wmmm '■:W '}•; I ■ ."■ I . ■ . WMnaa Hal BIBtlMKrjfflHHBMHBHM ■i ■BH .•,V.'.' .';■ •■' ..'.'AVI . ■BX l A .'.'.' HRHHuHnmH R83» nor ■UOM Glass Book_^i_2: 6 P y ^ tJVfVH lot? G EN. R. E . LEE C . B. Richar dson , Pi. LEE HIS GENERALS IT • arKer CAPT. WM. p: snow. NEW YORK: RICHARDSON & COMPANY, 540 BROADW AY. 1867. VI PREFACE. The splendid campaigns conducted by Lee and his Gen- erals have, indeed, filled the civilized world with wonder and admiration ; and the skill, the genius, the devoted courage, exhibited by those generals when struggling in the face of accumulating misfortunes, against the overwhelming masse? pressing and gathering around them, have won for rhem a fame even more exalted than that achieved by the splendid triumphs of the earlier periods of the war. It is only now, however, when the confusion and detraction incident to the contest have ceased, that we can begin fully to appreciate the magnitude of the struggle, measure its proportions, study its aspects, and by comprehending the nature and ex- tent of the forces employed by the contestants, accurately judge of the genius exhibited in directing them. As a means towards forming this judgment, the volume here offered to the public has been prepared. It contains, briefly, a compre- hensive view of all the military operations undertaken by the Confederacy ; analyzes the military talents, and measures the capabilities of each commander ; follows each expedition on its course — describes its fortunes, and traces its effects. But as the woi'k is Biographical as well as Historical, it attempts to portray the characteristics of the great Confederate leaders, and to exhibit the personal traits of men who for so long a time were the centre of the world's observation. It was impossible, within the limits of a single volume, to in- troduce all the Southern officers who have borne the rank of General; and even a narrative of the career of those justly conspicuous, would reduce the work to a mere encyclopedia. The author has, therefore, been compelled to make his se- lections from among the more prominent Generals, giving extended notice of the few towards whom, as the leading champions of Southern Independence, the attention of all Europe and America has been turned, since first the sounds were heard, telling of conflict and war in these long-peace- ful States. CONTENTS. eneral Robert Edward Lee 9 »/ Lieutenant-general Thomas J. Jackson , 169 /General P. G. T. Beauregard 213 /General Joseph E. Johnston 273 /General Samuel Cooper 305 /Lieutenant-general James Longstreet 313 ■* General Braxton Bragg 339 ^Lieutenant-general R. S. Ewell 361 -/ Major-general J. E. B. Stuart 375 ''Lieutenant-general A. P. Hill 395 ^Lieutenant-general John B. Hood 405 Major-general A. S. Johnston 419 / Lieutenant-general Leonidas Polk 431 /Lieutenant-general Sterling Price 445 i Lieutenant-general E. Kirby Smith 461 v Major-general John H. Morgan 471 Lieutenant-general William J. Hardee 485 ■/Lieutenant-general Wade Hampton. *. ...... 4 93 LEE AND HIS GENERALS. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. CHAPTER I. xmportant Position held by General Lee. — A Sketch of his Life more needed in Detail. — His Ancestors. — Bishop. Meade's Work on Old Virginia Families. — Thomas Lee. — Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee. — General Harry Lee. — Thanks of Congress to General Henry Lee. — His Children. — Robert Edward Lee. The subject of this memoir bears so important a part in the great political and national strife now unfortunately waging in our land, and his own personal position in the social and military world has been of so high a standing, that it seems necessary to enter more fully into the particulars of his life than may be deemed requisite as regards others. In common with several more well-known, and well-tried soldiers of rank, he has thought fit to take sides with his native South against the North in those sad disputes which have led to so much fearful blood and slaughter ; and his past reputation in the army and on the battlefield, has placed him at the head of all the forces arrayed in hostile attitude against the flag to which he had formerly owned allegiance. Thus he is, and ever will be known, as the most prominent and important personage connected with all the military movements in the South, while boldly and persistently confronting the North. To his mil- itary skill and genius, to his calm and clear-thinking mind, his high moral and social status, and the family influence of his name, are undoubtedly due much of the strength of the South, and whatever success may have been achieved. There may be, and indeed there are some others in the Confederate ranks, whose spirit — whose mind and body — also maintain and keep infusing new life within the sometimes flickering elements of opposition in the South, but the name of Lee is in itself of ad- ditional weight to what they could bring forward. Of a Yir- 10 LEE AND HIS GENERALS. ginian fam.ly, whose members for more than two hundred years had been settled in the State, and some of whom had handed down to posterity names indissolnbly connected with all that was bright, and glorious, and god-like in the cause of national freedom, besides being inseparably coupled with all to be esteemed in the mind and intellectual qualities of man, the present military Commander-in-chief of the Southern forces is one on whom all eyes turn, with more than ordinary interest, and whose influence is, perhaps, even greater than that of the President of the Confederate States himself. To give, therefore, any thing like a fair and impartial account of his life to the present time, is no slight nor easy task. We have to forget the hostile position he has assumed towards the national power; and, keeping clear of all bias or feeling, save that of a desire to picture the truth wheresoever it be found, bear in mind that we are putting before the world the history of a man, himself distinguished from his youth by his own deeds, but distinguished equally as much by his close relation- ship to two of the signers of Independence — Richard Henry, and Francis Lightfoot Leo, — to the Lndwells, Corbins, and to that friend and eulogist of Washington, his own father, Genera. Harry Lee. Thus, in this memoir, we must take up the man as well as the military chief in arms against the Government of the United States, and we must deal with the individual in his actions, and, as far as we can understand them, his motives, as well as the public events that are connected with his name. Nor must we forget that, in judging of the actions of our fel- low-men — especially of those holding a prominent position in the public eye — we ought always to take into consideration the circumstances by which they are surrounded, and which have often led them onward, almost irresistibly. Conse- quently, the various links which bind any man to a course of conduct, frequently, to all appearance, inexplicable, and some- times reprehensible, should be carefully examined, when pla- cing him before the future in the position wherein he has be- come most prominent. It is not the passing hour that is to canvass what he does ; but it is the sons and daughters of another day than this sad and painful one, who will have to look at him and speak of him with a calmer and more impar- tial mind than can possibly now exist. To lead to this, to do GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 11 what present justice ear be done to the individual, as well as to the great military chief, is the object of the following me- moir; and, to begin this aright, we will briefly introduce some account of his family and their ancestors. In the reign of Charles I., of England, there lived in the county of Shropshire a good old family of the name of Lee. Induced, probably, by the flaming reports connected with the 6till very young colony of Virginia, then not more than a few years discovered, a member of this family, Richard Lee, went over there in an official appointment under the Governor. He was "a man of good stature, comely visage, enterprising genius, a sound head, vigorous spirit, and generous nature. When he got to Virginia, which at that time was not much cultivated, he was so pleased with the country that lie made large settlements there with the servants he carried over.'"* Afterwards he made several voyages back to England, and on one occasion, possibly considering his return not certain, " he gave all the lands he had taken up and settled at his expense, to those servants he had fixed on them, some of whose de- scendants arc now possessed of considerable estates there." Finally, however, he again visited the colony, bringing with him more followers, for whom a certain portion of land was granted him under the title of " Head Rights." He now set- tled definitely in that part of Virginia called the "Northern Neck," and situated between the Rappahannock and Poto- mac rivers. Here, for a long time, he remained, acting as secretary to Sir Wra. Berkeley, the Governor, during that por- tion of English history which beheld the master genius of a powerful mind, in the person of Cromwell, triumphing over the injustice and tyranny of the unhappy Charles, and finally, when death took away the great Protector, saw the reinstate- ment of monarchy in the form of a dissolute and extravagant, thoughtless, young man. Lee, however, was faithful to his trust, and the loyal sentiments of his early days. With the Governor, he contrived to keep the colony firm in its allegi- ance, and made it so respected by opponents that a treaty was ratified in England, under Cromwell's hand, ranking it as an independent State; and on the Restoration, having on its * Meade ; 137, Life of R. H. Lee, p. 5. 12 LEE AND HIS GENERALS. arms the motto, En dot Yirginia quintam, changed since the Union of England and Scotland, to En dat Virginia quartam Thus, even at the very commencement of the history of Vir- ginia, we see the name of Lee identified with some of its most important affairs, and, in a measure, forming part and parcel of the land. Richard Lee had two sons, John and Richard. The first was educated at Oxford, and was so clever and learned, that he could have been promoted to high dignities in the Church, had not his father determined that all his children should set- tle in Yirginia. Accordingly, John returned there, and died before the old man. Richard Lee, the father, died and was buried in the land of his love and adoption, leaving behind him a numerous progeny, and thus, afterwards, endearing the soil to every member of the family name. Richard Lee, the son, was even more learned, if possible, than his brother John. He " spent almost his whole life in study, and usually wrote his notes in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin — many of which are now in Yirginia. He was of the Coun- cil, and also in other offices of honor and profit. " His wife was a Miss Corbin, of England, and by her he had five sons and one daughter. His death occurred in Yirginia, about the year 1690.* Of the children of this Richard Lee, the daughter married a Mr. William Fitzhugh, of Eagle's Nest, King George county, Yirginia, — son of the first William Fitzhugh ; and from this union, a son — William Fitzhugh, of Chatham — was born. Of the sons of the second Richard Lee, his eldest born, also a Richard, went to England as a Yirginia merchant, in partnership with his maternal uncle, Thomas Corbin. After a time he married a rich heiress, Miss Silk, and by her had one son, George, and two daughters, who, on their father's death, went to Yirginia and married and intermarried, respectively, into the families of Womley, Fairfax, Corbin, and Turberville. The next son, Philip, went into Maryland, where his descendants are numer- ously and honorably found to the present day. The third 6on died a bachelor. The fourth was a Thomas, who married * Meade, p. 138. