July 25, 2025 • 20 mins
Embark on a historical journey as Abner Doubleday, a Union officer in the Civil War, recounts his experiences from the frontlines. Beginning with the bombardment opened on Ft. Sumter in 1861, Doubledays memoirs unravel the tale of two pivotal campaigns - Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Delve into the strategic errors at Chancellorsville that led to a Union defeat and explore the leadership crisis that plagued the camp. After Chancellorsville, Doubleday covers the unexpected clash of the armies at Gettysburg. When he takes command following the death of his superior, he leads his outnumbered division with courage and resilience. Despite being replaced due to a mistaken report of his divisions defeat, Doubledays narrative doesnt falter. Instead, he critiques the missed opportunities post-battle that could have ended the war. This book is not just a memoir, but Doubledays resolute response to the injustices he faced.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Part two, Chapter one of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain and is read by
Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Chancellorsville and Gettysburg by
Abner Doubleday, Part two, Gettysburg, Chapter one, The Invasion of
(00:22):
the North. An invasion of the North being considered as
both practicable and necessary, it only remained to select the
most available route. There was no object in passing east
of Hooker's army, and it would have been wholly impracticable
to do so, as the wide rivers to be crossed
were controlled by our gunboats. To attempt to cross the
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Rappahannock to the west and in the immediate vicinity of
Fredericksburg would have been hazardous, because when an army is crossing,
the portion which is over is liable to be crushed
before it can be reinforced. It would aim that Lee's
first intention was to move along the eastern base of
the Blue Ridge, directly toward Washington. The appearance of his
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army on Hooker's flank would be a kind of taunt
and threat, calculated to draw the ladder out of his
shell and induce him to make an attack in such
a case, as the rebels were in the highest spirits
in consequence of their recent victory at Chancellorsville, their commander
had little doubt of the result. This plan was feasible enough,
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provided his cavalry could beat back that of Pleasanton and
act as a screen to conceal his movements. This they
were not in a condition to do after the Battle
of brandy Station, and Lee was thus forced to take
the route down the Shenandoah Valley, which had many advantages.
The mountain wall that intervened between the two armies was
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a sure defense against our forces, for it was covered
by dense thickets and the roads that lead through the gaps,
and the gaps themselves were easy to fortify and hold
against a superior force. If Hooker had attempted to assail
these positions, one corps could have held him in check
while the other two captured Washington. The movement also favored
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the subsistence of the troops, for the valley being a
rich agricultural region, Lee was enabled to dispense with much
of his transportation and feed his army off the country.
There was one serious obstacle, however, to his further progress
in that direction, and that was the presence of a
gallant soldier Milroy, with a very considerable Union garrison entrenched
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at Winchester. It was essential de Ley's advanced that the
valley should be cleared of Union troops, otherwise they would
sally forth after he passed and capture his convoys. With
this object in view, on the tenth, Yule's corps passed
through Gains Crossroads and halted near Flint Hill on their
way to Chester Gaate and Front Royal. The possibility of
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an invasion had been discussed for some days in Washington,
and Hallick had come to the conclusion that it was
better to withdraw the stores and ammunition from Winchester and
retain the post there merely as a lookout to give
warning of the enemy's approach. Accordingly, on the eleventh, Milroy
received orders from his department commander, General Schenck to send
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his armament and supplies back to Harper's Ferry. Milroy remonstrated,
saying that he could hold the place against any force
that would probably attack him, and that it would be
cruel to sacrifice the Union men who looked to him
for protection. In reply to this, Shank telegraphed him that
he might remain, but must be in readiness to retreat
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whenever circumstances made it necessary. Milroy, in answer to another aquery,
reported that he could move in six hours. On the twelfth,
he sent out two scouting parties and learned there was
a considerable force at Cedarsville, which he thought might form
part of Stuart's raid, information of which had been communicated
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to him. He could not believe it possible that an
entire rebel corps was near him, for he supposed Lee's
army was still at Fredericksburg. His superiors had not informed him,
as they should have done by telegraph, that a large
part of it had moved to Culpeper. He thought if
Lee left Hooker's front at Fredericksburg, the army of the
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Potomac would follow, and he would receive full information and instructions.
