Chapter VII: Front Matter (7)

Nor had the enemy been idle during this time; about midnight it was observed by the advanced pickets of the Third and Twelfth corps, that large masses of the rebels were being moved in front of the Union line, with a view to get a position on the right, and flank it.

At the earliest dawn of morning on Saturday, 2nd of May, the enemy executed a manœuvre to lead the Union generals to the belief that they were evacuating, and deceived some of the corps commanders; but General Hooker, perceiving that the movement of their wagon trains was nothing more than a blind, directed General Sickles to plant a battery at a point commanding the moving train, and shell it. This being done, the train was thrown into complete disorder, and obliged to move back. To obtain the road over which the wagon trains had been moving, General Sickles ordered General Birney to advance his troops and take possession of a hill opposite the road. This was done after much difficulty. Captain Seely’s battery, of the Fourth United States artillery was charged up the hill in such haste as did not leave it even time to procure a supply of ammunition. It, however, worked brilliantly, till obliged to retire to replenish its caissons. A charge upon the rebel rifle-pits was now ordered, which resulted in the stoppage of their musketry firing, and gave about a hundred of their occupants into the hands of General Birney. With much skirmishing, and now and then severe shelling, the advance was continued till Birney’s division occupied the extreme brow of the hill. The rebels had been driven back over a mile, and the Federals held a most commanding position. After sending to headquarters many times for reinforcements, General Sickles at last obtained permission to advance General Whipple’s division to the aid of General Birney.

Later, the Eleventh corps was directed to advance, and join its flank to Birney’s right; the Twelfth was to the left; and a general advance was ordered. The skirmishers of both armies immediately became engaged; the rebels gradually falling back. The soldiers of the Union charged boldly upon the rebels, and the engagement immediately became general.

The enemy held their ground obstinately, fighting with most determined bravery; as usual, owing to the skillful generalship of the rebel generals, the enemy were in greater force than the Unionists wherever they met, although the number of Lee’s army was greatly inferior to that of Hooker. Borne down with heat and fatigue, the national troops began to show evidences of faltering. To carry the heights in their present condition was impossible, and General Williams ordered the retreat of his division. But the most painful part of the defeat was yet to come.

The Eleventh corps, which had been ordered to the right of Birney, had moved forward to the position assigned them on his flank. One brigade succeeded in getting up the hill, and reported by its commander to Generals Sickles and Birney. The rest of the corps met the enemy under command of General Stonewall Jackson, when about two-thirds of the distance up. Here they had a short engagement, in which it does not appear they had even so large a force to contend against as that which Williams, with his single division, had fought so bravely. Headed by their commander the gallant Howard, the German corps charged boldly up to the rebel lines. Here they were met, as the rebels often met their foe, with shouts of defiance and derision, a determined front, and a heavy fire of musketry. The German regiments returned the fire for a short time with spirit, manifesting a disposition to fight valiantly. But at the time when all encouragement to the men was needed that could be given, some officers of the division fell back to the rear, leaving their men to fight alone. At the same time General Devens, commanding the First division, was unhorsed and badly wounded in the foot by a musket ball. Thus losing at a critical moment the inspiriting influence of the immediate presence of their commanders, the men began to falter, then to fall back, and finally broke in a complete route. General Howard boldly threw himself into the breach and attempted to rally the shattered columns; but his efforts were perfectly futile. The men were panic-stricken, and no power on earth could rally them in the face of the enemy.

Information of the catastrophe was promptly communicated to General Sickles, who thus had a moment given him to prepare for the shock he instantly apprehended his column would suffer. The high land of the little farm that formed the base of his operations was parked full of artillery and cavalry, nearly all the artillery of the Third corps, together with Pleasanton’s cavalry, being crowded into that little fifty-acre inclosure. But Sickles was not to be thrown off his guard by a trifle, and anything short of a complete defeat seemed to be considered by him in the light of a trifle. With the coolness and skillfulness of a veteran of a hundred campaigns he set to work making his dispositions. He had not a single regiment within his reach to support his artillery; Whipple was falling back, and must meet the approaching stampede with his own force in retreat; Birney was far out in the advance, in imminent danger of being completely surrounded and annihilated; the rebel forces were pressing hard upon the flying Germans, who could only escape by rushing across his lines, with every prospect of communicating the panic to them. It was a critical moment indeed, and one that might well stagger even the bravest-hearted. But it did not stagger the citizen soldier. Calling to the members of his staff, he sent them all off, one after the other, lest any one should fail of getting through, to warn Birney of his danger and order him to fall back. Then, turning to General Pleasanton, he directed him to take charge of the artillery, and train it upon all the woods encircling the field, and support it with his cavalry, to hold the rebels in check should they come on him, and himself dashed off to meet Whipple, then just emerging from the woods in the bottom land. He had scarcely turned his horse about when the men of Howard’s corps came flying over the field in crowds, meeting the head of Whipple’s column, and stampeding through its lines, running as only men do run when convinced that sure destruction is awaiting them. At the same moment large masses of the rebel infantry came dashing through the woods on the north and west close up to the field, and opened a tremendous fire of musketry into the confused mass of men and animals. To add to the confusion and terror of the occasion, night was rapidly approaching, and darkness was already beginning to obscure the scene.

