A RECONNOISSANCE TO STRASBURG.--BATTLE OF WINCHESTER.--UTTER DEFEAT
AND ROUT OF JACKSON'S ARMY.
Immediately after the occupation of Winchester, the enemy's cavalry
advance becoming troublesome, a plan was laid for its capture. Colonel
Mason, of the Fourth Ohio, was sent out on the road to Front Royal,
with a brigade, composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, with
instructions to proceed until he arrived at the last road leading to
the right before reaching Front Royal; which road he was to take, and
by it strike the rear of the enemy at Middletown, a small hamlet
equally distant from both Winchester and Strasburg. He was soon after
followed by General Shields, with six thousand men, who moved on the
direct road to Middletown. Colonel Mason's command, arriving at this
place in advance of Shields' column, encountered the enemy's pickets,
and drove them to Cedar Creek Bridge, which, having covered with
combustibles, they fired. When the troops of Colonel Mason arrived in
the vicinity, they were opened upon by a battery, to which they
replied; with no effect, however, as the distance was too great.
Shields coming up with his division soon after, the entire force
bivouacked for the night.
Early the following morning the command crossed the river without
opposition; but on arriving at Strasburg, the enemy opened fire from a
battery planted on a hill beyond the town. Shields, suspecting that the
entire force of Jackson was in the vicinity, made his dispositions for
immediate battle. The Seventh being ordered out on the road beyond the
town, were fired upon by a masked battery, but none injured. After
having been exposed to this fire for half an hour, it was withdrawn.
Soon after, our artillery was got into position, and after thirty
pieces of cannon had belched forth their fire, the rebels fled in
haste. During this fire, Mason's cavalry advanced so far out on the
road, that they were mistaken for the enemy by Captain Clark, of a
battery of regulars; he therefore sent a shell among them, with such
accuracy as to kill a few horses, and slightly wound one man.
An advance being ordered, the pursuit was continued for five miles,
when the command returned to Strasburg, and encamped for the night. On
the following morning it fell back to its old camp, the Seventh
marching twenty-two miles in seven hours, with but one halt.
This reconnoissance to Strasburg leaving no doubt on the minds of both
Banks and Shields that the enemy was not in the front in force, the
first division of Banks's corps, on the 20th, commenced its movement to
Manassas, in accordance with a letter of instruction from General
McClellan, of the 16th. General Banks did not follow this division
immediately, but remained at Winchester until twelve o'clock on Sunday,
the 23d, when he started for Harper's Ferry.
All this time Shields thought he was being trifled with by the rebel
General Ashby.
On Saturday, the 22d, there had been a good deal of firing in the early
part of the day, but what occasioned it did not seem to be well
understood, except to those engaged. But during the afternoon it was
thought prudent to make all needful preparation for battle, so as not
to be surprised in case it should prove that a greater force than
Ashby's was in front. Therefore the whole division was ordered up; the
third brigade, however, did not pass through the town. Shields went to
the front, followed by the first and second brigades. As these forces
emerged from the city, the rebel cavalry made a dash at the pickets,
who fled in some confusion through the little hamlet of Kernstown, but
rallied soon after, and by a well-directed volley of musketry emptied
several rebel saddles. This success enabled them to retire in safety.
The rebel cavalry soon after advanced, when a sharp skirmish ensued.
Our pickets having been re-enforced by several detached companies, were
enabled to maintain their ground. In the mean time the rebels opened on
our lines from a battery planted on an eminence; immediately after
which a Union battery wheeled into position, when a spirited artillery
duel took place. While directing the fire of this battery, Shields was
struck on the arm by a fragment of a shell, fracturing the arm, and
producing a painful wound. He, however, continued in the field for some
time after the accident occurred, but was finally taken to a house
close by, and his arm dressed, after which he was taken to town in an
ambulance.
The firing having ceased, the first brigade went into camp on the spot,
while the second brigade encamped in the rear. The third brigade filed
into an open field near where they were stationed during the operations
in front.
During Saturday night a strong picket was kept well out to the front,
while the remaining troops slept on their arms. Nothing occurred during
the night to disturb the several camps.
Morning dawned bright and pleasant. The stillness which rested over the
field of the previous day's operations, gave token of the intention of
the belligerents to respect the Sabbath-day. In view of the general
quiet, the second and third brigades were ordered back to their camp on
the Martinsburg pike.
It was nearly noon when the Seventh arrived, and before the men had
barely time to eat a hurriedly prepared dinner, it was again ordered
forward. This time the march was rapid. The distant booming of cannon,
induced many a disturbed reflection as to what lay before us. As we
passed through Winchester to the south, we emerged into an open plain.
This was crowded with people, as were also the house-tops. They had
assembled, apparently, for the purpose of seeing the Union army
defeated and crushed, and to welcome the victors into the city.
Arriving on the field, we found our forces occupying a commanding
position in rear of a range of hills overlooking Kernstown; while the
batteries, posted at intervals on the crest of these hills, were
maintaining a heavy fire on the right of the enemy's position, which
alone seemed to give evidence of any purpose to advance. The left of
our line was held by the Second brigade, Colonel Sullivan; while the
centre and right were held by the First brigade. Colonel Kimball,
commanding the division, was stationed on a commanding eminence, from
which several batteries were pouring their shot and shell into the
enemy whenever he showed himself within range.
