USA > Massachusetts > History of the Second Mass. Regiment of Infantry, third paper > Part 6
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call upon me upon "very important business," as he said ; which was, that he was engaged to be married to a young lady in Winchester, and wished a leave of absence for six days that he might go back and be married. He had met his love for the first time at a house in that town, where I had sent him in command of a guard. He went, he saw, was conquered ; he a Yankee, she a Virginian; he Union, she a rebel. I gave this officer a leave of absence, and he was married. It was said at this time in the regiment that I had prophesied for the coming 19th of July, that I would march the Second Regiment up State Street in Boston ; and in a letter stating the prophecy, I added, " Verily, it looks so."
Whether on the main, the middle, or the back road of that lovely Shenandoah valley, rich with its green fields stretching off for miles and miles ; wherever our foragers wandered, we were the first. to cull dainties from rich farms, then looking very unlike the starvation and misery which afterwards befell the people. While we were at Harrisonburg, purchases were made of two chickens, two ducks, one turkey, two dozen eggs, and three pounds of butter, all for $1.50 in specie, which was then equal to $5.00 in rebel money. At the sight of silver and gold, the eyes of the farmers opened wide, and they clutched our sil- Ver quarters, as a drowning man a straw ; for they had not seen any siver, they said, since April of 1861. And yet their foolish pride and faith, or something worse, made this people contend that their shinplasters were as good as our green- backs, and not only profess it, but act up to it, to the manifest advantage of one rather smart officer, who bought a twenty- dollar confederate note for twelve dollars in silver, and then exchanged it with an eager secessionist in town for a twenty- dollar bill in our currency. The sutlers realized great profits from this traffic ; while some of them added horse- stealing to the business, and so contrived to keep the wolf from the door for a while, though there is but little doubt that Ashby and Moseby finally got even with the sutlers,
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and restored more to Virginia than she lost. It was a cause of complaint among some of our officers that I always paid "every one of these secesh" for what I took from them ; though it was declared that I more than compensated for it by setting free every darky I came across.
While our occupation of Harrisonburg was drawing to a close, information was received from the secretary of war that " Yorktown had been evacuated." " Let the boys yell," wrote Gen. Williams to me, in a note announcing this news ; and this note was followed by another " that there are strong rumors about Richmond."
Sunday came, the 4th of May, and brought Gen. Banks unexpectedly to the front. He came to call together the general officers of his command, to discuss the practicability and wisdom of a movement against Jackson. Hardly, however, had the subject been broached, when a despatch from the sec- Tetary of war quenched the rising flame. We (Williams's Di- vision with all the cavalry and artillery; were ordered to return to Strasburg, while Shields with his Division was ordered to cross the Blue Ridge, and join McDowell at Fredericksburg. The change was to take place immediately ; we were to move at daylight on the return to New Market. The glories of a campaign in the valley, so full of promise, vere fading.
During the day and night of Sunday, preparations for the return were made. On Monday morning, some movement of the enemy, probably following up our rear-guard, as it was withdrawn from the outpost and picket stations, gave rise to a rumor that Jackson was drawing near for a fight. Gen. Williams wrote me a few hurried words confirming the report. * As absurd as I then believed the rumor, unless Jackson had dropped down upon us from the clouds, I got my brigade in readiness for a movement ; which turned ont to be for
* COL GORDON, - It is reported that Jackson is within three miles, Have your command ready for orders.
A. WILLIAMS, B. G.
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marching, and not fighting. The unusual bustle which attended the preparation, however, affected the occupants of my headquarters differently. No doubt my splenetic land- lady was overjoyed at the prospect of our departure ; though she was, and had been ever since our arrival, apprehensive of the effect upon her slaves. A more miserable, watery, unhealthy cellar, than the half-underground basement where I had often seen an unhappy slave woman, I had not before encountered. So sickly and feeble seemed this unhappy creature, though she was young, scarcely over thirty, that I had spoken kindly, and encouraged her to leave such a home. Although she replied that she should go when we left, I thought no more of her until the confusion of our departure, when " Peggy" came to say, --
"I'm gwine wid ye."
"Very well," I replied, " come along."
" No, but I can't go widout my chile," she answered.
"Then bring it with you."
" I can't, I hab n't got her."
" Where is she ? "
" Ober dar at Miss -- , she hab her."
" Go and get her, then, if you have time."
" She won't gib her up to me."
