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wooden bridge across the larger of the two streams into which the south branch again forks at this place, and over the other and smaller branch by a ford, Jackson was obliged to turn and fight in order to gain time. Accordingly, Maj.-Gen. Ewell, with the rear division of his army, halted" near Union Church, and took up a strong position along a ridge which here crosses the road, with his flanks well protected by timber. IIe had but 5,000 men directly in hand; but the residue of Jackson's army was between him and Port Republic, 4 or 5 miles distant, ready to be sent up as required.

Fremont pushed out of Harrisonburg at 6 o'clock next morning," and before 9 his advance was engaged near a little hamlet known as CROSSKEYS, some seven miles on. Ewell's three brigades, under Trimble, Elzey, and Stewart, ranged from right to left, with his artillery in the center. Gen. Dick Taylor, with a Louisiana, and Col. Patton, with a Virginia brigade, came to his aid when wanted..

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Gen. Fremont's order of battle, a mile and a half long, was formed with the 32d, 55th, 73d, 75th, and 82d Ohio, under Brig.-Gen. Schenck, on the right, and the 2d, 3d, and 5th Virginia, with the 25th Ohio, under Gen. Milroy, in the center, with the 8th, 41st, and 45th New York, and 27th Pennsylvania, and what were left of the Bucktails, under Gen. Stahl, on the left, supported by Gen. Bohlen's brigade; while the remainder of Blenker's division was held in reserve. Col. Cluseret, with the 60th Ohio, 8th Virginia, and Garibaldi Guards, had held the advance

73 June 7.

through the morning, but had now fallen in between Schenck and Milroy. Thus formed, our army advanced steadily and successfully, under a storm of shot and shell, losing heavily in men, but constantly gaining ground, until after 3 o'clock ; when Stahl's brigade, having passed through the wood in its front to a clover-field, which gradually ascended to another wood filled with Rebels beyond, encountered a murderous fire, by which its ranks were fearfully thinned and its progress arrested. Two of Bohlen's regiments were ordered up to its support; but, before they could arrive, the brigade had recoiled; understanding, it was said, that they were to give place to Bohlen's men, instead of being sustained by them. Up to this moment, Schenck, on our right, had been making slow but steady progress; but he now halted by order, and finally receded for a mile, finding that Milroy had moved toward the left, and that he must follow or be isolated. Two hours later, the Rebels cannonaded him in his new position, but were easily and quickly driven off by his batteries.

Our total loss in this indecisive action was 664, two-thirds of it in Stahl's brigade; and our troops slept on the battle-field, expecting to renew the fight next morning. Gen. Ewell's report admits a total loss on their side of 329; but among their severely wounded were Gens. Elzey and Stewart. During the night, Ewell silently moved off, carrying away all but his mortally wounded.

Jackson had turned aside from his direct line of retreat, because he found that, with an army nearly or

* June 8.

THE FIGHT AT PORT REPUBLIC.

139

quite equal to his own pressing close- | Tyler received and replied to a ly on his rear, he must sometimes dispatch from Shields; but, before turn and fight, and thus permit the finishing his answer, he was apprised other hostile army, advancing on his that the Rebels were in his front, flank, to gain on him. He was at endeavoring to outflank his left. Port Republic during the conflict at The struggle that ensued was short: Cross-Keys, preparing to cross, and the Rebel attack being resisted with watching for Shields, whose column, great gallantry by our men; but they though delayed by burnt bridges and were 3,000 at most, while their asswollen streams, had reached Con- sailants were 8,000, with more berad's Store, only 15 miles distant, hind them. We were even successand whose advance of cavalry and ful at first over Winder on our right; artillery, under Col. Carroll, appear- but to no purpose, since the odds ed that day." against us were constantly increasCarroll had been told that Jack-ing; and, at length, Dick Taylor's son's train was parked near Port Re-Louisiana brigade, which had flanked public, with a drove of beef cattle; our left by an unobserved advance the whole guarded by some 200 or through the forest, made so sudden 300 cavalry; and he dashed into the and overwhelming a dash at Col. village with his troopers and two Candy's battery on our left, that it guns, expecting to cross the bridge was captured; its horses having been and make an easy capture of the killed or disabled. Exasperated raaforesaid train and cattle. IIad he ther than dismayed by this loss, Col. comprehended the situation, he might Candy, with the 5th and 7th Ohio, have burned the bridge, and thereby made a spirited counter-charge, and exposed the enemy to serious loss, if retook his battery; but was unable, not utter destruction. But Jackson for lack of horses, to bring it off," already there, with 2 infantry though he drove back the Rebel inbrigades and 3 batteries; by the fire fantry and artillery, and actually of which Carroll was driven out in captured one of their guns, which, 20 minutes, falling back two miles with 67 prisoners, was brought off and a half, upon Gen. Tyler's brig- in our retreat, which was admirably ade of infantry, 2,000 strong. covered by Col. Carroll. The Rebels pursued about 5 miles, capturing 450 prisoners and about 800 muskets. Disastrous as was its result, there is no battle whereof the soldiers of the Union have more reason to be proud than that of Port Republic.