That which followed cannot be justly portrayed by the poor aid of words. On one hand was a solid column of infantry retreating at double quick from the face of the enemy, who were already crowding their rear; on the other was a dense mass of beings who had lost their reasoning faculties, and were flying from a thousand fancied dangers as well as from the real danger that crowded so close upon them, aggravating the fearfulness of their situation by the very precipitancy with which they were seeking to escape from it. On the hill were ten thousand of the enemy, pouring their murderous volleys in upon the National troops, yelling and hooting, to increase the alarm and confusion; hundreds of cavalry horses left riderless at the first discharge from the rebels, were dashing frantically about in all directions; a score of batteries of artillery were thrown into disorder, some properly manned, seeking to gain positions for effective duty, and others flying from the field; battery wagons, ambulances, horses, men, cannon, caissons, all jumbled and tumbled together in an apparently inextricable mass, and that murderous fire still pouring in upon them. To add to the terror of the occasion there was but one means of escape from the field, and that through a little narrow neck or ravine washed out by Scott’s Creek. Toward this the confused mass plunged headlong. For a moment it seemed as if no power could avert the frightful calamity that threatened the entire army. That neck passed, and this panic-stricken, disordered body of men and animals permitted to pass down through the other corps of the army, destruction was sure. But in the midst of that wildest alarm there was a cool head. That calamity was averted by the determined self-possession of Major-General Daniel E. Sickles.

The disastrous flight of the Eleventh corps may here be concluded. They did not all fly across Sickles’s line. They dispersed and ran in all directions, regardless of the order of their going. They seemed possessed with an instinctive idea of the shortest and most direct line from the point whence they started to the United States Ford, and the majority of them did not stop until they had reached it.

General Birney first learned of the shameful stampede of the German corps by the flight of their troops across his lines; and seeing that retreat was inevitable he prepared for it, but found that the rebels had gained possession of the road by which he had advanced. He was, therefore, obliged to make a road out, which he did by moving quietly down into the ravine. This movement was successfully accomplished with no further trouble than a slight skirmish with the rebels in the ravine; after which General Birney moved his column out in perfect order. General Whipple, with much difficulty, saved his command, which was attacked in rear by the rebels, and broken in upon on the flank by the demoralized men of the Eleventh. He brought off his troops, however, in comparatively good order, and bivouacked for the night with Birney and Pleasanton on a little farm in the woods. Thus ended the battle of the second day.

THE THIRD DAY’S BATTLE. SUNDAY, MAY 3.

Once more General Hooker formed a new line of battle, which placed General Reynolds on the extreme right, with his right flank resting on the Rappahannock. General Slocum’s corps held the centre, and that of General Sickles the left, with its left resting on the stream called Scott’s creek.

Couch and Meade were left to look after the front towards Fredericksburg, while the remnant of the Eleventh was to be used, if it could be reorganized, wherever it could be most effective. On the previous night, during the confusion of the stampede, General Berry, of Sickles’ corps, had moved up the plank road and taken a position just at the edge of the woods, where he met the enemy as they were advancing to complete the discomfiture of the right wing, and had hurled them back most effectually. He was then ordered to retain the ground he had thus defended, which he did most gallantly, and lost his life at the post of duty.

Precisely at sunrise the rebels advanced with characteristic promptness and courage, upon the two divisions commanded by General Sickles. At the same moment, another body pushed down the road towards Berry’s division, and fell upon it with great violence. Never, on any battle field, have men of any nation fought with more determined bravery than did the rebel force on this occasion. It was evident that this battle must decide the contest of the campaign between the National and the rebel troops. The opposing force of Union men was very small; but they fought with most determined bravery. Although they were assailed by a force of twenty thousand men, against whom they could oppose only the remains of two brigades under Williams and Whipple, numbering not over five thousand in all, there was no faltering.

On the occasion of this Sunday morning attack the colors of the corps were still upon the field, as also the corps commander. Their brigade colors were also there, and he is but a poor soldier who deserts his flag when it is in danger, and there was danger now.

But it was impossible that they could hold their ground against the overwhelming numbers of the enemy; and after hardly an hour’s gallant fighting, they were forced to fall back to the shelter of a stone wall, some distance in the rear. Here they made another bold stand, and soon mowed down from the enemy’s ranks tenfold the number which they had lost from their own.

Regiment after regiment were completely swept away by their musketry and the grape and canister of their artillery, and yet fresh regiments were as often pushed forward to take their places. At last, gaining possession of the woods on the right of the stone wall, the foe got an enfilading fire on the heroic patriots, who were compelled to abandon their position. But if the enemy had driven them back, it had cost him dearly. That little field was strewn all over with the mangled corpses of the slain rebels, telling the silent story of the desperation of the struggle.

For more than an hour these men had held the rebels in check; and had thus given General Hooker an opportunity to perfect his main line of battle.

The battle had by this time become general, and raged fiercely in all directions.

In the mean time the Sixth corps, General Sedgwick, had crossed the Rappahannock, and were moving upon Fredericksburg. They carried the first line of the rebel intrenchments, and thus obtained a position about six miles from General Hooker.