" What shall I do? I have no time now to send."
" You jes gib me a writin', an' I'll go wid it."
"That won't do you any good ; our troops are all leaving here : the people won't mind our writings."
" Yase, it will," insisted Peggy, " you jes gib me writin'."
Persuaded by her importunity, I scrawled off and signed with my name and official rank an order to Miss ---- to deliver over immediately one colored child, the daughter of sail Peggy: and this on the pains ard perils of dis- obedience. Then Peggy passed out of my mind ; for new rumors came that Jackson was about attempting to seize the gap-road across the mountains, which connects the two
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valleys at New Market, the road where Col. Sullivan's pickets were attacked on the Gordonsville pike. While our columns were hurrying along the road, my eyes fell upon my Peggy, keeping up with the artillery, the wagons, and the columns' of infantry, and bearing on her shoulders the brightest and most sparkling little pickaninny that was ever born to woman of African descent. I was surprised, and when I saw the mother's happiness delighted. With the child (given to her without any hesitation, she said), and a large bundle, about the size of the one that the fugitive slave woman was for- merly represented in pictorial advertisements in Southern papers as bearing, when she " ran away from the subscriber," she was fleeing from slavery, clinging to our guns and to the columns of our infantry for protection. Telling her to come to my camp, when we halted for the night (she assured me she could keep up), I rode on pondering on the amazing changes which time works in the field of human events; upon the fleeing fugitive, hiding in swamps and tracked by blood- hounds, to the fugitive fearless in the presence of ten thou- sand bayonets, glistening in the arms of ten thousand hated abolitionists : for this was what we practically bad become. I did not see Peggy again for two or three days ; for hardly had we arrived at New Market, hoping to make up for the want of rest of Sunday night, and the exhausting march of twenty miles on Monday, when, the fright at headquarters continuing, we were ordered to tear away from the prospect of comfortable beds, and move out in the darkness, ascend the mountain, and cross to the valley of the North Fork of the Shenandoah, on the eastern side of the range.
When Major Copeland brought the order from Gen. Banks, he inspired the officers of the Second Massachusetts Regi- ment to throw off fatigue by promising a battle surely in the morning ; and he also gave me the information in writing that it was reported that Jackson had divided his force and had five thousand men this side the river (I suppose he referred to the
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Luray valley), and six thousand men the other, which " if so," adds Copeland, "one party may be destroyed by a timely movement."
I left Banks's headquarters in New Market at twelve at night, with no more information of the purposes and probabilities of this march than when I entered, and with my weary col- umn reached the top of the mountain at sunrise on the 6th of May. Here I halted for a moment to refresh the troops with the marvellous beauty of the scene. In the golden light we saw far below us in the valley the apple, peach, and cherry trees in full bloom ; the rich green of the growing wheat, the green grass, and the lovely tints of the new verdure of the forest trees. My horse crushed the most beautiful vio- lets. growing in clusters on hillside, in footpath, and by many mountain streams which flowed onward to swell the Shenandoah at our feet. Without long delay we pushed on for the foot of the mountain on the other (eastern) side, where we were promised a sight of the enemy. We reached the end of our long and toilsome night march to find that it was a false alarm, -. no enemy, no prospect of any fight. So we fell down to deep slumbers ; I had not closed my eyes for two nights. Here I published to my brigade the news of the evacuation of Yorktown. The men cheered on the sides of that magnificent old mountain with such vociferous shouts, that the echo must have rolled through the valley, rever- berating from the Blue Ridge, and answered back again from the top of the higher ranges over which we had climbed. Save that I here tied a sutler to a tree, and confiscated all his stock for selling liquor to my men, I accomplished nothing that tended to a result.
On the Sth of May, returning from the mountain, we again pitched cur tents in New Market ; and I do not recall more sleepy and dreamy hours than for a few days were passed here, while awaiting the order to return to Strasburg.
The official report of the evacuation by the enemy of
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Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., we received on Sunday, the IIth of May, the anniversary of the day on which the Second Massachusetts Regiment was mustered into the service of the United States for three years or the war.
New Orleans, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Yorktown snatched from the rebel grasp, we counted as surely upon Richmond to follow ; and so, in noisy demonstrations with the bands, we celebrated our anniversary, saddened only by the reflection that to us had fallen the ignoble task of holding Strasburg for the protection of the valley.