He telegraphed General Schenck late that night for specific orders,
whether to hold his post or to retreat on Harper's ferry,
stating there appeared to be a considerable force in front
of him, as the enemy soon after cut the wires.
He never received any answer. He sent a messenger the
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same night to notify Colonel mc reynold's at Berryville that
there was a large body of the enemy on the
front Royal Road, and directed him to send out scouts
to Millwood and keep himself advised of its approach, in
order that he might prepare to fall back on Winchester
the moment he was attacked by superior numbers. On the thirteenth,
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Yule marched with two divisions directly on Winchester, while he
sent the third, that of Rhodes, to take Berryville. Thanks
to the timely warning McReynolds had received, his brigade got
off in time, his rear being covered by Alexander's battery,
the sixth Maryland Infantry and part of the first New
York Lincoln Cavalry. These detained the enemy two hours and
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then caught up with the main body. Jenkins's cavalry came
upon the retreating force at Opequan Creek, where he made
a fierce attack which was promptly repulsed by the rear guard,
aided by the artillery with canister. After this there was
no further molestation, and mcreynold's command reached Winchester at ten
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Zene p m A March of thirty miles. Soon after
the affair at the Opoquan, Major Morris, with two hundred men,
was attacked at bunker Hill, an outlying post of Winchester.
He occupied a fortified church, but moved out to meet
the enemy under the impression it was only a small
rating party. When he found two thousand men in line
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of battle, he retreated, fighting to the church again. There,
as the doors were barricaded and the walls loopholed, the
rebels could make no impression and were obliged to fall
back to a respectful distance in the night. Morris managed
to steal away and soon rejoined the main body at Winchester.
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The arrival of these reinforcements seriously embarrassed Milroy, and it
will be seen hereafter that it would have been much
better for all concerned if they had retreated to Harper's
Ferry at once. They acted, however, strictly in obedience to
orders Road's division. After the taking of Berryville, kept on
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towards Martinsburg and bivouacked at a place called Summit Point.
On the morning of the thirteenth Milroy had sent out
a detachment under General Eliot on the Strasbourg Road, and
another under Colonel Eely on the Front Royal Road to
reconnoiter Eliot found no enemy and returned. An attempt was
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made to cut him off from the town, but it
was repulsed. His troops were then massed on the south
side behind Mill Creek and a Mill Race, which ran
parallel to it and were protected by stone fences. Colonel
Eely had a brisk artillery skirmish with Yule's advance, and
then fell back to Winchester, taking post at the juncture
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of the Front Royal and Strasbourg Roads. The enemy did
not attempt to cross the creek that night, but at
five p m. They advanced and captured a picket post
which commanded the Strasbourg Road, but were soon driven out
from a prisoner captured in this skirmish, Milroy learned the
highly important intelligence that he was confronted by Yule's corps
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and that of Longstreet was rapidly approaching. The most natural
course under the circumstances would have been for him to
retreat at once, but mac Renold's brigade had just arrived,
exhausted by their forced march, and could go no further
without some hours rest. To move without them would be
to sacrifice a large part of his force, he still
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cherished the hope that Hooker's army would follow Lee up
closely and come to his relief. Yuell at night directed
Early's division to attack the works on the north and
west of the town at daylight the next morning, while
Johnson's division demonstrated against the east and southeast. Early on
Sunday the fourteenth, Milroy sent out a detachment to see
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if the enemy had established themselves on the pew Town
or Romney roads. The party returned about two p m.
And reported the roads clear, but soon after the rebels
came in great force from that direction, so that Milroy's
hopes of escaping by the routes leading to the northwest
were dissipated. Immediately west of Winchester and parallel with Appleby Ridge,
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on which the main forts were situated, there is another
ridge called Flint Ridge, where rifle pits had been commenced
to command the pew Town and Romney roads. These were
held by one regiment and part of another under Colonel
Kaefer of the one hundred and tenth Ohio. Together with
Battery L of the fifth United States Artillery, Early's Division
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made a sudden attack there, preliminary to which he opened
fire with four batteries. He charged into these rifle pits
and took them, but the garrison retreated successfully under cover
of the fire from the main works above, which were
held by Elliot's and Mcreynold's brigades. This was followed by
an artillery duel which was kept up until eight p m.
