THE WAVE ROLLS BACK.
Confederates retreat from Gettysburg--The Federals pursue--Crossing
the Potomac under Difficulties--Kilpatrick's Cavalry Dash on
Pettigrew's Command--General Lee thought to rest his Army in the
Valley of Virginia, but Meade followed too fast--Engagements that
harassed the Retreat--General Lee wished to be relieved of Command,
but President Davis would not consent to the Appointment of Joseph E.
Johnston or General Beauregard.
The armies rested on the "Fourth,"--one under the bright laurels secured
by the brave work of the day before, but in profound sorrow over the
silent forms of the host of comrades who had fallen during those three
fateful days, whose blood bathed the thirsty fields of Gettysburg, made
classic by the most stupendous clash of conflict of that long and
sanguinary war; while gentle rain came to mellow the sod that marked the
honored rest of friend and foe; the other, with broken spirits, turned
from fallen comrades to find safety away from the fields that had been so
promising of ennobling fruits. The enemy had cast his lines on grounds too
strong for lead and steel, and, exhausted alike of aggressive force and
means of protracted defence, there was nothing left for the vanquished but
to march for distant homeward lines.
The cavalry left on the Blue Ridge joined the Confederate left late on the
afternoon of the 3d. Orders for retreat were issued before noon of the
4th, and trains of wounded and other impedimenta were put in motion by the
Chambersburg and Fairfield routes, the army to march after night by the
latter,--the Second Corps as rear-guard, the First to follow the Third and
push on to secure the crossings of the Potomac at Williamsport and Falling
Waters. It was daylight of the 5th when the road was open for the march
of the First, and a later hour of the morning before the Second could
follow.
Pursuit was made by the enemy, led by cavalry and the Sixth Corps, and the
rear-guard had to deploy near Fairfield to check it. Rain was helping us.
Before the enemy could get through the mud and push his batteries over the
boggy fields, our trains had reached the mountain gorge, and the
rear-guard was on the march following. Direct pursuit of the solid ranks
was changed to march down the east of the mountains, but the firmer broad
road gave the Confederates easier march. Kilpatrick got his cavalry in on
the wagon-trains and destroyed a number, but did not delay the march of
the column.
On this retreat the army, already crippled of its pride, was met by the
dispiriting news of another defeat at Vicksburg, which meant that the
Mississippi was free to the Federals from its source to the Gulf.
Diverting incidents occurred, but we were in poor mood for them. As we
approached Hagerstown, two grotesque figures stepped into the road about a
hundred yards in front of us,--one a negro of six feet and a hundred and
eighty pounds, the other a white man of about five feet seven. The negro
was dressed in full uniform of the Union infantry, the white man in
travel-stained butternut dry-goods. The negro had a musket on his
shoulder. Riding up to them, it was observed that the musket was at the
cock-notch. The negro was reminded that it was unsoldier-like to have the
gun at a cock, but said that he wanted to be ready to save and deliver his
prisoner to the guard; it was his proudest capture during the march, and
he wanted credit for it. The man was a recruit lately from abroad, and did
not seem to care whether or not he was with his comrades. However, there
were doubts if he understood a word that was said. The uniform was a tight
fit, and the shoes were evidently painful, but the black man said that he
could exchange them. He was probably the only man of the army who had a
proud story to take home.
The Union cavalry came severely upon our left flank at Hagerstown, forcing
Stuart to call for infantry support. Parts of Semmes's and G. T.
Anderson's brigades were sent, crossed the Antietam, and had uncomfortable
experience with the horse artillery near Funkstown. They had dire
complaints to make of the way cavalrymen put them in columns of fours
against batteries, when they could have advanced more rapidly and
effectively in line of battle and saved half of their men lost.
Halting for rest near Falling Waters, a sudden alarm was brought down the
road by a cavalryman riding at speed, who reported all of the enemy's
cavalry on a sweeping ride against us. The troops were thrown together to
wait, but the cavalry charge proved to be a carriage-load of lady
refugees. Some of the cavalry did get over upon the trains parked at
Williamsport, but there were many wounded near there who could handle
their muskets, many infantry up from Winchester, and some of Imboden's
cavalry, besides some batteries who held the ground, and Stuart eventually
got up, when the enemy drew off.
On the 6th and 7th the commands were up, and deployed their lines from
Falling Waters to cover the bridge and ford at Williamsport. But the river
was full, past fording at Williamsport, and a raiding party from Harper's
Ferry had partially destroyed the bridge at Falling Waters. Infantry
trenches were made along the lines, batteries were put in position, and we
were ready in a day or two to receive our successful adversary. He found
some mud along his route, and was not up until the 12th, when he appeared
and spread his lines along the Confederate front, but positions were
changed,--he had the longer outer curve, while the Confederates were on
the concentrating inner lines. He made his field-works and other
arrangements, had some reinforcements since his battle, and was well
organized.
On the forenoon of the 13th, General Lee sent for me, and announced that
the river was fordable and the bridge repaired, that the trains would be
started at once, and the troops would follow when night could conceal the
move. The First and Third Corps were to cross by the bridge, the Second by
the ford. As the lines were comfortable, the roads heavy, it occurred to
me that the hurried move during a single night would be troublesome;
suggestion was offered that the trains and wounded should move over during
the night, and give us easy march the next night, but the waters on the
other side were high, and only enough mills running to supply food from
day to day, and the weather treacherous, so the general thought it better
to hurry on. The march by the Williamsport crossing over the firm, broad
turnpike was made without trouble. The route to the bridge was over a new
road; at the ends of the bridge were green willow poles to prevent the
wheels cutting through the mud, but the soil underneath was wet and soggy
under the long season of rain, and before night rain again began to fall.
