Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia., Part 67

Author: Cartmell, T. K. (Thomas Kemp), 1838-1920
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: [Winchester, Va.] : [Printed by the Eddy Press Corp.]
Number of Pages: 607

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the forest-clad landscapes of America; and the plain of Fredericksburg presented a panorama that was dreadful in its grandeur." From 11 A. M. to I P. M. official reports show that over 400 cannon continuously poured shot and shell into the contending lines. Fredericksburg had been shelled by the Federal guns and burned. At this hour the engagement was open to all. The Federals were mostly veterans and fought tenaciously to gain and hold positions The Valley men once more were in the thickest of the fight; for at a time when Genls. Archer and Gregg had their lines broken by the divis- ion under Meade, Jackson coolly ordered Early and Taliaferro to advance with the bayonet and clear the front; and well did they do the work; for at this point where Meade, Gibbon and Birney made repeated assaults, their loss in killed and wounded was 5,000 (See O. R.) The old Stonewall Brigade was complimented by Genl. Jackson in his report, who says, the suc- cess of his corps was beyond his expectations. The entire lines of Burnside's grand army of nearly 100,000, were driven from every position. A rout ensued in many places-Burnside was beaten. Official reports show his incompetency to handle an army of such magnitude. The Southern soldiers once more beheld a beaten foe, but were unable to force the pursuit, owing to the peculiar topography of the country. Burn- side sent his flag of truce, asking permission to bury his dead and care for his wounded, on the field now held by Lee, numbering 12,647, in- cluding 877 officers-all of whom had been un- cared for for two days. This was on the 15th of December, when men of both armies mingled in gathering the dead and wounded. Burnside had effected a strong line near the South side of the Rappahannock, and gave evidence of his readiness to reopen battle, after the humane work was completed. While Burnside was fully defeated and begged for time to bury his dead, his army seemed invincible. The men had ral- lied from their rout, and seemed anxious to renew work and redeem their losses. But it has been disclosed by Federal writers, who were present and participated in the battle, that they were unwilling to risk battle with Burnside as commander; and it is related that Genl. Frank- lin refused at one time to move the First Corps to an attack ordered by Burnside. The comman- der realized the danger, and did what has been questioned by men of both armies as a violation of the truce. During the night of the 15th, before the truce had expired, he effected a most marvellous retreat; crossed the river on his six bridges; and when the morning of the 16th dawned upon the Rappahannock, his grand army had vanished, and a new army, apparently, ap-

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peared on the North side of the river, safely sheltered from Lee. But they had left a grue- some scene along the South side. For several miles, the fallen men lay scattered in groups and piles among dead and wounded horses. Guns, broken caissons, small arms-every accom- paniment of an army were everywhere in pro- fusion-old Fredericksburg in ruins, and hun- dreds of the wounded stowed away in the ruins for treatment. Burnside's "On to Richmond" brought tremendous slaughter and loss of life; and he was the loser.

The appendix will show what troops were engaged on both sides and their respective losses.

The Confederates prudently declined to pur- sue the retreating foe. We glean from the mass of official matter and correspondence, that Genl. Lee urged President Davis to allow him to invade Maryland again and keep the campaign alive before another change of leaders would be made for the Army of the Potomac; but Mr. Davis opposed such action, stating that hostil- ities would cease in sixty days; that the Con- federacy would be recognized by foreign powers, etc. It appears now that both Mr. Davis and Genl. Lee may have been wrong in their esti- mate of the situation. Foreign powers, however, had come to regard the American struggle with a change of feeling, and were in no mood to interfere. They had until recently shown but little sympathy with the Northerners in their effort to save the Union from dissolution. But when Europe learned through Washington sources, that saving the Union was no longer the prime object to be attained, the great secret was disclosed. When Mr. Lincoln proclaimed his intention to wage war on a destructive scale-"The Rebels must be conquered," and that the slaves should be freed from the galling yoke, foreign powers were at a standstill; and Mr. Davis found before the expiration of sixty days, all hope for recognition gone; and he also discovered that thousands of Northern people were inflamed by the new order of warfare. Tens of thousands welcomed the opportunity to take part in the struggle to liberate the negro and humiliate the Southrons. This class cared nothing for a Union while slavery existed in any section. The fighting soldiery up to this period, were Union men, and fought for their love of that Union. The Abolitionists who de- serted John Brown, were never of that class of Unionists ;- they never felt satisfied with the mode of warfare in vogue, and clamored for their fanatical principle,-one they had cherished for years. The freedom of the negro and anni- hilation of the South; and although Mr. Lin- coln kept them down for nearly two years for