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Without any special results. Johnson's division, at daybreak attacked the
eastern side of the town, held by Colonel Ealy's brigade,
but was gallantly met and repulsed by the eighth Pennsylvania
and eighty seventh Pennsylvania. These two regiments, by Milroy's order,
made a bold charge against the enemy as they were retiring,
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but the latter were so suddenly and strongly reinforced that
the two regiments were glad to get back to their
shelter in the fortified suburbs. They were followed up, however,
and after severe fighting, Johnson gained possession of a part
of the town. This apparent success proved of no avail
for the forts above Sheldymount. He therefore retired and made
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no further attempt in that direction. Darkness ended the struggle
for the day. Johnson then left one brigade to prevent
Milroy from escaping toward the east, and went off with
the remainder of his division to form across the Martinsburg Pike,
about three miles north of Winchester, to intercept Milroy's retreat
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in that direction. While these events were going on in
the valley, Imboden's cavalry was engaged in breaking up the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad near Romney to prevent Milroy from
receiving any reinforcements from the west. The latter now found
himself in a perilous situation. His cannon ammunition was nearly exhausted,
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and he had but one day's rations for his men.
He resolved to give up all further attempts to defend
the place, to abandon his wagon train and artillery, and
to force his way through the hostile lines that night,
taking with him only the horses and small arms. This
involved his leaving also his sick and wounded, but it
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was unavoidable. He ordered all the guns spiked and the
ammunition thrown into the cisterns. At one a m. On
the fifteenth, he moved silently out through a ravine, and
was not molested until he struck the Martinsburg Road about
four miles from the town. There, Eliot, who was in
the advance with his brigade, met a rebel skirmish line,
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and soon ascertained that their main body were formed partly
on high ground in the woods east of the road,
and partly in an open field east of and adjoining
the woods. The enemy were in effect sheltered by a
stone fence which bordered a railroad cut, with their reserve
and artillery principally posted on elevated ground in the rear.
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The only thing to do was to break through their
lines as soon as possible. It was now about three
thirty A m. Eliot, whose record of long, careful and
brilliant service in the regular Army is an exemplary one,
formed line of battle with his three regiments, and fought
the six regiments that held the road for about an
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hour with varied success, encountering a severe artillery fire and
driving back their right in disorder by a gallant charge
of the one hundred and tenth Ohio and one hundred
and twenty second Ohio. But unfortunately their left held firm
in spite of repeated attacks made by Colonel Shawl with
his two regiments, reinforced with two more, and by part
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of Colonel Ely's brigade. Their force in front, too, was
sustained by heavy reserves, both of infantry and artillery. A
signal gun fired at Winchester showed that the enemy there
were aware of the flight and were in full pursuit.
The main road being blocked, Milroy determined to try another
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and directed the troops to fall back a short distance
and turn to the right. Part of them did so,
but the greater number, through some misunderstanding, filed to the
left and took the road to Bath. It was no
longer possible to reunite the two columns, and as Milroy's
horse was shot under him about this time, he could
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use no personal exertions to remedy the disaster. A portion
of the command who were not pursued reached Tarper's Ferry
by way of Smithfield late in the afternoon. Those who
moved out on the Bath road also made good their escape,
crossed the Potomac at Hancock, and rallied at Bloody Run.
The greater part of Colonel Ealy's brigade and Colonel mc
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Reynold's brigade, however, were captured. Milroy claims to have brought
off five thousand men of the garrison, and that the
two thousand paroled by Early consisted principally of the sick
and wounded. Early says he sent one hundred and eight
officers and thirty two hundred fifty enlisted men as prisoners
to Richmond Johnson, who intercepted the retreat, says he captured
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twenty three hundred prisoners, one hundred seventy five horses, and
eleven battleflags. While two thirds of Yule's corps were attacking Winchester,
the other division under Rhodes, pre seated by Jenkins brigade
of Cavalry, pursued Mcreynold's wagon train to Martinsburg, arriving there
late in the afternoon of the fourteenth. The town was
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held as an outlying post of Harper's Ferry by a
small detachment of all arms under Colonel Tyler, a subordinate
of General Tyler, who formed his men outside of the
place and resisted Rhodes attack until night, when his infantry
escaped to Shepherdstown and his artillery and cavalry to Williamsport.