was

Tyler, who, on hearing of trouble ahead, had been rapidly hurrying to

the

rescue, ought now to have retreated also; instead of which, he sent his men to bivouac, and went forward with Carroll to reconnoiter. His vedettes, at 4 A. M.," reported that there had been no advance of the enemy across the bridge during the night, and that only their pickets were visible. Returning to his camp,

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June 8.
16 June 9.
'Jackson's official report says:

"Three

Fremont awoke that morning to find his enemy vanished, and to follow on his track to Port Republic; arriving just in time to find the last Rebel safely across the river and the

was this battery lost and won, in the desperate times and determined efforts to capture and recover it."

bridge in flames. Some of Jackson's | moned on the 17th, with the bulk of officers had been obliged to abandon his army, to Richmond.

their horses in order to make good

their escape.

Gen. Jackson makes his total loss in these engagements, 133 killed, 929 wounded, and 34 missing-in all, 1,096; or, since he left Winchester, 1,167, with 1 gun; while he had captured, including wounded in hospital, 975 men and 7 guns. Considering the perils he braved, and the odds which ought to have been, but were not, brought to bear against him, his campaign was one of the most brilliant of the war, and stamps him a true military genius."

Both Fremont and Shields, being recalled by orders from Washington, here relinquished the pursuit and slowly retired; while Jackson, master of the situation, recrossed the South Fork on the 12th, and encamped at Weyer's Cave; whence he was sum

On the same day" with Jackson's demolition of Kenly at Front Royal, Gen. Heth, with 3 regiments of Virginia Rebels, attacked at Lewisburg, in West Virginia, the 36th and 44th Ohio, Col. Geo. Crook, by whom he was quickly routed, though Heth seems to have had decidedly the advantage in numbers. Before our artillery could be brought into position, the Rebels were broken and flying, with a loss of 4 guns, 300 muskets, and 100 prisoners. Our loss was 11 killed and 52 wounded, including Col. Crook in the foot. The Rebel loss is stated at 50 killed and 75 wounded, part of whom were doubtless included in the prisoners. Heth burnt the bridge over the Greenbrier, three miles distant, and thus arrested the pursuit.

VII.

MCCLELLAN BEFORE RICHMOND.

THE capture of Norfolk and the destruction of the Merrimac, alias Virginia, having opened James river to our navy, Commander John Rodgers, in the steamer Galena, backed by the Monitor, Aroostook, Port Royal, and Naugatuck, moved up that river unimpeded, save by the shallows on which they repeatedly grounded, to within eight miles of Richmond,

7 Confidential letters, unpublished, from Lee and Jackson to Johnson and Ewell, show that the movement was suggested, and in fact directed, from Richmond: Jackson and Ewell being ordered to combine their forces and strike a blow at Banks or at McDowell, as circumstances should render advisable. The detachment of

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where he found' the channel thoroughly obstructed by two separate barriers of piles and vessels, the banks lined with sharp-shooters in rifle-pits, and a battery of heavy guns mounted on Drewry's Bluff, 200 feet above the surface of the water. The river was here so narrow as to compel him to come to anchor; which he did very near the lower barrier, and within Shields from Banks, and sending the former to McDowell at Fredericksburg, in order to enable the latter to advance to the aid of McClellan before Richmond, determined the direction of the blow.

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FIGHT AT HANOVER COURT HOUSE.

141

600 yards of the Rebel guns. He at | until rëenforced by Gen. D. C. Butonce opened fire on the battery, and terfield, with four regiments of his maintained a most unequal contest brigade, when the enemy was charged for 3 hours; when, having exhaust- and quickly routed; one of his guns ed his ammunition, he desisted and being captured by Col. Lansing's fell down the river. The Galena had 17th New York. The cavalry, Ben13 men killed and 11 wounded; the son's battery, and Gen. Morell's inNaugatuck 2, and the Port Royal 1 fantry and artillery, keenly pursued wounded. The bursting of a 100- the fugitives; while Martindale's bripound Parrott on the Naugatuck gade, with a section of artillery, adthreatened a more serious disaster. vanced on the Ashland road, pushCapt. Farrand, commanding the ing back the enemy in his front, Rebel battery, reports his loss at 7 until ordered to reform his brigade killed and 8 wounded. and move up the railroad to the Court House. One regiment having taken that course, Gen, Martindale was left with but two and a half regiments and one section of Martin's battery, when he was attacked by a superior force and compelled to maintain the unequal contest for an hour.

