Gen. Stoneman’s Expedition Successful.—Reasons for the Campaign
proving a Failure.—Death of Jackson.—His Character.—Gen.
Neill’s Report.
Gen. Stoneman fully accomplished the object of his expedition by
destroying the railroad bridge, but owing to the defeat of the army, no
material advantage resulted from his labors.
So terminated the second bloody campaign of the Rappahannock. The reader
who has followed us through the various operations, will readily fix
upon two main circumstances, as contributing to our defeat—the breaking
of the Eleventh Corps at Chancellorsville, and the failure to take
possession of the upper range of hills at the left of Fredericksburg.
Gen. Hooker had succeeded admirably in getting the main portion of
the army in the rear of the enemy. He had chosen a good position, and
skilfully posted his troops. All was going well until the giving away
of the Eleventh Corps let Jackson, with forty thousand men, upon his
right flank. He was thenceforward compelled to act upon the defensive.
Sedgwick was now brought forward upon the board, and assigned the duty
of restoring, at least, equilibrium to the contest, by a bold, fearless
move. If unsuccessful, the entire army must rapidly retreat across
the Rappahannock. If successful, the fortunes of the campaign would
be retrieved, and Lee ground to atoms between the upper and nether
millstone, or forced to “ingloriously fly” towards Richmond. The Heights
were victoriously stormed, and all was well with Sedgwick. But now comes
the terrible blunder which decides the contest, the neglect to occupy the
upper ridge.
If, says Victor Hugo, Bulow, Blucher’s Lieutenant, had debouched from
the forest above Freschemont, instead of pursuing the route he did, the
form of the nineteenth century would have been different. If Sedgwick had
debouched from the Heights above Fredericksburg to the ridge at the left,
instead of pushing on towards Chancellorsville, the enemy would have been
hemmed in, and the bloody battle of Gettysburg never have been fought;
or if a single battery of heavy guns had been left to command the road
leading down from the ridge and the ravine through which the flanking
force had to pass, in order to reach Marye’s Heights, the tables would
not have been turned, and Sedgwick instead of Lee compelled to fight one
way and face another.
Our losses during the seven days’ campaign were not far from sixteen
thousand, or four thousand more than those incurred in the December
struggle. Of this number, more than five thousand came from the Sixth
Army Corps.
The casualties of the enemy amounted to not far from twelve thousand. In
the death of Jackson they suffered an irreparable loss. Better, said one
of the Richmond papers soon afterwards, that a whole Army Corps should
have gone down than the brave Stonewall. The true circumstances of his
death have never been published. On Saturday evening he proceeded out on
the turnpike leading from Chancellorsville, to examine his lines. Instead
of riding alone, as was frequently his habit on such occasions, he was
accompanied by most of his staff and several orderlies. A squad of the
First North Carolina Regiment had, in the meantime, been posted across
the road by a Division General, to intercept a body of our cavalry,
which he learned was on a reconnoissance. Mistaking Jackson and his aids
in the dark for the Union troopers, they all fired as he drew near,
killing the aids, wounding two orderlies and sending one bullet through
Jackson’s right hand, and another through his left arm. He died six days
afterwards, from the effects of these wounds.
The various statements which have appeared from time to time concerning
his piety have not been exaggerated. He was a decidedly spiritual rebel.
While located at Harper’s Ferry and Winchester, during the earlier
months of the war, he led the Union Prayer Meetings, and those of the
Presbyterian Church, of which he was a Deacon.
There is not wanting evidence to prove that he held, at the outset,
serious doubts as to the justice of the insurrection or rebellion. Some
of the readers may recall the following incident, given to the public
last August. It was related to us by a clergyman, who received it from
the lips of the divine referred to.
Dr. J——, a prominent Presbyterian divine of New York, who was closely
related to Stonewall, being in Central Virginia just prior to his rapid
march on Banks, spent the night with him and attempted to convince him
of his error in regard to the States-rights doctrine. At the General’s
request they devoted some two hours to prayer, Jackson praying long and
earnestly. When they rose from their knees his eyes were suffused with
tears, and in a repentant voice he remarked: “Whatever Virginia decides
to do, I will do. If to return to the Union, I will fight for the Union.”