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In carrying out these movements, however, he lost five guns
and five caissons. He passed the river and rejoined the
main body at Harper's Ferry. The latter place is wholly
indefensible against an enemy holding the hills around it. It
is like fighting at the bottom of a well. Colonel
Tyler had therefore very wisely moved across the river to
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Maryland Heights, where he had a strong, fortified post. From
that commanding eminence, he could very soon shell out any
force that attempted to occupy the town. The Shenandoah Valley
was now clear of Union troops and soon became the
great highway of the invasion. However disastrous Milroy's defeat may
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be considered on account of the losses incurred, it was
not without its compensation. The detention of Euell's force there
gave time to the general government and the governors of
the Loyal states to raise troops and organize resistance, and
it awakened the entire North to the necessity of immediate action. Hooker,
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having learned that Eule had passed Sperryville, advanced his right
to prevent any crossing in his immediate vicinity, and confine
the enemy to the valley route. He sent the third
Corps to hold the fords opposite Culpeper, and the fifth
Corps to guard those lower down. On the thirteenth, he
gave up his position opposite Fredericksburg and started north toward Washington,
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giving orders to Sedgwick to recross and follow on to Dumfries.
That night, the first Corps reached Beielton and the eleventh
Catletz station. Reynolds was placed in command of the left
wing of the army, the first, third, and eleventh Corps,
and I relieved him in command of the first Corps.
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The right wing, that is, the second, fifth, twelfth, and
sixth Corps, was accompanied by Hooker in person, who reached
Dumfries on the fourteenth. As soon as Hill saw Sedgwick
disappear behind the Stafford Hills, he broke up his camp
and started for Culpeper. Some changes in the meantime had
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occurred in the Army of the Potomac, and General Hancock
was assigned to the second Corps instead of General Couch,
who had been sent to organize the Department of the
Susquehanna at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The teamsters and fugitives from Winchester
making for Chambersburg in all haste told the inhabitants of
the towns through which they passed that the rebels were
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close behind them. This created the wildest excitement, as many
cases had occurred in which negroes had been seized and
sent south to be sold as slaves. The whole colored
population took to the woods and filled up the roads
in all directions. The appearance of Jenkins's brigade, who crossed
at William's Port on the morning of the fifteenth and
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reached Chambersburg the same day, added to the alarm. Jenkins
was at the head of two thousand cavalry and soon
became a terror to the farmers in that vicinity by
his heavy exactions in the way of horses, cattle, grain,
et cetera. It must be confessed he paid for what
he took in Confederate scrip, but as this paper money
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was not worth ten cents a bushel, there was very
little consolation in receiving it. His followers made it a
legal tender at the stores for everything they wanted. Having
had some horses stolen, he sternly called on the city
of Thord athorities to pay him their full value. They
did so without a murmur in Confederate money. He pocketed
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it with a grim smile, evidently appreciating the joke. He
boasted greatly of his humanity and his respect for private property.
But if the local papers are to be believed, it
must be chronicled to his everlasting disgrace that he seized
a great many Negroes who were tied and sent south
as slaves. Black children were torn from their mothers, placed
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in front of his troops, and borne off to Virginia
to be sold for the benefit of his soldiers. There
was nothing out of character in that, he thought, for
it was one of the sacred rights for which the
South was contending. Prompt measures were taken by the Northern
states to meet the emergency. Mister Lincoln called on the
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governors of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York to
raise one hundred and twenty thousand men for temporary service.
It was easy to get the men, but difficult to
arm them, as nearly all serviceable muskets were already in
possession of the Army of the Potomac as early as
the ninth two. New departments had been created for Pennsylvania.