On the following morning, Monday the 4th, the rebels appeared in strong force upon General Sedgwick’s front, and upon the hills to the left. About four in the afternoon they moved up to attack; and although the Union artillery opened upon them from every point, their slow and steady advance could not be checked; and General Sedgwick, after a hot and fierce engagement of five hours, was compelled to fall slowly back to Banks’ Ford, and that same night he recrossed the Rappahannock.

Up to this time, from five o’clock in the morning, the deafening roar of musketry, and the booming of a hundred cannon had known hardly any cessation from any point of the bloody field.

And yet the brave patriots held their position. Could human endurance do more? They too, were suffering; not slain so lavishly as the enemy, because sheltered; but their ranks were sensibly thinning. Half past nine o’clock—the column was growing weak; ten o’clock—the work of death still went on. Ten thousand brave men had closed their eyes in death within the past five hours.

Two thousand an hour slain! Ten thousand more had been mangled and crippled for life. The ratio of deaths to the simply wounded, was never equalled in war. One to one. The Unionists mowed the enemy down by brigades; they wounded only by dozens and scores. Could the Union men endure the exertion long enough? Even though the rebels did so greatly outnumber them, they should finally be destroyed. But the Federal troops were exhausted.

Half past ten o’clock. The ranks were broken. From sheer fatigue the men had given way. One entrance into their rifle pits and the still dense masses of the enemy made but short work of clearing them. But though repulsed, the Union troops were not disordered. Like veterans, every column fell back in order; and the line was re-established at the old brick house, Chancellorsville, General Hooker’s headquarters.

While standing upon the porch of the house General Hooker narrowly escaped death from a shell which struck a pillar of the house close beside him, and threw him down, completely stunning him for the time. A short time afterwards, another shell, striking against the house, entered, and exploded. The building was almost instantly in flames; and great numbers of the unfortunate wounded men within it perished in the fire. That the rebels had won the day could no longer be denied; already the necessity of a retreat began to be whispered about, and the position of the National troops, as well as General Hooker’s condition of mind, was far from enviable. The night was a dreary and melancholy one; and the day that followed was anxious and busy. Many fierce skirmishes took place; although no decisive battle was fought throughout the day. On Tuesday the recrossing of the river was definitely fixed upon; and the night proving dark and rainy, the humiliating retreat began, at ten o’clock, in the midst of gloom and universal despondency. The river had risen very much owing to the recent rains. The troops reached their old camping ground on the left bank of the Rappahannock, without much difficulty, and without being pursued by Lee.

SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF STONEWALL JACKSON.
BORN JANUARY 24, 1824—DIED MAY 10, 1863.

A noteworthy incident of the sanguinary battle of Chancellorsville was the accidental shooting of the rebel General Stonewall Jackson, by his own troops. This casualty occurred on the evening of May 2d, 1863. It may be interesting—since Stonewall Jackson, if not the ablest, was the most brilliant officer in the service of the rebellion—to preface the narrative of his death with some account of his civil and military career.

Thomas Jefferson Jackson—who, as we have seen, acquired the soubriquet of “Stonewall,” was born at Clarksburg, Harrison Co., Va., January 21, 1824. The first years of his life were spent on his uncle’s farm. In 1842 he became a cadet at West Point, from which military school he graduated in 1846, in the same class with McClellan and other students, subsequently distinguished in the Civil War. As a boy and as a young man, Jackson was noted for gravity of manners and reticence of nature; quiet, studious, and thoughtful at all times, he was also deeply religious in temperament and in faith. In the Mexican War, in 1848, he served under General Taylor and under General Scott, and distinguished himself at Contreras, Churubusco, and Chepultepec. In 1852, he resigned his commission, being in ill health, and was afterwards appointed Professor of Mathematics, in the Military Institute of Virginia. The breaking out of the Rebellion found him there, and entering the rebel service, he received a Lieutenant’s commission from Governor Letcher of Virginia. His participation in the war was brief, but was marked by daring exploits and many successes. He bore a conspicuous part in the first battle of Bull Run, and as we have seen, made a dashing and successful raid up the valley of the Shenandoah, pursuing Banks to the Potomac, and getting away unscathed. He also took part in the battle of Malvern, and he greatly harassed General Pope, during the campaign of that officer. The capture of Harper’s Ferry was, in part, due to his strategy; and he was engaged in the bloody battle of Antietam. He also participated in the battle of Fredericksburg, and defeated Burnside’s left wing, commanded by General Franklin. At the battle of Chancellorsville his rank was that of Lieutenant-General, equivalent to that of a corps commander, in the United States Army. His operations in the latter fight have already been described. The manner of his death was peculiar, and is worthy of minute description. Late in the afternoon of the 2d of May, he had attacked and routed the Eleventh United States Army Corps, under General Howard, forming part of the rear of the Federal right wing. At about 8 o’clock in the evening, when returning from this attack, attended by his staff, the cavalcade was mistaken, by the rebels, for a body of Union cavalry, and was fired upon, in the darkness. Jackson was struck by three balls. One passed through the left arm, two inches below the shoulder joint, shattering the bone and severing the chief artery; another ball passed through the same arm between the elbow and wrist, making its exit through the palm of the hand; a third ball entered the palm of the right hand about its middle, passing through, and broke two bones. He was wounded on the plank road, about fifty yards in advance of the enemy. He fell from his horse, and was caught by Captain Wormley, to whom he remarked, “All my wounds are by my own men.” He had given orders for his men to fire at any one coming Up the road, before he left the lines. The Union skirmishers appeared ahead of him, and he turned to ride back. Just then some one cried out, “Cavalry charge!” and immediately the regiment fired. The whole party then broke forward to ride through the rebel line to escape the fire. Captain Boswell was killed, and carried through the line by his horse, and fell among his own men. Colonel Couchfield, Chief-of-Staff, was wounded by his side. Two couriers were killed. Major Pendleton, Lieutenants Morrison and Smith, escaped uninjured. General Jackson was immediately placed on a litter and started for the rear; but the firing had attracted the attention of the Unionists, and it was resumed by both lines. One litter-bearer was shot down, and Jackson fell from the shoulders of the men, receiving a severe contusion, adding to the injury of the arm, and severely injuring his side.

