captain. how do you like my cut?" He was a droll fellow and after looking at me for a few moments, said, "Well, Reeves, you would make a d- d pretty corpse to send home to your mother." That settled it, and I let my hair grow out again.
At Fisher's Hill, or, as it was afterward called, Fort Fisher, we made several reconnaissances to Winchester and vicinity. The regiment was next ordered to the Luray valley, and at Luray Court House it was fired upon by citizens from the house tops, and some of our men were wounded. We captured most of the men, and kept them under guard at the court-house for a number of days, making most of them take the oath of allegiance accord- ing to general order No. I issued by General Pope, the corps commander. Luray at this time was the worst "secesh" town in Virginia, and during our stay there we lost several men while on picket duty. One day the company bugler and myself went out viewing the beauties of the valley, when we hap- pened to think that it was a long time since we had had a good square meal, and, coming to a farm house, we asked for something to eat ; the question was answered in the affirmative. While waiting for our dinner we noticed that one of the young girls left the house by the rear door. I told Tanner to keep a careful watch out of doors, and I would do the same inside, and that we would eat one at a time. Dinner ready, I sat down and ate my meal, and, after paying for it, went out to relieve Tanner; but just as I mounted my horse I heard the clatter of horses' feet coming through the lane from the barn, and about twenty of Mosby's men were hastening toward us, yelling like "mad." We started off, with the rebels in hot pursuit, and the chase was kept up for a mile ; but we succeeded in making our escape, although Tanner's horse had a bullet in his thigh. After this the men were not allowed to go out in small squads.
On the 7th or 8th of August the Sixth Ohio Cavalry left Luray valley and were ordered to report to General Pope, who was then near Culpeper. On the 9th we met General Banks' division near Cedar mountain. Banks had about seven thousand five hundred men, of all arms: and the combined force of Jackson, Ewell and Ilill, whom he had to encounter, greatly out- numbered his force.
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BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN.
Banks was sent out to reconnoiter and ascertain the strength of the enemy, but not to bring on a general engagement. Instead of obeying or- ders, he brought on one of the worst battles of the war, considering the num- ber engaged. The Sixth Ohio was stationed on the left as flankers, and came in touch with Stuart's cavalry several times during the day, at one time being surrounded, and would have been captured had not General Green's brigade been sent to our relief. At the outset Banks had the enemy on the run, on nearly every part of the line, but was outnumbered three to one, later in the day, and had to retire.
Late in the afternoon, Shafer Mowry and myself were sent out on vidette duty, remaining out all night. Not being relieved in the morning, we suspected that the army had left, as we heard no firing; and which way to go puzzled us. However, we started toward the battle-field, but all was as still as the dead that were buried there. We nor our poor horses had had anything to eat for many hours, but some distance from the battle-field we found some green corn, which we ate without roasting, as we were afraid to build a fire to roast it.
Near dusk we started toward Washington, but as it was raining we turned our horses into a field, and, placing our ponchos over a couple of rails aslant against the fence, we crawled under to keep as dry as possible. About midnight a regiment of rebel cavalry came along, and were within three rods of us! we could hear them talking about the "Yanks." Fortunately, however, they did not see us. The next morning before daylight we saddled our horses and continued on our way. Soon we found where some cavalry had turned off to the left into a piece of woods, before the rebel cavalry had passed that night, and, believing them to be our men, we followed the tracks : and about half a mile from the main road we came to General Sigel's headquarters, without a single guard in sight. My companion said, "Be Gorry! I am going to have a new horse." He went to the line where the general's horses were tied, tied his own and took one of the other horses. We could have taken the whole of them, and perhaps captured the general himself, without much trouble. After going about a mile further into the woods we found our regiment cooking breakfast. I can assure you that we did full justice to that breakfast of hard-tack and coffee, after a three days' fast. It was reported that we were captured, and we were heartily welcomed back to camp.
WITH GENERAL POPE, AND THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
About the 18th of August, General Pope's army was stationed at the different fords and crossings on the Rappahannock river. The Sixth Ohio Cavalry was attached to General Sigel's corps, and was commanded by Gen- eral Buford, a splendid officer. We were guarding the ford at White Sulphur Springs.
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The fact that General Mcclellan's army had left the James river and were moving toward Washington in his usual deliberate way of moving an army, gave General Robert E. Lee what might have been the opportunity of his life, namely, to mass his men and fight Pope before Mcclellan's forces came to join Pope; but the fact that the latter had fought so stubbornly to maintain his position at the river, prevented General Lee from massing his troops.
