BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE AND THE WINTER OF 1862.
On the old turnpike which leads from the Chain Bridge above Georgetown
to Leesburg there is a hamlet of a half-dozen houses, called
Dranesville. The great road to Alexandria joins the turnpike there,
also a road which leads to Centreville. Near the junction of the roads,
on the west side of the turnpike, there is a large brick house, a
fine old Virginia mansion, owned by Mr. Thornton, surrounded by old
trees. Just beyond Mr. Thornton's, as we go toward Leesburg, is Mr.
Coleman's store, and a small church. Doctor Day's house is opposite the
store. There are other small, white-washed houses scattered along the
roadside, and years ago, before the Alexandria and Leesburg railroad
was built, before Virginia gave up the cultivation of corn and wheat
for the raising of negroes for the South, it was a great highway.
Stage-coaches filled with passengers rumbled over the road, and long
lines of canvas-covered wagons, like a moving caravan.
It is a rich and fertile country. The fields of Loudon are ever
verdant; there are no hillsides more sunny or valleys more pleasant.
Wheat and corn and cattle are raised in great abundance.
On the 20th of December, 1861, General McCall, whose division of Union
troops was at Lewinsville, sent General Ord with a brigade and a large
number of wagons to Dranesville to gather forage. On the same morning
the Rebel General Stuart started from Centreville with a brigade bound
on the same errand.
General Ord had the Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth Regiments of
Pennsylvania Reserves, with four guns of Easton's battery, and a
company of cavalry. One of the regiments wore bucktails in their
caps instead of plumes. The soldiers of that regiment were excellent
marksmen. They were from the Alleghany Mountains, and often had the
valleys and forests and hillsides rung with the crack of their rifles.
They had hunted the deer, the squirrels, and partridges, and could
bring down a squirrel from the tallest tree by their unerring aim.
General Stuart had the First Kentucky, Sixth South Carolina, Tenth
Alabama, Eleventh Virginia, with the First South Carolina Battery,
commanded by Captain Cutts, also a company of cavalry. The two forces
were nearly equal.
General Ord started early in the morning. The ground was frozen, the
air was clear, there was a beautiful sunshine, and the men marched
cheerily along the road, thinking of the chickens and turkeys which
might fall into their hands, and would be very acceptable for Christmas
dinners. They reached Difficult Creek at noon where the troops halted,
kindled their fires, cooked their coffee, ate their beef and bread, and
then pushed on towards Dranesville.
An officer of the cavalry came back in haste from the advance, and
reported having seen a rebel cavalryman.
"Keep a sharp lookout," was the order. The column moved on; but General
Ord was prudent and threw out companies of flankers, who threaded their
way through the woods, keeping a sharp eye for Rebels, for they had
heard that the enemy was near at hand.
On reaching Dranesville, General Ord sent a company down the
Centreville road to reconnoitre. It was not long before they reported
that the woods were full of Rebels. General Ord formed his men on both
sides of the Centreville road. He sent the Ninth and Twelfth west of
Mr. Thornton's house, into the woods, posted the Bucktails in front of
the house, put three of Easton's guns into position on a hill east of
it, put the Tenth Regiment and the cavalry in rear of the battery on
the Chain Bridge road, sent one cannon down the Chain Bridge road a
short distance to open a flank fire, and directed the Sixth Regiment to
take position west of the Centreville road, to support the Bucktails,
and detached one company of the Tenth to move down the Alexandria road
to cover the flanking cannon.
[Illustration: BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE.
1 General Ord's line.
2 General Stuart's line.
3 Road to Georgetown.
4 Road to Alexandria.
5 Road to Centreville.]
Standing by Thornton's house, and looking south, we see the Rebels on
a hill, about half a mile distant. General Stuart plants his six guns
on both sides of the road, to fire toward the Bucktails. The Eleventh
Virginia and Tenth Alabama are deployed on the right of the road, and
the Sixth South Carolina and the First Kentucky are sent to the left.
The cavalry is drawn up behind the battery.
Having defeated the Yankees at Manassas and Ball's Bluff, the rebel
soldiers were confident that they would win an easy victory. As soon
as General Stuart formed his line, Cutt's Battery opened fire, sending
shells down the road towards the Bucktails. The guns were not well
aimed and did no damage. Easton's battery was hurried up from the
turnpike. So eager were the artillerymen to get into position, that one
gun was upset, and the men were obliged to lift it from the ground.