At this point the Unionists swept the field with artillery, and the wounded man was left for five minutes, until the fire slackened, when he was placed in an ambulance, and carried to the field hospital at Wilderness Run. He lost a large amount of blood, and at one time told Doctor M’Guire he thought he was dying, and would have bled to death, but that a tourniquet was immediately applied. For two hours he was almost pulseless. As he was being carried from the field, frequent inquiries were made by the soldiers, “Who have you there?” He told the doctor, “Do not tell the troops I am wounded.”

At the hospital his arm was amputated, while he was under the influence of chloroform. He slept on Sunday morning, was cheerful, and was doing well. On Monday he was carried to Chancellor’s house, near Guiney’s depot.

During the ride to Guiney’s he complained greatly of heat, and begged that a wet cloth be applied to his stomach, which was done, greatly to his relief, as he expressed it. He slept well on Monday night, and ate with relish the next morning. On Tuesday his wounds were doing very well. He asked, “Can you tell me, from the appearance of my wounds, how long I shall be kept from the field?” He was greatly satisfied when he was told they were doing remarkably well. He did not complain of any pain in the side, and wanted to see the members of his staff, but was advised not to do so. On Wednesday night, while his surgeon, who had not slept for three nights, was asleep, he complained of nausea, and ordered his boy, Jim, to place a wet towel over his stomach. This was done. About daylight the surgeon was awakened by the boy saying, “The General is in great pain.” The pain was in his right side, and due to incipient pneumonia and some nervousness, which he himself attributed to the fall from the litter. On Thursday his wife arrived, greatly to his joy and satisfaction, and she faithfully nursed him to the end.

On Sunday morning, when it was apparent that he was rapidly sinking, Mrs. Jackson told him he was going to die. He said: “Very good: very good. It is all right.” He had previously said: “I consider these wounds a blessing. They were given me for some good and wise purpose. I would not part with them if I could.” He expressed a wish to be buried in Lexington, in the valley of Virginia. During delirium his mind reverted to the battle-field, and he sent orders to General A. P. Hill to prepare for action, and to Major Hawks, his Commissary, and to the surgeons. He frequently expressed to his aids his wish that Major-General Ewell should be ordered to command his corps. This wish was subsequently fulfilled. He died on the afternoon of Sunday May 10th, and on the 12th, was honored with a public funeral in Richmond. The press, at the North as well as the South, rendered eulogiums upon his character and achievements. Posterity will remember him as a kind of Cromwellian soldier, an enthusiastic devotee of religion, and a man who fought bravely in a bad cause.

THE REBEL INVASION.

The battle of Chancellorsville resulted, as we have seen, in a substantial reverse to the Army of the Potomac. The Unionists did, indeed, capture many rebel prisoners and standards, and munitions of war, besides covering themselves with glory by their dauntless courage, and their heroic achievements. But the generalship of Lee, and the desperate fighting of the rebels, ultimately resulted in checking the advance of the Union army. This advantage, however, as we shall presently see, was soon lost to the Confederates at the great battle of Gettysburg, fought in the early part of the following month of July. General Lee, meantime, projected a descent upon the rich soil of Pennsylvania, hoping to replenish his wasted stores, and to smite the North with panic. His policy in this respect was very bold, and in some sense it was successful. He commenced his movement on the 3rd of June, advancing in the direction of Culpepper Court-House. The troops were led by General Longstreet, General Hood, and General Ewell. General A. P. Hill was left in command of the rebel forces confronting General Hooker at Chancellorsville. By the 9th of June, the design of Lee became apparent to General Hooker, who put his army in motion on the 14th, on parallel lines with the rebel advance, and arrived by forced marches on the banks of the Potomac. The intense heat of the weather, and the rapid march of the army, was extremely exhausting. Hundreds of men fell daily in the ranks, overcome by the severe task imposed upon them, and many lives were thus lost.