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That of the Monongahela, with headquarters at Pittsburgh, was assigned
to Major General W. T. H. Brooks, and that of
the Susquehanna, with headquarters at Carlisle, to Major General Darius
en Couch. On the fifteenth Yule reached Williamsport with a
force estimated at twelve thousand men and sixteen guns. Before
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Couch could reach Carlisle, it was already occupied by Jenkins's cavalry,
and the terrified farmers of that section of country were
fleeing in crowds across the Susquehanna, driving their horses and
cattle before them. End of Chapter one
Part two, Chapter one of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain and is read by
Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Chancellorsville and Gettysburg by
Abner Doubleday, Part two, Gettysburg, Chapter one, The Invasion of
(00:22):
the North. An invasion of the North being considered as
both practicable and necessary, it only remained to select the
most available route. There was no object in passing east
of Hooker's army, and it would have been wholly impracticable
to do so, as the wide rivers to be crossed
were controlled by our gunboats. To attempt to cross the
(00:46):
Rappahannock to the west and in the immediate vicinity of
Fredericksburg would have been hazardous, because when an army is crossing,
the portion which is over is liable to be crushed
before it can be reinforced. It would aim that Lee's
first intention was to move along the eastern base of
the Blue Ridge, directly toward Washington. The appearance of his
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army on Hooker's flank would be a kind of taunt
and threat, calculated to draw the ladder out of his
shell and induce him to make an attack in such
a case, as the rebels were in the highest spirits
in consequence of their recent victory at Chancellorsville, their commander
had little doubt of the result. This plan was feasible enough,
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provided his cavalry could beat back that of Pleasanton and
act as a screen to conceal his movements. This they
were not in a condition to do after the Battle
of brandy Station, and Lee was thus forced to take
the route down the Shenandoah Valley, which had many advantages.
The mountain wall that intervened between the two armies was
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a sure defense against our forces, for it was covered
by dense thickets and the roads that lead through the gaps,
and the gaps themselves were easy to fortify and hold
against a superior force. If Hooker had attempted to assail
these positions, one corps could have held him in check
while the other two captured Washington. The movement also favored
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the subsistence of the troops, for the valley being a
rich agricultural region, Lee was enabled to dispense with much
of his transportation and feed his army off the country.
There was one serious obstacle, however, to his further progress
in that direction, and that was the presence of a
gallant soldier Milroy, with a very considerable Union garrison entrenched
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at Winchester. It was essential de Ley's advanced that the
valley should be cleared of Union troops, otherwise they would
sally forth after he passed and capture his convoys. With
this object in view, on the tenth, Yule's corps passed
through Gains Crossroads and halted near Flint Hill on their
way to Chester Gaate and Front Royal. The possibility of
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an invasion had been discussed for some days in Washington,
and Hallick had come to the conclusion that it was
better to withdraw the stores and ammunition from Winchester and
retain the post there merely as a lookout to give
warning of the enemy's approach. Accordingly, on the eleventh, Milroy
received orders from his department commander, General Schenck to send
(03:25):
his armament and supplies back to Harper's Ferry. Milroy remonstrated,
saying that he could hold the place against any force
that would probably attack him, and that it would be
cruel to sacrifice the Union men who looked to him
for protection. In reply to this, Shank telegraphed him that
he might remain, but must be in readiness to retreat
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whenever circumstances made it necessary. Milroy, in answer to another aquery,
reported that he could move in six hours. On the twelfth,
he sent out two scouting parties and learned there was
a considerable force at Cedarsville, which he thought might form
part of Stuart's raid, information of which had been communicated
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to him. He could not believe it possible that an
entire rebel corps was near him, for he supposed Lee's
army was still at Fredericksburg. His superiors had not informed him,
as they should have done by telegraph, that a large
part of it had moved to Culpeper. He thought if
Lee left Hooker's front at Fredericksburg, the army of the
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Potomac would follow, and he would receive full information and instructions.
He telegraphed General Schenck late that night for specific orders,
whether to hold his post or to retreat on Harper's ferry,
stating there appeared to be a considerable force in front
of him, as the enemy soon after cut the wires.
