USA > Ohio > Itinerary of the Seventh Ohio volunteer infantry, 1861-1864, with roster, portraits and biographies > Part 11
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"HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT THE RAPPAHANNOCK, "AQUIA, May 2, 1862.
"Maj .- Gen. SHIELDS, "Commanding Division, Woodstock, Va .:
"We are delighted in this department that the President should have done me the honor to place your gallant di- vision under my command. I am instructed by the Sec- retary of War, under date of May I, to transmit you an order to move to such place within this department as I may designate. Accordingly, I wish you to repair at the earliest moment practicable, and by such route as you may find best, to Catlett's Station, on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, and where that road crosses Cedar Run. This point is about two miles from the junction of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad with the Warrenton Branch Rail- road. So far as my knowledge of the country goes, this point may be best reached by way of Front Royal. Chester Gap, and the town of Warrenton. What the distance is and the condition of the road, I do not know nor do I know your means of transportation. Let me know when you can take up your line of march; by what road you are coming : what are your means of transportation and what the com- position and strength of your command.
"IRVIN MCDOWELL, "Major-General, Commanding Department."
On May 3 General Banks said to the Secretary of War : "I do not think it possible to divide our forces at this time with safety. The enemy is largely reinforced bv Ewell's division." On this date an advance was made to Harrison- burg but nothing but Ashby's cavalry encountered, while on the 5th the command dropped back to New Market. where on the 9th General Shields announced to General McDowell that he could move with 10,000 men, 356 wagons and 2,500 horses, including cavalry and artillery.
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On the IIth, in a message to Assistant Secretary of War Watson, General Shields said: "I leave to-morrow at 6 A. M. with a division of 10,000 men equal to any in the United States, by Luray, Front Royal, through Chester Gap to Warrenton." And he did so.
Before starting upon this march a most thorough inspec- tion of Shields's entire division had been made, when not only all weaklings were eliminated, but our Sibley tents taken from us and the little shelter tents substituted, which then seemed so unreasonable and cruel that our officers con- templated sending in their resignations as a protest against such treatment of their men; but better counsel prevailed and we marched away with our baggage-train greatly re- lieved both in bulk and weight.
Crossing the Massanutton Range, and the South Branch of the Shenandoah River at White House Bridge toward Luray on the 12th, a distance of 16 miles was covered; the next day 12 miles, and on the 14th, 15 miles, when Front Royal was reached.
The next day the column moved through Chester Gap 10 miles, and discovered rebel cavalry. On the 16th, Flint Hill and Gaines Cross-Roads were passed but not with- out incident. Comrade j. M. Guinn of Company C wrote as follows :
"On the fifth day of our march, at a place called Gaines Cross-Roads, we had a brilliant little skirmish with some rebel cavalry, who had been hovering around us for a day or two. We had halted to rest and thrown out our pickets. A squad of rebel cavalry made a dash upon them and came near capturing them. A squad of cavalry and a company of infantry went out to reconnoiter. Our cavalry found a force of two or three hundred drawn up in the woods. Being too many to engage they fired and wheeled. The rebels gave chase. I was engaged at the General's head- quarters and had a fine view of the skirmish. The in- fantry, seeing them coming, lay down on their faces. Down thundered the rebel cavalry, and when within short range, up sprang the infantry and poured a volley into them.
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They about-faced and double-quicked for cooler latitudes. Shortly afterward the whole body, some five or six hundred, disappeared over a hill just in time to save themselves from our artillery. We had only about thirty or forty cavalry with us. We killed and wounded three or four, took five or six horses and two prisoners, and badly scared the rest. We had two men slightly wounded."
"WASHINGTON, RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY, VA., "May 16, 1862-7 P. M.
