USA > Virginia > Henrico County > Henrico County > A history of the Laurel brigade, originally the Ashby cavalry of the Army of northern Virginia and Chew's battery > Part 5
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hills, as I said before, towards the Back Road. Our cavalry of course pursued, and in following a scattered foe became dis- persed themselves.
Ashby pushed on with my guns towards Winchester, and when we reached the point where Funsten struck the turnpike, we threw the guns into position, and Ashby with about forty men charged a line of the enemy's infantry between us and Christman's house.
General Ashby had started from New Market with but a part of his cavalry. They had marched until the horses were exhausted,-without rest day or night; and when the enemy became dispersed, and fled in the greatest confusion, our cav- alry scattered in pursuit of them. Major Funsten had but a very small detachment when he reached him, and we had passed the wagon train where the plundering was reported to have occurred, and the cavalry were not there, and unless they returned to the wagon train after we passed it, it was the infantry and not the cavalry who got the benefit of the spoils. General Ashby pushed the enemy with his small force of cav- alry and my guns through Newtown, and until dark, when we went into camp to feed our exhausted horses, having pushed the enemy from hill to hill between Middletown and Newtown.
General Jackson now pressed forward and night found him before the enemy at Winchester. * General Ashby was with General Jackson on the morning of the battle of Win- chester, while the latter was engaged in planting his batteries.
I know nothing of his subsequent action until after the battle.
I overtook him below Stephenson's depot, dashing upon the enemy whenever an opportunity offered, with a handful of his men.
I never heard of any independent enterprise of General Ashby, nor do I believe he was anywhere but at the front of the army with a small force of his cavalry.
The rapidity of General Jackson's movements added to the confusion attending the march of a large army, and prevented our cavalry from re-forming quickly after they had scattered in pursuit of the enemy on different roads and across country.
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I always believed that the matter was misrepresented to General Jackson, and hence his severe criticism of the cavalry.
It was certainly unfortunate for Ashby as well as the cause, that more of his men were not with him on that day, as an excellent opportunity was afforded to dash upon and pursue the enemy. Yet I do not believe he was to blame for their absence.
It was then popular to say that Ashby exercised no control over his men beyond personal influence, and that there was no discipline in his command. It was said that his successes were gained, not by skillful maneuver, but by the reckless dash and courage of himself and men; but I will do him the justice to say that he could always command more men for duty from the same muster-roll than any cavalry commander under whom I have sinced served. * I have served at different times during the war, with almost all the prominent cavalry leaders of the Army of Northern Virginia, and I have never seen one who possessed the ability to inspire troops under fire with the courage and enthusiasm that Ashby's presence always excited.
He adopted in the beginning of the war the tactics with cavalry by which, later in the war, other cavalry commanders could only secure success ; namely, always to meet the enemy, with bold and determined charges, and when they were defeated to press them with the utmost vigor."
Jackson had ventured far and the Federals were gathering for his destruction. It was necessary to retrace his steps somewhat hurriedly if he wished to save the spoils of victory and avoid defeat, if not destruction.
The object of the movement which was to arrest the advance on Richmond had been accomplished. Besides, Banks had been badly beaten, and with a loss of one-third of his army had been driven across the Potomac.
The retreat was more full of peril to Jackson's army than the advance had been, for from the west and east armies
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were marching to cut off his retreat, while from the north his rear would be threatened by a force superior to his own.
Jackson did not hurry. Four days after the battle of Winchester, on the 29th of May, he laid siege to Harper's Ferry, and occupied the Loudoun heights as if he had con- cluded to move on Washington.
Next day, on the 30th, he began to retire and was fol- lowed as far as Charles Town by Banks and Saxton with 14,000 Federals. By the evening of the 31st, his main body was in Strasburg, where he halted for the rear of his column to close up.
Fremont, marching from Wardensville and making for the same point, had encountered Ashby .. Whatever fault Jackson might find with his cavalry for plundering, he always placed them on guard at the point of greatest danger.
Ashby was soon supported by Ewell, and the advance of Fremont was arrested.
Meantime, Jackson's rear column was closed up, and he fell back to Harrisonburg. From that point Jackson retired to Port Republic, which was twelve miles eastward. In this march, it was Ashby's command which, picketing and scouting in all directions, kept Jackson informed as to the movements of the enemy. On Shields' front towards Front Royal hung Ashby's men. In the path too, of Fremont, as we have seen, were they. And in the rear of Jackson nearly all the time.