Both armies, of Pope and Lee, at the time of the second Bull Run battle, had about the same number,-fifty-five thousand men each. Three days were spent by the enemy in trying to force a crossing of the river. Finally, on the 22d, Jackson succeeded in crossing at Sulphur Springs; but a heavy rain that night swelled the river so much that it was impossible for other troops to cross until the 24th.
On the 27th the Sixth Ohio and two other regiments made a recon- naissance to Salem and White Plains, where they met and made a charge on the rear of General A. P. Hill's corps, capturing some prisoners ; but we soon found that we were between Hill's and Longstreet's corps, and Longstreet and his staff soon came into view, and the stay of the reconnoitering party was in consequence cut short by a magnificent charge, in which we did not come out first winner as we did in the earlier part of the day. We left about thirty men in care of the enemy, besides the prisoners that we had captured from Hill in the morning. However, we accomplished our purpose of find- ing out the relative strength of the enemy's forces.
Returning to the main command, we went into camp in a piece of woods near the river with instructions not to build any fires. We were busily engaged in cleaning our guns, when a shell exploded in our midst. Some one had built a fire, and the enemy, seeing the smoke, had got the exact range of the camp at the first shot; and it took but three or four shots to convince us that we were not in a "healthy" place.
For the next two days, the movements of the army were a mystery to all except the higher officers, for we marched and countermarched without any destination, seemingly. Our poor horses were unshod, and having no feed many had given out and were abandoned. General J. E. B. Stuart, the celebrated Confederate cavalry leader, had made a terrible raid on Catlett Station, had captured the wagon trains, burned the bridges after him, and reached their own lines before the Union troops could get a chance to fight back. From the 23d to the 29th we were skirmishing continuously; but Jackson succeeded in getting in on our rear, and, after capturing a large amount of commissary stores and guns at Manassas, took possession behind the old railroad embankment, with Longstreet well posted on his right. The night of the 29th was spent in massing troops on both sides and by 6 o'clock. A. M., of the 30th the battle commenced all along the line, lasting all day. with scarcely a moment's cessation.
It was here that many acts of heroism were displayed. Among the most conspicuous was that of General Reynolds, of the Pennsylvania Reserves. Seeing his brigade waver before Longstreet's men, he seized a flag from the
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color-bearer, and rode along the line, the men cheering and following him as he led the charge. The Iron brigade carried the line, but could not hold it. About 7 o'clock, P. M., the federals commenced to waver, and by 8 o'clock were ordered by General Pope quietly to retire all along the line, and they fell back on Centerville, in good order, although it is claimed that the retreat became a mob, which was not the fact in the case; and if General Fitz John Porter had come up, as he should, and could easily, have done, he would have saved the day. But jealousy was the cause of the Union army's defeat in this, as in other battles of the Potomac army.
On the Ist of September the armies met again, this time at Chantilly, near Fairfax Court House. The divisions under Hooker, Reno, Heintzel- man and Kearny were engaged. They came together like two cyclones, and for nearly an hour, in one of the worst thunder-storms one experiences in a life time, the musketry was more deafening than thunder. In this battle two of the bravest generals lost their lives,-Generals Kearny and Stevens. The next morning Pope's army moved on to Washington, unmolested. So ended the second battle of Bull Run.
When the Union troops were on their march to the capital city. the Sixth Ohio Cavalry were left as rear guard to bring up the stragglers, as there are always some in every army. As we were going along about our business, there were two guns of a rebel battery that kept annoying us all the time by coming up behind us, unlimbering their guns, firing a shot or two, when we would deploy into the woods out of the way. Colonel Lloyd at last saw a chance to put a stop to this annoyance. On our way we had to pass through a small valley, and we posted two companies, dismounted, along the fence at the foot of the hill in such a position that they could not be seen, and the balance of the regiment was sent forward through the valley. The enemy came to the top of the hill, prepared to fire at those going through the valley : but they never fired another gun, for the boys stationed along the fence had the drop on them, and there were not many men or horses left, after they had fired that volley, fit for service.
That night was very chilly, and the men had no overcoats; and as the men of the Sixth, plodding along, chilled to the bone, many in a drowsy condi- tion, were passing through a narrow and deep cut in the road, some of the stragglers of our own troops on the brow of the hill or embankment, thinking we were rebels, fired into our midst. This made the front of the column double back on the rear all in a heap : but the colonel called to the men to cease firing, telling them who we were. This woke us up for the balance of the niglıt.