political reasons, not daring to do that which might offend the real Union men then in the army, yet we find he was not only willing but anxious to put in execution that which would secure sympathy in Europe, and captivate the ultra-abolitionists. It was a bold stroke; but a fearless man stood between the forces of dis- affection; and he believed that his personal mag- netism could control the desperate situation. The North was becoming stirred by the repeated failures to subdue the South. Great armies had been driven back along all lines; the best men of the Northland were sacrificed to save the Union, and failed to gain promised victories; and it was not surprising that mutterings of com- plaint stirred the people. The public press was in many cases, demanding a cessation of hostil- ities and to let the South go. Something must be done. Lincoln and his cabinet had been sup- plied with all the sinews of war. The several States had sent their quotas without a murmur- all eager to crush the rebellion by sustaining their President; but the splendid armies he had sent to the front had failed; and his policy was condemned by many who spoke in such tones, that he was compelled to resort to some change, for a few more blunders would show him a dis- mal failure. Lincoln was a man of courage and iron will. He has been called the "National Joker;" but he was capable of executing any measure; and we find him driven to this strait after the Sharpsburg campaign. The declara- tion of his purpose produced consternation every- where. Many Northerners were affected and predicted grave disaffection in the ranks of the army. Lincoln never wavered, but hastened to put the machinery in motion; and although he had blundered again through Burnside's failure, the country recognized his desperate earnest- ness, and gave evidence of their willingness to try this new project. Pending this change of conditions, had General Lee carried out his plan to invade Maryland, he would have found the Army of the Potomac stronger by rein- forcements constantly pouring in. It was too soon after the last terrible campaign; and ap- proaching Winter was too forbidding, to carry any hope of success to his worn soldiers, who needed rest, and here was the opportunity. Both armies settled down for Winter quarters; and both had ample opportunity to study the pro- posed change in conducting the war.

But it may be argued that, had Genl. Lee headed an invading army at this critical junc- ture, when the Army of the Potomac was with- out a competent leader and while the disaffec- tion was so apparent among the original Union men, who were ready to let the South go rather than adopt the new mode and risk of further

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conflict under the scheme adopted by Lincoln and his cabinet,-the discontent would have in- creased and an armistice might have resulted, procuring peace. Under the light of revelation, Lee's plan for invasion was sound; and Mr. Davis saw too late his error in refusing Lee the right to invade at such a critical moment. At this point it may be well to give the full text of this new policy, which must be forever regarded as unnecessary and in complete vio- lation of the Constitution of the United States. It has been called a war measure, and therefore necessary. The Federal government had millions of men and boundless resources to subdue the South. Why then, it may be asked, did Lin- coln so eagerly grasp the first safe opportunity to execute the unfinished work of John Brown, when Brown had been executed as a traitor and murderer, and his small party supposed to have gone down justly to their doom as fanatics. Brown was promised help, to place arms in the

hands of the slaves and let them do the work of rapine and murder. But the negroes of that day were loyal and true to their life-long friends. Lincoln conceived his plan to do what Brown had attempted-to arm every able-bodied negro in the South, and encourage him to pillage, mur- der and destroy the families who had nurtured them and the generations before them; and this, too, when the white men were absent in the army, fighting to protect their homes. And it will be seen that the slave population was to be protected and aided in the hellish work that Lincoln thought they would gloat over. And thus the poor, deluded negroes were encouraged to do what the whole Northern government had failed to accomplish-subjugate and destroy the South. Orders and instructions were promul- gated throughout the entire army ;- officers were required to render such service necessary for the execution of this plan to liberate the slave and overrun the South.

CHAPTER LXI

( THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION ) By the President of the United States of America : A PROCLAMATION

Whereas, on the twenty-second day of Sep- tember, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to- wit :

"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and main- tain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

"That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members cho- sen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States."

Now, therefore, I, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the au- thority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thou- sand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in ac- cordance with my purpose so to do publicly pro- claimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to-wit :

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Par- ishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James, Ascension, As- sumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth,- - and which excepted parts are, for the present, left pre- cisely as if this proclamation were not issued.)

And by virtue of the power, and for the pur- pose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and hencefor- ward shall be free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recog- nize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so de- clared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recom- mend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be re- ceived into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of Amer- ica the eighty-seventh.