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 13 a Miss Hannah Ludwell, of whose family a word must be said. The Lud wells, according to Bishop Meade,* were an old and honorable family, allied by marriage to the famous Lord Francis Cottington, mentioned in Clarendon's History of the Rebellion. Two brothers, John and Philip, held high office here in the time of Charles II., the first in the Virginia Council, the second as Governor of Carolina, until, joining his brother, he married the widow of Sir William Berkeley, by whom he had a daughter (afterwards united to Colonel Parke, Governor of the Leeward Islands in the West Indies), and one son, Philip. The Ludwells had now acquired a considerable estate in Vir- ginia, and this son, Philip, married a Miss Harrison, who bore him two daughters and a boy. One of the daughters married a Colonel Grymes of Virginia : the other, Thomas Lee. As for the son, he ultimately married into the Grymes family, and went to England for his health, where he died without male issue, thereby leaving the name extinct. Three daugh- ters were, however, born to him, and these were considered heiresses of some wealth. We now return to Thomas Lee, who, by his marriage, had allied to his family name that of the Ludwells and the Grymes. Thomas Lee was a man of great parts and industry. He speedily learned the languages, without any assistance but his own genius, and became a tolerable adept in Greek and Latin ; but, being a younger brother, with many children and a small paternal estate, he felt the necessity of perseverance to acquire that fortune which would properly establish them in life. This he attained to some considerable extent, and, more- over, was appointed to the Council, of which he became presi- dent, — holding the position for many years, until his death.f He was one of the first of the leading men of the colony who turned their attention to our western wilds, and he employed an engineer of note to explore them, especially about the Ohio river. But he had the keen foresight to tell of the future disseverance of the American colonies from England, and even while President of the Council, said to a friend that such must * Meade, p. 138. f Memoirs R. H. Lee, p 6. 14 LEE AND HIS GENEEALS. inevitably be the case, and that "the scat of government would be located near the Little Falls of the Potomac river," where he afterwards took up large tracts of land, which until lately were in possession of his descendants. His principal homestead, however, was at Stratford, where he had built a mansion, still standing in 1SG0, and considered "one of the most remarkable buildings in this country."* It appears that his original dwelling had been burned by a serious fire, and, so great was the esteem in which ho was held, that Govern- ment and merchants alike, and it is said even Queen Caroline, contributed towards the erection of another suitable mansion for him. Mr. Lossing, in his valuable "Field Book of the Revolution," says: "There is no structure in our country to compare with it. The walls of the first story are two and a half feet thick, and of the second story two feet, composed of brick imported from England. It originally contained about 100 rooms. Besides the main building, there arc four offices, one at each corner, containing fifteen rooms. The stables are capable of accommodating 100 horses. Its cost was about $S0,000." Thomas Lee died in the year 1750, leaving six sons and two daughters, all well provided for in point of fortune. Of theso children but a hasty notice can here he given, though they belong to a day when men and women were the sires .and mothers of a people thenceforth a great nation in themselves. But we have no need to say much. Their names dwell in tho history of their country's independence, and to that we refer for those details our space and our purpose here forbid us to give. Philip Ludwell Lee, the eldest born, succeeded his father, Thomas, at Stratford. He married a Miss Steptoe, and had two daughters, Matilda, who married her second cousin, the famous General Henry Lee of the Revolution (father of tho subject of our present memoir), and Flora, who married her first cousin, Mr. Ludwell Lee, son of Richard Henry. The second son of Mr. Thomas Lee was Thomas Ludwell Lee, and he married a Miss Aylett. The third son was the Richard Henry just mentioned, who * Lossing, ii., 217. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 15 was born on the 21st January, 1732, and died on the 19th June, 1794. Educated, as was then customary, in England, it would have been supposed that his sentiments were any thing but favorable to Republican ideas; but when, after various appointments, and after frequently uttering strong opinions as to the necessity for a severance from the mother countiy, he became a member of the first Continental Congress, his was the first voice to move a resolution on the 7th June, 1776, "That these united colonics are, and of right, ought to be, free and independent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political con- nection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." When this resolution was made public a son of his was at school in England, and one day a gentleman, standing by, asked his tutor, "What boy is this?" The professor replied, "He is the son of Richard Henry Lee, of America." The gentleman put his hand upon the boy's head, and said, " We shall yet see your father's head upon Tower Hill." The boy, however, promptly answered, " You may have it when you can get it." That boy was the late Ludwell Lee, Esq , of Virginia.* Richard Henry Lee was married, first to Miss Aylett, by whom he had four children, Thomas, Ludwell, Mary, and Han- nah ; and secondly, to a Miss Pinkard, who bore him three daughters, Harriet, Sally, and Anne. These children married into the families of Alexander, Washington, Turbevillc, Maffit, and their cousins, the Lee's. The fourth son of Thomas Lee was Francis Lightfoot Lee, born October 14th, 1734; died, April, 1797. Like his brother, he was one of the signers of Independence, and his name also lives to posterity as a true patriot and good man. He married a Miss Rebecca Tayloe, daughter of Colonel John Tayloe, of Richmond county. The fifth son was William, who settled in London, and became Sheriff and Alderman there, though effectively serving the American cause until war was declared, but ever after wards remaining true to it in private. * Lossing's Americans; p. 187. 16 LEE AND HIS GENERALS. The sixth son was Arthur Lee, who, " as a scholar, a writer. a philosopher, a politician and diplomatist, was unsurpassed by none, and equalled by few of his contemporaries. The ser- vices rendered by him to his country as her minister, at foreign courts, were most valuable."* In the preceding brief extract of family history we have omitted to the last, mention of one branch, viz., Henry Lee, brother of Thomas, and fifth son of the second Richard Lee. This Henry Lee married a Miss Bland, and had several children, amongst whom was also a Henry (the third son), who was united to a Miss Grymes. From this marriage came five sons and three daughters. The eldest was called Henry, born January 29th, 1756, whose military career during the Revolution, and whose patriotism, as well as his personal friendship for Washington, are too well known to need dwelling upon here. The following synopsis of his history, however, as given by Mr. Lossing, may be interesting. Henry Lee was first educated by a private tutor, under his father's roof, and then sent to Princeton College, where, under the guidance of Dr. Witherspoon, he completed his studies, and graduated in 1774. Two years afterwards, Patrick Henry nominated him to the command of a cavalry company, raised in his native State, for Continental service, under the general command of Colonel Bland. In 1777, Lee's corps was placed under Washington's immediate control, and soon acquired a high character for discipline and bravery. Lee was speedily promoted, and, with his legion, performed many daring ex- ploits. In July, 1779, he captured a British fort at Paulus Hook, for which Congress gave him thanks and a gold medal. In November, 1780, Lee was promoted to Lieutenant-colonel, and early in 1781 joined the army under Greene in the Caro- linas. Here he performed efficient service for several months, the services of his legion being of vast importance, and himself ever in the front of success, as well as of danger. About the beginning of the year 1782 Lee returned to Vir- ginia from the battle of Eutaw Springs, and married Matilda, daughter of Philip Ludwell Lee, of Stratford. He resided there with his father-in-law, and, in 1786, was elected to a seat * Meade, p. 140. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 17 in Congress. In 1791 he was made Governor of Virginia, and in 1794 was appointed by Washington to command the troops sent to qnell what was called the Whiskey Insurrection, in Western Pennsylvania. In 1799 he was a member of the Federal Congress, and was chosen by that body to pronounce a funeral oration on the death of Washington, in the House of Representatives. At the time, Lee was temporarily absent, and the oration was delivered by his friend, Judge Marshall. But in it were the well-remembered words, referring to Wash- ington, " He was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." In 1801 he retired to private life, but was subject to great annoyance from embarrassed circum- stances. His first wife having died, he again married, and this time to Anne, daughter of Charles Carter, of Shirley, by whom he had, in 1806, Robert Edward Lee, the subject of the present memoir, who was born at the family seat of Stratford, in the same chamber where Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee first saw the light. In 1809 General Harry Lee wrote his Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department, and in 1814 he was severely wounded in an attempt to quell a disturbance at Baltimore. From this he never recovered. In 1817 he went to the West Indies for his health, but found no sensible relief. On his return, the following spring, he stopped to visit Mrs. Shaw, a daughter of General Greene, on the coast of Georgia, and there he expired on the 25th of March, 1818, at the age of 62 years. The character of General Henry Lee, and indeed that of other members of his family name, not excepting the two signers of Independence, has been blackened by the venom of calumny ; but time, through a close analysis of contempora- neous facts, ever establishes something of truth, and thus clears the fame of really great men. Such is the case with regard to the Lee family, and the impartial testimony of candid men gives to them a high meed of praise for their unswerving patriotism and fidelity to their native land. This is necessary to be understood ; and, also, that in any comments upon the name of Lee, General Charles Lee, of the Revolu- tionary army, be not brought in with those of whom we here Bpeak. He was, wholly and absolutely, another person, and 2 18 SOUTHERN GENERALS. of another family, therefore his actions — good and bad — must not be confounded with those of the Lees of Virginia. Of them, Bishop Meade sa} T s : " I have been intimately acquainted with some most excellent specimens of true piety among them — too many to be specified and dwelt upon. If tradition and history, and published documents, are to be relied on, the patriotic, laborious, self-sacrificing, and eloquent Richard Henry Lee of the Revolution must have deeply sympathized with Washington and Peyton, Randolph and Pendleton, and Nicholas and Henry, in their religious character and senti- ments. . . . When the question about paying debts in depreciated currency came on, Mr. Lee evinced his high and honorable sense of morality in the earnest and eloquent op- position made to it. He declared that nothing so deeply distressed him as a proposition which he regarded as a viola- tion of honesty and good faith among men, and said that it would have been better to have remained the honest slaves of Britain than dishonest freemen !" " Of the descendants of so great and good a man," continues the bishop, " I cannot refrain from adding, that many of them are characterized by exemplary piety, and that he has left a numerous posterity of children, grand-children and great- grand-children, who walk in the fear of the Lord, while they still belong to, and love the Church of their ancestors." But, confining ourselves to the immediate parentage of the present General Lee, we find also abundant testimony in favor of excellence and worth inherent amongst them. The gold medal presented by Congress with a vote of thanks to "Legion Harry, " had, on one side, a bust of the hero with the words Henrico Lee Legionis Equit : pr^efecto Comitia Ameri- cana, and on the reverse, as translated, " Notwithstanding rivers and intrenchments, he with a small band conquered the foe, by warlike skill and prowess, and firmly bound by his hu- manity those who had been conquered by his arms. In memory of the conflict at Paulus Hook, 19th of August, 1779. " Again, we read elsewhere, that General Greene in writing of Jiim, said: "He had been under obligations to Lee which lie * Lossing, ii., 623. