The intelligence we received from Washington now grew every day more
threatening. That McClellan, with his immense and splendidly appointed
army, intended to advance upon Centreville there seemed no doubt; but
whether Johnston intended to fight was by us much questioned. We were in
no way prepared to meet the enemy. The army was not organized, and but
imperfectly equipped. Sickness prevailed in our camp to an alarming
extent; and the utmost efforts of our able commander had failed to
increase his force a single man. Time must, therefore, be gained. But
how? Johnston was the man for the emergency. We must present a bold and
defiant front to the enemy.
Heavy details from the various regiments were, therefore, at once made
to erect fortifications. Steadily the work progressed, and in a short
time the heights of Centreville were crowned with what seemed at a
distance most formidable works. Of siege guns we did not have one; but
immense blackened logs answered the same purpose, and frowned most
threateningly from many an embrasure. None but those immediately in
charge were allowed to approach them; for it was well known our camp was
swarming with spies. These preparations had the desired effect; and
McClellan, believing the position to be impregnable, quietly settled
himself down to await the coming of spring.
I will not tire the reader with details of the same every-day dull and
monotonous camp-life at Centreville, but shall, as rapidly as possible,
hasten on to the more exciting and interesting scenes and incidents in
which the regiment participated. Suffice it to say, we remained there
until late in November, when the brigade was ordered back to Manassas,
there to prepare their winter quarters.
The spot selected by the Colonel on which to build our cabins was in the
midst of a dense pine woods, and much sheltered from the cold blasts of
winter, and where was also wood and water in abundance. By the last of
December, in this heretofore lonely and deserted forest, had been reared
a neat and substantial village, in which we hoped to remain undisturbed
until the spring should have set in, and from whence we would once more
go forth to measure our strength with the hosts that had just threatened
us with annihilation.
During the months of December and January, with the exception of a
little disagreeable picket duty along the line of the Orange and
Alexandria railroad, and the surprise of a picket post at Sangster’s
Station, nothing occurred to disturb the quiet of our winter quarters.
The picket alluded to was commanded by Lieut. Richard Hough, of Company
F, and in the fight which ensued, Sergeant Sheehan was badly wounded,
and Lieut. Joseph Stewart and ten or twelve men captured. The Federal
loss was a lieutenant killed.
The term of enlistment of the twelve months’ men was now rapidly drawing
to a close, and to have an efficient army in the field when the spring
campaign should open, it became necessary for the Confederate Government
to take some steps to that end. An order was therefore issued some time
in January, granting to all twelve months’ men who would re-enlist for
the war, furloughs of from thirty to sixty days. The majority did so,
and for the first time since entering the army, went home to see their
families and friends.
The unwise policy of the government in having enlisted men for a less
time than the war here proved itself, and for a long while after
occasioned much trouble and caused much demoralization in the army of
General Johnston, for bitterly did those who were compelled to remain in
camp by reason of their having enlisted for the war, complain of the
injustice they believed had been done them. Particularly was this the
case in the First Maryland, which contained several twelve months’
companies, two of which, Companies A and B, had re-enlisted almost to a
man, and gone off on furlough; the others, Companies C, H and I,
preferring to remain in the field until their time was up, when many of
them proposed to go into the cavalry and artillery, they having a
dislike for the infantry arm of the service. However, the war men became
reconciled in a measure, and it was hoped nothing more would be heard of
the matter; but in this we were mistaken, as will be seen hereafter.
The Confederate army was now, owing to the depletion of regiments and
brigades by furloughs, reduced to about twenty thousand men, whilst not
an organized brigade could be found in the whole command. Of this
condition of things the Federal authorities were soon apprised, and
therefore, in the early part of March, 1862, an advance upon Manassas by
the whole army under McClellan was determined upon. Having no facilities
for the transportation of the immense quantities of stores gathered
there, and unable to resist the overwhelming force of McClellan, there
was no alternative left Johnston but to destroy his supplies and
withdraw the army to the south bank of the Rappahannock. It was a sad
necessity, and as the troops were guided on their way for many weary
miles by the lurid flames from their burning buildings that seemed to
lick the very heavens, all felt that the first battle of the war had
proved more disastrous as a victory than would have been a defeat. There
was no pretension to organization, and what had been but a few months
before an organized and victorious army, now presented the appearance of
an ungovernable mob, and entirely at the mercy of the enemy, should he
have the enterprise and energy to pursue it.
Fortunately, however, McClellan contented himself with occupying our
deserted quarters at Manassas, thereby enabling us to reassemble and
reorganize in a manner our demoralized and straggling troops upon the
Rappahannock. Therefore, when soon after that General retraced his steps
and prepared to move around to Yorktown, from whence he had determined
to advance upon Richmond, Johnston had under his command quite a
respectable army with which to reinforce the little band of heroes under
Magruder, showing so bold a front to the hosts of the Federal General.
