'Tis the soldiers' life
To have their balmy slumbers waked with strife.
--SHAKESPEARE'S _Othello_.
Our next encounter with the Yankees occurred on the first day of
September at a place called Ox Hill, near Chantilly on the Little River
turnpike, in which they sustained a heavy loss in the death of General
Philip Kearney, one of their best and bravest commanders. Inasmuch as
the action took place during a thunderstorm its awful impressiveness was
increased, and it was difficult to distinguish between the
reverberations of the heavens and the detonations of the mimicking
artillery, sometimes alternating and sometimes simultaneous.
That night, when all was still and darkness had settled upon the field
where lay the victims of war, a soldier of the 40th regiment, an
intrepid Irishman, George Cornwell by name, went out prowling for food
and plunder, taking his musket with him. Unexpectedly meeting a Federal
lieutenant and four men bearing a stretcher and searching for their
wounded captain, he was asked to what regiment he belonged. With ready
wit he named a New York regiment, and then learning their business and
finding that they were unarmed, he leveled his musket, demanded their
surrender, and brought them as prisoners within our lines. I myself did
a little searching until I found a full haversack strapped to a man who
would never use his teeth again. I was hungry, and chilled by the recent
rain. I found in the haversack crackers and ground coffee mixed with
sugar; and bringing into requisition my matches, tin cup, and canteen of
water (which three things I was always careful to have about me), I soon
had a pint of steaming beverage. I ate my supper, and then laid down to
sleep. This was only one of many times that I slept in wet garments on
the rain-soaked lap of earth without injury to my health; and the only
reason I can give for the immunity is, that those were "War times."
The National army returned to Washington, and together with all the
forces in and around that city was again put under the command of
General McClellan.
From Chantilly we marched to the vicinity of Leesburg and went into camp
near a beautiful spring, several feet deep, which was in a large square
walled up with brick. The next day we came to the Potomac river, which
was then about four feet deep, with its bottom covered with rounded
stones of many sizes. We were not so favored as Joshua's host at the
Jordan, but we just walked from shore to shore as if there were no water
there. Beautiful was the scene. As I approached the river I beheld those
who had crossed ascending the hill on the farther shore; in the water a
double line of soldiers stretching from side to side, their guns held
high above the current and gilded by the beams of the westering sun; and
others behind them going down the declivity of the Virginia shore.
There came unbidden to my mind some lines of one of Charles Wesley's
hymns:
One army of the living God,
To his command we bow;
Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now.
E'en now to their eternal home
Some happy spirits fly;
And we are to the margin come,
And soon expect to die.
From Bunyan's time onward, and I know not how long before, a river has
been the Christian symbol of death.
There was some expectation that when we came into Maryland many of her
sons would rally to our banners, according to the prediction of a
well-known song:
"She breathes, she burns, she'll come, she'll come,
Maryland, my Maryland;"
but the cold fact is, she did not come; and in the light of subsequent
events, it is well that she did not.
From the Potomac the march was continued to the Monocacy river, near
Frederick City. During our brief sojourn there we bought goods in the
stores and paid for them in Confederate money, although, no doubt, the
merchants would have preferred greenbacks or specie; and so far as I
know nothing was taken without that remuneration.
Again Lee's army was divided, Jackson's corps being detached and sent
forward for the purpose of capturing Harper's Ferry. For three days
during the westward march in Maryland no rations were issued, and our
only food was ears of green corn roasted or boiled without salt. These
served for supper and breakfast, but we had nothing for dinner, for if
when we started in the morning we put the cooked corn in the haversacks
it soured under the hot rays of the sun, and time was too precious to
allow a halt for cooking a fresh supply at noon.
Fording the Potomac again, we passed out of Maryland into Virginia at
Williamsport and proceeded rapidly to Harper's Ferry. The Federal force
occupying a very high hill which had been fortified by abattis and
entrenchments, any attempt to storm it would have inflicted terrible
loss upon the attacking party. With much difficulty our cannon had been
placed on the Maryland Heights, on the Loudoun Heights, and on other
eminences that overlooked the enemy's position; and when all was ready
the order was given to the infantry to begin the assault. When we came
to the foot of the little mountain occupied by the Yankees we discovered
that trees had been cut so as to fall downward, and that their
interlacing limbs had been trimmed and sharpened to a point. To advance
upward through these innumerable spikes appeared impossible;
nevertheless we began the ascent at the same time that our artillery on
the mountains opened fire. The enemy, seeing our advance and being torn
by plunging shots and shells from so many enfilading directions, were
persuaded to surrender. As we were slowly struggling upward I looked and
with a joyful feeling of relief saw the white flag flying, and a large
one it was. This was on Monday, the 15th of September. So well was this
affair planned by Jackson that without the loss of a man we captured
11,000 prisoners, 13,000 stand of small arms, and 73 pieces of
artillery.
Having performed what was necessary to secure the fruits of this
remarkable achievement, it was of the utmost importance that we should
hurry away to reënforce Longstreet's corps, which was confronted by the
northern army at Sharpsburg. Passing through Shepherdstown we waded the
Potomac the third time. Our brigade did not reach the battle field until
the evening of the 17th, when the most of the severe fighting of the day
had ended. It was a drawn battle with very heavy losses on both sides.
On the 18th the opposing hosts confronted each other without coming to
blows. Did not McClellan blunder again? Having a much greater army, a
part of which had not been engaged, ought he not to have renewed the
battle in the attempt to crush the Confederates and drive them into the
river? When he awoke on the 19th Lee's army was on the Virginia side.