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. IS could never cancel, " and, as to his military services, he added in a letter to Lee, " I believe that few officers either in Europe or America are held in so high a position of admiration as you are. Everybody knows I have the highest opinion of you as an officer, and you know I love you as a friend. No man in the progress of the campaign had equal merit with yourself."* The " love and thanks, " expressed in a letter to Lee, from Washington, in 1789, exhibit the affection which his qualities had inspired in the bosom of his chief, and in Virginia he is still known by the name of " Legion Harry. " His remains reposed near those of his warm friend, General Greene. " His relentless creditors could rob him of his personal liberty, but could not chain his noble mind, nor rob him of a well-earned fame to the glorious title of an honest man." General Lee, by his first wife, had a son, Henry, and a daughter, Lucy. The son (the late Major Henry Lee) wrote and published a work called "The Campaign of 1781," etc., vindicating his father from certain attacks made upon him. By his second wife, he had the following children : Charles Carter Lee, Robert Edward Zee,-f Smith Lee, Ann, and Mildred. * Judson's Sages and Heroes of Amer. Rev. \ The Pedigree of the Lee Family. — The Virginia Chronicle publishes the pedigree of the family of General Lee. It is from an old manuscript which has been shown to the editor. The Chronicle says : "This venerable manuscript, which bears the date 1750, was received by Mr. Mead (who is a gentleman of intelligence and character) from his mother, Mrs. Mead (widow of the Rev. Zachariah Mead, formerly of Richmond). Mrs. Mead received it from her father, who received it from his father, General Hull. It consists of several large sheets, and is written partly in Latin and partly in English. Accompanying the pedigree are some mutilated deeds, which, although much injured, exhibit the descending rights and titles to several lands. These deeds are in Latin, and written on the old stamped paper of England, and, to the antiquarian, are a rare object of curiosity and interest. " The genealogy of the Lees of Virginia, from 1666, — just where this pedigree breaks off, — is well known, and may be found in Bishop Meade's well-known work on the Old Churches and Families of Virginia. " The manuscript commences abruptly with the name of Hugo de Lega, or de Le, without date. The first name with date is that of Johes de Lee, Miles, to whom Hugo de Hinton gave the land, as by the old chart. Opposite this name is the date 1333. The father of Johes de Lee was Thomas de la Lee. The simple name of Lee occurs first as Ricardus Lee of Langly, about the yeai 1500. The first name of Robert is Robertus de la Lee, son of Johes de la Lee he married Margarita, daughter and heir of Thomas Astly of Nordly, about 20 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. In October, 1860, a petition was signed by the cavalry and infantry companies, and other military officers encamped near Richmond, to be presented to the next Legislature, "for the removal to Virginia of the remains of General Harry Lee, from his burial-place in Georgia, upon the lands once owned by his companion in arms, General Greene." The locality of the encampment has since been called Camp Lee, " after the illustrious hero, Harry Lee." 1400. The first name written in English is Thomas Lee of Cotton, in King's Nordley, in the Parish of Alvely, who was the son of Johannes Lee. " There are several coats of arms on the manuscript. That of Ricardus Lee, of the direct line, is as follows : A shield with a crescent of a squirrel sejant, eating a nut or flower ; a lion rampant gardant in sinister chief ; a star in precise middle chief; dexter chief, a blood-red field with embattled bars of blue and yellow. The dexter base, a black cross on white field, with a lion's head, crowned, in one corner. The middle precise base is a chevron of white, on a red field, a white bar, the fesse point on a green field. The sinister base the same as the dexter chief. " The Lancelet arms are a shield with crescent squirrel — dexter chief, red field, with blue and yellow embattled bars. Sinister chief, a star on blue field. Dexter base same as sinister chief, and sinister base same as dexter chief. There are no middle divisions on this shield. The prevailing white indicates royalty ; the star, grandeur ; the lion, courage ; the red, war ; the cross, reli- gion, and, with the crowned lion, denotes the Church of England. " The pedigree was extracted from the London Tower, and is certified by Charles Townley, York, and John Pomfret, Rouge Croix, August 1st, 1750. ***** " Henry Lee, the son of the first wife, was a major in the war of 1812, and wrote the Strictures on the Writings of Jefferson, also a Life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Sidney Smith Lee was a commodore in the old United States Navy, and is now Chief of the Bureau of Orders and Detail, Navy Department, in Richmond. He commanded at Drury's Bluff for a long time. Robert Edmund Lee is at Petersburg — the General Lee of this day. " He married Miss Custis of Arlington, in Alexandria County, the daughter and heiress of George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of General "Washington, who married Mrs. Custis, his mother. " General Lee has three sons — Brigadier-general G. W. Custis Lee, aid-de- camp to the President (he passed No. 1 at West Point) ; Major General W. H. F. Lee, commanding a division of cavalry in the army of Northern Virginia, and Robert Edmund Lee, who entered the army at the instance of his father as a private in the Rockbridge artillery. He is now on the staff of General Fitzhugh Lee. Besides these children, General Lee had four daughters,— Mary, Anne, Agnes, and Mildred, — all of them unmarried, and one of whom (Anne) has died during the war. General W. H. F. Lee married a Miss Wick man, who died a year or two since. " General Fitzhugh Lee, of # the cavalry, is the son of Commodore Lee." GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 21 CHAPTER II. Ancestry not to be lightly esteemed. — The parents of great men entitled to praise for the early promptings of youth. — They are not to be forgotten in the fame of the son. — Youth of Robert E. Lee. — Enters West Point as a Cadet. — Graduates, and is appointed a Lieutenant of Engineers.— Marries into the Custis family. — Made Cap- tain, and appointed member of Board of Visitors to Military Academy. — Attached to Army of Mexico. — General Scott's high opinion of him. — Extracts from Scott's Autobiography. — Captain Lee's services in Mexico. — His companions in arms. — Wounded at Chapultepec. — Promoted for gallant and meritorious conduct. — Ap- pointed Superintendent at West Point. — Made Lieutenant-colonel of Cavalry. — Employed in the Border wars against the Indians. — Returns to Washington. — Sent by Government to quell the John Brown Eaid. — Successfully accomplishes this, and returns to Washington. If, in writing an account of a son's career, we would be wholly just, and can at all give space to do so, let us not forget the sire that gave him good example, and, above all, the mother that is too oft neglected when speaking of the early promptings of youth. It is to that father, and to that soft maternal care — so truly and justly prized by all good men, howsoever great they may be — that virtuous deeds and noble acts take root, afterwards spreading abroad in rich and glorious-looking fruit. So, too, with the ancestry of a man, if that ancestry has been of public note. Few there are of mind and education, in this world, who would willingly dis- grace their sires, — nay, who would not rather do increased honor to them by their own worthy acts. And so it has been with the family of the Virginia Lees. Truth, honor, unselfish patriotism, love to God and love to man, seem to have been mainly the characteristic traits belonging to them. The youth of Robert Lee was passed amid exciting times. For more than twenty years prior to his birth, America had been at peace as an independent nation ; but about this time, symptoms of a new struggle with England were manifested, in addition to hostile attempts by the Indians on the western frontier. This latter, however, was soon quelled, but the 22 SOUTHERN GENERALS. former resulted in a declaration of war with Great Britain on the 18th of June, 1812. What followed is well known to every youth in the present day. A British fleet, under Admiral Cockburn, entered the Chesapeake, and laid waste such towns and districts upon the coast as were found assaila- ble. Some of the ships ascended the Potomac, and, on the 29th of August, 1814, reached Alexandria, while the military forces of England, under General Ross, were at work on the Patuxent, the Patapsco, and finally against Washington, and Fort McHenry, Baltimore. In the South, Pensacola was in possession of the British until driven from there by General Jackson, who, a few months afterwards, completely routed them again at the celebrated battle of New Orleans. Peace, however, was now declared, the treaty having been signed on the 24th December, 1814 ; and, a few months afterwards, Algiers was made to sue for peace, after a severe chastisement at the hands of Commodore Decatur, for having seized Ameri- can vessels, and enslaving their crews. In 1817 Monroe succeeded Madison as President ; and in the same year, the Seminole war broke out at the South, General Jackson being sent to quell the Indians then overrunning the country. It was at this time the father of Robert Lee went to the West Indies, and died on his return ; the youth being then twelve years old. In 1820, Florida was ceded by Spain to the United States ; and in 1824, the visit of Lafayette to America, producing a general burst of enthusiasm throughout the land, could not fail to have been strongly impressed upon young Lee's mind. He was now eighteen years of age, and in the following year, 1825, entered West Point as a cadet from his native State. There he remained the usual four years, perfecting his studies, and preparing for that military career in which he afterwards became so conspicuous. During the whole of this period Lee never once received a reprimand, nor had any mark of demerit against him; and when, at the expiration of his term, he graduated at the head of his class, he was immediately selected for service in the corps of topographical engineers, receiving his appointment as brevet second-lieutenant in July, 1829. From this time, until the year 1835, he was principally GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 23 employed on the coast defences, but, at that period, we find him appointed assistant astronomer, for the demarcation of the boundary line between the States of Ohio and Michigan. In 1832, Lieutenant Lee married a daughter of Mr. Custis and thus, through her, became proprietor of Arlington House and the