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done, from the vicinity of Harper's Ferry to Strasburg, nearly fifty miles, between the afternoon of the 30th and the night of the 31st of May, it is one of the swiftest marches on record.

Jackson arrived in time, and just in time. He encamped at Strasburg on the night of the 31st, with General Fremont's advance almost in sight. Winder had not yet come up with his brigade and batteries, and, as it was necessary to remain at Strasburg until he arrived, Jackson determined to attack Fremont, and hold him in check. This duty was assigned to Ewell, who advanced on the next morning with his division, and, supported by other troops, afterwards sent to him, made a sudden and determined assault upon their advance force. The enemy resisted obstinately, but Ewell finally drove them back, and Winder arriving on the same evening, the whole army continued their retreat up the Valley.

Jackson was now comparatively safe. He had realized the prayer which his great namesake of the "Hermitage" uttered for a friend-he had "triumphed over all his enemies." He had flanked them at Front Royal, pursued them from Middletown, beaten them at Winchester, chased them to the Potomac, filled Washington with alarm; and now, when their forces were closing in upon his rear to intercept him, he had passed between them with his prisoners and stores, struck them heavily as he retired, and was moving toward the upper Valley.

He had captured 2,300 prisoners, 100 cattle, 34,000 pounds of bacon, flour, salt, sugar, coffee, hard bread, and cheese, $125,185 worth of quartermasters' stores, $25,000 worth of sutlers' stores, immense medical stores, 9,354 small-arms, two pieces of artillery, many cavalry horses; and 700 sick had been released on parole, making the full number of prisoners more than 3,000. These results had been achieved with a loss of 68 killed, 329 wounded, and 3 missing-total loss 400. In ending his report, Jackson proudly declared that the battle of Winchester was, on our part, a battle without a straggler."

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CHAPTER XIII.

OUT OF THE MESHES.

MAY had passed, June arrived, and the Federal authorities seemed as far as ever from the accomplishment of their designs against Richmond.

General McClellan's army still swung to and fro on either side of the Chickahominy, and that commander was still calling for reënforcements. A few days after the battle of Winchester, the bloody but indecisive action of "Seven Pines" took place, and this seems to have been regarded as the sure prelude to the capture and occupation of Richmond. To that achievement all the Federal movements were directed. McClellan was to press forward from the east, McDowell to descend from Fredericksburg, and Fremont and Shields to overthrow Jackson and swoop down from the mountains. The three columns would then compose a great cordon, and the Confederate power be crushed.

Such was the situation of affairs in the first days of June. Events were hastening on in the Valley and the tidewater; the great movements in both regions were contemporaneous. On the first day of June, at the very time when McClellan and Johnston were fighting at "Seven Pines," before Richmond, Jackson passed between the converging columns of his adversaries, struck their advance with his right wing, and retired in safety. At the very moment, some days afterwards, when General McClellan, in the summit of a tall tree, as one of their writers describes him, was straining his eyes to discern the columns of McDowell on the northern horizon, and listening for the tramp of Fremont's men from the mountains, news was to reach him of events which reversed the whole plan of his campaign. Richmond was directly in his front, with the sunshine on its spires; the army described as the "finest on this planet" was beneath him, in the trenches; and, amid the treacherous swamps of the

Chickahominy, all was ready for the great advance, to be cooperated in by Generals McDowell, Shields, and Fremont, when this intelligence came to overthrow the whole programme.

General Fremont had failed to intercept Jackson at Strasburg; and General McDowell's column, under Shields, had met with no greater success. Jackson had retired like a weary lion, carrying off all his spoils; and the Federal commanders only met at Strasburg to condole with each other on the escape of their prey. But Jackson was yet in great danger from the character of the country and the large force which the enemy had at their disposal. The valley turnpike runs along the western base of the Massinutton Mountain, which completely protects that road from a flank movement from the east, as high up as New Market. But opposite that point was the gap which Jackson had passed through in advancing. Proceeding up the Luray valley from Front Royal, a column of the enemy might cross the south fork of the Shenandoah, seize the gap in question, and, coming in on Jackson's flank, assail his forces and check their further advance. At the same time, the column which was following on his rear would close in and form a junction with the other; and he would thus be compelled to fight the entire Federal force in the valley, interposed between his front and the Blue Ridge.