Up to this time, the main fighting had occurred in front of our left;
but soon after a battery opened in front of the right, from a piece of
timber, which our batteries were unable to silence. It became evident,
from this, that the heavy skirmishing which the enemy had kept up from
their right was simply a feint, for the purpose of drawing the greater
part of our force to that part of the field, when a spirited onslaught
would be made on the other flank, which was expected to turn our right
wing, and thus give them the victory. It was a conception worthy the
genius of a Jackson, but it was entirely unsuccessful, as no troops
were sent to that part of the field beyond what ordinary prudence
required; but on the contrary, becoming satisfied of the intention of
the enemy, Colonel Kimball resolved to charge this battery. The work
was assigned to the Third brigade. Colonel Tyler, calling in the
Seventh, which had been supporting a battery from the time it arrived
on the field, formed his brigade in column, by divisions, and
immediately moved forward; at the same time changing direction to the
right, and passing up a ravine, shielded by a piece of timber which
skirted it on the side towards the enemy.
After arriving at some distance to the right, the column changed
direction to the left; and after a march of nearly a mile, it arrived
on the flank, and partly in the rear of the enemy. It had now reached
an eminence in a dense wood. In front, the battery which was the object
of our movement was playing vigorously upon the First brigade, to which
a spirited fire was returned by Robinson's Battery, which had wheeled
into position on the extreme right. This acted as a cover to the
movements of our brigade. Breathless, and with anxious hearts, we
awaited the return of our scouts, which would be the signal for a
plunge into the unknown. We were not kept long in suspense, for in a
few minutes the order was given to change direction to the left, and
the column moved forward, preceded by a line of skirmishers. After
marching in silence for some distance, the sharpshooters opened a
destructive fire on us from behind trees. We were immediately ordered
to charge; and, with a prolonged yell, the command, led by the Seventh
Ohio, swept like a torrent down the hill. A ravine now lay in front,
and, at a short distance, a slight eminence, and still beyond, a solid
stone wall, behind which, in three lines, nine regiments of the enemy
lay concealed. It was a fearful moment. The rebel artillery, in the
rear of this stone wall, had been turned upon the advancing column. The
grape and canister was tearing the bark from the trees over our heads,
while the solid shot and shell made great gaps in their trunks. Under
our feet the turf was being torn up, and around and about us the air
was thick with flying missiles. Not a gun was fired on our side. The
head of the column soon reached the ravine, when a deafening discharge
of musketry greeted us. A sheet of flame shot along the stone wall,
followed by an explosion that shook the earth, and the missiles tore
through the solid ranks of the command with a fearful certainty. The
brigade staggered--halted. With breathless anxiety we anticipated a
counter-charge by the rebels; but it came not. Victory to our arms
followed that omission on the part of the enemy. The order being given
to fire, the column recovered from the confusion into which it had been
temporarily thrown. The Seventh now advanced to the eminence beyond the
ravine; and, from a partial cover, maintained the unequal contest till
the other regiments could form and come to its support. The One Hundred
and Tenth Pennsylvania Regiment was thrown into such confusion, that it
was of little service during the remainder of the day.
An order was given to the Seventh to prolong its line to the left. An
attempt was made to execute the order, when the left wing, passing over
a fence into an open field, received such a well-directed fire as to
compel it to fall back to its old position.
During this part of the contest, the rebels endeavored to extend their
left, so as to flank us on the right. To meet this movement, Tyler
ordered the First Virginia to move to the right. Passing into an open
field, it was exposed to a cross-fire, which soon drove it back to the
timber.
The roar of musketry was now deafening. The dying and the dead were
lying thick upon the hillside, but neither army seemed to waver. The
confusion attending the getting of troops into action had ceased. The
great "dance of death" seemed to be going forward without a motion. The
only evidence of life on that gory field, was the vomiting forth of
flame and smoke from thousands of well-aimed muskets. From that blue
column, which rolled and tumbled in its ascent from the battle-field,
the unerring bullet sped on its errand of death. But other regiments
are seen coming to the rescue. The right wing of the gallant Eighth
Ohio takes position on the left, followed by the no less gallant
Thirteenth and Fourteenth Indiana, Fifth and Sixty-seventh Ohio, and
Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania. These regiments opened a heavy fire, which
was replied to by the enemy in gallant style.
The battle now raged fiercely until near night, when the enemy began to
show signs of giving way. At this the Union forces advanced a little,
at the same time delivering their fire with accuracy. As the shades of
evening deepened into night, the enemy began to fall back. At this
crisis, Colonel Kimball ordered a charge along the whole line, when the
retreat became a rout. In their flight, the enemy left in front of the
Third brigade two pieces of artillery and four caissons.
That night the Seventh bivouacked on the spot now made historic by its
gallantry. The wounded were being brought in all night long, while the
dead were lying in heaps around us, their increasing distortions and
ghastliness adding new horrors to the battle-field.
At early dawn the next day, we were ready to renew the work of blood
and carnage; but there was no occasion; the victory of the day before
was complete, the rebels had no desire of renewing the contest. They
gave the advancing column a few parting salutes from a battery, and
then beat a hasty retreat. We followed them that day to Cedar Run,
where just at night a slight skirmish occurred, with some loss to the
rebels. The following day the Union forces occupied Strasburg, when the
pursuit ceased.