At Culpepper the rebel advance formed a junction with General Stuart’s cavalry; and thence the whole force advanced up the valley of the Shenandoah, in the direction of Winchester. A reconnoissance made toward Culpepper by the Union General Buford, on the 9th of June, resulted in an engagement, in which the Federals lost upwards of three hundred and fifty men, including Colonel B. F. Davis, who had led the cavalry force from Harper’s Ferry, at the time of its surrender in 1862. The enemy’s loss was somewhat larger. Other skirmishes marked the rebel advance. Great excitement resulted from it in Pennsylvania, and generally throughout the North, and measures to check the rebels and to drive them back, were immediately taken by the Government and General Hooker. On the evening of the 14th, and the morning of the 15th, a large body of rebel troops crossed the Potomac in the vicinity of Nolan’s Ford, and moved on Hagerstown, which was evacuated by our troops on the 15th. At nine P. M. on that day, the rebel advance guard entered Chambersburg. On the 16th the rebel advance, consisting mainly of cavalry, was at Chambersburg and Scotland. The forces assembled for the protection of the State were at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Two new military departments were organized by the Secretary-of-War on the 9th of June:—that of the Monongahela, and that of the Susquehanna. The former comprised parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio; the latter comprised the whole eastern part of the State of Pennsylvania. Major-General W. T. H. Brooks commanded the one; Major-General D. N. Couch commanded the other. He established his headquarters at Harrisburg, and there took command of the militia, which were called out from the several States, by the President, on the 15th of June. From this date until the battle of Gettysburg, July 3rd, the current of events was marked by frequent alarms, by many disturbances, and continual excitement. Mosby’s guerrillas at this time again appeared in Loudon county, and committed many depredations. The town of McConnelsburg, Pennsylvania, was overrun and pillaged by the rebels on the 19th, and all the bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, between Harper’s Ferry and Cumberland, which are a hundred miles apart, were destroyed. Hagerstown and Frederick were pillaged, and the rebels took possession of Winchester and Martinsburg. A large portion of the beautiful town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, was laid in ashes by the incendiary fires of a relentless foe, in retaliation for the devastation wrought by General Hunter in the Valley of the Shenandoah. The alarm occasioned by all these movements, caused the militia of several states to be called out, and sent to the protection of Pennsylvania. Troops were also raised in that State to the number of twenty-five thousand. The cities of Harrisburg, Baltimore, Pittsburg, and Philadelphia, were fortified. Many of the inhabitants of these cities and of other points that were threatened by the rebels, becoming panic-stricken, fled northward.

A contemporary account thus describes the state of feeling at Harrisburg at this juncture:

“The morning broke upon a populace all astir, who had been called out of bed by the ‘beat of the alarm drum,’ the blast of the bugle and the clanging of bells. The streets were lively with men, who were either returning from a night’s work on the fortifications, or going over to relieve those who were toiling there. As the sun rose higher the excitement gathered head. All along the streets were omnibuses, wagons, and wheelbarrows, taking in trunks and valuables, and rushing them down to the depot, to be shipped out of rebel range. The stores, the female seminaries, and almost every private residence, were busy all the forenoon in swelling the mountain of freight that lay at the depot. Every horse was impressed into service, and every porter groaned beneath the weight of his responsibilities.

“The scene at noon at the depots was indescribable, if not disgraceful. A sweltering mass of humanity thronged the platform, all furious to escape from the doomed city.

“At the bridge and across the river the scene was equally exciting. All through the day, a steady stream of people on foot and in wagons, young and old, black and white, was pouring across it from the Cumberland valley, bearing with them their household goods, and all manner of goods and stock. Endless trains, laden with flour, grain, and merchandise, hourly emerged from the valley, and thundered across the bridge and through the city. Miles of retreating baggage-wagons, filled with calves and sheep tied together, and great old-fashioned furnace wagons, loaded with tons of trunks and boxes, defiled in continuous procession down the pike and across the river, raising a dust that marked the outline of the road as far as the eye could see.”

Among the lesser engagements of this period a spirited cavalry engagement near Aldie is worthy of note. At 3 o’clock on the 17th of June, a division of the Union cavalry encountered a rebel force, consisting of General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry brigade and a battery of artillery, about one mile from Aldie, on the road to Unionstown. As soon as General Lee was apprised of the approach of the National troops he made preparations to oppose their advance, and to maintain his position. The rebel Captains Boston and White, with a command of thirty men, were sent forward as sharpshooters, but not receiving any support they were compelled to fall back before the first charge of the advancing Unionists. Close behind the rebel advance the Fifth and the Third Virginia cavalry were stationed; and as the National troops charged upon them a fierce hand-to-hand encounter took place, and in the course of the fight many rebel prisoners were captured. After a brave resistance the rebels were overcome, and the order was given to fall back. Seventy-seven privates were taken prisoners, together with the following officers:—Major Carrington of the Third Virginia regiment; Captain E. B. Boston of the Fifth Virginia; Captain F. R. Winser and Captain Jones of the Third Virginia; and Captain L. B. White; Lieutenant Boston; Lieutenant Turnell; and Lieutenant Douglass of the Fifth Virginia. The loss upon the Union side was very trifling; the men fought with the greatest bravery. It was dark before the fight was finally at an end, light artillery firing being kept up on both sides, without any material injury to either; and when night fell it saw the Union troops entirely victorious, and the rebels slowly retiring.

BATTLE OF WINCHESTER.
JUNE 14, 1863.