This movement by Luray was evidently the design of the enemy. General Shields had now been in possession of Front Royal for forty-eight hours, and, as he had not formed a junetion with Fremont, as was originally intended, it was obviously his purpose to make the flanking movement between the Blue Ridge and the Massinutton. To defeat this plan, Jackson sent forward a party to destroy the White House bridge, over the south fork of the Shenandoah, on the road to the New Market Gap, and also Columbia bridge, some miles up the river. A signal station was also established on the southern summit of the Massinutton, to advise him of movements in the Luray valley, and Jackson then hastened forward toward New Market with his prisoners and captured stores.

General Fremont's advance, which had been hovering near the Southern army, in spite of its repulse by Ewell, soon ascertained that the Confederates had retreated from Strasburg, and the whole force of the Federal commander was pushed forward in pursuit. Night had now descended, and a stratagem was attempted by the enemy, under the cloak of darkness, to throw the Confederate rear guard into confusion. The Federal cavalry approached cautiously, and, being challenged, replied, "Friends— Ashby's cavalry." This disarmed suspicion, and enabled them to come so near, that their attack was sudden and unexpected. The 6th Virginia cavalry, which was nearest, retired in disorder before the volleys poured into their ranks, and this confusion was communicated to the 2d Virginia cavalry, which was next to the 6th. At this critical moment, Colonel Munford, who commanded the 2d, acted with promptness and energy. He re-formed his regiment, charged the Federal cavalry, and drove them back, capturing a number of prisoners. The army then continued its march, without further annoyance that night.

Having snatched a brief rest, the troops moved again at daylight, resuming the retreat in the direction of Woodstock. The enemy followed slowly and cautiously on the trail, apparently afraid to press too near and encounter Ashby, who, with his cavalry, Caskie's battery, and the 2d brigade, under Colonel Patton, held the rear.. Near Woodstock another attack was made on the rear guard. The extreme rear was held by Caskie's battery, supported by about two hundred men from Patton's command, as sharpshooters. This was regarded by Ashby as sufficient to hold the enemy in check; and his cavalry was quietly pursuing its way, in advance of the artillery, when the enemy's horsemen gallantly charged through the sharpshooters on the guns, captured some of the cannoneers, and nearly succeeded in cutting off the retreat of a rifled piece. It was withdrawn, however, in safety, a portion of the enemy rapidly following, and, before they were aware of the intended attack on them, the Confederate cavalry was thrown into disorder. The men retreated in confusion, and ran into the rear of the

48th Virginia-then passing along a narrow causeway with a ravine on one side and a steep embankment on the other—and, so sudden was the appearance of the disorganized cavalry in the midst of the infantry, that a number of the men were knocked down before they could get out of the way. All was now confusion; but the cavalry rallied--the 42d Virginia was hastily moved to the right of the road and the 48th to the left-and the enemy were received with a sudden volley which drove them back with loss. Three Federal cavalrymen had charged through the whole length of the 2d brigade, two of whom were shot and fell between the regiments posted on the roadside, the other escaping.

This affair annoyed Jackson extremely, the force of Federal cavalry which made the charge having been very small, and on the next day he asked Colonel Patton to give him the details. That officer did so, and declared that he regarded it as the most dashing and gallant thing which the enemy's cavalry had yet done -adding, that if he had been able, he would have prevented the troops from firing upon the three men who charged through the brigade. Jackson took no notice of these words at the moment, but in a few minutes returned to the subject in a manner which indicated that this daring onslaught on his rear guard by so small a force had greatly exasperated him. "Why would you not have shot those men, Colonel?" he asked, curtly. "I should have spared them, General," returned the officer, "because they were brave men who had gotten into a desperate situation where it was as easy to capture them as to kill them." Jackson's reply was brief. "Shoot them all," he said, coldly; "I don't want them to be brave."

After this repulse, the army continued its march, Ashby having been put in command of the whole rear guard, cavalry and infantry, with orders to protect the rear during the remainder of the retreat. The energy of this commander was untiring, and, in spite of incessant and determined assaults on him, he repulsed every advance of the Federal cavalry throughout the march. The retreat was one long battle between the Confed

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