White House on the banks of the Pamunkey, after- wards so noted in the Peninsular campaign. On the 21st September, 1836, he was promoted to a first- lieutenancy ; and in July, 1838, was made captain. During 1844 he was appointed a member of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy, and was, afterwards, from September 8th, 1845, a member of the Board of Engineers. In 1846, Captain Lee was attached to the central army of Mexico as Chief-engineer, under General Wool, and he retained that post throughout the whole campaign, under General Scott. When this latter general landed in Mexico, Captain Lee was one of the first selected to be of his personal staff and council, and the high opinion Scott entertained of him is well known. A few extracts, however, from the general's own autobiography, lately published, may be serviceable. He says, of his first coun- cil at Vera Cruz : " In my little cabinet, however, consisting of Colonel Totten, Chief-engineer ; Lieutenant-colonel Hitchcock, Acting In- spector-general ; Captain R. E. Lee, Engineer ; and (yet) First-lieutenant Henry L. Scott, Acting Adjutant-general, I entered fully into the question of storming parties and regular siege approaches. A death-bed discussion could hardly have been more solemn. Thus powerfully impressed, I opened my subject, substantially as follows : " We, of course, gentlemen, must take the city and castle before the return of the vomito — if not by head-work, the slow scientific process, by storming — and then escape by pushing the conquest into the healthy interior. I am strongly inclined to attempt the former, unless you can convince me that the other is preferable. Since our thorough reconnoissances, I think the suggestion practicable, with a very moderate loss on our part. The second method would, no doubt, be equally sue cessful, but at the cost of an immense slaughter on both sides, including non-combatants — Mexican men, women, and chil- dren — because the assault must be made in the dark, and the 24 SOUTHERN GENERALS. assailants dare not lose time in taking and guarding prisoi en without incurring the certainty of becoming captives them- selves, until all the strongholds of the place are occupied."* Vera Cruz and the Castle of San Juan de TJlloa surrendered, and Scott marched forward to Mexico on the 12th of April. The enemy made a stand at Cerro Gordo, and here, again, the commander-in-chief thus speaks of Lee. He says : "Hearing that Twiggs, supported by Patterson, found him- self confronted at Plan del Kio, some fifty miles in the interior, by a strong body of the enemy, and that both divisions were desirous of my presence, I left Yera Cruz on the 12th of April, with a small escort of cavalry, under Captain Philip Kearney (who fell in 1862, a distinguished major-general), and hastened to the front. Major-general Patterson, though quite sick, had assumed the command on joining Twiggs, in order to prohibit any aggressive movement before my arrival, according to the universal wish of the troops. No commander was ever re- ceived with heartier cheers, — the certain presage of the victo- ries that followed. "The two advanced divisions lay in the valley of the Plan del Rio, and the body of the enemy about three miles off, on the heights of Cerro Gordo. Peconnoissances were pushed in search of some practicable route, other than the winding, zigzag road among the spurs of mountains, with heavy batter- ies at every town. The reconnoissances were conducted with vigor under Captain Lee, at the head of a body of pioneers ; and, at the end of the third day, a passable way for light bat- teries was accomplished — without alarming the enemy — giving the possibility of turning the extreme left of his line of defence, and capturing his whole army, except the reserve, that lay a mile or two higher up the road. Santa Anna said that he had not believed a goat could have approached him in that direction. Hence the surprise and the results were the greater."! In alluding to this reconnoissance made by Lee, the brave old general, in his official report, thus again speaks : " The reconnoissance begun by Lieutenant Bpauregard was continued by Captain Lee, Engineers, and a road made along * Scott, ii., 433-4. \ Ibid-, "•> 431. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 25 difficult slopes, and over chasms, out of the enemy's view though reached by his fire when discovered — until arriving at the Mexican lines, further reconnoissances became impossible without an action. The desired point of the debouchure, the Jalapa road, was not, therefore, reached, though believed to be within easy distance ; and to gain that point it now be- came necessary to carry the heights of Cerro Gordo Twiggs' division, reinforced by Shields' brigade of volunteers, was thrown into position on the 17th, and was, of necessity, drawn into action in taking up ground for its bivouac, and the opposing heights for a heavy battery. It will be seen that many of our officers and men were killed or wounded in this sharp combat — handsomely commenced by a company of the Seventh Infantry, under brevet First-lieutenant Gardner, who was highly praised by all his commanders for signal services. Colonel Harney, coming up with his rifle regiment and First Artillery, also parts of his brigade, brushed away the enemy, and occupied the heights, on which, in the night, was placed a battery of one 24-pounder and two 24-pound howit- zers, under the superintendence of CaptainLee, Engineers, and Lieutenant Hagner, Ordnance. These guns opened next morning, and were served with effect by Captain Steptoe, and Lieutenant Brown, Third Artillery ; Lieutenant Hagner, Ord- nance ; and Lieutenant Sej T mour, First Artillery."* The details of the victory at Cerro Gordo are well known, and, moreover, need not be mentioned here. We have only to refer to the part Captain Lee performed therein ; and again we quote General Scott. After expressing his "in- debtedness for able assistance" to several gallant officers, par- ticularly named, General Scott then says : " I am compelled to make special mention of Captain R. E. Lee, Engineer. This officer greatly distinguished himself at the siege of Vera Cruz ; was again indefatigable during these operations in reconnois- sances, as daring as laborious, and of the utmost value. Nor • was he less conspicuous in planning batteries, and in conduct- ing columns to their stations, under the heavy fire of tho enemy." The troops now marched onward to Jalapa and Puebla, Scott, p. 450. 26 SOUTHERN GENERALS. where we find that, among other well-known names mentioned as among the chief officers comprising the army, the following were in close companionship : Engineer Corps. — Major J. L. Smith, Chief; Captain R. E. Lee, Lieutenant P. G. T. Beauregard, G. W. Smith, George B. McClellan, J. G. Foster. Quartermaster 's Department. — Captain J. McKinstry. Harney's Corps. — Major Sumner, Major McReynolds, Cap- tain Kearney, and also Captain Magruderof the field baitery. These heroic brothers in arms — then conjointly fighting against a national foe, have now all become prominently known as battling in fierce strife against each other in this sad war, and some of them have given their lives for the cause in which they served. The battles of Contreras, Cherubusco, and Chapultepec fol- lowed, in all of which Captain Lee again highly distinguished himself. Indeed, so greatly was his merito'rious conduct esteemed by Scott, that, even at the present time, in his own autobiography, he is continually praising him. A few pas- sages only, and to mark the opinion entertained of Lee by so eminent a military authority, and so high a personage as General Scott, we again quote. He says : "The same day (August 18th, 1847) a reconnoissance was commenced to the left of San Augustin, first over difficult grounds, and further on over the same field of volcanic matter which extends to the mountain, some five miles from San Antonio, towards Magdalena. This reconnoissance was con- tinued to-day by Captain Lee, assisted by Lieutenants Beaure- gard and Tower, all of the engineers, who were joined in the afternoon by Major Smith, of the same corps. Other divisions coming up, Pillow was advanced to make a practicable road for heavy artillery, and Twiggs thrown further in front to cover the operations ; for, by the partial reconnoissance of yesterday, Captain Lee discovered a large corps of observation in that direction, with a detachment of which, his supports o£ cavalry and foot, under Captain Kearney and Lieutenant- colonel Graham, respectively, had a successful skirmish. These corps, over the extreme difficulties of the ground — partly covered with a low forest — before described, reached Contreras, and found Cadwallader's brigade in po- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 27 sition, observing the formidable movement from the capital and much needing the timely reinforcement. " It was already dark, and the cold rain began to fall in torrents upon our unsheltered troops, for the hamlet, though a strong defensive position, could only hold the wounded men, and, unfortunately, the new regiments had little or nothing to eat in their haversacks. Wet, hungry, and without the possi- bility of sleep, all our gallant corps, I learn, are full of confi- dence, and only waiting for the last hour of darkness to gain the positions whence to storm and carry the enemy's works. " Of the seven officers dispatched since about sundown from my position, opposite the enemy's centre, and on this side of the volcanic field, to communicate instructions to the hamlet, not one has succeeded in getting through these difficulties, increased by darkness. They have all returned. But the gallant and indefatigable Captain Lee, of the Engineers, who has been constantly with the operating forces, is (11 o'clock p. m.) just in from Shields, Smith, Cadwallader, etc., to report as above, and to ask that a powerful diversion be made against the centre of the intrenched camp towards morning. " Brigadier-general Twiggs, cut off, as above, from the part of his division, beyond the impracticable ground, and Captain Lee, are gone, under my orders, to collect the forces remaining on this side, with which to make that diversion, at about 5 o'clock in the morning:. This "diversion," however, became a real attack, " under the command of Colonel Eansom, of the Ninth, having with him that regiment, and some companies of three others, guided by Captain Lee At 3 a. m. the great move- ment had commenced on the rear of the enemy's camp. The march was rendered tedious by the darkness, rain, and mud ; but, about sunrise, Riley had reached an elevation behind the enemy, whence he precipitated his columns, stormed the intrenchments, planted his several colors upon them, and carried the work, all in seventeen minutes. Cadwallader had also brought up two of his regiments, and, at the appointed time, Colonel Ransom, with his temporary brigade, conducted by Captain Lee, not only made the movement in front to divert aud to distract the enemy, but, after crossing the deep 28 SOUTHERN GENERALS. ravine, advanced and poured into the work, and upon the fugitives, many volleys from his destructive musketry."