"GENERAL: I have the honor to report to you that about 2 o'clock my picket made a dash at a foraging party near Gaines Cross-Roads with a very small party. My men were driven back. I soon reinforced them and dismounted 30 men behind a stone wall. When the enemy came up the dismounted men emptied seven saddles, and I then charged down the road until I met an infantry regiment, who opened on us in fine style. The skirmish was the briskest affair I have seen for many a day. The whole army were drawn up to receive us, and by constant firing I kept them in check the whole day. I occupied a commanding hill and could have used a piece of artillery with splendid effect. The enemy are still between Flint Hill and Gaines Cross-Roads. They have a heavy train of wagons. I am certain we killed 3 and wounded 4 others. The infantry pressed me too closely to catch the loose horses, though I got one saber and carbine and one six-shooter. I had 2 men slightly wounded, but lost no horses. I have used up all of my small stock of ammunition. Think of a whole army drawn up in line of battle and kept so six hours by 250 half-armed cavalry. I send you a letter taken from the Yankee mail. Their wagon trains were hurrying along at a furious rate toward Warrenton and are evidently expecting an attack from you. Where shall I join you at?
"THOMAS. J. MUMFORD,
"Col. Second Va. Cav., C. S. A. "Maj .- Gen. EWELL, Comdg."
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On the 17th, crossing one of the tributaries of the Rappa- hannock River at Waterloo Bridge, the division bivouacked at Warrenton, resting over Sunday. On the 17th Secre- tary Stanton said to General McDowell :
"GENERAL: Upon being joined by General Shields's di- vision, you will move upon Richmond by the general route of the Richmond & Fredericksburg Railroad, cooperating with the force under General Mcclellan now threatening Richmond from the line of the Pamunky and York Rivers."
On the 19th the march was resumed to Warrenton Junc- tion, and to Catlett's Station the next day, where orders awaited General Shields to march to Fredericksburg, which point was reached on the 22d.
General McDowell's force when joined by Shields con- sisted of 40,000 men, 100 guns, and 11,000 animals.
The next day, after some attempt to brush our travel- stained garments, blacken our mud-covered shoes and burnish our rusty muskets, we paraded in a grand review of General McDowell's entire command before President Lin- coln, Secretary of War Stanton, Secretary of Treasury S. P. Chase, and General McDowell, returning to our camp after dark. The next day we rested, but learned that Gen- eral Jackson had advanced against General Banks at Stras- burg and had him in rapid retreat to Winchester. There was also a casualty in the Seventh Ohio on this date, when Louis Shraeder ("Big Louis") of Company A was drowned in the Rappahannock.
President Lincoln said to General McClellan this date (May 24) : "I left General McDowell's camp at dark last evening. Shields's command is there, but is so worn that he cannot move before Monday morning, the 26th." His kindly eyes had not overlooked the effects of our almost continuous campaign from Camp Dennison and especially during the last five months from Romney to Fredericks- burg, including our exposure and hardship at "Camp Star- vation" and our losses at the battle of Kernstown. That afternoon, as late as 5 o'clock, President Lincoln most re- luctantly issued the following order :
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"GENERAL MCDOWELL: You are instructed, laying aside for the present the movement on Richmond, to put 20,000 men in motion at once for the Shenandoah, moving on the line or in advance of the line of the Manassas Gap Railroad. Your object will be to capture the forces of Jackson and Ewell, either in cooperation with General Fremont or, in case want of supplies or of transportation interferes with his movements, it is believed that the force with which you move will be sufficient to accomplish this object alone."
To this General McDowell replied: "I beg to say that cooperation between General Fremont and myself to cut Jackson and Ewell there is not to be counted upon, even if it is not a practical impossibility," yet he at once had the following order issued :
"HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK, "OPPOSITE FREDERICKSBURG, VA., May 24, 1862. "Maj .- Gen. JAMES SHIELDS, Commanding Division.
"GENERAL: Maj .- Gen. McDowell directs that you take up your line of march with your division under your com- mand to Catlett's, commencing the movement to-morrow morning.
"ED. SCHRIVER,
"Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Staff."
The reason assigned for this order was that having served in the Shenandoah Valley, Shields was most familiar with that section, hence could be most serviceable, which was en- tirely correct.
On the 25th Gen. E. B. Tyler having received his com- mission as a brigadier-general to date May 14, 1862, and by a special order from the War Department, dated May 20, been assigned to duty in Shields's Division, his old Third Brigade was reorganized so as to consist of the Fifth, Seventh, Twenty-ninth, and Sixty-sixth Ohio Regiments. The Seventh suffered severe loss on this date in the resigna- tion of Maj. Jolin S. Casement, who left the regiment here.