On the 20th of June the Sixth and Second Virginia Cavalry were transferred to Ashby's command, and for more than a year the Sixth remained a part of the Ashby brigade.
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,
On Monday, June the 2nd, Jackson retreated to Mt. Jackson, closely followed by Fremont. The cavalry under Ashby protected the rear, engaging almost constantly in skirmishes with the enemy.
The Federals evidently wanted vengeance for Banks' disaster, and frequently with great gallantry charged the Confederate rear guard.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, Jackson crossed the North Fork of the Shenandoah, the cavalry burning the bridge in spite of the efforts of the Federals to prevent it.
On the 5th Jackson reached Harrisonburg. The next day Fremont, who had been delayed by the burning of the bridge across the North Fork, was close at hand.
Jackson withdrew towards Port Republic as the head of the Federal column approached .. The same evening Ashby was attacked by the Federal cavalry under Percy Wyndham, an English adventurer and soldier of fortune, commanding the First New Jersey Cavalry, who, greedy of Ashby's fame, wished
"To pluck the budding honors on his crest
To weave them on his own."
He openly avowed his intention of capturing Ashby, and was said to be watching an opportunity to make a successful dash for that purpose.
Ashby was, however, prepared for them, and as they approached his line of battle drawn up across the road and extending into the fields, some dismounted men in a wheat- field, stationed there for that purpose, fired into the flank of the Federal column. In the confusion which followed in their ranks, Ashby's men charged, capturing Wyndhanı and the colors of the First New Jersey Regiment, and
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inflicting an acknowledged loss of thirty-six killed and wounded upon the Federals.
This repulse caused the Federals under General Bayard to come forward with reinforcements of all arms. Ashby anticipating him, asked and received from General Ewell the support of the First Maryland and Fifty-eighth Virginia regiments of infantry.
In the hotly contested fight which ensued the skirmish line of the Fifty-eighth Virginia was forced back, and Ashby while rallying them, having ordered in the reserve, had his horse shot under him, and rising and leading on foot fell himself, pierced by a bullet, and died almost instantly. His death at the morning tide of his fame, with his face to the foe, and in defense of his beloved country, was such as he would have wished it to be, and in perfect keeping with his heroic ideal.
Beloved and idolized by his command, the news of his death, which quickly spread among the men, produced general and profound sorrow, which was mingled with a resolve for vengeance. Y
While the admiration of Ashby's prowess had extended even to the enemy, yet the news of his death encouraged greatly the opposing Federal cavalry, and was hailed by the Federal authorities as a distinctive loss to the Confederate cause, and, as to the Union side, equal to a Federal victory.
On June 7th the armies of both Jackson and Fremont remained comparatively quiet. The latter having been roughly handled the day before, its commander was dis- posed to even more than his usual caution and characteristic indecision, and his slowness of motion gave to the wearied Confederates a moment of enjoyable repose.
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But Shields was approaching Port Republic from Luray by a road on the east side of the South Fork of the Shen- andoah, skirting the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
He seems to have believed that Jackson was in full retreat before Fremont, and accordingly moved his forces as rapidly as the unfavorable condition of the road would permit, having Tyler's brigade attended by considerable cavalry, far in advance of his main body. His purpose was to make a dash across the river at Port Republic and destroy the bridge before Jackson could reach there, and thus inter- cept his retreat eastward across the mountain through Brown's Gap.
The plan was well conceived, and that the execution of it was not a success was more due to the blundering good luck on the part of the Confederates than to a lack of enter- prise and dash on the part of the Federals.
The cavalry of Shields, with one gun of a light battery, actually had possession of the eastern end of the bridge, Jackson himself having dashed across it in advance of them, leaving most of his staff behind and escaping capture him- self only by a hairbreadth.
The Federals were driven back by the timely arrival of one gun of a battery near at hand and a battalion of infantry.
