_From Seven Pines to Antietam._
"On that pleasant morn of early fall,
When Lee marched over the mountain wall."
"Over the mountains, winding down,
Horse and foot into Frederick town."
A part of Pope's army, under Banks, had been pushed forward as far as
Cedar Run, about half way between Manassas and Gordonsville. Jackson met
this force and scattered it like chaff, and then moved rapidly toward
Manassas. He did not move in a straight line, but made a detour to the
left, and by rapid marches placed his army in the rear of Pope at
Manassas.
One day the army covered forty miles. Riding along the dusty highway,
Jackson noticed a sore-foot, barefoot infantryman, limping along, trying
to keep up with his command. Coming up to him, he dismounted and told
the soldier to mount his horse, while he trudged along by his side. The
next day the same soldier was found among the dead, with his face turned
up to the sun, having given his life for the man who gave him a lift.
It was this lift that had cost him his life; but for it, he would have
been among the stragglers, too late for the battle.
My command, during the march, got in frequent touch with the enemy, and
at one point, namely, Catletts Station, on the Orange and Alexandria
Railroad, came very near capturing Gen. Pope himself. We got into his
camp at night and into his tent, and took his boots and spurs, and
papers that gave Jackson some valuable information.
As soon as Gen. Lee was satisfied that McClellan was well on his way
toward Washington, he put his whole army in motion and moved rapidly to
join Jackson, who would sorely need him in his attack upon Pope at
Manassas; in fact, Jackson had halted after the battle of Cedar Run for
a day or two to allow Gen. Lee to come up.
An event occurred during this battle around Richmond that brought sorrow
to my home. My brother Howard was slightly wounded in the arm, taken to
the hospital at Richmond, and died in a few days of a malignant fever,
and was buried somewhere among the unknown dead around Richmond. The
family made several attempts to locate his grave, but were
unsuccessful.
"On fame's eternal camping ground,
His silent tent is spread;
While glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead."
His picture on the opposite page is from an old daguerreotype, taken
just before entering the Confederate service.
This move of Jackson's to the rear of Pope at Manassas enabled him to
capture many carloads of supplies and munitions of war, greatly
assisting the armies of Lee and Jackson in their undertaking. A goodly
portion of McClellan's army had embarked at Occoquan and marched across
to the assistance of Pope. Notwithstanding this fact, the combined
armies of Lee and Jackson were more than a match for Pope, and he was
defeated and his army routed, leaving over 9000 of his dead and wounded
on the field. His entire loss, as given by the "New Standard
Encyclopedia," which included prisoners, was 20,000, while the
Confederates', by the same authority, is placed at 12,000.
[Illustration: ROBERT HOWARD HOPKINS.]
There fell into the hands of the Confederates 7000 prisoners, 30 cannon,
20,000 rifles. The captured stores, including two miles of loaded cars
on the track, was enormous, much of which the Confederates had to
burn.
This is called the Second Battle of Manassas to distinguish it from the
first battle fought on the same ground, and called by the North the
Battle of Bull Run, but by the South as the First Battle of Manassas.
Pope lost no time in getting behind his intrenchments at Washington. My
command took part in the battle, and made a charge just as the sun was
dropping behind the horizon. Lee did not follow Pope toward Washington,
but moved in a straight line toward the Upper Potomac, leaving
Washington to his right.
At this time my company was detached from the Sixth Regiment and made a
bodyguard to Gen. Lee. We kept close to his person both night and day.
Part of the time Gen. Lee rode in an ambulance with both hands bandaged,
his horse, "Traveler," having fallen over a log and crippled Lee's
hands. This gave me a good opportunity of seeing the great soldier at
close range.
I remember one afternoon, when toward sunset the army having gone into
camp for the night, Gen. Lee's headquarters being established in a
little farmhouse near Chantilla, I think in Loudoun county, the General
went out with one of his staff officers for a walk into an apple
orchard. They were gone perhaps an hour. While they were gone a guard
had been set around the cottage with instructions to let none pass
without an order from Gen. Lee.