Not a week elapsed before Dr. J—— heard of his relative thundering up
through the Shenandoah in hot pursuit of Banks. The States-rights heresy
has compassed the ruin of many gifted and brave men.
The following is General Neill’s report of the part borne by his Brigade
in the campaign.
HEADQUARTERS THIRD BRIGADE, NEAR
FREDERICKSBURG, VA., May 7th, 1863.
I have the honor to report, for the information of the General
Commanding the Division, that on the night of May 2nd, 1863, in
obedience to orders, I led my Brigade across the pontoon bridge
at Mansfield on the Rappahannock, about three-fourths of a mile
below Fredericksburg, posting two Regiments, the Thirty-third
and Forty-ninth New York, as pickets, in front of the enemy. At
12 o’clock, midnight, my Brigade was ordered to march along the
“Bowling Green” road towards Fredericksburg. Whilst waiting to
get the road, the enemy attacked the left of my picket line,
held by the Forty-ninth New York. The Forty-ninth repulsed
them, and held their ground.
On the morning of the third, Sunday, at about 10 o’clock,
I was ordered to form three Regiments as the advance of a
column of assault against the Heights on Marye’s Hill, back of
Fredericksburg. I led the Thirty-third New York, Twenty-first
New Jersey, and Seventh Maine Volunteers, preceded by the
Seventy-seventh New York, who were acting as skirmishers, under
a heavy fire of shot and shell. Before reaching the batteries
on the hill against which we were directed, I found they had
already been taken by our troops on our right, and I directed
the attack against the batteries on the hills to our left,
along the Richmond road. We took in succession four distinct
detached earthworks of strong profile. We captured three pieces
of artillery—two long brass guns and one short howitzer—and
one stand of colors, belonging to the Eighteenth Mississippi
Regiment, after which we marched to assist in repelling an
attack of the enemy along the Chancellorsville road.
On the morning of the fourth of May, the enemy attempted
to turn our rear, when I led four Regiments of my Brigade
back towards Fredericksburg, and checked them. I must not
omit to mention, on the morning of the fourth a Brigade of
rebels advanced to take an earthwork near the Plank Road,
which was then occupied by our troops; when two companies
of the Forty-ninth New York, and one company of the Seventh
Maine, supported by the Forty-ninth New York, in conjunction
with two pieces of Lieutenant Martin’s battery, entirely
routed the whole Brigade and the three companies of infantry
aforementioned, captured 200 prisoners, and the colors of a
rebel regiment, the Fifty-eighth Virginia.
On the evening of the fourth of May, about 5 o’clock, the
whole of Longstreet’s Corps came up the Richmond Road, as
reinforcements, attacking my right and front, massing large
numbers of his infantry in the ravines which were held by their
troops. After losing about one thousand men, I was obliged to
retire, my Regiments being unable to cope with the overpowering
numbers of the enemy, and fearful, lest in the position I
then held, they would be captured by the enemy piercing our
lines in rear, between us and “Banks’ Ford.” In the assault,
the Twentieth New York Volunteers broke and went to the rear.
I could not rally them. The other Regiments stood their
ground nobly, under a murderous fire, and by their stubborn
resistance at that time, I believe the Sixth Corps was enabled
to eventually re-cross the Rappahannock at Banks’ Ford, in the
night.
Colonel Van Houten, Twenty-first New Jersey Volunteers, was
wounded on the field of the battle, and I regret to say, died
a prisoner in the hands of the enemy, from wounds received in
battle.
I cannot close my report without making free and sincere
acknowledgments to the brave officers and men of the various
Regiments of my command, who encountered the enemy at these
two different battles; and would especially mention the great
assistance rendered by the gallant efforts of my Assistant
Adjutant General, Captain Wm. H. Long, of the Assistant
Inspector General, Lieutenant Pryce W. Bailey, Thirty-third New
York Volunteers; and of Lieutenants Wm. H. Alberts and Horace
Binney, my Aids-de-Camp. The horses of both my Aids, and my
own, were shot.
With great respect,
THOMAS H. NEILL,
_Brigadier General._