General Jackson With His "Foot Cavalry."
On the Flank and in the Rear of General Pope's Army.
Longstreet's Division Diverting the Enemy's Attention on the
Rappahannock.
March Through Thoroughfare Gap.
Haymarket to the Relief of Jackson's Men.
The Fight on the 29th.
Battle of August 30, 1862.
Kemper Commands Division, Corse Leads the Brigade.
Pope Defeated.
Casualties.
Rainstorm and March Through Leesburg to White's Ford.
Crossing the Potomac.
The Cry "Back to Washington" and not "On to Richmond."
"Maryland, My Maryland," "Bonnie Blue Flag."
Halt at Monocacy Bridge.
General Jackson with his "foot cavalry," as his men were often referred
to, on account of their rapid marches and power of endurance, crossed
the Rappahannock on August 25 and by swift marches placed his command
at Manassas in the rear of General Pope's army, and between it and
Washington--our division (Longstreet's) amusing General Pope on the
Rappahannock by making sortie in order to divert his attention from
General Jackson's movement.
Longstreet's division crossed the river near Amissville on Tuesday, the
26th, reaching Thoroughfare Gap in the afternoon of the 28th; the march
having been somewhat disturbed by a body of the enemy's cavalry. The
enemy held the east side of the Gap in large force. The evening was
spent in reconnoitering, getting into position to carry the Gap. Our
rations consisted of green corn and fresh beef. Numbers of the men were
without shoes, including the writer. Some horses belonging to the
wagons or ambulances broke from their fastenings during the night,
running through the camp and creating quite a stir, as someone called
out, "Yankee Cavalry!" No damage was done, except the loss of an ear by
one man from the stroke of a horse's hoof. The man yelled, "I've got a
one _ear_ furlough."
The Gap next morning was flanked by our troops, the enemy scurrying
away in time to save his face. After clearing the Gap and reaching the
vicinity of the little village of Haymarket, there could be heard
distinctly seven or eight miles away the roar of artillery. The day was
warm, the roads dusty, and the men suffered for water. It was pathetic
to see the boys with feet bare and bleeding endeavoring to keep pace
with their comrades.
A little past noon on the 29th, we arrived in the vicinity of the
battleground, and not long thereafter the roar of battle to our left
informed us that Jackson's men were hotly engaged. Later in the
evening, the brigades of Hood and Evans, of Longstreet's division,
engaged a portion of the enemy, driving him for some distance. The
remainder of our division was in line of battle, prepared to attack, as
we understood, a force of the enemy to the right, should opportunity
offer. Our position was now between the Warrenton pike and Manassas Gap
railway--where we were still subsisting on roasting ears and fresh
beef; no large quantity at that, but the Confederate soldier ever bore
his privations with less complaint than would be supposed by those who
did not know his enthusiasm for cause and country.
On the morning of the 30th, during skirmishing and artillery fire along
the lines, the command to which we belonged moved forward a short
distance, resting near an old rail fence which ran on and along a
narrow country road. All firing ceased about noon, and quiet continued
until about 3 o'clock P.M., when it was broken by the lumbering of
artillery and the crash of small arms. While lying on the road referred
to, A. J. Thompson and John Q. Martin, of Company D, came near having a
serious fight, which was finally terminated by the interference of
Colonel Patton. In a few minutes after this trouble, the battle opened
on the left, rolling towards us. The order came, and the brigade, under
command of Colonel Corse, went forward at double quick, over a field,
through the woods, and into open ground, where the enemy was in line of
battle. The charge of the division under General Kemper, the brigade
under Colonel Corse, was impetuous and most gallant, routing the Union
infantry and capturing a Maine battery and some regimental flags.
General Pope's army was defeated and in retreat. It was now dark. The
forces engaged on the Union side, under General Pope, in this series of
battles around Manassas amounted to 74,578 men; those on the side of
the Confederates, 49,077. The casualties in the Union army were 1,747
killed, 8452 wounded, 4263 missing; aggregate, 14,462. On the side of
the Confederates, 1468 were killed, 7563 wounded, and 81 missing;
aggregate, 9112. Thirty Union field guns were captured by the
Confederates, with 20,000 small arms, including a number of colors.
Our brigade loss was 33 killed, 240 wounded, and one missing;
aggregate, 274. The regimental loss was Col. W. T. Patton, Lieut. Col.
C. C. Flowerree, Major Swinler, Adjutant Patton and Sergt. Major Park,
all of whom were severely wounded, Major Swinler losing a leg, and
Adjutant Patton and Sergt. Major Park being disabled for further
service. The loss including those mentioned was five killed, 48
wounded; aggregate 53.
The loss in my company was 16, equal to about one-third of the
regimental loss: John Q. Martin, killed; wounded, Lieutenant John W.