On Saturday, the 13th of June, an attack was made by the advance of the enemy’s forces moving up the Shenandoah valley, upon Berryville, then held by General McReynolds. The position was midway between Winchester and Snicker’s gap; and, as an outpost of Winchester, it was valuable. The force under General McReynolds, numbering about three thousand men, made a gallant defence; but finding themselves overwhelmed by numbers they retreated toward Winchester. In the mean time a portion of the rebel advance, consisting of two divisions commanded by Generals Early and Johnson, under General Ewell, had attacked Winchester, which was held by Major-General Milroy. The firing was continuous during the day, and the fighting was severe on both sides. During the whole of the following day the fighting continued at short intervals. At about half past four o’clock the skirmishers of the enemy charged up the Berryville and Front Royal roads, but were received by a hot fire from the Union troops, which dispersed them in confusion. General Milroy now ordered a charge upon the enemy, which was gallantly made, but his men, finding the rebels very strongly encamped in a wood behind them, were forced to return as quickly as possible to the protection of the town. A road running directly west from Winchester, called the Romney road, now became the point from which the enemy attacked. About 5 o’clock the rebels appeared in strong force in front of the main fort situated north of this road, and a sharp engagement took place between them and the National troops. The rebel general, Ewell, got his batteries into position and opened a heavy fire upon the Union men; he then massed his infantry and charged upon them in the face of their hottest firing. Without an instant’s pause the rebels leaped over the breast works, driving off the Ohio regiment at the point of the bayonet, and planted their colors on the embankment.

Of the Ohio regiment a few escaped back to the main fort, but the greater number were either killed or taken prisoners. The Union forces were now completely hemmed in, but not defeated. Sharp and deadly firing continued between the rebels and Unionists until dark. The First brigade, under General Elliott, at this time occupied the main fort; the Second, under Colonel Ely, occupied the town and the space to the main fort on the northwest; and the Third, under General McReynolds, was posted to the north of the main fort. The final charge of the day occurred soon after dark; the rebels crossed a ravine between their main position and the front, but were received by a hot and murderous fire from the Union artillery, which hurled them back again, and the fighting was over for the night. At midnight, after a council held by the brigade commanders, General Milroy ordered a retreat to Harper’s Ferry. The troops marched straight on the road to Martinsburg for about four miles, when they were met by a large body of rebels. They attempted an advance, but were violently repulsed; and two regiments, the Eighteenth Connecticut, and Fifth Maryland, were captured entire. Of the whole force, about four hundred reached Hancock and Cumberland; one thousand six hundred reached Maryland Heights; and one thousand seven hundred reached Bloody Run; while the remainder of the division of twelve thousand men, with a large quantity of artillery and military stores, were captured by the rebel forces.

CAPTURE OF MARTINSBURG.
JUNE 14, 1863.

While the fight just described was taking place at Winchester, the rebel General Rhodes appeared in front of Martinsburg, a town some miles to the north of Winchester, and demanded its surrender from General Tyler, then in command. The surrender was proudly refused; and the rebels immediately opened an attack, which was gallantly resisted until night came on. Perceiving that he could not hold his position, General Tyler, under cover of the darkness, prepared to evacuate the city. The movement was discovered by the enemy, who at once renewed the attack, and a most bloody contest began, which was kept up till the Union troops reached the Potomac river. General Tyler, after a hard struggle, and the loss of two hundred men, many pieces of artillery and a large quantity of ammunition and grain, succeeded in crossing the river at Shepherdstown, and moving on, to Harper’s Ferry. The rebels instantly took possession of Martinsburg; their losses in the capture of it having been only one killed and two wounded.

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During this time it was impossible to determine correctly where General Lee was moving with his main army; but on Monday, the 29th, it became evident that he had selected Gettysburg for his field of operations and on that night the flame of his army’s camp-fires shone luridly against the sky—a warning of the bloody battle to come. During the entire period of this bold invasion of the North the skirmishes, raids, and minor battles consequent upon the continual meetings of the rebel and Union forces were almost daily, but the great battle was that which will ever be remembered at the sound of the word, Gettysburg, and must always bring a glow of pride to the cheek of every loyal American who hears it named.

ATTACK ON CARLISLE, PA.
JULY 1, 1863.

As we have seen, the advance of Lee’s army began on June 27th, a large rebel force occupied the city of Carlisle; and on the 30th they removed all their infantry and stores to Gettysburg. On the evening of July 1st, a severe engagement took place between the rebels under General Fitzhugh Lee (who had not been apprised of the withdrawal of the enemy, under General Ewell, from Carlisle) and the Union forces under command of General W. F. Smith, who were just entering the deserted town. Being unable to comprehend the state of affairs before him General F. H. Lee commenced skirmishing with the Union troops; but finding them much stronger than was supposed, he sent in a flag of truce demanding the surrender of the town. General Smith promptly refused to surrender, and at once made preparations for sending away the women and children.

The work of shelling the town was at once commenced; and a perfect shower of grape, canister and shell was poured in upon it for three hours; at the end of that time the enemy’s fire slackened a little, and once more, at midnight, General Lee sent in a flag of truce, with a demand for surrender. General Smith indignantly refused; and the fire of the enemy recommenced, and was carried on without intermission for three hours. During this time severe skirmishing was kept up by the Union infantry, though no heavy reply of artillery was made to the enemy’s fire. Finally the rebels fired the cavalry barracks, and accidentally set on fire several buildings with shells. The town was very much injured and many people were killed, but the rebels were defeated in their object, and obliged to fall back the next day.