On the 13th of May Williams's Division re-entered Stras- burg. The roads, the bridges, the scenes, and the people were little changed ; but the contrast between the advancing and retreating march was most noticeable. Now there was no pursuit, no ubiquitous Ashby : it was a dull, tame, dead level of safety. The important bridge over the creek at Mount Jackson, which, in fight, and in flight on our advance, Ashby had attempted to destroy, and which it was necessary to preserve to carry us from New Market to the rear, was saved to us, somewhat, by two telegraphic operators armed with two sabres and three revolvers," and somewhat by the absence of the enemy. Although I made haste to relieve the gallant operators from their voluntary guard duty, I do not remember what message I sent to Gen. Banks's assistant
& FROM MOUNT JACKSON, May 10, 1862.
To MAJ .- GEN. N. P. BANK> :
All the guards have been withdrawn from this place, and the bridge near here. As we would not like tweeet ettange destroyed, and especially at this time, we have assumed command, and . ustered all the force we can, consisting in all of five men, and will do the best we can to protect it with this small squad, who are armed with two sabres an ! three rev. Ivers.
We are very respectfully yours, HALL & LOUNSBURG, Grannment Sterelors.
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adjutant-general's clerk, by whom I was requested to make a report .*
In the middle of a vast clover-field just on the outskirts of the town, our regiment with the others of my brigade were encamped. By orders from Washington, we were to fortify Strasburg ; ; therefore we did the best we could to throw up an incomplete field-work upon a hill in the middle of the town, and a long line of simple breastworks in the southerly part.
From the 13th to the 23d of May this not too exciting task furnished, with speculations upon the fall of Richmond, the whole staple of amusement .. Again there was much grum- bling and dissatisfaction among the officers of our regiment ; and here it culminated in a letter from them to the secretary of war, asking to be transferred to a more active field #
Major Scott, of Col. Murphy's Twenty-Ninth Pennsylvania
* HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT SHENANDOAH, NEW MARKET, VA., May Io, 1863.
Please report by bearer if the two companies detailed have been sent from your command.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. MORRIS COPELAND, M.j. Vois, and Act. Alijt. Gen. Fer WHITTEMORE, clerk.
Why the government should have t eate i Front Royal as an outpost and studying as the main place to be defende?, it is irepossible to explain. Invited b. Gen. Banks, upon his accession to Pattersom's command, to come to him at any and all tines with such suggestions upon military affairs as I might wish to make. I took the liberty of advising him to move his main face to Front Royal, and thus, holding a pass over the Blue Ridge, so place himself upon his line of communications that his small force could not be surrounded by a larger one of the enemy. I besongla him to apply for a change of orders to enable him to do this, and Major Perkins, his adjutant-general, joined me in my interces- sions, but Banks was immovable.
# A reply to this letter, received after Jackson had driven our regiment out of the valley, declared that the exigencies of the service required the writers to te.nain a: Strasburg (atkoz the valley .
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Regiment, suppressed his perturbed spirits, and spent much of his pay, in presents as testimonials to officers who met his approbation. Not content with having given superb swords to Generals Banks and Hamilton, and to Major Copeland, the former's assistant adjutant-general, he now bent his energies towards a gift for the colonel of the Second Massachusetts, his then brigade comman ler ; which, alas! never came to frui- tion, for Jackson soon made us think of other things. But we were acting without foreknowledge, and so gathered such comforts as were at hand. Peggy, my faithful negro woman, duly installed as cook, gave more satisfaction for money paid than any of our compromises. Following on with the bright- eyed little "Topsy," she had come to me at New Market to remain until I could transfer her Bostonward.
With direct rail communication with Washington, Strasburg began to take on an air of gayety. A travelling theatrical com- pany furnished us with amusement. Sutlers and traders, by day and by night overrun with custom. furnished us with supplies. The amount of public property at Strasburg was enormous. Since we bad first passed through it, a bountiful government had piled up stores for clothing, feeding, moving, healing, and killing, until the warerooms positively groaned with the burden. Here, too, had been deposited, as in a safe depot, all the superflupas transportation which Shields had abandoned.