[SEAL] ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

By the President : WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

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This proclamation failed to appall the South- rons, as the President had hoped. On the con- trary, it stimulated them to greater efforts. Every available man stood ready to avenge the wrong that was to be perpetrated. They knew desperate measures must be resisted with des- peration. The negro who accepted the offer to take up arms against the South was doomed. From the Potomac to the Mississippi, negroes were urged by every measure available, to or- ganize; and soon negro regiments were turned loose in every section, supported by Lincoln's chosen military, to pillage and destroy. The Abolition element was enthused at the prospect. Their humane President was now their idol. They hoped, and so wrote for the public press, that the down-trodden slave in breaking his shackles, would crush his owners; and that the arrogant Southrons were doomed to annihila- tion unless they threw down their arms and repented.

Such a monstrous crusade as thus proposed, should have no place in warfare between civi- lized races. The flagrant usurpation of right, and the bitter and barbarous warfare proposed by its author, has no equal in all the annals of history, unless it were some blood-thirsty mon- ster who gratified his passion by destroying some helpless community. The names of such have received the execrations of all civilized peoples. The pertinent question may be asked by suc- ceeding generations : Why Lincoln's name should not be associated with such usurpers? He is known to the world as the "Martyred President!" His biographers have presented him in many at- tractive forms; and his wonderfully interesting and complex character is well worth careful study; and the student may do what the South- ern people have in great measure done long since-throw the mantle of charity over the great wrong he dealt the people he had urged to remain in the Union. To the credit of many thousands in the armies forming the circle to crush the Confederates, the brutality of the act was condemned by them. Hundreds of brave officers resigned; and but little sympathy was given by the old veterans. But the impetus given by the Abolition element, could not be stemmed.

This digression is allowable, because it must be shown as part of the Winter campaign of 1862-3. Both armies had ample time to study the new plan to subjugate the South. The Army of the Potomac chafed under their new leader, and also under the new plans; while the Confederates were preparing for whatever should appear. Some activities occurred on both sides. The cavalry, under Genl. Hampton (one brigade) raided the country as far as

Occoquon, and was rewarded with captures of prisoners and supplies. This was started on the 18th of December; and the day after Christ- mas, Genl. Stuart reviewed his divisions of cav- alry, and announced that he desired to celebrate the festive season by paying his respects to the Washington authorities and gathering in some luxuries of the season. Starting out in his usual gay style, he led 1,800 of his bold riders to the rear of the splendid army across the river, passing within twenty miles of Burnside's headquarters; then North towards Washington, stopping 15 miles from Alexandria. There he sent a telegram to the Quartermaster General in Washington, that the mules furnished Burnside's army were so indifferent, that he was unable to haul away the wagons he had captured, and desired him to furnish a better article hereafter, for he would call again. He returned to the South side via Warrenton and Culpeper. The raid was successful. Many prisoners were cap- tured, and a large amount of army supplies were gathered for the festive season. He covered 150 miles in about 4 days. About 30 officers and men were lost by falling into Federal scouting parties. Several gallant men were killed. Genl. Stuart frequently related incidents of this march. How he had intercepted telegrams, answering same in such manner that the Federal cavalry rode their horses down on wild chases.

On the 26th of January, '63, Burnside was goaded to make a movement against Lee, which proved a failure. He was then superceded by Genl. Hooker. The two armies proceeded to make Winter quarters their chief object. Hos- tilities were not looked for by either side. The Rappahannock was the separating line, both sides patrolled by unbroken lines of pickets, who soon grew communicative with each other. The severe wintry weather forced the unemployed to remain in their rude huts and tents and around the camp fires. Camp life became weari- some at times, though visitors to the Confed- erate camps were impressed with the systematic schemes adopted by the various regimental camps to break the monotony and make pleasure and mirth, and thus minimize the plague ennui, which naturally exists among such hosts, settled down for a long Winter. Many interesting incidents of army life in "winter quarters" could be men- tioned here from personal recollections of the author, and many more as related to him by the survivors. The Valley Army being our chief subject, it is only necessary to locate it, while waiting for the opening Spring. Genl. Jackson's Corps (2nd) was assigned to the slopes and ridges of the country overlooking the deep and silent river, with his headquarters at Moss Neck, about 10 or 11 miles East from Freder-

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icksburg. The place occupied by the General was an old homestead owned by a rich Virginia planter named Corbin. The General preferred a large vacant building on the lawn to the sump- tuous apartments offered in the mansion; and the mistress of the latter hastily and tastefully furnished the building for the use of the Gen- eral and his staff This position pleased him, being in easy contact with the contested points stretching away towards Port Royal-the Valley Army in camp about 7 miles distant in the vicinity of Guinea Station. A large proportion of the officers were allowed to visit their homes on short leave; and the cavalry were seeking rest and forage far to the rear, where their wants were more easily supplied. There seemed to be a mutual understanding that hostilities should not reopen until the stern Winter had relaxed its icy grasp. The men who remained in camp took advantage of the resources of the tide-water streams, and revelled in the enjoyment of fish and oysters. The old Stonewall Brigade erected a rude log structure for public worship. The numerous chaplains made almost daily use of it during the Winter. The author hopes to mention in personal sketches some incidents that will show more fully how the camp life was en- dured and even enjoyed.