But it was also necessary to leave troops behind to watch the movements
of McDowell, who still remained at Manassas with a large army, and to
this duty the division of Ewell was assigned. It was, perhaps at that
time, the finest and best organized division in the army, and was
comprised of Elzey’s, Trimble’s and Dick Taylor’s brigades, with
artillery and cavalry.
From the opposite banks of the river the two commands narrowly watched
each other, and exchanged an occasional shot until the evening of the
19th of April, when orders to “pack up” were given, and in the midst of
a drenching rain, we took up our line of march for Gordonsville along
the Orange and Alexandria railroad.—For three days the cold, chilly rain
continued, and for three days the troops, destitute of provisions,
toiled over the uneven surface of the railroad’s bed before the command
reached its destination, cold, hungry and dispirited.
We were allowed to remain here several days to rest and recruit, when
one bright, beautiful day, orders were received by General Ewell for his
command to cross the Blue Ridge and join Jackson, who was then encamped
at Swift Run Gap. Nothing could have exceeded the joy of the troops at
this unexpected order, for we had supposed ourselves destined to
reinforce the army of Johnston in the swamps of the Chickahominy. To be
with Jackson, then, the great and glorious Jackson, in the beautiful
Valley of Virginia, was a pleasure unexpected, and it was, therefore,
with light hearts and elastic step that we left our camp at
Gordonsville. The march was made by easy stages, and in a few days,
about nine o’clock in the evening, from the mountain’s summit, his
camp-fires were descried away down in the plain below us. No more stupid
hours in camp, if you please. We now belong to Jackson’s army, and if
laurels were to be won, we felt that they would surely be ours. Already
visions of shattered and beaten armies, of prisoners innumerable, of
captured camps filled with the good things with which we had been for so
long unacquainted, flitted before us, and thus thinking, and thus
trusting, we descended the mountain sides and threaded our way through
the camps of the heroes of Kearnstown, and went into _bivouac_ a short
distance beyond, at Conrad’s store.
At the first sound of the reveille next morning, every man sprang nimbly
to his feet. They wanted to see Jackson, to talk with his troops over
the great battle they had so recently fought, and more than all, to
discuss the prospects before us, and, if possible, ascertain our
destination; but, to our utter amazement, when we turned our faces to
where we had passed his army the evening previous, nothing met our gaze
but the smouldering embers of his deserted camp-fires. We rubbed our
eyes and looked again and again, loth to believe our sense of vision.
But gone he was, and whither and for what no one could tell. Quietly, in
the dead of night, he had arisen from his blanket, and calling his
troops around him, with them had disappeared.
For more than two weeks his whereabouts remained a mystery, and various
were the conjectures as to what had become of him, when one day there
came the news of Milroy’s defeat at McDowell, more than one hundred
miles away. Swiftly he had traversed the steep ranges of mountains that
separated him from his prey, and with irresistible fury had hurled his
legions upon the astonished foe in his mountain fastness and routed him
with heavy loss, and was even now on his return, and within two days’
march of us. General Ewell was ordered to join him at once near Luray,
and on the 16th of May we encamped at Columbia Bridge on our way
thither.
It was the next day that the term of enlistment of Company C, First
Maryland, expired, and the men clamored for an immediate discharge,
which, under the circumstances, was reluctantly given by Colonel Bradley
T. Johnson, who had succeeded to the command by the promotion of Colonel
Steuart to the rank of brigadier general, and ordered to organize the
Maryland Line. And here again the discontent that had prevailed at
Manassas among the men enlisted for the war broke out afresh. They
declared they had enlisted for twelve months only, and that if the
muster rolls had it otherwise they had been grossly deceived by their
officers. The dissatisfaction grew more apparent every hour, and when,
on the 18th day of May, we marched to join General Jackson, the men were
almost in a state of mutiny.
It was on the banks of the Shenandoah, the 21st of May, that we first
caught sight of the glorious soldier as he dashed along the lines with
hat off, and bowing right and left in acknowledgment of the vociferous
cheers that went up from his enthusiastic army.
Our camp that night was within a mile of Luray, and here we were
destined to part with the gallant Elzey, who had so long commanded us,
and who had led us to our first victory. As I have said, Colonel Steuart
had been promoted and ordered to organize and command the Maryland Line,
of which the First Maryland and Baltimore Light Artillery were to form
the nucleus. For the present, however, Colonel Johnson was in command,
as General Steuart had been temporarily assigned to a brigade of
cavalry. Never shall I forget General Elzey’s emotion as he drew the
regiment up in line for the last time, and with tears rolling down his
war-worn cheeks, thanked them for the honor they had helped to confer
upon him at Manassas.