When Shields's division, after its all-winter campaign at
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and from Romney, through the battle of Kernstown, the march up the Shenandoah Valley to Harrisonburg and then across to Fredericksburg, reached the Department of the Rappahannock under the command of Maj .- Gen. McDowell, it found a body of 30,000 men who had been quartered in large tents, in perfectly arranged camps, with neat, clean uniforms and guns and accouterments upon which no storm ever beat, the very picture of a perfect sol- diery, in comparison with which Shields's "brave boys" (as he called them) cut a sorry figure. In fact, the con- trast was so great that Shields's boys were inclined to blame themselves for their weather-beaten and worn condition, until McDowell's men began to ridicule them, calling them "Shields's Foot Cavalry," "Shields's Bushwhackers," "Shields's Conscripts," "Shields's Guerrillas," etc., causing a feeling of resentment and many pugilistic encounters.
On May 25, drawing such clothing and new equipment as could be obtained, about noon the return march began. Marched 14 miles toward Catlett's Station, reaching that point the next night, when General Shields ( who had gone from Fredericksburg to Washington to consult with the President and Secretary of War in reference to the cam- paign after Jackson, and had reached Manassas by rail) wished the Third Brigade to make a night march to Manas- sas Junction, but his men demurred and did not go. Gen- eral Nathan Kimball, commanding the First Brigade, Shields's division, had the advance, and as he moved along the Manassas Gap Railroad and noted the evidence of a very hasty evacuation by the Union troops formerly stationed there, under the impression that a large force of the enemy was close upon them, on May 27, he said from Haymarket : "We are moving finely. Roads good. Rifles, carbines. tents and clothing burned. This is the all-firedest scare I ever heard of :" while General Shields characterized the whole affair as a disgraceful panic. On May 30, at II A. M., General Kimball's brigade, preceded by four companies of the First Rhode Island Cavalry under Major Nelson, reached Front Royal, and after a sharp encounter in which
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8 cavalrymen were killed and 5 wounded, the enemy hastily evacuated, leaving over 150 prisoners in our hands. Gen- eral Tyler's brigade came up at 3 P. M. and bivouacked. The next day Colonel Carroll's Fourth Brigade of Shields's division pushed forward to Middletown, met the enemy's infantry and cavalry and drove them in the direction of Winchester, and nothing having as yet been heard of Gen- eral Fremont, who was to have been at Strasburg at that time, he returned to Front Royal. General Jackson learn- ing of this movement of the Union forces to Front Royal some 40 miles in his rear, while he was near Charlestown, marched with all possible speed to Winchester and Stras- burg, making his escape on June I, before the commands of McDowell and Fremont closed the passageway, and con- tinued his march to beyond Harrisonburg in the direction of Port Republic. And what had become of Stonewall Jackson after the battle of Kernstown? Falling back leis- urely before the Union forces, passing Harrisonburg, he had on or about April 19 crossed the South Branch of the Shenandoah River to Elk Run Valley, where he remained until the arrival of General Ewell's division from toward Culpeper, on or about April 30, then, leaving Ewell to watch Banks, he hastened over the same route that Carroll and Tyler traveled later on, to Port Republic, then on to and beyond Staunton, where he united forces with General Edward Johnson and moved upon General Milroy at McDowell, where he made an attack on May 8, defeating the Union forces under Milroy reinforced by Schenck, after a spirited affair, in which Jackson's loss was 75 killed and 423 wounded. Having cleared that section of his adver- saries, however, on May 15 he moved toward New Market, united with Ewell on the 21st, bringing General Edward Johnson's command along, thus increasing this force to more than 16,000 effective inen. General Banks had about 5,000 men at Strasburg and Front Royal. When General Shields was ordered away General Banks predicted that nothing but disaster awaited his command, as soon as the enemy, largely reinforced, should advance. Making pre-
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text of attack upon Strasburg from the direction of New Market with a part of Ashby's cavalry, General Jackson crossed over to Luray, reached Front Royal on May 23. and drove off and captured the Union troops there, but. fortunately for General Banks, did not. with his usual energy. press on to Middletown until General Banks's main force, then in retreat from Strasburg. had passed that point. On May 24 and 25, however. General Banks's com- mand was sorely pressed while it fell back, not only to Winchester, but through Martinsburg and across the Potomac, to Williamsport by the 25th, leaving Stonewall Jackson in peaceable possession of the entire Shenandoah Valley. On the 28th. 29th and 30th General Jackson sent his troops to Charlestown. Halltown. and across to Lou- doun Heights, to alarm the authorities in Washington for the safety of the nation's capital, and how well this whole movement on his part checkmated the proposed movement of McDowell toward Richmond has already been fully shown. On June 2. 1862, General Shields said in a mes- sage to Secretary Stanton: "We would have occupied Strasburg, but dared not interfere with what was designed for Fremont. His failure has saved Jackson." Fearing lest some of Fremont's troops might intercept him at Stras- burg, Jackson sent a small force out to meet them. which. by maintaining a bold front, succeeded in keeping his line of retreat open until his troops had passed that point in safety.