Colonel Munford, who with the Ashby brigade had been operating upon the flanks of Fremont, now arrived and pursued the retreating Federals some distance in the direc- tion of Conrad's Store, capturing many prisoners and much plunder, and occupied the rest of the day in arresting Shields' advance, though the nature of the country did not favor cavalry operations.1
1 Account by Genl. T. T. Munford.
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Fremont had heard the sound of the brief cannonade at 4 Port Republic on the 7th, and supposing Shields had arrived there, on the morning of the 8th put his army in motion and cautiously advanced in that direction, but soon found his progress arrested by the pickets of Ewell's division.
Jackson had planned that Ewell should hold Fremont in check on the west side of the Shenandoah, while he with his own division would deal with Shields on the east side of the river.
Ewell, with about 6,000 infantry, five batteries of artil- lery, and 500 cavalry, was opposing his adversary, whose army numbered 10,000 infantry, with eight batteries of artillery, and 2,000 cavalry.2
In an all-day battle near Cross Keys, at times fought with great fierceness, Ewell was victorious, having driven back Fremont and camped upon the field. The losses on both sides, killed, wounded, and missing, were 972, of which the Federal loss was 684.
The cavalry does not appear to have been heavily engaged.
The next day, June the 9th, was fought perhaps the most hotly contested battle of the Valley campaign, at Port Republic, which, says Henderson (Vol. I, page 385), was the most costly to the army of the Valley during the whole campaign. Out of 5,900 Confederates engaged 804 were disabled .. The Federal losses were heavier, being 1,001 killed, wounded, and missing.
The ground was of such nature, being heavily wooded on both sides of the road, that the cavalry could not operate except in pursuit. But the battery of Chew, which always
2 Figures given by Henderson, Vol. I, page 368.
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accompanied the Ashby cavalry, did fine service. Being ordered from the field of Cross Keys on the morning of the 9th, it crossed the river at Port Republic, and came upon the field just as the Stonewall Brigade was being driven back with heavy loss by Tyler's Federal brigade, and under the heavy fire of a Federal battery well and strongly posted on an eminence near the Lewis house.
The gunners of Chew's Battery promptly got the range of this battery and poured upon it a terrific enfilading fire, crippling the enemy's guns, just at the time that Taylor's brigade of infantry had moved around through the forest and attacked it and its infantry support in front and flank.
Taylor's brigade charged through the battery and cap- tured it.
Chew's Battery then moved rapidly to a position near the Lewis house, and opened upon the retreating columns of the enemy, producing great havoc amongst them, and joined in the pursuit for about two miles.
The cavalry led by Munford now dashed upon the retreat- ing Federals and pursued them for nine miles, when the + pursuit was arrested near Conrad's Store by the presence of Shields, who had arrived there with his main force of two brigades, which were deployed in line of battle.
Fremont, after an ineffectual attempt to aid Shields by throwing a few shells from his batteries east of the river, and witnessing Shields' discomfiture, retired to a point north of Harrisonburg. Shields withdrew to Luray.
The cavalry brigade continued to watch both armies, the large part with Chew's Battery crossing to the east side of the river for the purpose of observing Fremont.
CHAPTER III June, 1862
Jackson marches from Brown's Gap to the Chickahominy-His ingeni- ous ruses to deceive Shields and Fremont-Munford screens Jack- son's movement and follows him with the Second Virginia Cavalry -Genl. Beverly Robertson succeeds in command of Valley cavalry -Reorganization of the Ashby cavalry-Robertson an organizer and disciplinarian-Brigade leaves Valley and joins Jackson near Richmond, July 10th, Company B of Twelfth Virginia Cavalry being left in the Valley-Fighting at Gordonsville and Cedar Run-Genl. J. E. B. Stuart leads cavalry in a reconnoissance-Brandy Station- Catlett's Station-Thoroughfare Gap-Sudley Road fight and death of Major Patrick-Second Manassas campaign-Advance into Maryland-Robertson assigned to Department of North Carolina, and Munford again commands the brigade-Poolesville and Cramp- ton's Gap-Affair at Darksville-Capture of Harper's Ferry- Brigade covers Lee's recrossing of Potomac-Raid into Pennsylva- nia-Col. William E. Jones takes command-Various skirmishes in the Valley-White's Battalion attached to brigade-Snickers Gap and Castleman's Ferry-Company D of the Eleventh at Romney, and capture of Capt. E. H. McDonald-General Jones in command of the Valley District-Expedition to Moorefield-Scarcity of forage -Midwinter diversions in the Valley. -
After defeating Shields at Port Republic, Jackson with- drew into Brown's Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and there rested his footsore and battle-worn soldiers until June 17th. On that day, receiving orders from General Lee, he broke camp and marched towards the Chickahominy, where he arrived in time to join the commander-in-chief in the famous Seven Days' Battles before Richmond, in which McClellan and his myriads were beaten and driven with great loss to the cover of'his gunboats.