He never received any answer. He sent a messenger the
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same night to notify Colonel mc reynold's at Berryville that
there was a large body of the enemy on the
front Royal Road, and directed him to send out scouts
to Millwood and keep himself advised of its approach, in
order that he might prepare to fall back on Winchester
the moment he was attacked by superior numbers. On the thirteenth,
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Yule marched with two divisions directly on Winchester, while he
sent the third, that of Rhodes, to take Berryville. Thanks
to the timely warning McReynolds had received, his brigade got
off in time, his rear being covered by Alexander's battery,
the sixth Maryland Infantry and part of the first New
York Lincoln Cavalry. These detained the enemy two hours and
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then caught up with the main body. Jenkins's cavalry came
upon the retreating force at Opequan Creek, where he made
a fierce attack which was promptly repulsed by the rear guard,
aided by the artillery with canister. After this there was
no further molestation, and mcreynold's command reached Winchester at ten
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Zene p m A March of thirty miles. Soon after
the affair at the Opoquan, Major Morris, with two hundred men,
was attacked at bunker Hill, an outlying post of Winchester.
He occupied a fortified church, but moved out to meet
the enemy under the impression it was only a small
rating party. When he found two thousand men in line
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of battle, he retreated, fighting to the church again. There,
as the doors were barricaded and the walls loopholed, the
rebels could make no impression and were obliged to fall
back to a respectful distance in the night. Morris managed
to steal away and soon rejoined the main body at Winchester.
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The arrival of these reinforcements seriously embarrassed Milroy, and it
will be seen hereafter that it would have been much
better for all concerned if they had retreated to Harper's
Ferry at once. They acted, however, strictly in obedience to
orders Road's division. After the taking of Berryville, kept on
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towards Martinsburg and bivouacked at a place called Summit Point.
On the morning of the thirteenth Milroy had sent out
a detachment under General Eliot on the Strasbourg Road, and
another under Colonel Eely on the Front Royal Road to
reconnoiter Eliot found no enemy and returned. An attempt was
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made to cut him off from the town, but it
was repulsed. His troops were then massed on the south
side behind Mill Creek and a Mill Race, which ran
parallel to it and were protected by stone fences. Colonel
Eely had a brisk artillery skirmish with Yule's advance, and
then fell back to Winchester, taking post at the juncture
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of the Front Royal and Strasbourg Roads. The enemy did
not attempt to cross the creek that night, but at
five p m. They advanced and captured a picket post
which commanded the Strasbourg Road, but were soon driven out
from a prisoner captured in this skirmish, Milroy learned the
highly important intelligence that he was confronted by Yule's corps
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and that of Longstreet was rapidly approaching. The most natural
course under the circumstances would have been for him to
retreat at once, but mac Renold's brigade had just arrived,
exhausted by their forced march, and could go no further
without some hours rest. To move without them would be
to sacrifice a large part of his force, he still
(08:30):
cherished the hope that Hooker's army would follow Lee up
closely and come to his relief. Yuell at night directed
Early's division to attack the works on the north and
west of the town at daylight the next morning, while
Johnson's division demonstrated against the east and southeast. Early on
Sunday the fourteenth, Milroy sent out a detachment to see
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if the enemy had established themselves on the pew Town
or Romney roads. The party returned about two p m.
And reported the roads clear, but soon after the rebels
came in great force from that direction, so that Milroy's
hopes of escaping by the routes leading to the northwest
were dissipated. Immediately west of Winchester and parallel with Appleby Ridge,
(09:17):
on which the main forts were situated, there is another
ridge called Flint Ridge, where rifle pits had been commenced
to command the pew Town and Romney roads. These were
held by one regiment and part of another under Colonel
Kaefer of the one hundred and tenth Ohio. Together with
Battery L of the fifth United States Artillery, Early's Division
(09:40):
made a sudden attack there, preliminary to which he opened
fire with four batteries. He charged into these rifle pits
and took them, but the garrison retreated successfully under cover
of the fire from the main works above, which were
held by Elliot's and Mcreynold's brigades. This was followed by
an artillery duel which was kept up until eight p m.