It is estimated that this movement of General Jackson against General Banks not only disconcerted and prevented the execution of important and almost vital plans and move- ments looking to the capture of Richmond. but employed not less than 50.000 troops for at least thirty days.
On May 31 there was at Front Royal a large flouring mill well filled with sacks of flour, and as the paymaster had paid the troops not long before. many of the soldiers in Tyler's Third Brigade, and the Seventh Ohio in particular. sought to purchase some flour as a luxurious change in their bill of fare; but when approached, the party at the
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mill declined to accept "damned Yankee money," and true to his principles and his faith in the ultimate success of his cause, demanded Confederate scrip or no trade. Now it so happened that some enterprising Yankee had conceived the idea that such individuals as this mill man might exist, when it would be altogether convenient for the Union sol- diers to be armed with a supply of Confederate money, as well as greenbacks, hence he had printed several train-loads of facsimile five and ten dollar Confederate notes and flooded the entire army with this "currency" at one cent on the dollar, hence they were in condition to oblige this loyal Virginian, and a very lively traffic with the boys in Shields's division at once began. But soon General Tyler's attention was called to the line of his men with sacks of flour upon their shoulders, much like a stream of ants, wending their way from mill to camps, and always anxious for the pro- tection of private property in the early part of the war, he mounted and in some haste galloped to the mill, went in. saw the deal going on, heard the miller declare his prefer- ence for Confederate scrip, smiled "child-like and bland" and went his way, while his soldier boys fared sumptuously upon griddle cakes, thickened soup and dumplings ere they marched away on the morrow.
D. A. Ward, of Company C. writes of this march. His experience fitly illustrates the hardships of this campaign :
"The boys of Shields's division will not soon forget that forced march from Fredericksburg, the last of May, 1862. to the support of Fremont on the upper Shenandoah. It was day and night without let up; about the most trying experience I ever had. In crossing Manassas Gap, it will be remembered, the column jerked along, with short halts and starts, all night long : a manner of marching that often tested the endurance, and even the patriotism, of the weary soldier more than fierce battle. At every short stop the men would throw themselves on the ground for what rest they could snatch. In my case, late that night. when the column halted for a few moments, exhausted nature suc-
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cumbed to sleep, and not even the moving troops awakened me. When I opened my eyes it was broad daylight and the column miles in advance. It was double forced march for me then till I came up with the command at Front Royal.
"Before leaving Fredericksburg Uncle Sam had pre- sented me with a nice looking pair of brogans (charged to my account on the pay-roll). On this march to Port Re- public these same brogans parted company with their soles and left me to make the balance of the march on the rough pike in bare feet. The soles of those shoes consisted of wood, covered with welts of leather which peeled off, leav- ing me to walk many weary miles, a la Valley Forge, with bleeding feet, and, I must say, lacerated sentiments toward the rascally contractor who furnished such stock to the Government."
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CHAPTER XVIII.
FROM FRONT ROYAL TO PORT REPUBLIC.
Failing to intercept Jackson in his march by Strasburg, the combined forces of Fremont and Shields broke away in pursuit, and while Fremont followed by New Market and Harrisonburg, Shields moved up the Luray Valley in a des- perate effort to prevent the enemy from crossing the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, while Fremont thundered down in his rear.
On the night of June I Shields's division camped 10 miles out toward Luray and the next night near that place.