So successfully was the movement of Jackson screened from the doughty Federal generals in the Shenandoah Valley
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that between the 17th and 28th of June he had made the march from Brown's Gap to near Richmond, 130 miles, and had been successfully participating in the defeat of McClellan for two days before either Shields, Fremont, Banks, or even the authorities at Washington were aware that he had moved from the scene of his late victory over Shields near Port Republic.
The success of this movement depended primarily upon its being hidden from the observation and knowledge of the enemy. That duty devolved upon the cavalry and was per- formed with eminent skill and resourcefulness by Col. Thomas T. Munford, who succeeded to the command of Jackson's cavalry after the death of the lamented Ashby.
Referring to this, says Henderson in his "Stonewall Jack- son and the American Civil War": "The cavalry, though far from support, was ordered to maneuver boldly to pre- vent all information reaching the Federals, and to follow Fremont as long as he retreated.
"The bearers of flags of truce were impressed with the idea that the Southerners were advancing with great strength. The outpost line was made as close as possible ; no civilians were allowed to pass, and the Confederate troopers, in order that they should have nothing to tell if they were captured, were kept in ignorance of the position of the infantry.
"Jackson's real intention was concealed from every one except Colonel Munford. The officers of his staff fared worse than the remainder of the army. Not only were they debarred from their commander's confidence, but they became the unconscious instruments whereby false intelli- gence was spread. The engineers were directed to prepare a
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1 series of maps of the Valley ; and all who acquired a knowl- edge of this carefully divulged order told their friends in confidence that Jackson was going in pursuit of Fremont. As these friends told their friends without loss of time, it was soon the well-settled conviction of everybody that noth- ing was further from Jackson's intention than an evacuation of the Valley."
After masking Jackson's eastward movement, Colonel Munford returned from the pursuit of Shields, and receiving orders from Jackson to follow him to the Chickahominy with his regiment, the Second Virginia Cavalry, he turned over command of the Ashby brigade, which had just been reorganized, to Col. Beverly Robertson, a West Pointer, who undertook to inaugurate for it a discipline more in keep- ing with West Point ideals than it had heretofore known. No curtailment of personal liberty either of civilian or soldier is accepted without protest, and it is needless to say that Colonel Robertson's discipline did not make him especially popular with soldiers who had followed Ashby, and looked upon the suggestion of needed discipline as a reflection, upon their fighting qualities. So it became the popular sentiment among the men that Robertson was more at drilling than he was at fighting.
Nevertheless the brigade did some splendid fighting under him in the campaign against Pope, which shortly followed, and for which both the brigade and the commander received high praise in official reports of that campaign. It is well known, however, that the brigade won fame for the com- mander and not the commander for the brigade, and that Robertson, not being a capable commander in the field, was soon after that, at the suggestion of General Stuart, relieved
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of the command of the brigade and sent to South Carolina to organize the cavalry for which he was particularly fitted.
Munford, with the Second Virginia Cavalry, overtook Jackson at Ashland, and led his advance every day in the Seven Days' Battles around Richmond.
The Ashby brigade, including Chew's Battery, now under Colonel Robertson, being left for a time to observe the movements of the Federals in the Valley, moved east of the Shenandoah to near Harrisonburg, Fremont having retired to a short distance north of that place, and Shields occupy- ing Luray.
Here a partial reorganization of the brigade was under- taken. The twenty-six companies that had composed the command of Ashby were still known as the "Seventh Regi- ment," and though numerically of brigade proportions, had been commanded by only two field officers, Genl. Turner Ashby and Maj. Oliver Funsten.
Although Ashby had been promoted to the rank of brig- adier-general on May the 27th, the campaign had been too active under him to allow time for reorganization. +
The overgrown Seventh Regiment was now reduced to the ten original companies. Ten other companies composed the Twelfth Regiment, and the remaining companies were formed into the Seventeenth Battalion.
