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.
* * * * *
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.
* * * * *
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.