There had been three bridges across the South Fork of the Shenandoah not far from Luray; one known as the White House Bridge, on the route from Luray to New Market; one as Columbia Bridge 4 miles above, and one near Conrad's Store, 10 miles above Luray, and when Gen- eral Shields left Front Royal he supposed that all of these bridges were yet intact. Imagine his surprise, however, when he learned that Stonewall Jackson, fearing lest just such a movement as was then taking place might occur, and with that sagacity for which he was famous, had some time before dispatched a mounted force to destroy them all.
Finding it impossible. therefore, to cross the river to take Jackson in flank, and feeling that he would yet escape by crossing the river higher up, Colonel Carroll of the Fourth Brigade was commissioned with cavalry and two guns, without caissons, to push on to Port Republic. The heavy and continuous rainfall had rendered the roads well-nigh impassable, while at certain points along the Blue Ridge such raging torrents swept by as to be unfordable at times even by horsemen until they had to some degree subsided. While Carroll with his cavalry and guns moved on, his in- fantry closely followed, and on June 7 Tyler's Third Bri- gade stripped for the race at Luray and camped 15 miles away that night, joining Colonel Carroll the next day.
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At early dawn on Sunday, June 8, Colonel Carroll reached Port Republic, to the great surprise of Stonewall Jackson and his staff, who anticipated spending a quiet Sab- bath there, and who by the narrowest margin escaped cap- ture.
Colonel Samuel S. Carroll said :
"I reached the vicinity of Port Republic about 6 A. M. of Sunday, the 8th instant, with about 150 of the First Vir- ginia Cavalry and four pieces of Battery L. First Ohio Ar- tillery. I found the enemy's train parked on the other side of the North Branch of the Shenandoah, with a large quantity of beef cattle herded near by, and the town held by a small force of cavalry only. I chose the most com- manding position I could find, about half a mile from the bridge, and planted there two pieces of artillery to com- mand the ends of the same. I then ordered Major Cham- berlain, commanding the cavalry, to rush down and take possession of the bridge.
"Finding that he had been injured by a fall from his horse, that his command in consequence were in confusion, and hesitated as they came to the South River, and that a body of the enemy's cavalry were assembling at this end of the bridge, giving me fears that they would fire it, I ordered the artillery to open fire upon them, and sent Captain Good- rich to urge the cavalry forward immediately, which he did, and took possession of the bridge, driving part of the enemy's cavalry across it and part of them out of town by the road leading to the left.
"I then went into the town myself. and took with me two pieces of artillery. one of which I planted at the end of the bridge and the other at the corner of the street commanding the road by which part of the enemy's cavalry had fled.
"While occupying a position between these, and devising some method by which I could hold the town until my infantry came up. I suddenly perceived the enemy's in- fantry emerging from the woods a short distance from the bridge and dashing down upon it at a run in considerable force.
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"As soon as my cavalry, which was now under charge of its own officers, perceived them, they broke and ran in every direction by which they could secure a retreat.
"Seeing that I could not hold that position, I ordered the two pieces of artillery to be withdrawn. The enemy's in- fantry fired so heavily into the limber liorses of the piece at the bridge that they ran away with the limber, and that piece had to be abandoned.
"The other piece was brought away from its position by Captain Robinson, but instead of taking the road, he fol- lowed by mistake some of the flying cavalry into the woods, and not being able to extricate it, concealed and abandoned it. In the mean time, my infantry had almost reached the position where I had left two pieces of artillery planted, and they were opened upon by eighteen pieces of the enemy's artillery from the hills on the opposite side of the river, and partially catching the contagion from the panic- stricken cavalry, were retreating amid a heavy shower of shot and shell. The two pieces which I had left upon the hill, superintended by Captain Keily, had been withdrawn from their position, and one of them abandoned in the mud by its cannoneers, while the other was also abandoned, with the pole of the limber broken.
"By the indomitable energy and courage of Colonel . Daum and Captain Keily those pieces were saved, and I managed to fall back with my force to a better position out of the range of the enemy's guns. At this juncture General Tyler, with his brigade, joined me."
General Jackson said :
"The main body of my command had now reached the vicinity of Port Republic. This village is situated in the angle formed by the junction of the North and South rivers. tributaries of the South Fork of the Shenandoah. Over the larger and deeper of these two streams, the North River. there was a wooden bridge connecting the town with the road leading to Harrisonburg. Over the South River there was a passable ford. The troops were immediately under
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