But General Ord told the men where to place the guns. He jumped from
his horse and sighted them so accurately, that they threw their shells
with great precision into the Rebel ranks. The cannonade went on for a
half-hour, Easton's shells tearing the Rebel ranks, while those fired
by the Rebels did no damage whatever. One of Easton's shells went
through a Rebel caisson, which exploded and killed several men and
horses. So severe was his fire, that, although the Rebels had two more
guns than he, they were obliged to retreat.
Meanwhile General Ord's infantry advanced. The Ninth came upon the
First Kentucky in the woods. The pines were very dense, shutting out
completely the rays of the winter sun, then low down in the western
horizon. At the same time the Bucktails were advancing directly south.
The men of the Ninth, when they discovered the Rebels, thought they
were the Bucktails.
"Don't fire on us,--we are your friends!" shouted a Rebel.
"Are you the Bucktails?" asked one of the Ninth.
"Yes!" was the reply, followed by a terrific volley from the Rebel line.
The Ninth, though deceived, were not thrown into confusion. They gave
an answering volley. The Bucktails hearing the firing advanced, while
the Twelfth followed, the Ninth supporting them.
Upon the other side of the road a body of Rebels had taken shelter in
a house. "Let them fellows have some shells," was the order to the
gunners.
Crash! crash! went the shells into and through the house, smashing in
the sides, knocking two rooms into one, strewing the floor with laths
and plaster, and making the house smoke with dust. The Rebels came out
in a hurry, and took shelter behind the fences, trees, and outbuildings.
"Colonel, I wish you to advance and drive back those fellows," said
General Ord to the commander of the Sixth Regiment.
Captain Easton ordered his gunners to cease firing, for fear of
injuring the advancing troops. The Sixth moved rapidly across the
field, firing as they advanced. The Rebels behind the fences fired a
volley, but so wild was their aim that nearly all the bullets passed
over the heads of the Sixth. In the field and in the woods there was a
constant rattle of musketry. The men on both sides sheltered themselves
behind trees and fences, or crept like Indians through the almost
impenetrable thickets.
The Bucktails were accustomed to creeping through the forests, and
taking partridges and pigeons on the wing. Their fire was very
destructive to the enemy. Stuart's lines began to waver before them.
The South Carolinians fell back a little, and then a little more, as
the Bucktails kept edging on. The fire of the skilled mountaineers was
constant and steady. It was too severe for the Rebels to withstand.
They gave way suddenly on all sides, and fled in wild confusion down
the Centreville road, throwing away their guns, clothing, knapsacks,
and cartridge-boxes, leaving one caisson and limber of their artillery
behind in their haste to get away. Nearly all of their severely wounded
were left on the field. The Union loss was seven killed and sixty-one
wounded, while so destructive was the fire of the Pennsylvanians that
the Rebel loss was two hundred and thirty.[4]
[Footnote 4: Norfolk Day-Book.]
The affair, though short, was decisive. The effect was thrilling
throughout the army. The Union troops,--held in contempt by the
Rebels,--defeated at Manassas, Ball's Bluff, and at Bethel, by superior
forces, had met an equal number of the enemy, and in a fair fight had
won a signal victory. It was a proud day to the brave men who had thus
shown their ability to conquer a foe equal in numbers. They returned
from Dranesville in high spirits, and were received with cheers, long
and loud, by their comrades, who had heard the distant firing, and who
had been informed of their victory.
Christmas came. The men were in winter quarters, and merry times they
had,--dinners of roast turkey, plum-pudding and mince-pies, sent by
their friends at home. After dinner they had games, sports, and dances,
chasing a greased pig, climbing a greasy pole, running in a meal-bag,
playing ball, pitching quoits, playing leap-frog, singing and dancing,
around the camp-fires through the long Christmas evening.
The winter passed away without any event to break the monotony of
camp-life.
Officers and soldiers alike became disaffected at the long delay of
General McClellan. The President and the people also were dissatisfied.
President Lincoln, being commander-in-chief, selected the 22d of
February, the birthday of Washington, on which all the armies of the
Union were to make an advance upon the enemy; but it was midwinter, the
roads were deep with mud, and the order was withdrawn. General Grant
all the while was winning victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson,
and General Sherman and the navy had taken Port Royal, while the great
Army of the Potomac, on which the country had lavished its means, and
granted all that its commander asked for, was doing nothing.