In brigade drills, labor upon the fieldl-works and defensive lines, and in rebuilding the bridges upon the railroads, the days wore on without incident or excitement, until the time came to look again after our old antagonist Jacksom, whom we left on the eastern bank of the South Fork of the Shenan- doah, about sixteen and a half miles from Harrisonburg, at the entrance of a long covered wooden bridge, prepared for burning at a moment's notice. Everything there betokened flight. Banks was so far deceived, that he had, in informing the department of his advance to Harrisonburg, announced
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" that the rebel Gen. Jackson has abandoned the valley of Virginia permanently, and now is en route for Gordonsville by the way of the mountains." The bridge where Banks left Jackson is on the direct road from Gordonsville to Har- risonburg. From Gordonsville to Richmond by rail is about sixty-two and a half miles, or three hours ; while from Gor- donsville to the bridge, by a good pike road across the Blue Ridge Mountains, through the Swift Run Gap, is but about thirty miles.
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CHAPTER V.
GEN. JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON, commanding the whole force of the enemy between Fredericksburg and Richmond, was em- ployed in preventing any movement by Gen. McDowell to aid Gen. McClellan before Richmond. When Jackson fell back before our column, Gen. Ewell, of the Confederate Army, who had been hovering around Fredericksburg watching McDowell, was sent to Swift Run Gap." Jackson found him there, when he crossed the South Fork of the Shenandoah, as related
The instructions given to both Jackson and Ewell were, t "if Gen. Banks joins McDowell at Fredericksburg. march instantly, by Gordonsville, and join Anderson # in front of Fredericksburg ; but, if Banks remains in the valley, fight him there immediately." $
On the 5th of May, as narrated, one division of Banks's corps (Shields's) did start to join Gen. McDowell; but whether
* Maj .- Gen. Fr.ell was left with his division, and a regiment of cavalry, in observation on the upper Kugalannock. G.a. Jackson was left in the valley to oppose greatly superior forces, authorize ! "> ca !! Ewells Division to his assistance, if necessary, and Ewell to comply with such a call ; Mai .- Gen Smith to have a mixed force. equal to a belgie, in fact of Fredericksburg - Narra- tree of Military Operations diretel Marin; the Bile War Between the States. By Joseph E. Johnston, General C. S. d., 174. p. 110.
Ewell's Division is given as numbering 10,000 men in " Battle Fields of the South." p. 32 1.
t Dabney. pp. $5, 86.
# Jefferson Davis had placed the Confederate Briga.lier-General Anderson with 9,000 men to observe McDowell's corps. - Johnstein's Narrative, p. 125. § Dabney, p.p. S5, 56.
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this was known to Johnston or to Jackson before the latter marched to the place called MacDowell to attack Milroy, is uncertain ; but it is true, that during Jackson's absence, orders came from Joseph E. Johnston to Ewell, to march at once for Gordonsville. Shields's movement caused these orders.
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In following Jackson, it will be found impossible to con- nect the information, communicated by the deserter to Col. Sullivan on the Ist of May," with the march made by him to attack Milroy at MacDowell. It will be remembered that although our force left Harrisonburg on the 5th of May, to return to Strasburg, Jackson did not start to attack Milroy until the 12th. On the 15th he reached MacDowell at 9 A. M., having made seventy miles in three days. At 2 P. M. he attacked and drove Milroy towards Franklin, to which place the next day he pursued him forty miles farther. Here he remained two days, or until the morning of the 18th, when he returned to Mount Crawford,f eight miles from Harrisonburg on the Staunton pike, to find that Banks had fallen back from Harrisonburg to Strasburg. Jackson's return to Mount Craw- ford could not have been earlier than the 20th of May. We had then been in Strasburg seven days. -.
Mossy Creek is two days' march from New Market. Jack- son notified Ewell of his desire to meet him at a designated place on this creek. They met, and Ewell was then told by Jackson, that he was hastening back to effect a junc- tion with him neat Harrisonburg, to assail Banks.# Ewell
* * Gen Jackson, with a force of about 15, 000 men, composed of twe've or ff. teen regiments erdler Jackson, Taliferro, WE der, ord Ewell, marched towards Harrisonburg, and then returned and marched towards Port Republic."
i Battle-Fields of the South, Ashton's letter, p. 324.
$ "Generals Jackson and Ewell, the former commanding as senior officer, were then opposing Banks in the valley of the Shenandoah, still under my direction. On leaving the Rapidan, I had requestel Generals Jackson and Ewell to send their letters to me through the adjutant-general's office. These papers mest have been acted upon in Richmond; for none were ever forwarded to me until the
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informed Jackson of his orders to move at once to Gordons- ville, but added that, notwithstanding this, if he, Jackson, as ranking major-general, would order it, he would remain .* Jackson did order it, and the junction of these two armies took place on the 20th of May. Ewell had marched his command from Elk River valley to meet Jackson.