(10:02):
Without any special results. Johnson's division, at daybreak attacked the
eastern side of the town, held by Colonel Ealy's brigade,
but was gallantly met and repulsed by the eighth Pennsylvania
and eighty seventh Pennsylvania. These two regiments, by Milroy's order,
made a bold charge against the enemy as they were retiring,
(10:24):
but the latter were so suddenly and strongly reinforced that
the two regiments were glad to get back to their
shelter in the fortified suburbs. They were followed up, however,
and after severe fighting, Johnson gained possession of a part
of the town. This apparent success proved of no avail
for the forts above Sheldymount. He therefore retired and made
(10:46):
no further attempt in that direction. Darkness ended the struggle
for the day. Johnson then left one brigade to prevent
Milroy from escaping toward the east, and went off with
the remainder of his division to form across the Martinsburg Pike,
about three miles north of Winchester, to intercept Milroy's retreat
(11:06):
in that direction. While these events were going on in
the valley, Imboden's cavalry was engaged in breaking up the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad near Romney to prevent Milroy from
receiving any reinforcements from the west. The latter now found
himself in a perilous situation. His cannon ammunition was nearly exhausted,
(11:28):
and he had but one day's rations for his men.
He resolved to give up all further attempts to defend
the place, to abandon his wagon train and artillery, and
to force his way through the hostile lines that night,
taking with him only the horses and small arms. This
involved his leaving also his sick and wounded, but it
(11:49):
was unavoidable. He ordered all the guns spiked and the
ammunition thrown into the cisterns. At one a m. On
the fifteenth, he moved silently out through a ravine, and
was not molested until he struck the Martinsburg Road about
four miles from the town. There, Eliot, who was in
the advance with his brigade, met a rebel skirmish line,
(12:13):
and soon ascertained that their main body were formed partly
on high ground in the woods east of the road,
and partly in an open field east of and adjoining
the woods. The enemy were in effect sheltered by a
stone fence which bordered a railroad cut, with their reserve
and artillery principally posted on elevated ground in the rear.
(12:35):
The only thing to do was to break through their
lines as soon as possible. It was now about three
thirty A m. Eliot, whose record of long, careful and
brilliant service in the regular Army is an exemplary one,
formed line of battle with his three regiments, and fought
the six regiments that held the road for about an
(12:56):
hour with varied success, encountering a severe artillery fire and
driving back their right in disorder by a gallant charge
of the one hundred and tenth Ohio and one hundred
and twenty second Ohio. But unfortunately their left held firm
in spite of repeated attacks made by Colonel Shawl with
his two regiments, reinforced with two more, and by part
(13:19):
of Colonel Ely's brigade. Their force in front, too, was
sustained by heavy reserves, both of infantry and artillery. A
signal gun fired at Winchester showed that the enemy there
were aware of the flight and were in full pursuit.
The main road being blocked, Milroy determined to try another
(13:40):
and directed the troops to fall back a short distance
and turn to the right. Part of them did so,
but the greater number, through some misunderstanding, filed to the
left and took the road to Bath. It was no
longer possible to reunite the two columns, and as Milroy's
horse was shot under him about this time, he could
(14:01):
use no personal exertions to remedy the disaster. A portion
of the command who were not pursued reached Tarper's Ferry
by way of Smithfield late in the afternoon. Those who
moved out on the Bath road also made good their escape,
crossed the Potomac at Hancock, and rallied at Bloody Run.
The greater part of Colonel Ealy's brigade and Colonel mc
(14:23):
Reynold's brigade, however, were captured. Milroy claims to have brought
off five thousand men of the garrison, and that the
two thousand paroled by Early consisted principally of the sick
and wounded. Early says he sent one hundred and eight
officers and thirty two hundred fifty enlisted men as prisoners
to Richmond Johnson, who intercepted the retreat, says he captured
(14:47):
twenty three hundred prisoners, one hundred seventy five horses, and
eleven battleflags. While two thirds of Yule's corps were attacking Winchester,
the other division under Rhodes, pre seated by Jenkins brigade
of Cavalry, pursued Mcreynold's wagon train to Martinsburg, arriving there
late in the afternoon of the fourteenth. The town was
(15:10):
held as an outlying post of Harper's Ferry by a
small detachment of all arms under Colonel Tyler, a subordinate
of General Tyler, who formed his men outside of the
place and resisted Rhodes attack until night, when his infantry
escaped to Shepherdstown and his artillery and cavalry to Williamsport.