When Gen. Lee returned with his aid by his side, he was halted by Frank
Peak (a member of my company, now living in Alexandria, Va.). They both
halted, and Peak said to them, "My instructions are to let none pass
without an order from Gen. Lee." Gen. Lee turned to his aid and said,
"Stop, the sentinel has halted us." The officer (I think it was Col.
Marshall, who afterward lived in Baltimore, and died there not long ago)
stepped forward and said, "This is Gen. Lee himself, who gives all
orders." Peak saluted them, and they passed on.
Before day the next morning the army was in motion toward Maryland, Gen.
Lee still riding in the ambulance, very much, no doubt, to the chagrin
of "Traveler," who was led by a soldier, just behind the ambulance.
Owing to the hard-fought battles around Richmond, Cedar Run and
Manassas (which followed each other in rapid succession), and the long,
weary marches through the hot July days, often far into the night, many
of Lee's soldiers, who were foot-sore and broken down, straggled from
the ranks, being unable to keep up with the stronger men. So great was
the number that it was said that half his army were straggling along the
roads and through the fields, subsisting as they could on fruits and
berries, and whatever food they could get from farmhouses.
As the army crossed the Potomac (four miles east of Leesburg) Gen. Lee
had to make some provision for the stragglers. It would not do to let
them follow the army into the enemy's country, because they would all be
captured. He concluded to abandon his bodyguard and leave it at the
river, with instructions to turn the stragglers and tell them to move
toward Winchester, beyond the Shenandoah. This was the point, no doubt,
that Gen. Lee had fixed as the place to which he would bring his army
when his Maryland campaign was over.
It was with much regret that we had to give up our post of honor as
guard to the head of the army to take charge of sore-footed stragglers.
But a soldier's duty is to obey orders.
The army crossed the river into Maryland, and we were kept busy for a
week sending the stragglers toward Winchester.
Some bore wounds received in the battles mentioned, and their bandages
in many cases still showed the dried blood as evidence that they had not
always been stragglers. Some were sick, and some too lame to walk, and
it became necessary for us to go out among the farmers and procure
wagons to haul the disabled. In doing so, it was my duty to call on an
old Quaker family by the name of Janney, near Goose Creek meeting-house,
Loudoun county, and get his four-horse wagon and order it to Leesburg.
This I did in good soldier style, not appreciating the old adage that
"Chickens come home to roost."
After seeing the wagon on the road, accompanied by friend Janney, who
rode on horseback (the wagon being driven by his hired man), I went to
other farms, doing the same thing. And thus the lame, sick and
sore-footed and the rag-and-tag were pushed on, shoved on and hauled on
toward Winchester.
Some years after this I had occasion to visit the same spot, in company
with a young lady.
It was the Friends' quarterly meeting time at Goose Creek. We attended
the services, and, of course, were invited out to dinner. It fell to our
lot to dine at the home of friend Janney, from whom I had taken the
wagon. I did not recognize the house or the family until I was painfully
reminded of it in the following manner:
We were seated at a long table in the dining-room (I think there were at
least twenty at the table), and several young ladies were acting as
waitresses. I was quite bashful in those days, but was getting along
very nicely, until one of the young waitresses, perhaps with no
intention of embarrassing me, focusing her mild blue eyes upon mine,
said, "I think I recognize thee as one of the soldiers who took our
wagon and team for the use of Lee's army, en route for Maryland." I did
not look up, but felt that twice twenty eyes were centered on me. I
cannot recall what I said, but I am sure I pleaded guilty; besides, I
felt that all the blood in my body had gone to my face, and that every
drop was crying out, "Yes, he's the very fellow." It spoiled my dinner,
but they all seemed to think it was a good joke on me.
Quakers, it must be remembered, were not as a rule in sympathy with the
secession movement, which greatly intensified the discomfort of my
position. My young friend, however, although a member of that society,
never deserted me, and sometime afterward became more to me than a
friend; she has been faithful ever since, and is now sitting by me as I
write these lines.