An election of officers now took place. While the regi- mental officers now elected, were preferred by the men for gallant and skillful services under Ashby, and were most capable and well qualified for commanders, yet, owing either to General Jackson's not recommending them, or to the War Department's arbitrary overruling of the elections for rea-
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sons known only to the officials, they did not receive com- missions.
The reorganization was completed a few days later between Conrad's Store and Swift Run Gap, when Col. William E. Jones, late of the First Virginia Cavalry, was appointed colonel of the Seventh Regiment, Capt. Richard Dulaney lieutenant-colonel, and Capt. Thomas Marshall major. Col. Asher W. Harman was appointed colonel of the Twelfth; Lieut. Richard Burks, late adjutant of the Second Virginia Cavalry, was appointed lieutenant-colonel, and Capt. Thomas B. Massie major. Capt. William Patrick was appointed major of the Seventeenth Battalion.
The Second Virginia Cavalry, under Colonel Munford, and the Sixth Virginia, under Colonel Flournoy, which had been under Genl. George H. Stuart of Maryland, had been at the request of the officers commanding them, and upon the recommendation of General Ewell, transferred and assigned to Ashby's command.1
The brigade, therefore, at this time consisted of the Sec- ond, Sixth, Seventh and Twelfth regiments and the Seventeenth Battalion, all Virginia cavalry, and Chew's Bat- tery of horse artillery.
Col. William E. Jones of the First Virginia Cavalry, and Col. Beverly Robertson of the Fourth, each having failed of re-election to the command of those regiments, and both of them having been West Pointers, and having been assured of commands in the Confederate Army by the authorities at Richmond, were now assigned to this brigade, Jones as colonel of the Seventh, and Beverly Robertson to command of the brigade with rank of brigadier-general.
1Statement of General Munford in a letter to the reviser of this work.
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The Second Virginia Cavalry, under Colonel Munford, as before stated, was temporarily detached to act with Jackson's division in front of Richmond.
The success of Lee on the Chickahominy, to which Jack- son had so signally contributed, had the effect of with- drawing Shields, Fremont, and Banks from the Valley, and their armies marching eastward by way of Sperryville and Warrenton, were consolidated into the army of Genl. John D. Pope, a new army sent out to protect Washington, or to co-operate with McClellan in the attempt upon Richmond, as circumstances might require.
This army was then occupying positions on the upper branches of the Rappahannock River, and numbered 47,000 to 50,000 men of all arms.
With this army were the two cavalry divisions of Bayard and Buford, 6,000 strong, and led by those enterprising Federal cavalrymen.
Upon the withdrawal of the Federal armies from the Valley, Robertson's brigade was ordered to join Jackson near Richmond, which it did immediately, reaching there about July 10th.
Company B of the Twelfth Virginia, under Lieutenants Milton Rouss and George Baylor, having been left behind to operate in the lower Valley.
On the 13th of July Jackson, with Ewell's corps, was ordered to Gordonsville to dispute the advance of Pope, which on the 27th of July had been pushed as far as the Rapidan River, the upper fords of which were picketed by a portion of Robertson's cavalry.
Jackson was soon after reinforced by A. P. Hill's division.
Y
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The Robertson brigade, operating upon the front of this advance, was now strengthened by the return of the Second Virginia Cavalry under Colonel Munford.
For several days prior to the 2nd of August the Con- federate pickets were driven in, but on the 2nd a reconnois- sance in force was made, by the Federals proceeding from Raccoon Ford to Orange Court House. The reconnoiter- ing force consisted of the Fifth New York Cavalry, Colonel De Forest commanding, and the First Vermont, under Col. Charles H. Thomkins, all under command of Genl. S. W. Crawford.
After driving in the Confederate pickets, the reserve, con- sisting of Company F of the Eleventh Virginia, Captain Dangerfield in command, was pushed to half a mile beyond Orange Court House.
Here the Seventh Virginia, under Col. William E. Jones, appeared upon the scene. Throwing out sharpshooters from McGruder's company, the enemy's advance guard was soon driven in, and the Seventh followed in a charge which turned back the head of the enemy's column and created much confusion in his main body.
The main street of Orange Court House was packed with the contending horsemen, the choice spirits of both sides pushing into the thick of the fight, the timid withdrawing.
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