The first collision on the Chickahominy between the advance of Gen. McClellan's army and the Rebels occurred' near New Bridge; where the 4th Michigan, Col. Woodbury, waded the stream and assailed and drove off a superior Rebel force, losing but 8 men in all, and taking 37 prisoners, of whom 15 were wounded.

Meantime, Gen. Porter, at the Court House, learning that his rear Directly afterward, Gen. Fitz-John was thus attacked, faced his whole Porter, commanding the 5th corps, column about and moved rapidly to on our right, was ordered by Gen. the rescue, sending the 13th and 14th McClellan to advance from New New York, with Griffin's battery, diBridge, via Mechanicsville, to Hano-rectly to Martindale's assistance, pushver Court House, in order to facili- ing the 9th Massachusetts and 62d tate and render secure Gen. McDow- Pennsylvania through the woods on ell's expected junction from Freder- the right (west) to take the enemy icksburg. Starting at 3 A. M., in a in flank; while Butterfield, with the pouring rain, our cavalry advance, 83d Pennsylvania and 16th Michiunder Gen. W. II. Emory, had gan, hastened through the woods still reached at noon a point two miles farther to the right, and completed southward of the Court House, where the rout of the enemy. The 13th the road forks to Ashland, and where New York, of Col. G. K. Warren's brigade, which, having been delayed repairing bridges, had not hitherto been in action, now came up on our left; and, the odds being too palpa

the

enemy were found in position to bar our further progress. The 25th New York and Berdan's sharp-shoot

ers

speedily coming up, they were

deployed by Gen. Emory, with a ble, the Confederates made a rapid section of Benson's battery, and thus retreat. Their loss is stated by Gen. advanced slowly toward the enemy

' May 24.

some 200 730

'May 27.

prisoners, including wounded, one | River Railroad, to the right and 12-pound howitzer, many small arms, rather in advance of Couch's positwo railroad trains, and their camp at Hanover Court House captured and destroyed. We lost 53 killed and 344 wounded. The Rebel force thus defeated consisted of Gen. L. O'B. Branch's division of North Carolina and Georgia troops, supposed by Gen. McClellan to be 9,000 strong..

tion. Heintzelman's (3d) corps had crossed after Keyes's, and been stationed in his rear, but rather to the left, so as to observe the roads debouching on that side from White Oak Swamp, whereby we might be unexpectedly assailed in flank. Sumner's corps was still north of the Chickahominy, some miles higher up, ready to cross at command. Gen. McClellan was with Fitz-John Porter's and Franklin's corps, at and near New Bridge, nearly 10 miles above Bottom's Bridge. Heintzelman, as senior Major-General, was in command on the left until Sumner appeared.

The Chickahominy, opposite Richmond, 20 to 30 miles from its mouth, is a sluggish, oozy mill-stream, three to four rods wide, often fordable, but traversing a swampy, miry bottom, generally wooded, half a mile to a mile wide, bordered by low, irregular bluffs. All the bridges by which it was previously crossed were of course destroyed in their retreat by the Rebels; but Brig.-Gen. H. M. Naglee, of Casey's division, Keyes's (4th) corps, leading our advance on the left, cressed it near Bottom's Bridge without difficulty, wholly unopposed; followed by the rest of the corps three days later, the bridge having meantime been rebuilt. During the three following days, Naglee made a spirited reconnoissance toward Richmond, and to within two miles of the James, on our left; Couch's division took up,' by order, a position some miles in advance, at a place known as the SEVEN PINES, on the direct road from Bottom's Bridge to Richmond; which he proceeded hastily to fortify with abatis, rifle-pits, etc., and by building and arming a small redoubt. Meantime, the remaining division (Casey's) of Keyes's corps was advanced to and encamped about the station known as FAIR OAKS, on the Richmond and York out by the Williamsburg road and

'May 20.

The enemy being seen in force barely a mile from our front, Casey's pickets were posted some half a mile in advance of his line. It rained heavily throughout the night of May 30, swelling the Chickahominy to an extraordinary height, flooding its miry bottom, and setting afloat several of our new-made bridges. Gen. Jo. Johnston, who commanded the Rebel army, saw his opportunity, and resolved to profit by it. The roads of all that region center on Richmond, radiating thence like the folds of a fan, and affording a considerable advantage in manœuvering to the combatant who holds the city. Informed by his scouts of the numbers and isolated position of Keyes's corps, Johnston resolved to assail and crush it before it could be adequately rëenforced. To this end, he directed Maj.-Gen. Longstreet, with his own and Gen. D. H. Hill's division, the latter in advance, to push

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