Now I must go back to war scenes.
I cannot remember, of course, just the day, but while we were busy
gathering up these stragglers we could distinctly hear the booming of
the guns that told us the two armies had met and that there was heavy
fighting on Maryland soil.
The first sounds came from toward Harper's Ferry, and we soon afterward
learned the result.
Jackson had been detached from the main army, had surrounded and
captured Harper's Ferry, taking 13,000 prisoners and many army supplies.
Among the prisoners was A.W. Green of New York, who afterward became
pastor of my church, St. John's, corner Madison avenue and Laurens
street, Baltimore, Md.
Mr. Green says that when the prisoners were all lined up, Jackson rode
along their front and tried to comfort them as best he could. He said,
"Men, this is the fate of war; it is you today, it may be us tomorrow."
After paroling his prisoners, Jackson hurried to rejoin Lee, who was
being hotly pressed by McClellan at Antietam. Lee's united forces at
this time could not have numbered over 40,000 men, while McClellan, who
was still in command of the Union army, had a force of over 100,000.
McClellan made the attack, was repulsed with terrible loss, but the
North claimed the victory, because Lee retired during the second night
after the battle and re-crossed the Potomac, falling back to Winchester,
where he was reinforced by the stragglers who had been gathering there
for two weeks or more.
This series of battles, beginning with Richmond in the spring and ending
at Antietam in the early fall, had so exhausted the armies that both
sides were glad to take a rest. They had been marching and fighting from
early spring all through the summer, and were thoroughly exhausted.
LEE'S ARMY IN A TRAP.
We have all heard of the famous lost dispatch that was picked up in the
streets of Frederick, Md., after the place had been evacuated by the
Confederates. It was called "Special Order No. 191." A copy of this
order was sent by Gen. Lee to each of his generals. The one intended for
Gen. A.P. Hill never reached him. It was dropped by a courier and fell
into the hands of Gen. McClellan. This telltale slip of paper that might
have ended the war was found wrapped around two cigars. It read as
follows:
"Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, near Frederick, Md.
"September 9, 1862. "Special Orders, No. 191.
"The army will resume its march tomorrow, taking the Hagerstown road.
General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing
Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the route toward
Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and, by
Friday night, take possession of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad,
capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept
such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry.
"General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as
Boonsborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply and baggage
trains of the army.
"General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H.
Anderson, will follow General Longstreet. On reaching Middletown he
will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess
himself of the Maryland Heights and endeavor to capture the enemy at
Harper's Ferry and vicinity.
"General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in
which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford,
ascend its right bank to Lovettsville, take possession of Loudoun
Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning. Key's Ford on his left,
and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his
right. He will, as far as practicable, co-operate with General McLaws
and General Jackson in intercepting the retreat of the enemy.
"General D.H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army,
pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery,
ordnance, supply-trains, etc., will precede General Hill.
"General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the
commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson and McLaws, and with the
main body of the cavalry will cover the route of the army and bring
up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
"The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws and Walker, after
accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will
join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
"Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the
regimental ordnance wagons for use of the men at their encampments to
procure wood, etc.
"By command of GENERAL R.E. LEE."
With this document in his hands and with Lee's army divided as it was
McClellan felt that his hour had come. He sent the following dispatch to
President Lincoln:
* * * "I have all the plans of the rebels, and will catch them in their
own trap. * * * General Lee's order to his army accidentally came into
my hands this evening, and discloses his plan of campaign."
The destruction of Lee's army at this time would certainly have ended
hostilities. Gen. Longstreet was opposed to the movement against
Harper's Ferry. He said it was fraught with too much danger. It was
rendered much more so when McClellan came into possession of Lee's
plans. The exact number of prisoners captured at Harper's Ferry and in
its environments were 12,520, together with 73 cannon, 13,000 rifles,
several hundred wagons and large quantities of provisions and other army
stores.