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As the month of June drew towards its close all the movements that were made by both armies tended directly towards a great battle. On the 27th June, a skirmish took place at Skerrett’s Gap, in which the Union pickets were driven in, many of them being captured. On the 25th the town of McConnellsburg, a short time before pillaged by the enemy, and occupied by a body of rebels five thousand strong, under command of General Stuart, was attacked by a detachment of the First New York Cavalry. The Unionists drove in the rebel pickets, causing much alarm. The rebels made but very little resistance; and at nine o’clock of the following morning they evacuated the place, retiring towards Chambersburg, with the intention of reinforcing the rebel force which threatened Harrisburg. During the same day a destructive raid was made by a large body of Imboden’s men, through the lower part of Pennsylvania, in which they carried away with them every available article of every description of property.

They were not, however, at all points successful. A small body of cavalry—numbering forty or fifty men—under Captain Jones, entered McConnelsburg (which had been in possession of the National troops but a day or two), on a reconnoissance. Captain Jones had but just dismounted his horse, when one of his pickets hastened to him with the news that a body of the enemy were advancing, and close upon the town. “How many are there?” asked Captain Jones. “About a hundred,” was the reply. “Very well. I will fight them!” returned the intrepid officer. “Men, take your places!” The men mounted and leisurely rode down the street. The enemy, supposing it to be a retreat, were getting ready for pursuit, when the Unionists suddenly halted, turned, and faced them. The rebel leader sang out to his men,—“Charge—charge the damned Yankees!” But the rebels never moved. Captain Jones called out in a clear, firm voice, to his noble little band, “Charge!” and the order required no repetition. With a wild, triumphant cry, they sprang forward, sabre in hand, and drove the enemy like chaff before them. The sharp ring of carbines, the clang of sabres, and the ringing shouts of the triumphant pursuers, filled the air with the enthusiasm of the scene. At the edge of the town, the Union cavalry overtook the flying rebels, and dashing into their midst, a hand-to-hand struggle took place, in which the rebels were compelled to fight for their lives. The result was soon seen to be in favor of the Unionists; and when they returned to the town, they drove before them more prisoners than their own number. Two rebels were killed, one dangerously wounded, and three escaped; the rest were taken prisoners.

By this time the Union army, in readiness for the great fight, was impatient for it to begin. On the 28th sharp skirmishing took place at Wrightsville between the rebels and a small force of Union troops under Colonel Frick. The rebels attacked the Unionists in their rifle-pits, and were fiercely repulsed, until, overpowered by numbers, the Federals fled across the bridge over the Susquehanna river, near Columbia, which they set on fire in order to prevent the rebels from crossing in pursuit of them. On the same day the enemy took possession of the town of York, Pa. From all the cities threatened by the rebels the citizens were rapidly fleeing toward Philadelphia; although a very large number rallied bravely to the defence of their homes. The publication of many newspapers was suspended, the employees having all entered the ranks. The excitement increased every hour.

BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
JULY 1–3, 1863.

General Meade, as soon as it was ascertained that the rebels were encamped within full view of Gettysburg, set about making the required changes in the positions of his own troops. On Tuesday, June 30th, General Buford was sent, with a cavalry force numbering six thousand, to make a reconnoissance on the Chambersburg road. They encamped there for the night. Two corps were sent towards the southwest, to a point about four miles from Gettysburg, where they also encamped for the night. These corps were the First, numbering about eight thousand men, under command of General Reynolds; and the Eleventh, numbering nearly fifteen thousand, under command of General Howard. Two corps of the rebel forces, under Generals Hill and Longstreet, and two divisions of Ewell’s corps, were encamped quite near to the town of Gettysburg. The town of Gettysburg, itself, lies at the head of a gently sloping valley, and forms the centre for roads running north, south, east, and west.

The Catoctin and the South Mountain run on either sides of the valley; and a short distance to the east of the town runs the stream of water called Rock creek. Near the town are two hills, known respectively as Round Top, and Little Round Top, and on the former General Meade posted the extreme left of his line. To the northwest of this position, also on a slight eminence, General Lee had posted his men, forming a circular line of several miles in extent, and almost hemming in the patriot troops. On the morning of the following day a body of cavalry, under General Buford, was sent forward for reconnoitring purposes, and became engaged with the rebel advance immediately. General Reynolds followed, with his entire corps, and plunged into the thickest of the fight at the first sound of battle; the odds, however, were fearful—eight thousand against twenty thousand—and General Reynolds sent an urgent message to General Howard, to send forward reinforcements. But not till one o’clock did the Eleventh corps arrive to the assistance of the hard-pressed men, who still stood their ground like a rock, and fiercely drove back the advancing rebel hosts. General Reynolds riding up and down the line in front of his men, urging them on with look and word, fell a victim to his own dauntless bravery, being shot through the head by a rebel sharpshooter.

At last came two divisions of the Eleventh corps, under Schurtz and Barlow. Eager to retrieve their reputation, so tarnished at Chancellorsville, they formed bravely on the right, and stayed the faltering line, for the first time beginning to waver. The remaining division of the Eleventh corps, under General Steinwehr, was sent to occupy a point called Cemetery Hill, on the south side of the town.

