The Federal forces were now in possession of the entire region around Winchester, and sound policy would have seemed to suggest a system of conciliation toward the inhabitants, with a view to changing their sentiments of hostility, and reconciling them to the Federal Government. This would have been difficult, perhaps, but not impossible; for in large portions of Frederick and Jefferson Counties, the opposition to secession had been violent and determined-the attachment to the Union great. A policy of kindness and conciliation toward the inhabitants would have increased this feeling; and a majority of the people might have been won to neutrality at least. General Banks seems not to have understood the character of the people, and his hostile treatment of them made them bitter enemies. His policy united the jarring elements, and confirmed the wavering in their Southern sympathies. Portions of this region had been considered somewhat lukewarm in Confederate sentiment up to that time, but General Banks succeeded in making the whole strongly Southern. In 1863 a member of Congress from one of the Gulf States declared that he regarded it as "the soundest district in the Confederacy."

General Banks seemed at first to intend a hot pursuit of Jackson, but this design was not executed. He massed his troops at Winchester, and, at the same time, a considerable force was sent across the Blue Ridge toward Fredericksburg. General Banks now regarding Jackson as for the time beyond his reach, and believing that the Confederate commanders had neither the ability nor the desire to return and attack him, turned over the command to his subordinate, General Shields, and repaired to the city of Washington.

On the 21st of March Jackson received intelligence from Ashby, who had remained with his cavalry in front of the enemy, that their troops had evacuated the town of Strasburg, and fallen back in the direction of Winchester. He immediately resolved to follow them, and acted with his habitual promptness. From Mount Jackson, where his army lay, to Winchester, the distance was nearly fifty miles, and to arrive in

time to strike the rear of the retiring enemy, the "Foot Cavalry," as the troops now began to be called, must put forth their utmost exertions. No time was lost. Jackson broke up his camp, placed himself at the head of his column, and leaving Mount Jackson at dawn on the 22d, marched twenty-six miles, and bivouacked that night at Cedar Creek, beyond Strasburg. Ashby had followed the enemy, incessantly skirmishing with their rearguard, and on the evening of Jackson's arrival at Cedar Creek, had an animated engagement with cavalry and artillery, in which General Shields was slightly wounded by a fragment of shell. The action lasted until night, the enemy continuing to fall back.

During his march Jackson received information from scouts and other sources which induced him to hurry forward still more rapidly. The enemy, he was informed, were sending off their stores and trops from Winchester; only four regiments of infantry were now in the town; and as he approached the place he was notified that fifteen thousand troops under General Williams were then moving through the Blue Ridge at Snicker's Gap, below Berryville, to operate against General Johnston. Jackson saw at a glance that if this intelligence was reliable, an opportunity now presented itself to regain all his lost ground, and strike a heavy blow at the entire programme of the enemy. With his three or four thousand men he did not doubt his ability to crush the four regiments at Winchester, and this sudden and wholly unexpected attack on the enemy's rear would have the effect of retaining General Williams in the valley.

Such was Jackson's design as he now hurried forward by forced marches to Winchester. He did not doubt the report which had been brought to him of the small force there. He had received his intelligence "from a source remarkable for reliability," Colonel Ashby, and it was not until he was actually engaged with the enemy that he found the Federal force amounted to about eleven thousand men.

Marching from Cedar Creek at dawn he continued to press forward, and about noon came up with the enemy's rear at the little village of Kernstown, which is situated on the valley turn

pike, about three miles from Winchester. Here the men stacked arms, and threw themselves on the ground to snatch some rest after their incessant movement. The advance had been one of extreme rapidity, the troops having passed over a distance of more than forty miles within a period of less than thirty-six hours. The march had been so rapid that only 3,087 infantry, with 27 pieces of artillery, had been able to keep up; and these were so thoroughly exhausted that they could scarcely stand. An eye-witness declares that "the men were utterly broken down when they reached the battle-field, and so footsore and weary, that if they trod on a rock or any irregularity, they would stagger." This condition of the troops induced Jackson to resolve on deferring the attack until they had gained a night's rest, but he subsequently returned to his original intention. His presence was known, as the enemy's position gave them a fair view of his troops; and fearing that they would hurry forward reenforcements during the night, he resolved to attack them at once. The men were in excellent spirits in spite of their fatigue, and the order was given to prepare for battle.