(15:30):
In carrying out these movements, however, he lost five guns
and five caissons. He passed the river and rejoined the
main body at Harper's Ferry. The latter place is wholly
indefensible against an enemy holding the hills around it. It
is like fighting at the bottom of a well. Colonel
Tyler had therefore very wisely moved across the river to
(15:51):
Maryland Heights, where he had a strong, fortified post. From
that commanding eminence, he could very soon shell out any
force that attempted to occupy the town. The Shenandoah Valley
was now clear of Union troops and soon became the
great highway of the invasion. However disastrous Milroy's defeat may
(16:12):
be considered on account of the losses incurred, it was
not without its compensation. The detention of Euell's force there
gave time to the general government and the governors of
the Loyal states to raise troops and organize resistance, and
it awakened the entire North to the necessity of immediate action. Hooker,
(16:33):
having learned that Eule had passed Sperryville, advanced his right
to prevent any crossing in his immediate vicinity, and confine
the enemy to the valley route. He sent the third
Corps to hold the fords opposite Culpeper, and the fifth
Corps to guard those lower down. On the thirteenth, he
gave up his position opposite Fredericksburg and started north toward Washington,
(16:58):
giving orders to Sedgwick to recross and follow on to Dumfries.
That night, the first Corps reached Beielton and the eleventh
Catletz station. Reynolds was placed in command of the left
wing of the army, the first, third, and eleventh Corps,
and I relieved him in command of the first Corps.
(17:18):
The right wing, that is, the second, fifth, twelfth, and
sixth Corps, was accompanied by Hooker in person, who reached
Dumfries on the fourteenth. As soon as Hill saw Sedgwick
disappear behind the Stafford Hills, he broke up his camp
and started for Culpeper. Some changes in the meantime had
(17:39):
occurred in the Army of the Potomac, and General Hancock
was assigned to the second Corps instead of General Couch,
who had been sent to organize the Department of the
Susquehanna at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The teamsters and fugitives from Winchester
making for Chambersburg in all haste told the inhabitants of
the towns through which they passed that the rebels were
(18:01):
close behind them. This created the wildest excitement, as many
cases had occurred in which negroes had been seized and
sent south to be sold as slaves. The whole colored
population took to the woods and filled up the roads
in all directions. The appearance of Jenkins's brigade, who crossed
at William's Port on the morning of the fifteenth and
(18:23):
reached Chambersburg the same day, added to the alarm. Jenkins
was at the head of two thousand cavalry and soon
became a terror to the farmers in that vicinity by
his heavy exactions in the way of horses, cattle, grain,
et cetera. It must be confessed he paid for what
he took in Confederate scrip, but as this paper money
(18:46):
was not worth ten cents a bushel, there was very
little consolation in receiving it. His followers made it a
legal tender at the stores for everything they wanted. Having
had some horses stolen, he sternly called on the city
of Thord athorities to pay him their full value. They
did so without a murmur in Confederate money. He pocketed
(19:07):
it with a grim smile, evidently appreciating the joke. He
boasted greatly of his humanity and his respect for private property.
But if the local papers are to be believed, it
must be chronicled to his everlasting disgrace that he seized
a great many Negroes who were tied and sent south
as slaves. Black children were torn from their mothers, placed
(19:30):
in front of his troops, and borne off to Virginia
to be sold for the benefit of his soldiers. There
was nothing out of character in that, he thought, for
it was one of the sacred rights for which the
South was contending. Prompt measures were taken by the Northern
states to meet the emergency. Mister Lincoln called on the
(19:50):
governors of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York to
raise one hundred and twenty thousand men for temporary service.
It was easy to get the men, but difficult to
arm them, as nearly all serviceable muskets were already in
possession of the Army of the Potomac as early as
the ninth two. New departments had been created for Pennsylvania.
(20:13):
That of the Monongahela, with headquarters at Pittsburgh, was assigned
to Major General W. T. H. Brooks, and that of
the Susquehanna, with headquarters at Carlisle, to Major General Darius
en Couch. On the fifteenth Yule reached Williamsport with a
force estimated at twelve thousand men and sixteen guns. Before
(20:36):
Couch could reach Carlisle, it was already occupied by Jenkins's cavalry,
and the terrified farmers of that section of country were
fleeing in crowds across the Susquehanna, driving their horses and
cattle before them. End of Chapter one
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