* The victory of Contreras being complete, General Scott, after giving necessary orders on the field, in the midst of prisoners and trophies, and sending instructions to Harney's brigade of cavalry (left at San Augustin) to join him, person- ally followed Pillow's command. Arriving at Coyoacan, two miles, by a cross-road, from the river of San Antonio, General Scott first detached Captain Lee with Captain Kearney's troop, First Dragoons, supported by the Rifle regiment, under Major Loring, to reconnoitre that strong point, and next dispatched Major-general Pillow, with Cadwallader's brigade, to make the attack upon it, in concert with Major General Worth on the opposite side. At the same time, by another road, to the left, Lieutenant Stevens, of the Engineers, supported by Lieutenant G. "W". Smith's company of sappers and miners of the same corps, was sent to recon- noitre the strongly fortified church or convent of San Pablo, in the hamlet of Cherubusco, — one mile off. Twiggs, with one of his brigades, Smith's, less the Rifles, — and Captain Taylor's field battery, were ordered to follow, and to attack the con- vent. Major Smith, senior Engineer, was dispatched to con- cert with Twiggs the mode and means of attack, and Twiggs' other brigade, Rifles, were soon ordered up to support him. Next, but all in ten minutes, Pierce was sent, though just able to keep his saddle with his brigade (Pillow's division), conducted by Captain Lee, by a third road a little further to our left, to attack the enemy's right and rear, in order to favor the movement upon the convent, and to cut off a retreat towards the capital. Finally, Shields, with the New York and South Carolina Volunteers (Quitman's division), was ordered to follow Pierce closely, and to take command of our left wing. All these movements were made with the utmost alacrity by our gallant troops and commanders. General Scott now found himself at Coyoacan, from which so many roads conveniently branched ; and without escort or reserve, he had to advance, for safety, close upon Twiggs' rear. The battle then raged from right to left of the whole line. Scott, pp. 471-4-9. i GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 29 Captain Lee now returned and informed General Scott that Shields, in the rear of Chernbnsco, was hard pressed and in danger of being outflanked, if not owerwhelmed, by superior numbers; thereupon Major Sumner, Second Dragoons, the Rifles, and Captain Sibley's troop, Second Dragoons, were im- mediately sent to support 'our left, guided by Captain Lee. " The victory of the 8th (September), at the Molinos del Hey, was followed by daring reconnoissances on the part of our distinguished Engineers — Captain Lee, Lieutenant Beauregard, etc. Their operations were directed principally to the south — towards the gates of the Piedad," and on the heights of Chapultepec. Here Captain Lee was wounded, and, though still eager to advance, was compelled to retire from loss of blood. But he had well and nobly contributed towards the glories of the day; and when the colors of the United States were hoisted on the national palace of Mexico, he could justly feel entitled to share in the praises so generously and nobly be- stowed by Scott on his heroic followers. " In the glorious con- quest," says that distinguished officer, " all had contributed — early and powerfully — the killed, the wounded, and the fit for duty, as much as those who fought at the gates of Belena and San Cosme." In his official report, General Scott again highly compli- ments Captain Lee " as distinguished for felicitous execution as for science and daring." And, furthermore, he says, " Cap- tain Lee, so constantly distinguished, also bore important orders from me (September 13th), until he fainted from a wound and the loss of two nights' sleep at the batteries."* A writer in "Harper's Weekly"f has very justly remarked that " no one who reads the voluminous Reports of Scott's Cam- paign in Mexico can fail to observe the frequency with which special honorable mention is made of three young officers of Engineers, — Captain R. E. Lee, First-lieutenant Beauregard, and brevet Second-lieutenant G. B. McClellan. Lee seems to have been the special favorite of the veteran General, and there is hardly a single dispatch in which his name is not honorably mentioned The careful reader of the whole series of dispatches respecting the campaign in Mexico * Scott, pp. 507, 533. f Nov. 1, 1862. 30 SOUTHERN GENERALS. will come to the conclusion that the three men who, after the veteran General, displayed the highest military talents, were the three young officers of Engineers, Lee, Beauregard, and McClellan Lee and McClellan are now (November, 1862) virtually at the head of the two armies of the North and South, and by the almost unanimous consent of both sides they are the most capable men to fill these posts." In the above remarks there may be some modification re- quired, even as the Editor himself, at a later period, has ex- pressed ; for there were, most undoubtedly, many other eminent men of great skill and bravery, in the Mexican War, who re- ceived due praise, and still prove in the present war their full right to the credit of it. But our province is simply to show what Lee has done, and how every one, from his highest supe- rior officer, to those of equal rank with himself, united in awarding to him that eminence in his military profession, which, as Commander-in-chief of the Confederate forces, he has since invariably displayed. During the war in Mexico he was promoted for gallant and meritorious conduct, — the first time at the battle of Cerro Gordo, as brevet major, — the next at Contreras and Cherubusco, an additional brevet, which made him a lieutenant-colonel ; and, for the wounds he received at Chapultepec, with his bravery there, he was nominated for still higher rank. The campaign over, Lee returned home, and again filled the duties of a member of the Board of Engineers. In the early part of 1852 he appears to have been ordered with his regi- ment to New Mexico. The following letter, said to have been found by a soldier at Arlington House, lately appeared in the "New York News" and some southern and western papers, and as it serves to illustrate the personal character of the writer we give it entire. " Arlington House, April 5, 1853. " My Dear Son : I am just in the act of leaving home for New Mexico. My fine old regiment has been ordered to that distant region, and I must hasten on to see that they are prop- erly cared for. I have but little to add in reply to your let- ters of March 26, 27, and 28. Your letters breathe a true spirit of frankness; they have given myself and your mother great GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 31 pleasure. You must study to be frank with the world : frank- ness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted you mean to do right. If a friend asks a favor, you should grant it, if it is reasonable; if not, tell him plainly why yon cannot: you will wrong him and wrong yourself by equivocation of any kind. Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one ; the man who requires you to do so, is dearly purchased at a sacrifice. Deal kindly, but firmly, with all your class- mates, you will find it the policy which wears best. Above all, do not appear to others what you are not. If you have any fault to find with any one, tell him, not others, of what you complain ; there is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man's face and another behind his back. We should live, act, and say, nothing to the injury of any one. It is not only best as a matter of principle, but it is the path to peace and honor. " In regard to dut} r , let me, in conclusion of this hasty letter, inform you that nearly a hundred years ago there was a day of remarkable gloom and darkness — still known as " the dark day" — a day when the light of the sun was slowly extinguished, as if by an eclipse. The legislature of Connecticut was in session, and as its members saw the unexpected and unaccount- able darkness coming on, they shared in the general awe and terror. It was supposed by many that the last day — the day of judgment — had come. Some one, in the consternation of the hour, moved an adjournment. Then there arose an old Puritan legislator, Devenport, of Stamford, and said, that if the last day had come, he desired to be found at his place doing his duty, and, therefore, moved that candles be brought in, so that the house could proceed with its duty. There was quietness in that man's mind, the quietness of heavenly wisdom and inflexible willingness to obey present duty. Duty, then, is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things, like the old Puritan. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. Never let me and your mother wear one gray hair for any lack of duty on your part. " Your affectionate father, " R. E. Lee. " To G. W. Custis Lee," 32 SOUTHEEN GENEEALS. On the 1st of September, 1852, Colonel Lee was appointed to succeed Captain Brewerton as Superintendent of the Military Academy at West Point. Here, under his administration, and on the 28th of August, 185-1, the course of study was, by direc- tion of the Secretary of War, extended so as to embrace a term of five years. On the first of April, 1855, Colonel Lee, having been pro- moted to the Cavalry arm of the service, and thereby incapaci- tated by law from exercising superintendence at the Military Academy, was succeeded by Major J. G. Barnard. The regiment to which Lee was now appointed was the Second U. S. Cavalry, a new regiment organized under the act of March 3, 1855, its colonel being Albert Sydney Johnson, afterwards a Confederate General. This regiment was much employed in the Indian wars on the prairies of Texas, which created so much excitement at the time ; and here again Lieu- tenant-colonel Lee highly distinguished himself. But, for how long he w r as so employed, we are unable to say. This is cer- tain, however, that in 1859 he was on his estates at Arlington, or perhaps at Washington on duty, because he then appeared in connection with the John Brown raid at Harper's Ferry, to which we must now refer. The news of the insurrection of this enthusiast and his fol- lowers, and their seizure of Government property, had no sooner reached Washington than President Buchanan con- sulted with the Secretary of War as to the best measures to be adopted. To this consultation Colonel Lee (then Lieutenant-colonel of the Second Cavalry, U. S. Army) was summoned, and, after arranging plans to prevent additional outbreak, he was dispatched to command the regular troops concentrating at Harper's Ferry. Accompanied by his Aid, Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart — lately a General in the Confed- erate Army — he set out on a special train on the evening of October 17th, and sent a telegraphic dispatch to the United States Marines, in advance of him, directing them what to do. Other troops — the militia from Virginia and Maryland — had promptly reached the scene, and when Colonel Lee arrived during the night, were awaiting his orders to act. He imme- diately placed his command within the armory grounds, so as to completely surround the fire engine house where the insur- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 33 rectionists had taken refuge. This building was, no doubt, the most defensible one in the armory, having dead brick walls on three sides, and, on the fourth, large doors with window- sashes above, some eight feet from the ground. In it, Brown and his party had confined Colonel Washington, Mr. Danger- field, and some other citizens whom they had surprised and taken prisoners the night before; and therefore to use the can- non upon it now, would be to endanger the lives of friends as well as foes. Accordingly, at daylight, Colonel Lee took measures to try and capture the insurgents, if possible, with- out bloodshed. While doing so, one of them came out of the door, and, presenting a flag of truce, proposed terms of capitu- lation. These, however, could not be accepted ; but, still desi- rous of avoiding more bloodshed, Colonel Lee at seven a. m. sent his Aid, Lieutenant Stuart, to summon them quietly to surrender, promising to hold them in security from the threatened ven- geance of the citizens, until the President's pleasure was known. Brown refused all terms but those he himself had proposed, viz. : " That they should be permitted to march out with their men and arms, taking their prisoners with them; that they should proceed unpursued to the second toll-gate, when they would free their prisoners, the soldiers then being per- mitted to pursue them, and they would fight, if they could not escape." Finding the insurgents thus madly bent on their own de- struction, Lieutenant Stuart, by direction of Colonel Lee, ear- nestly remonstrated with