It was now four o'clock in the afternoon, and the declining sun warned the Confederate commander that no time was to be lost. As the infantry came up he assigned them their places in the commanding position which he had selected on the turnpike, and impatiently awaited the return of the cavalry scouts which had been sent out to reconnoitre. While he was thus engaged forming his troops in line of battle, the roar of Ashby's guns directly in front showed that the action had begun. Jackson was still forming his line when the scouts hurried in, and informed him that the enemy, who had been posted in heavy force on the right of the turnpike, were then making a circuit at a double-quick, and as secretly as possible, to the left.

Their intentions were thus developed. They obviously designed, under cover of a demonstration on the Confederate front, to move around and assail the left flank-a repetition of their strategy at Manassas-and dispositions were promptly made to meet this emergency. Ashby was left with his cavalry and ar

tillery, supported by Colonel Burks' brigade, to guard the turnpike; and with Colonel Fulkerson's and General Garnett's brigades (the latter the "Stonewall"), and a gun from Carpenter's battery, Jackson moved to the left, and rapidly pushed on to gain an elevated position which commanded the enemy's right.

At

The battle of Kernstown was fought near the eastern declivity of the Little North Mountain, not far from the spot where the Opequan takes its rise.. The country is undulating, and generally open, but with patches of oak, birch, and other trees, which afford a good cover for infantry. The fields are large, gently rolling, and divided by rail fences or stone walls. the end of March, when the action took place, a portion of the ground was ploughed, but the greater part was covered with a thick crop of broom straw. Where the battle raged most hotly the opposing lines were almost in collision with each other; the woods in which they were formed being only separated by a narrow neck of open field, where the ground sunk down in one of the undulations mentioned. This was alternately taken possession of by both parties. On the left of this position was a common rail fence which ran perpendicular to the Confederate line, and formed a connecting link between the adversaries. At right angles with this, and in front of the Confederate left wing, was a substantial stone wall in a field of ploughed ground, which extended toward the base of the mountain.

To attain the high ground on the left was the object of both adversaries. The struggle thus became, in its very commencement, an attempt of each to outflank his opponent. The enemy had gotten the start, but Jackson moved promptly to counteract this advantage, and succeeded-through a heavy fire of artillery directed at his column as it swept across the fields—in reaching, without loss, the position selected for his artillery. He opened fire immediately with the gun from Carpenter's battery, and then hastened back in person to hurry forward the rest of the artillery. Every moment now counted, and new batteries came up quickly. Waters' battery, and McLaughlin's "Rockbridge artillery," one piece of which had done such good service in the

hands of Captain Pendleton at Falling Waters, were placed in position; and supported by the 21st Virginia, Colonel Patton, who was ordered by Jackson to stand by the guns to the last, opened fire on the Federal columns, which were seen rapidly moving to the left. Their batteries promptly replied to the challenge, and for some time a rapid and continuous fire was kept up-showers of case shot and shell falling in the midst of the troops, but doing them little injury.

During this animated duel between the opposing batteries, the infantry of the two armies had continued steadily moving to the left, and in that quarter the real coutest soon commenced, to which the artillery fire had only been the prelude. All at once a long roar of musketry resounded from the woods, where the Confederate left was posted, and in a moment the air was filled with the din of battle. Colonel Echols, of the 27th Virginia, had opened the action by an attack upon the force immediately in his front, and this, he soon ascertained, was very large. Jackson watched the contest closely, and seeing that Echols was hard pressed by numbers, ordered the 21st Virginia to his support. That regiment advanced and took position on Echols' right, and the battle began to rage in earnest. The enemy were masked in the woods, opposite Echols and Patton, and, throwing forward line after line, made vigorous attempts to outflank the Confederates both on the right and the left. These attempts were partially successful, but did not accomplish their object. The Federal infantry reached the flank of Jackson's line, and poured a steady fire into the Southern troops; but the position of the latter, in the woods, partially concealed them, and the Federal fire being too high, they suffered comparatively small loss, and did not retire. The remainder of Fulkerson's brigade now came to their support, and soon afterwards the Stonewall Brigade hastened up and formed line of battle upon Fulkerson's right. These opened immediately a rapid and destructive fire. Before it the enemy's first line gave back, and could not be rallied; but fresh troops instantly took its place, and a resolute charge was again made upon the Confederates.