General Lee, worn by the strain of the past two weeks, asked me to remain
at the bridge and look to the work of the night. And such a night is
seldom experienced even in the rough life of the soldier. The rain fell in
showers, sometimes in blinding sheets, during the entire night; the wagons
cut deep in the mud during the early hours, and began to "stall" going
down the hill, and one or two of the batteries were "stalled" before they
reached the bridge. The best standing points were ankle-deep in mud, and
the roads half-way to the knee, puddling and getting worse. We could only
keep three or four torches alight, and those were dimmed at times when
heavy rains came. Then, to crown our troubles, a load of the wounded came
down, missed the end of the bridge, and plunged the wagon into the raging
torrent. Right at the end of the bridge the water was three feet deep, and
the current swift and surging. It did not seem possible that a man could
be saved, but every one who could get through the mud and water rushed to
their relief, and Providence was there to bring tears of joy to the
sufferers. The wagon was righted and on the bridge and rolled off to
Virginia's banks. The ground under the poles became so puddled before
daylight that they would bend under the wheels and feet of the animals
until they could bend no farther, and then would occasionally slip to one
side far enough to spring up and catch a horse's foot and throw him
broadside in the puddled mud. Under the trials and vexations every one was
exhausted of patience, the general and staff were ready for a family
quarrel as the only relief for their pent-up trouble, when daylight came,
and with it General Lee to relieve and give us opportunity for a little
repose.
The division of the Third Corps under General Pettigrew formed the rear of
the infantry line, which was to be covered by Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry. But
the cavalry brigadier rode off and crossed the river, leaving, it is said,
a squadron for the duty, and the squadron followed the example of the
brigadier. The consequence was that when Kilpatrick's cavalry rode up it
was taken to be the Confederates ordered for their rear-guard. Instead of
friends, however, General Pettigrew found a foe. He was surprised by a
dashing cavalry charge, was wounded, and died after a few days. Some
artillery, three standards (of the Virginia infantry), and a large number
of prisoners were taken. General Meade claimed two thousand.
General Lee thought to occupy the gaps of the Blue Ridge by his cavalry,
and rest his army in the Valley of Virginia, in threatening lines against
Washington City, but found the Shenandoah River full and past fording, and
before the tide began to recede General Meade crossed the Potomac east
of the Blue Ridge and began to occupy the gaps, which called for a
southern march of the Confederates. On the 19th my command was ordered to
Millwood to secure, if possible, Ashby's Gap, but as the enemy's cavalry
was on the opposite bank, and the waters were too high for us to get over,
we marched on to Manassas, then for Chester Gap. As high up as Front Royal
the river was found past fording, but part of a pontoon bridge was at
hand. General Corse, who had joined us, hurried and succeeded in getting
his brigade over in time to occupy Chester Gap, and putting his regiment
under Colonel Arthur Herbert in the west end of Manassas Gap. The balance
of Pickett's men crossed by putting the arms and ammunition in the boats,
the men swimming, and sent reinforcements to General Corse and Colonel
Herbert, when the enemy's cavalry withdrew. One bridge was laid and
spliced, and the march southward was resumed.
[Illustration: RETREAT FROM GETTYSBURG. ACCIDENT DURING THE NIGHT-CROSSING
OF THE POTOMAC ON A PONTOON BRIDGE.]
The next day another demonstration was made by the enemy's cavalry at
Manassas Gap, but Hood's division was there and McLaws's was at the
Chester Gap, where another heavy body of cavalry approached. An effort was
made to get behind the latter by hidden lines of march, but the plan of
catching cavalry with infantry was not successful, though General Wofford
thought for a time that his trap was well laid. The march was continued,
and the head of the column reached Culpeper Court-House on the 24th.
Benning's brigade, left on guard at Gaines's Cross-Roads till the Third
Corps could relieve him, was attacked by a strong cavalry force. On the
approach of the Third Corps he thought to organize, with General A. P.
Hill, another plan to entrap the cavalry in a thick wood, but the riders
found little difficulty in getting away. General Ewell was detained a
little, and found, upon approaching Front Royal, that General Wright's
brigade, left there to hold the gaps for him, was engaged in skirmishing
with the enemy's infantry. He reinforced the brigade, held the enemy
back, then changed his march west, crossed the Blue Ridge at Thornton's
Gap, and ordered Early's division, that was not yet up, through the Valley
by Strasburg. He reached Madison Court-House on the 29th.
General Meade got his army together near Warrenton on the 31st of July,
and ordered a detachment of artillery, cavalry, and infantry across the
Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford and the railroad bridge. The command drove
our cavalry back till it was reinforced by infantry, when the enemy was
pushed back beyond Brandy Station.
General Ewell was called down from Madison Court-House, behind the
Rapidan, and the First and Third Corps were marched into position behind
the river on the 3d of August, leaving the cavalry at Culpeper
Court-House.
General Lee suffered during the campaign from his old trouble, sciatica,
and as soon as he found rest for his army applied to the authorities for a
change of commanders. The President refused, pleading that he had no one
to take his place. At the time he had two generals of his own choosing who
were not in authority adequate to their rank,--Joseph E. Johnston, the
foremost soldier of the South, who had commanded the army from its
organization until he was wounded at Seven Pines, and G. T. Beauregard,
the hero of Sumter and the first Bull Run, well equipped and qualified for
high command. But the President was jealous of Johnston, and nourished
prejudice against Beauregard.