them, but, after staying there a while in a dangerous proximity, and evincing that coolness and courage ever since so conspicuously displayed in him, he came away. At this moment, perceiving all his humane efforts to be thrown away, Colonel Lee gave orders for an attack. A strong party of marines under Lieutenant Green had been previously posted so near the building that, at a concerted signal, they advanced by two lines quickly on each side the door. When near enough, two powerful men sprang between the lines, and, with heavy sledge-hammers, attempted to batter down the doors, but failed. They then took hold of a ladder some forty feet long, and, advancing with a run, brought it with tremen- dous effect upon the door. At the second blow it gave away, and immediately the marines, headed by Major Russell and 3 3-4 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Lieutenant Green, rushed to the breach as a volley from within came right upon them. One of the marines instantly fell, and another was severely wounded ; but it was necessary, if possible, to avoid firing upon the friends within ; and accordingly great care was taken. Fortunately, this was successful. The marines marked their men, and, as the captured citizens, by advice of Colonel "Washington, held up their arms, not one of them was hurt. In a moment, more of the soldiers rushed in and secured the rioters, after two of them were killed, and two more wounded. The next instant all was over : the liberated citizens were hailed with shouts of congratulation by the excited crowd of spectators without, and the captured rioters met with exe- crations. Indeed, only for the precautions wisely taken by Colonel Lee, it is more than probable they would have been shot down on the spot. Colonel Lee at once telegraphed to Washington for further instructions, which were promptly returned to him, stating that Mr. Ould, District Attorney for the District of Columbia, would immediately arrive to take charge of the legal proceed- ings, and bring the rioters to trial. Thus ended the John Brown affair, so far as the military and Colonel Lee were concerned. The prisoners were handed over to Mr. Ould, and Colonel Lee returned to his cavalry com- mand. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 35 CHAPTER III. Commencement of Civil War.— Lee at Texas.— Returns home and Resigns his Commission.— Difficulty of his Position.— His Letters on the Subject.— Parting be- tween him and General Scott. — His family Mansion. — Arlington House.— General McDowell's noble feeling in reference to it. — Description of the Estate. — "Washing- ton Relics.— Lee appointed to the Command in Virginia.— Organizes troops around Richmond. — Succeeds General Garnett in Western Virginia. — Battle of Cheat Moun- tain.— Retreat of Lee.— Appointed to take charge of Coast Defences.— Summoned to Richmond and made Commanding General of the Forces.— Commencement of Siege of Richmond.— General Johnston. — Defensive Operations. — The White House. — Mrs. General Lee Captured. — Battle of Seven Pines. — Johnston Wounded, and Lee appointed to Command the Army. We now come to the commencement of that period in the life of Lee which has made his name so conspicuous through- out the world. In the beginning of 1861, he was with his regiment at San Antonio, Texas, and it was there that news reached him of his native State contemplating a withdrawal from the Federal Union. At this time it appears evident that a great struggle was going on within his breast as to the course he should pursue in relation to the strife then commencing. His natural attach- ment to the State in which he was born, and where all his family had resided during so many past years, drew him to her fortunes, whatever they might be. On the other hand, all his public career, his fame and rank, were identified with that flag he had so well and so bravely fought under. Then, too, there were his gallant associates in arms, — his friend and admirer General Scott, who, when applied to by the President to rec- ommend some one of the army officers qualified to fill the place made vacant by the death of General Jessup, named him first on the list of four.* Added to all this was the inevitable reflection that, once in arms against the Government of the * Miss. Rep., June 24, 1861. 36 • SOUTHEKN GENERALS. United States, his high and lofty position as a noble gentle- man and an officer of exalted rank, with an unblemished rep- utation, would be thenceforth coupled, in history and state documents, with the terms " Rebel and Traitor." Still more, there was the terrible results certain to accrue from joining in the war, and the inward sorrow he must feel on beholding the devastation and misery following the first blood spilled on his native soil. His house, his fortunes,* his family, had all to be considered, and, turn whichever way he might, it would seem that no escape from being involved in the national calamity presented itself — one side or the other was alike injurious to him. Early in the year, the Governor of Virginia had been authorized by the State Legislature to raise and organize a military force of from ten to twenty thousand men, under an officer of experience, with the title of Major-general; but still Lee remained true to his allegiance, perhaps hoping that Vir- ginia would not, after all, secede. That hope, alas ! was futile. Events followed one another rapidly from the time of his ap- pointment in the regular army as colonel, to the hour when, Fort Sumter having surrendered, on the 14th of April, open war between the North and South commenced. He could no longer hesitate. Other high and experienced officers, born in the South, were resigning, and his native State called upon him to do likewise, and come to her aid. In vain his friend and former chief, General Scott, begged of him not to relin- quish his position in the regular army. "For God's sake, don't resign, Lee," the veteran General is reported to have said ; but the response was, " I am compelled to. I cannot consult my own feelings in this matter," and he threw up his commission, his resignation being received on the 20th ot April.f * It was publicly stated in the " Baltimore American," May 23, 1861, that " Lee's baggage and papers were seized at New York en route from Texas to Virginia." f Lee's final letter to Scott was as follows : Arlington, Va., April 20th, 1861. Generai, : Since my interview with you on the 18th instant, I have felt that I ought not longer to retain my commission in the army. I, therefore, tender my resignation, which I request you will recommend for acceptance. It would have been presented at once, but for the struggle it has cost me to GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 37 It has been stated that the parting between Scott and Lee was very painful ; — and naturally so.* Two warm friends who iiad often been in intimate relationship during a war where all fought together, even closeted in serious council when military measures of importance — as at Yera Cruz — were to be adopted, could not now sever and take opposite sides in an intestine separate myself from a service to which I have devoted all the best years of my life and all the ability I possessed. During the whole of that time — more than a quarter of a century — I have experienced nothing but kindness from my superiors, and the most cordial friendship from my comrades. To no one, General, have I been as much in- debted as to yourself for uniform kindness and consideration, and it has always been my ardent desire to merit your approbation. I shall carry to the grave the most grateful recollections of your kind consideration, and your name and fame will always be dear to me. Save in defence of my native State, I never desire again to draw my sword. Be pleased to accept my most earnest wishes for the continuance of your happi- ness and ^"osperity, and believe me, most truly yours, R. E. LEE. LlEUTENANT-GENERAL WlNFIELD SCOTT, Commanding United States Army. A copy of the preceding letter was inclosed in the following letter to a sis- ter of the General, Mrs. A. M. : Arlington, Va., April 20th, 1861. My Dear Sister : I am grieved at my inability to see you I have been waiting " for a more convenient season," which has brought to many before me deep and lasting regret. Now we are in a state of war which will yield to nothing. The whole South is in a state of revolution, into which Virginia, after a long struggle, has been drawn, and though I recognize no necessity for this state of things, and would have forborne and pleaded to the end for redress of grievances, real or supposed, yet in my own person I had to meet the question, whether I should take part against my native State. With all my devotion to the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an Amer ican citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the army, and save in defence of my native State, with the sin cere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword. I know you will blame me, but you must think as kindly of me as you can, and believe that I have endeavored to do what I thought right. To show you the feeling and struggle it has cost me, I send a copy of my letter to General Scott, which accompanied my letter of resignation. I have no time for more. . . . . May God guard and protect you and yours, and shower upon you every blessing, is the prayer of your devoted brother, K. E. LEE. * Newspaper, June 22, 1861, M. E. 38 SOUTHEEN GENKEALS. strife without much pain. Then, too, the knowledge which as experienced officers each must have had, in common with other soldiers of rank and skill, of the terrible effects of such a strife, would compel them to most sad and gloomy thoughts. They had seen and well knew the calamities and the horrors of war, and could too clearly see the fearful misery sure to attend a civil war above all other wars. Politicians, Lawyers, Civilians, Theorists, " Humanitarians, 1 ' knew it not, save in the fancy of their brain. Thus the two military friends knew what was to follow, and could be well excused — nay, even ad- mired for their good feeling — if, as is said, tears came into their eyes when they were about to part, perhaps forever, and take up opposite sides in deadly strife. What Lee's struggle of mind must have been at the time, may be gathered from the following passage in a letter sent by Mrs. Lee in the Christmas of 1861 to a Union friend. She says, "My husband has wept tears of blood over this terrible war, but he must, as a man of honor and a Virginian, share the destiny of his State, which has solemnly pronounced for independence."* Of the great estimation Lee was held in by the highest mili- tary authorities in the United States, an idea may be formed from General Scott's remark, that " it were better for every officer in the army, including himself, to die, than Robert Lee."f At this time, Lee's family resided at the famous Custis Mansion, called Arlington House, on the heights, and the following particulars relating to it may not be uninteresting. A writer in the " New York Daily News," July 9th, 1861, says: " General McDowell would not occupy the evacuated ' Lee- House,' preferring the tented field and a soldier's fare to the luxury of enjoying the General's abandoned quarters. This act, of itself, has greatly endeared him to the soldiers, who are ready to follow him anywhere. His tent is a few paces distant from the south wing of the house. In front of the door stands a small plain table — without paint, varnish, covering, or any 6uch thing. A few books and writing materials upon it, with * Sun, Oct. 1, 1862. f Mobile Adv., May 3, 1861. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 39 a single chair alongside, tell plainly that the General, and he alone, sits at that table. " Southeastward some sixty rods, and at gentle descent, the visitor beholds two monumental pillars of white marble, stand- ing at the head of two graves. The largest of the monuments reads thus : "George "Washington Parke Custis, died 185&;'y the other, "Mary L. Custis, died 185^. '3 Those departed ones, — once united in life, and not separated in death — Avere of family kin with the immortal Washington ; and what a sad, sad comment does the present read of the past ! " All around here, Arlington Heights presents a lovely picture of rural beauty. The ' General-Lee Rouse' (as some term it) stands on a grassy lot surrounded with a grove of stately trees and underwood, except in front, where is a ver- dant sloping ground for a few rods, when it descends into a valley, spreading away in beautiful and broad expanse to the lovely Potomac. This part of this splendid estate is apparently a highly cultivated meadow, the grass waving in the gentle breeze, like the undulating bosom of Old Atlantic. To the south, north, and west, the grounds are beautifully diversified into hill and valley, and richly stored with oak, willow, and maple, though the oak is the principal wood. " The view from this height is a charming picture. Wash- ington, Georgetown, and the intermediate Potomac, all before you in the foreground — while the white tents of troops quar- tered in the suburbs over the river, at almost every point, with mountain high, and valley deep, in the background." In connection with the above, the following has an especial interest. When Mrs. Lee was obliged to leave Arlington House on its being occupied by General Sandford and the New York troops, it is related in the " Evening Post" — and with no delicacy of language — that "she undertook to carry with her all the Washington relics which had been so jealously preserved by her patriotic father, Mr. George Washington Parke Custis. Repeatedly she wrote to General McDowell, with whom she had been acquainted as her husband's associate on the staff of General Wool during the Mexican War, that she had left nothing at Arlington in any way connected with the public or domestic life of the father of his country. 40 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. "For a long time after the flight of the Lees, Genera! McDowell, though quartered on the grounds, refused to enter Arlington House. A scrupulous respecter of private rights, he would not occupy, nor allow to be occupied by his officers or men, any portion of the mansion, which, in his opinion, be- longed to General Lee quite as much as though he still made his home within its massive walls. "When the Confiscation Act was passed by Congress, and a telegraphic operator had taken possession of one of the best rooms, he was still reluctant to enter the old building on account of the Washington mem- ories clustering around it, and it was at last by force of cir- cumstaruces rather than by his own free will, that he made it his headquarters. "For a long time access to the upper rooms was forbidden, and even the cellar was not opened to the curious visitor. The historical paintings of Mr. Custis, which, from their want of merit, clearly demonstrate that however true a patriot that worthy descendant of the Washington family may have been, he was by no means an artist, and which Mrs. Lee had shown good taste in leaving behind, were most carefully guarded. Never did tenant use a house more gingerly. Relics of in- estimable value might have slumbered in its upper chambers, or had quiet preservation in its basement-rooms forever and aye, for none but General McDowell entered the venerable premises. "But there lately came to Washington a curiosity-hunter — an antiquarian, vigorous and insatiable — an enthusiast in Washington relics — Caleb Lyon by name — he of Lyonsdale, who, disdaining the letters of Mrs. Lee, sought permission to unveil the deepest recesses of the establishment. He searched the house from foundation to roof-tree. Fortunate search ! for in an inner cellar he found a priceless prize, in a variety of household articles identified as belonging to Washington ; but which one less familiar with the history of Mount Vernon and Arlington would have passed by as of no especial interest or value. " Among these articles are a number of pieces of the Martha Washington China. The centre of each piece has the mono- gram 'M. W.,' from which four golden rays diverge, each point reaching 1o a blue oval, in which, in distinct rings, con- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 41 nected by golden links, are written the names of the original States and Kentucky; while around the rim, the Egyptian sym- bol of eternal union — a green serpent with its tail in its mouth — and a crimson ribbon bearing the legend, " Decus et tutu men abillo" exquisitely painted, completes the decoration, which for richness and appropriateness has never been excelled at Sevres. " This set of porcelain was presented by General Lafayette and his brother officers, including Rochambeau and Count De Grasse, as a fitting testimonial to the lady whose house had been their home while fighting the battles of the Revolution, and also with the sanction and subscription of the Mayor of the municipality of Paris. The set originally contained four hun- dred pieces. A plate, a saucer, or a cup, were occasionally pre- sented by Mrs. Washington or Mr. Custis as the choicest souve- nir they could give of the household relics of Mount Vernon. Specimens are in possession of the widow of Major-general Brown, the family of the late Alderman Peters, Major Mopham, Caleb Lyon, and others ; and it was from a famili- arity with the one given to the latter gentleman some years ago by Mr. Custis, that he was able to promptly identify the remaiuder of the set remaining at Arlington. " Two of the rich porcelain vases presented to Washington by Mr. Vaugh, and sketched by Lossing in his ' Mount Vernon and its Associations' — those ornamented by lions and tigers — were also brought to light by Mr. Lyon. The one decorated with leopards has not been discovered, and is probably lost. The ground-work of these vases is of the finest and rarest blue, but they are somewhat broken. " It will be remembered that the officers of the Revolutionary army belonging to the Society of the Cincinnati, sent to China an order for a thousand pieces, including breakfast, dinner, and tea sets, of the finest India ware, for presentation to Washing- ton. The ornamentation is blue and gilt, with the coat of arms of the society, held by Fame, with a blue ribbon from which is suspended the eagle of the order, with a green wreath about its neck, and on its breast a shield representing the in auguration of the order. Altogether, fifty pieces of this set yet remain at Arlington, more or less perfect. The tea-table used by Washington, and one bookcase, also remain. General 42 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. McDowell rendered Mr. Lyon every facility for brush: ng up these interesting relics, and expects an order from the War Department to place them in the Patent Office or Smithsonian institute. They would be perfectly safe at Arlington, while the General remains here, but to guard against the carelessness .of those who may come after him, when the long-promised ad- vance begins, and to gratify the public, it is doubtless wise to so dispose of the precious articles." Immediately upon Lee's resignation in the regular army, he was appointed, by Governor Letcher, Major-general in command of all the military forces in Virginia. This ap- pointment was confirmed, and made known to him, on the 23d day of April, by the Convention then assembled, through the President, John Lanney, Esq. The following particu- lars of his reception are given in the Richmond papers of the day : " The Convention having assembled, the Honorable A. H. Stephens, Yice-president of the Confederate States, entered the Hall, accompanied by Governor Letcher, and was intro- duced to the President by Mr. Johnston, of Lee county, a member of the committee appointed to invite and conduct that gentleman to the Hall. " Mr. Johnston next introduced Judge Allen, a member of the Advisory Council of the Governor; and following him were Colonel Smith and Captain M. F. Maury, both intro- duced as the other members of the Advisory Council. " Every delegate was on his feet during this ceremony. The Governor and Mr. Stephens were assigned seats on the right of the President, and the three members of the Advisory Council on the left. "At this time Major-general Lee entered, leaning on the arm of Mr. Johnson, of Richmond, the Chairman of the Com- mittee appointed to conduct the distinguished military chief to the hall. As they reached the centre of the main aisle, Mr. Johnson said, ' Mr. President, I have the honor to present to you, and to the convention, Major-general Lee.' "The President then said, 'Major-general Lee, in the name of the people of our native State, here represented, I bid you a cordial and heartfelt welcome to this hall, in which we may yet almost hear the echo of the voices of the statesmen, the GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 43 soldiers and sages of by-gone days, who have borne your name, and whose blood now flows in your veins. " "We met in the month of February last, charged with the solemn duty of protecting the rights, the honor, and the inter ests of the people of this Commonwealth. We differed for a time as to the best means of accomplishing that object; but there never was, at any moment, a shade of difference among us as to the great object itself; and now Virginia having taken her position, as far as the power of this Convention extends, we stand animated by one impulse, governed by one desire and one determination, and that is, that she shall be defended; and that no spot of her soil shall be polluted by the foot of an invader. "When the necessity became apparent of having a leader for our forces, all hearts and all eyes, by the impulse of an instinct which is a surer guide than reason itself, turned to the old county of Westmoreland. We knew how prolific she had been in other days of heroes and statesmen. We knew she had given birth to the Father of his Country, to Richard Henry Lee, to Monroe, and last, though not least, to your own gal- lant father, and we knew well by your deeds that her produc- tive power was not yet exhausted. " Sir, we watched with the most profound and intense inter- est the triumphal march of the army led by General Scott, to which you were attached, from Yera Cruz to the capital of Mexico. We read of the sanguinary conflicts and the blood- stained fields, in all of which victory perched upon our own banners. We knew of the unfading lustre that was shed upon the American arms by that campaign, and we know, als^o, what your modesty has always disclaimed, that no small share of the glory of those achievements was due to your valor and your military genius. " Sir, one of the proudest recollections of my life will be the honor that I yesterday had of submitting to this body con- firmation of the nomination made by the governor of this State, of you as Commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces of this commonwealth. I rose to put the question, and when I asked if this body would advise and consent to that appoint- ment, there rushed from the hearts to the tongues of all the members, an affirmative response, told with an emphasis that 44 SOUTHERN GENERALS. could leave no doubt, or the feeling whence it emanated. I put the negative of the question, for form's sake, but there waa an unbroken silence. " Sir, we have by this unanimous vote, expressed our con- victions that you are at this day among the living citizens of Virginia, 'first in war.' We pray to God most fervently, that you may so conduct the operations committed to your charge that it will soon be said of you, that you are ' first in peace,' and when that time comes, you will have earned the still prouder distinction of being "first in the hearts of your countrymen.' I will close with one more remark. "When the Father of his Country made his last will and testament, he gave his swords to his favorite nejmews with an injunction that they should never be drawn from their scab- bards except in self-defence, or in defence of the rights and liberties of their country, and, that if drawn for the latter pur- pose, they should fall with them in their hands, rather than relinquish them. " Yesterday your mother, Virginia, placed her sword in your hand, upon the implied condition that we know you will keep it to the letter and in spirit, that you will draw it only in de- fence, and that you will fall with it in your hand rather than the object for which it was placed there shall fail." Majoe-genekal Lee.