Mullins and 14 privates, viz: William H. Carr, John S. Dudley, Elbert
S. Eaton, Adam Thompson, William C. Fortner, James H. Fortner, Francis
H. Farley, J. Tyler Frazier, John W. Hight, G. L. Wilburn, H. J.
Wilburn, William I. Wilburn, James J. Nye and Washington R. C. Vass.
The two latter were mortally wounded, Vass dying that night and Nye
a few days thereafter. A. L. Fry had been sent with our wounded
Lieutenant Mullins to Warrenton, and was there captured by the enemy
after the army had crossed the Potomac.
I must speak here of some little incidents in connection with this
battle which I think worthy of notice. The advance of the brigade in
the charge encountered a rail fence, a short distance beyond which was
the enemy's battery, and its battle line of infantry supports. When
near the fence, fearless Lieutenant-Colonel Flowerree--a mere boy,
scarcely 21 years of age--shouted: "Up to the fence, 7th regiment, and
give them h--l!"
In closing on the battery, the man at the breach was in the act of
firing, when bold Ike Hare, of my company, directly in front of the
guns, cried out, "Fire!" Whiz! went the ball over the heads of the men,
who the next moment, with Colonel Skinner of the First Virginia
regiment, were among the cannoneers, the Colonel, with heavy sabre in
hand, cutting right and left, receiving a wound in the encounter which
retired him from the service.
I went out to help gather up the wounded, and to get me a pair of
trousers and shoes, both of which I had need of, and which I procured,
selecting a dead Union soldier about my size. His shoes I could not
wear, as they were too small, and I gave them to a comrade; and I
almost regretted having put on his trousers, for they were inhabited by
the same sort of graybacks common to the Confederate and Union
soldiers. After more than 50 years the thought of this wretched
parasite makes my flesh itch. But these pests were unavoidable to
soldiers continually on the march through mud, mire, and over dusty
roads, without opportunity to cleanse their clothes or make a change
thereof, and this was particularly so with the Confederate soldier, who
seldom had, or could procure a change of raiment.
In front of our regiment fell mortally wounded Colonel Fletcher
Webster, of Massachusetts, the only son of Daniel Webster, where he lay
until next day.
As was usual following the great battles of our war, there came down
that night, and continuing the most of the next two days, a heavy
downpour of rain; a great blessing to the wounded, who needed the
cooler temperature, as some relief at least from the warm and
oppressive heat.
Our time on Sunday was occupied in burying the dead and caring for the
wounded, then being relieved by others. On Monday, September 1,
followed the command of General Jackson to Chantilly, where he had a
heavy engagement with the enemy. From here we marched on the 3d, 4th
and 5th, passing through Leesburg and to White's Ford on the Potomac
River, where camp was made on the evening of the 5th.
At Leesburg an order came for all sick and shoeless men to remain
there: an unfortunate order, in some respects, as it was construed by a
great many of the men to mean just anyone who did not want to go over
the river into Maryland. There had already been large depletion of the
ranks, after leaving Richmond, caused by straggling--partly by shoeless
and sick men, and partly, doubtless, from other causes. Rapid marching
and insufficient, indifferent, or no food, had much to do with the
straggling. Judging other commands by my own, I can state that much too
large a number of men remained at Leesburg, stretching the pretext
to cover far more than was intended by the order. But when it is
remembered that the army within a period of ninety days had fought not
less than eleven pitched battles, sustaining losses in the aggregate of
fully thirty-five thousand men, and that in addition to this they had
engaged in many skirmishes, in which numbers of men were lost, and that
the use of bad water and bad or insufficient food had depleted the
ranks by thousands; and again, further considering that a large portion
of the army had marched from Richmond to the Potomac, hundreds shoeless
and more becoming so--it is not strange there were so many stragglers,
sick and barefooted men. They amounted to probably 20,000. I think a
great many remained at Leesburg who were not sick or barefoot, because
of their aversion to fighting beyond Virginia territory, north of the
Potomac. In one or more of these things enumerated, I may say thousands
of men found excuses, or made them, to fall out of ranks along the line
of march, finally to halt at Leesburg--men whose help was sorely needed
at Sharpsburg.
The Potomac River was forded on the morning of September 6, amid the
singing of "Maryland, My Maryland," and the shouts and cheering of the
men. "Back to Washington," the cry, instead of "On to Richmond," which
we had heard from our foes. Winchester was made the rendezvous for all
the sick, lame, shoeless and others who remained as we passed Leesburg.
That night we camped at a little village, or crossroad hamlet, I think
called Buckeystown. Next day, the 7th, a halt was made at the railway
bridge over the Monocacy, two miles or more from Frederick, Maryland.
Many of the shoeless, and others too plucky to remain at Leesburg,
still kept their places with their comrades, following the fortunes of
the army throughout the campaign. I was one of the number that made
this tramp with bare feet.