After the defeat at Bull Run, the Union troops were concentrated around Washington. Reorganization commenced immediately. The men in the ranks were not much disheartened, but were greatly disgusted with the half- hearted way that some of the generals conducted themselves. They were all well aware that they were not out-generaled in the fight, but that they could win if they had an equal chance, and therefore were anxious for another engagement. Our regiment was camped at Hall's farm, which adjoined
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General Robert E. Lee's residence and is now the National Soldiers' Cemetery at Arlington. Here we received three new companies, with recruits to fill the old companies. new clothing, tents and many new horses. While here my brother Charles, of Company A, was taken ill with fever and sent to the hos- pital at Germantown, where he died.
After the battle of Bull Run, the Confederates were very much elated with their success, and planned and executed a raid into Maryland, in hopes of recruiting their army, which was much depleted.
BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN.
General Lee put his army in motion on the 3d of September, and on the 5th some of his troops were in Maryland, with Stonewall Jackson in the lead. He marched to Frederick City, where it is reported that some of the soldiers fired upon the flag of old Barbara Frietchie; and every one knows how beautifully our poet Whittier has put the legend into verse.
On the 5th of September General Pope asked to be relieved, and General George B. McClellan was placed in command of the Armies of the Potomac and the James. After reorganization he put his army in motion in the direction of Maryland, to head off General Lee, who was in the vicinity of South Moun- tain and making for Pennsylvania. About the 5th of September the cavalry of the Potomac were organized into a division, with General Pleasanton as our commander, and a few days later we were on the move into Maryland. He was ordered to clear the way to South mountain, Lee's troops being in that vicinity. McClellan was concentrating his force on that place, and Lee's cavalry was watching his movements at Frederick City.
On the 13th our cavalry was ordered to make a reconnaissance in the direction of Fox and Turner's Gap in the South mountain range, followed by a brigade of infantry ; here General Lee was supposed to be in force, but we found only the rear guard of the army, holding the pass : the main body hav- ing passed through the day before. We found the pass blocked with fallen trees. These cleared away, and the summit reached, we were received by a raking volley from the enemy, hidden in the underbrush on the side of the road. This gave us a check for a few minutes, but, dismounting, we drove them back on their reserve, who were formed in an open field; and here again we were received with a deadly fire.
We had been on the fighting line about half an hour when a battery of artillery came into action. This was followed by a brigade of infantry from General J. D. Cox's division, who were quickly deployed to the right and left of the road. Then the battle opened in earnest. Shrapnel and musketry made sad havoc on both sides; but our brave men steadily ad- vanced until they came to a cross road, with a stone fence running parallel with the one which we were on. Here ensued a hand-to-hand encounter for its possession; but the Ohio boys were victorious. The Confederates were routed and driven down the mountain in disorder; but, being reinforced, they came back with that familiar yell which one must hear to appreciate.
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But we kept possession of the Sharpsburg road until the arrival of the Ninth Corps, who relieved us.
As we were retiring from the engagement we saw General Jesse Reno, sitting on the side of the road watching his troops pass; and in a few minutes afterward we heard that while inspecting a portion of the skirmish line he was killed. General Reno was a brave man and one of the finest-looking gen- erals in the service.
The Ninth Corps were engaged until darkness put a stop to the fighting, expecting on the morrow to renew the battle; but the dawn found no enemy, they having retired during the night down the Sharpsburg road.
On the 15th General Mcclellan put his army in motion, following after Lee with great caution, fearing, as he always did, that he would be out- numbered, and did not make any serious attack. This gave Jackson time to come up, after his successful maneuvers in capturing Colonel Miles' force of twelve thousand men at Harper's Ferry. It is believed by most military men that had Mcclellan attacked Lee on the morning of the 15th he would have gained one of the most decisive battles of the war. As it was, General Lee fell back on Antietam, where he selected his line of defense at leisure, with an added strength of General Jackson's corps to help him.
On the 16th, the day found both armies looking at each other across Antietam creek,-a narrow, but deep stream, with steep banks. I could give a vivid picture of the battle of Antietam; but I will not do so, for the reason that the historian has already done it better than I can; so I will pass on to other scenes, merely saying that the battle was fought with no decisive results to either army,-and the loss in each was something appalling,- about 2,108 killed, and 9.549 wounded on the Union side, and the loss was probably as great on the Confederate side !