The President, in March, issued an order to General McClellan to
complete the organization of the army into corps, with such promptness
and despatch as not to delay the commencement of the operations which
he had already directed to be undertaken by the Army of the Potomac.
General McClellan complied with the order.
The First Corps was composed of Franklin's, McCall's, and King's
Divisions, and was commanded by Major-General McDowell.
The Second Corps was composed of Richardson's, Blenker's, and
Sedgwick's Divisions, and was commanded by Major-General Sumner.
The Third Corps was commanded by Major-General Heintzelman, and was
composed of Fitz-John Porter's, Hooker's, and Hamilton's Divisions.
The Fourth Corps was commanded by Major-General Keyes, and was composed
of Couch's, Smith's, and Casey's Divisions.
The Fifth Corps was composed of Shields's and Williams's Divisions, and
was commanded by Major-General Banks.
It was a long, dull winter to the soldiers. They waited impatiently for
action. Camp-life was not all song-singing and dancing. There were days
and weeks of stormy weather, when there could be no drills. The mud
was deep, and the soldiers had little to do but doze by the camp-fires
through the long winter days and nights. Thousands who had led correct
lives at home fell into habits of dissipation and vice. Their wives and
children haunted their dreams at night. A sorrow settled upon them,--a
longing for home, which became a disease, and sent thousands to the
hospital, and finally to the grave. The army early in the winter began
to suffer for want of something to do.
Some of the colonels and chaplains saw that it was of the utmost
importance that something should be done to take up the minds
of the men and turn their thoughts from the scenes of home.
Lyceums, debating-societies, schools, in which Latin, German,
arithmetic, reading, and writing were taught, were established. The
chaplains,--those who were true, earnest men, established Sunday
schools, and organized churches, and held prayer-meetings. God blessed
their efforts, and hundreds of soldiers became sincere Christians,
attesting their faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men by living
correct lives and breaking off their evil habits. Under the influence
of the religious teachings there was a great reform in the army. The
men became sober. They no longer gambled away their money. They became
quiet and orderly, obeyed the commands of their officers in doing
unpleasant duties with alacrity. Some who had been drunkards for years
signed the temperance pledge. They became cheerful. They took new views
of their duties and obligations to their country and their God, and
looked through the gloom and darkness to the better life beyond the
grave. Several of the chaplains organized churches. One noble chaplain
says of the church in his regiment:--
"I received into its communion one hundred and seventy members, about
sixty of whom for the first time confessed Christ. At the commencement
of the services I baptized six young soldiers. They kneeled before me,
and I consecrated them to God for life and for death,--the majority
of them baptized, as it proved, for death. I then read the form of
covenant, the system of faith, to which all gave their assent. I
then read the names of those who wished to enter this fold in the
Wilderness; those who had made a profession of religion at home, and
came to us as members of Christian churches, and those who now came as
disciples of the Redeemer.
"Then followed the communion service. This was one of the most
affecting and impressive seasons of my life. The powers of the world
to come rested on all minds. The shadow of the great events so soon
to follow was creeping over us, giving earnestness and impressive
solemnity to all hearts. It was a day never to be forgotten as a
commencement of a new era in the life of many. It was a scene on which
angels might look down with unmingled pleasure, for here the weary
found rest, the burdened the peace of forgiveness, the broken in heart,
beauty for ashes.
"Our position increased in a high degree the interest of the occasion.
We were far from our churches and homes. Yet we found here the sacred
emblems of our religion, and looking into the future, which we knew
was full of danger, sickness, and death to many, we have girded
ourselves for the conflict. It much resembled the solemn communion of
Christians in the time of persecution. Our friends who were present
from a distance, of whom there were several, rejoiced greatly that
there was such a scene in the army. General Jameson was deeply moved
and afterwards said it was the most solemn and interesting scene of his
life.
"Again, on Sabbath, March 9th, the religious interest continuing, we
held another communion. At this time twenty-eight were received into
the church. Seven young men were baptized. The interest was greater
than at the former communion, and it gives me the greatest satisfaction
to know that this season, which gave to many the highest enjoyment ever
known on earth, when the cup of thanksgiving was mingled with tears of
gratitude, prepared for the sacrifice that was to follow. Many who were
there never again partook of the wine of promise until they drank it
new in the kingdom of God, and sat down at the marriage supper of the
Lamb."[5]
[Footnote 5: Peninsular Campaign. Rev. Dr. Marks.]