It was late in the Spring of 1863 before the armies showed any disposition to cast aside their lethargy; and. old soldiers were speculating about peace and when all would go home. We must add at this point, that Genl. Lee's Army had been much weakened by the withdrawal of Genl. Longstreet's Corps, by order of President Davis to reinforce weak points-D. H. Hill's and Ransom's divisions going away about the first of January. About the middle of Febru- ary, Hood and Pickett were called to protect Richmond from some fancied attack by gun- boats, etc. Full 20,000 seasoned fighting men withdrawn from the Army of Northern Virginia, produced a feeling of anxiety in the army. Old soldiers well knew if peace could not come with- out further conflict, that when hostilities re- opened, desperation would predominate in the two recruited armies. Officers had been active with the regiments during the Spring days, drill- ing and preparing for active work. Genl. Jack- son had abandoned his Winter quarters, chang- ing headquarters to several tents near Guinea Station, being in closer touch with his Old Val- ley men. April weather encouraged Genl. Hooker to get the Army of the Potomac in motion. Old soldiers could easily divine his intentions. They knew that the hosts on the North side of the Rappahannock were preparing for an effort to overwhelm the depleted army on the South side. Hooker was eager to cross the

river and try his skill. The Valley Army was not surprised when the great crossing was an- nounced by the roar of Hooker's cannon in the early morning of April 29th, '63. For several days they had been making ready for the grand opening. All during the previous night and day, the Army of Northern Virginia had been on the alert; and when the advancing columns of that magnificently appearing army fell into bat- tle lines on the South side to crush Lee and his divisions in gray, they found solid lines to encounter. Veterans were to meet veterans- Americans struggling to emphasize a principle,- Hooker with his 134,000 crossed the river in three columns and at different points. The army to receive the three columns, according to offi- cial reports, barely numbered 61,800 and 176 cannon, some of the latter being siege guns and not available if flank movements were made by the enemy. And thus the world-renowned Bat- tle of Chancellorsville received its initiation. It is not within the province of this work to give any description of this historic battle. This has been done by partial and impartial writers; and their comprehensive compilations are available to any reader who desires to study them. The work in hand is briefly to recount the general movements of the Valley Army. Genl. Hooker and his lieutenants displayed admirable traits as leaders in their effort to change Lee's front and drive him from his base. Every column moved swiftly to their positions, and gave no evidence of their old-time tardiness and delay. The great host seemed eager for the fray. Hooker appeared wary and cared not to attack the cen- ter, but bore out towards the flanks and espec- ially Lee's left. The Valley Army, comprising part of Jackson's (the 2nd corps), forming a line from their Winter quarters to Port Royal, was brought promptly into action with Sedge- wick's 6th Corps, with the possibility of the 2nd and 3rd closing in at a moment's notice. The Valley Cavalry was with Genl. J. E. B. Stuart at Culpeper, who had then about 2,500 of his fearless riders to meet an attack from Genl. Stoneman with full 10,000 cavalry (O. R .. Vol. XXA, pp. 268, etc.) then concentrating at Warrenton Station. It will be seen that the Valley soldiers were still conspicuous and in position to become famous in the campaign, which had again opened. Old strategems prac- ticed in the Valley, did not apply here. Man- euvreing and hard fighting was their only hope, guided by their immortal Stonewall and his trusted lieutenants ; for remember, Genl. Lee had sent early word to Jackson to do as he thought best. All felt the need at that early hour of reinforcements; but strange to say the Rich- mond government failed to grasp the situation

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Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia., Part 67

Author: Cartmell, T. K. (Thomas Kemp), 1838-1920 Publication date: 1909 Publisher: [Winchester, Va.] : [Printed by the Eddy Press Corp.] Number of Pages: 607

Author: Cartmell, T. K. (Thomas Kemp), 1838-1920
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: [Winchester, Va.] : [Printed by the Eddy Press Corp.]
Number of Pages: 607