From the 18th of September to the 26th of October the army lay com- paratively idle. At the latter date Mcclellan reported to the authorities at Washington that he had crossed the Potomac river and was now on Virginia soil, prepared to move southward on the east side of the Blue Ridge moun- tains, whilst General Lee was making his way up the Shenandoah valley on the west side, keeping a close watch of "Our Brave Little Mac." But there was one branch of the service that was kept on the move day and night, keeping a sharp watch on Stuart and Mosby, and that was the cavalry.
Finally the government became very weary of the tardy movements of Mcclellan : and on the 5th of November he was superseded by General Ambrose E. Burnside, who took command of the Army of the Potomac, which now numbered 120,000 men, of all arms. It was questionable whether the change would be an improvement, but any general was preferable to General McClellan.
Burnside decided to make his base of operations and a forward move- ment on Richmond at or near Fredericksburg and moved his force to Fal- month, opposite to Fredericksburg. Our regiment went into camp on the old battlefield of Chantilly, doing outpost duty most of the time. In November
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new recruits came to the regiment to fill up the companies, and many of the old members were discharged for physical disability and other causes.
A SCOUTING PARTY AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
While we were on our way to South mountain a squad of about twenty- five of the Sixth Ohio boys concluded to do a little scouting, and incidentally a little foraging, just to keep up our splendid reputation in that line. We had gone off to the right of the main command perhaps five miles, and were in a section where very few troops of either army had been. Spying a large farm house a half-mile to the right of the road, with a lane, having beautiful shade trees on either side, leading up to it, we struck out for it. After look- ing the premises over to our satisfaction, finding ham and chickens,-which we paid for in Confederate scrip,-we concluded to have dinner, which the darkies insisted upon cooking for us; and while they are doing it I will try to describe the house and surroundings.
The house was one of those stately mansions built in the early settlement of Virginia, closely resembling the Washington residence at Mount Vernon. The interior was finished off in panel work, walnut and cherry. The fire- places-of which there were a number-were immense brick affairs with brass- trimmed andirons. The floors were maple, and waxed. The hall and stair- way was large enough to admit of driving a horse and carriage in and up stairs. The outside of the house had seen but little paint for many years, and was not in keeping with the interior. A fine looking old gentleman, about eighty years of age and one of the old school in every sense of the word, met us on the porch and with a kindly smile said, "Gentlemen, what can I do for you to-day?" On being informed of our desire to buy ham and chickens, he was willing to accommodate us with all we would pay for. The grounds about the house were in a state of dilapidation, but were one time very beautiful, with large pine and elm trees which gave shade and beauty to the now decaying old place. This was all inclosed with a high rail fence, enclosing about ten acres, and on the outside of this fence was a long row of cheap houses for the colored people.
Dinner being ready, we sat down to eat; but we had not calculated on hav- ing company for dinner. In other words we had not consulted a body of rebel cavalry belonging to General Stuart's command, who happened to be in that neighborhood; and, seeing the farm house and some horse tracks leading to it, they concluded that they, too, were hungry, and without giving us much warning were almost upon us before any one saw them. Our boys did not stop to finish dinner, but were in their saddles in an incredibly short time, and seeing that the odds were at least six to one against them they decided to make a break for the open fields beyond the high fence spoken of, every man for himself. I had a beautiful bay horse that I had not ridden long, and there- fore did not know whether he could jump a fence or not ; but, following the balance of the horses, he made the leap in fine style, though in doing so he either caught his heel in the top rail and threw it forward or the horse follow-
.
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ing mine hit the rail, propelling it forward in such a manner as to hit me on the back of the head with such force that it knocked me stiff and senseless, I falling forward on the pommel of my saddle, my horse following the bal- ance: and I knew nothing of what was going on around us for some time. When I regained consciousness we were out of range of our pursuers, and two of the boys were holding me on my saddle, they supposing that I had been shot. That blow on the back of my head has caused me more suffering than I can describe.
I had just been promoted to the rank of commissary sergeant of the company, and this relieved me from picket duty. Company G was divided into messes of from five to ten in a mess, and the duty was not arduous, allow- ing me plenty of time to go on scouting expeditions. On one of these occa- sions the regiment had just returned from a raid after General Stuart, and had been in camp but a few hours when the order came to my tent saying in a mysterious air, "Reeves, I want you to go on a scouting expedition over the Blue Ridge mountains; be ready by noon."
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