We have seen that the battle of Kernstown was fought by Jackson, because he was deceived as to the strength of Shields's Division, and because of the intimation sent him by Gen. Johnston. f Now let us inquire why he fought the battle of MacDowell. The most probable reason is, that " Jackson received information from a Col. Johnson of Georgia, com- manding at MacDowell, that Blenker and Milroy with a Dutch division were advancing castward to western Virginia, and that his small force of 1,500 men was falling back before them." # This is confirmed by another writer, $ who says : "Forced back to the Blue Ridge by the heavy columns in his front, he row saw approaching him from the western moun- tains another army, under Milroy, from which he feared the loss of Staunton." Considering these matters in connection with his asking instructions of Gen. Johnston as to his further movements in relation to Banks. | we may judge whether all that Jackson achieved in the valley was part of any particular plan of aggression, " ori, ina.ing with him to drive the Federal forces from the valley," of or whether it can be said of his opera-
eriny had reached the neighborhood of the Chickahominy. Then one from Gen Jackson, written soon after His return from Mehowwell, was delivered to me. In it he described the position of the Federal army rear Strasburg, an' asked instructions. These were given at once, and were to advance and attach, unless he found the cheng two str ngày intreached" - Narrate of Matter, Operations, by Fourth E. Jeliste, General C. S. A., 1374, 2. 129. * Dabney, pp. $5, Só.
t See ante.
# Battle-Fields of the South, P. 321.
§ Cooke's Life of Jackson, 1. 120.
: See inte, Johnston's instructions to Jau ksen.
". Cooke's Life, p. 119.
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tions " on this grand theatre in the spring of 1862, that he will be mainly estimated in that hereafter, which sums up and passes judgment on all human events, without fear, favor, or the prejudices of the contemporary." * We are, too, now ena- bled to judge how much truth there is in a criticism by Pollard, who says of Jackson's movements, "By his own judgment, and at the instance of his own military instinct, Jackson deter- mined to act on the aggressive, and essay the extraordinary task of driving the Yankees from the valley ; to dash at Fre- mont's advance west of Staunton, and then turn upon Banks and drive him into Maryland." i
We need not pursue this subject further. To whomsoever Udlongs the credit of originating the campaign in the valley, i's : 852, whether to Johnston or to Jackson, no one will deny to the latter the highest praise for an executive ability, rare among the most noted soldiers of this or any other age. In this, at least, Jackson is secure.
Bet new Gen. Jackson was ordered to fight. Banks-all that was left of him ; and, as less than one half of that officer's command was left, Jackson, as we have seen, took upon him- soif the responsibility of retaining Ewell to fight that half, although Johnston had ordered the latter to join Anderson, via Galbestille, to fight the half that had moved to strengthen M. Thewell
When Jackson reached New Market, which was on the sth : May, he was there joined by Ewell with his 10,000 men. " It was from this point that the campaign against the chemy was commenced ;" # from this point that the orders of Gen. Johnston were to be carried out, and the united Confederate force of over 20,000 were to be precipitated upon less than 4,000 men in Banks's corps. § Our force of
* Caske's Life, p. 100.
1 Pollard's Southern History, vol. ii, p. 35.
1 Coole's Life, D. 141.
S Lanks's Ondal Report. 10
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11,000, while at Harrisonburg, had been thus reduced, to meet a combined army of the enemy, against which with the larger number we could not have coped ; a combined army from which McClellan feared disaster, should we proceed too far south until his movements before Richmond should draw off the enemy ; an army only too anxious to meet us, # even before the War Department so suddenly scattered the coun- cil at Harrisonburg on that Sunday, on the 4th of May. Oh, happy War Department !
The plan of Jackson's campaign against Banks's command at Strasburg was wise, but its execution was feeble ; and in the results that ought to have been achieved it was a failure.
As related, the campaign began at New Market, to which point Ewell had sent Gen. Taylor with his brigade, as the advance of the former's division. On the morning of the 21st of May, Gen. Jackson, with his own command and Taylor's brigade, crossed the Massanutten gap, and encamped at Luray, in the valley of the South Fork of the Shenandoah, there or in that neighborhood uniting his own force with Ewell's.
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