For three hours longer the brave line continued to hold its ground against the ever increasing numbers of the enemy; but human endurance could bear no more, and at last the right wing slowly yielded, and then the whole line fell gradually back, in good order, to the town of Gettysburg. Here they fell a prey to the pursuing rebels, who overtook them in the turnings and twistings of the streets, and in a few minutes one thousand and twenty men became prisoners to the enemy. Now, indeed, the day looked dark for the Union soldiers; but at the very moment that all seemed lost, the artillery of the troops which had been sent to Cemetery Hill blazed forth a most unexpected check to the triumphant rebels. This saved the battle of Gettysburg from being lost to the National arms; the effect of the sudden firing was magical, and night, which now began to darken down around both friend and foe, put an end to the day’s battle.

The night following this day was one of anxious thought to the generals commanding the Union army; and in the Cemetery, among the monuments of the dead, many a prayer for reinforcements passed the lips of those who knew that certain destruction awaited them on the morrow, if more troops did not in the mean time arrive to their assistance.

But midnight brought relief and joy to those anxious waiting hearts. At about twelve o’clock the Twelfth corps, under General Slocum, and the Third, under General Sickles, arrived, fresh and eager for the battle. And soon after daylight came further reinforcements of the Second and Fifth corps; and the sun of the next day shone down on an almost entirely new army, which struck consternation to the hearts of the astonished rebels, who had already made up their minds to an easy and certain victory.

On this day the position of General Meade’s forces was as follows: General Howard, with the Eleventh corps, held the centre; the remaining portion of the First corps, and the Twelfth, under General Slocum, formed the right wing, and were placed on the right of the Baltimore road; the Second corps,—General Hancock,—and the Third,—General Sickles,—formed the army’s left wing, between the Taneytown and Emmetsburg roads.

On Thursday morning, the enemy, apparently surprised by the formidable Union army which they found ready to oppose them, remained strangely quiet during the most of the day; and it was four o’clock before they attacked the waiting and immovable line of Federal troops. Then indeed the crisis of the battle began. General Longstreet hurled his whole division upon the left wing of General Meade’s army, and the storm of artillery that plowed through the ranks, dealt swift and terrible destruction. But the brave Third corps, not even wavering before the dreadful fire, beat back the rebels again and again. On their left flank, danger now menaced them. Already one of Longstreet’s divisions was manœuvering to cut them off from Round Top Hill, on which were placed but three or four batteries. The position would be of incalculable value to the rebels, who, by placing their batteries on the hill, could hurl shell upon the whole Union line. To save Round Top Hill was of the greatest moment to the National forces, who put forth almost superhuman efforts to beat back the approach of the enemy. Bravely, with unflinching front, the rebels marched up to the very mouths of the guns, to be blown into atoms, and hurled in horrible burnt, blackened, bleeding fragments through the air, their places instantly filled up by scores of others equally daring and reckless of life. Captain Bigelow, commanding the battery at the extreme left, held the hill, after losing many of his men, several artillerists, two sergeants, four of his guns, and being himself severely wounded in the thigh, until McGilway’s two batteries arrived to his assistance, and poured in an unflinching fire upon the enemy’s lines.

Below, at the base of the hill, the battle raged with even greater violence; but feeling that it would be lost if Round Top Hill were yielded, the brave Union men determined to die in its defence, or hold it to the end. On came the rebels with their dreadful battle yell, as deafening as the roar of their artillery, and with fixed bayonets charged forward, a sea of gleaming, death-dealing, blood-stained steel, upon the noble, patriotic band, who met their attacks with unfaltering courage, and hand to hand fought them to the death, while the artillery rained a perfect torrent of shot and shell along the whole line. While this noble division, composed of Maine, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania regiments, all under command of General Barnes, were thus heroically resisting the rebels, the First division stood in danger of being completely swept away by the enemy’s advance. But now came General Ayres’ division, steadily marching forward, and with that indomitable bravery for which it was famed, and which had been displayed on previous battle-fields, poured down in resistless force upon the rebels, and saved the First division. Still harder pressed on the fight to obtain the coveted position on Round Top Hill; but the rebels were destined to defeat. General Meade sent orders to the Fourth and Fifth brigades of the Pennsylvania reserves to clear the hill of the enemy, and the movement began at once, superintended by General Crawford in person. Hastily forming his line General Crawford ordered a dash to be made, and the enemy was immediately driven back. One rebel brigade, under General Anderson, made a stand in a gap of the woods, but was fallen upon by a brigade under Colonel McCandless, and completely routed or taken prisoners. The Union men pressed on after the retreating rebels, and drove them back headlong and in wild confusion through the valley and into the woods beyond. Returning then to the hill so bravely fought for, and won with the blood of heroes, the Fourth and Fifth brigades took up their position there and held it to the close of the fight.

Great credit is given to General Crawford for his management of this affair. The honor of the army was saved by the brilliant action of the reserves. The loss of so many arms was entirely regained by this dash, and the ground upon which so many of the Union wounded lay without assistance, rescued from the enemy. Not one of the wounded had received the least assistance, and the groans of the suffering and dying men were terrible. Ambulances were immediately sent for, under orders of General Crawford, and the wounded were cared for.