—" Mr. President and gentlemen of the Convention : Profoundly impressed with the solemnity of the occasion, for which I must say I was not prepared, I accept the position assigned me by your partiality. I would have much preferred, had your choice fallen upon an abler man. Trusting in Almighty God, an approving conscience, and the aid of my fellow-citizens, I devote myself to the service of my native State, in whose behalf alone, will I ever again draw my sword." The chair was then vacated, and some time was spent in the introduction of delegates to Major-general Lee, and the tender to him of congratulations by the members. The appointment of General Lee seemed to give universal satisfaction in Virginia. One of the leading papers said, in reference to some disquietude about an attack on Richmond : " Our people must rest quiet upon the fact that the military preparations, for our defence, are under the direction of shrewd, GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. * 45 skilful, indefatigable, experienced, and patriotic officers. Onr commanding general, Robert E. Lee, lias long been the pride of the service, and he is supported by subordinates of acknowl- edged capacity and large experience." One of Lee's first acts was to fortify Arlington Heights. Heavy batteries were erected, and some five thousand Virginia troops were concentrated there.* But the principal efforts ot General Lee were devoted to the organizing and equipping ot the military forces arriving from the South. Every train brought in troops, and it required all the skill and experience of a practical mind to establish discipline and order. The military council at the State-house, Richmond, consisting ot Governor Letcher, Lieutenant-governor Montague, Lieutenant M. F. Maury, of the Navy, General Lee, and others, was inces- santly occupied in effecting for speedy service, the raw material promptly brought forward. Virginia speedily became a great camp. The valleys and the hills swarmed with soldiers eager for the fray. Forty-eight thousand men, May 3d, were under arms, and distributed as follows : f at Richmond 10,000, at Harper's Ferry 10,000, Alexandria 3,000, Staunton 2,000, Pe- tersburgh 5,000, Lynchburg 5,000, Fredericksburg 3,000, Nor- folk 10,000 ; and it was stated that " the thorough and com- plete organization of the Quartermaster and Commissary Depart- ments, which General Lee had perfected, would enable the immediate concentration of troops upon the borders of the State, wherever the movements of the enemy might demand the presence of the troops. At any moment General Lee could leave Richmond at the head of a large force ; and it is, indeed, surprising what he accomplished in so short a space of time. " With the army to organize and drill, the materials of war to create out of almost nothing, the troops to arm, clothe and feed, after they had been collected, and all the duties of a minister of war to discharge, in addition to those more imme- diate of general-in-chief,"^: it would seem to be almost impos- sible for one man to effect what he did. Yet it was done, and so efficiently, that the Northern papers, in speaking of military movements, said, " Should the United States troops succeed in entering the State of Virginia, they will be compelled to en- * Mob. Adv., Ap. 25-28, 1861. \ Mob. Adv. May 18, 1861. % Sthrn. Biog. \ 46 SOUTHERN GENERALS. counter, at various points on the route, large bodies of troops, strongly posted in positions capable of being maintained for many days against an invading army. By the way ot Alexandria, a general of superior ability will be required, as lie will probably be compelled to encounter, at some point on the route to Richmond, General Lee, himself, or Magruder." On the 6th of May, Virginia was admitted to the Southern Confederacy, and consequently, her forces formed part of the entire Southern army, under control of the Secretary of War, then at Montgomery, Alabama. But on the 10th of May General Lee was temporarily retained in the post he was so well occupying, until the entire military organization of the South was complete. On the 29th of May President Davis arrived at Richmond ; but it was not until the 20th of July that the Southern Congress assembled there, in the hall of the House of Delegates. It was then that Lee's rank was fixed as Brigadier-general, following, according to previous seniority in the United States' Army, Generals Cooper and A. S. John- son. Beauregard, after the battle of Bull Run, was made a full general ; but there seems to have been something like doubt, and perhaps jealousy, amongst the authorities in coun- cil at Richmond, as to Lee. However, he waited his time, and while others were sent forward, and were actively engaged at the advanced posts, he cheerfully gave his valuable services to the cause at Richmond, and employed his engineering skill to great advantage in its defence. After the retreat of General Garnett from Rich Mountain, and the death of that officer, General Lee was appointed to succeed him, and, with as little delay as possible, repaired to the scene of operations.* He took with him reinforcements, making his whole force, in conjunction with the remnant of General Garnett's army, about sixteen thousand men. On the 10th of August he reached the neighborhood of Cheat Moun- tain, and found it strongly fortified. The position was known to be an exceedingly strong one, and not easily turned. Never- theless, General Lee was confident that he would be a^e, by strategic movements, to dislodge the enemy from his strong- * Pollard, First Year of the War, p. 1G8. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 47 hold, capture his forces, and then march his victoiions army into the heart of Northwestern Virginia. Rosecrans was then the ranking officer of 'the Union troops in that department, but General Reynolds was in command of the forces at Cheat Mountain, and in its vicinity, his force being estimated at from ten to twelve thousand men. General Lee felt his way cautiously along the road leading from Huntersville to Huntonsville, and, reaching Valley Moun- tain, l>e halted for some time, arranging his plans for attacking the enemy, who were about eight miles below him, at Crouch's, in Tygart Valley river, five or six thousand strong. His plans were arranged so as to divide his forces for the purpose of surrounding the enemy. After great labor and endurance of severe hardship on the mountain spurs, where the weather was very cold, he succeeded in getting below the enemy, on Tygart Valley river, placing other portions of his forces on the spurs of the mountains immediately east and west of the enemy, and marched another portion of his troops down the Valley river, close to the enemy. The forces were thus ar- ranged in position for making attack upon the enemy at Crouch's, and remained there for some hours. It was, doubt- less, in the plan of General Lee, for his forces to remain in position until the consummation of another part of his plan, viz., that some fifteen hundred of General H. ]J. Jackson's forces, stationed at Greenbrier river, should march around an- other position of the enemy, at the celebrated Cheat Mountain Pass, where he was five or six thousand strong. Jackson's forces did march around this position, under command of Colonel Eust, of Arkansas, through extraordinary difficulties and perils, and under circumstances of terrible exhaustion. The troops had to ascend the almost perpendicular mountain side, but finally succeeded in obtaining a position in front of, and to the west of the enemy. The attack of this force upon the enemy at Cheat Mountain, was understood to be, in the plan of General Lee, a signal for the attack by his forces upon the enemy at Crouch's. Colonel Rust, however, discovered the enemy on the mountain to be safely protected by block-houses, and other defences, and concluding that an attack could not be made with any hope of success, ordered a retreat. The signal was not given according to the plan of General Lee, and no at* 48 SOUTHERN GENERALS. tack was made by his forces, which retreated, without firing a gun, back to Yalle}^ Mountain. This plan of General Lee's, a finished drawing of which was sent to the War Department, was said to have been one of the best laid that ever illustrated the rules of strategy, or ever went awry on account of practical failure in its ex- ecution. Having failed in his plans for dislodging the enemy from Cheat Mountain, and thus relieving Northwestern Virginia, General Lee determined to proceed to the Kanawha region, with a view of relieving Generals Floyd and Wise, and possibly driving the enemy to the extreme western borders of Virginia. Accordingly, in the latter part of September he ordered the principal portions of his command to take up a line of march in that direction. It has already been stated, that General Floyd had fallen back with his forces, to Meadow Bluff, while General Wise stopped east of the summit of Big Sewell. In this position General Lee found them on his arrival. He took up his head- quarters with General Floyd, and, after examining his position, proceeded to Sewell, where General Wise still remained in front of the enemy. He decided to fortify Wise's position. General Floyd's command, except a garrison at Meadow Bluff, returned to Big Sewell. He had been largely reinforced since he had left the Gauley river. The position of Big Sewell was made exceedingly strong by a breastwork, extending four miles. The whole Confederate force here, nnder command of Gen- eral Lee, was nearly twenty thousand ; and for twelve or fifteen days it remained in position facing the enemy, each party await- ing an attack from the other. At the end of that time, one morning, it was discovered by General Lee, that Rosecrans had disappeared in the night, and reached his old position on the Gauley, thirty-two miles distant. Lee was unable to follow, on account of the leanness of his artillery-horses, and the swollen streams and mud impeding his way, with such poor cavalry.* On the 3d of October, General Reynolds with a force of * Pollard, First Year of the War, p. 172. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 49 about five thousand strong, taking the opportunity of Lee's ab- sence in the Kanawha, suddenly came down upon the Con- federate troops at Cheat Mountain, but was repulsed. With reference to the inability of General Lee to pursue Rosecrans the following letter from Richmond, under date of October 22d, gives some explanation. It says : " A gentleman of this city, occupying a high position in the Government, has just reached Richmond from General Lee's headquarters. The enemy, under Rosecrans, was in full retreat toward the Ohio; but pursuit was impossible. The roads were in the most awful condition. Dead horses and mules that had perished in their tracks, broken wagons, and abandoned stores, lined the road to Lewisburg. There was no such thing as getting a team or wagon through uninjured. The road beyond Big Sewcll was, if any thing, worse than on this side of it." Meanwhile, as the approaching rigors of winter in the moun- tains gave warning of the speedy termination of further active operations in that region, General Lee was recalled, and soon afterwards appointed to take charge of the coast defences of South Carolina and Georgia. The services of General Lee, in this department, were ad- mitted to have been very valuable, though not of that active nature which afterwards made his name so famous and so re- vered. His duties consisted principally in superintending the fortifications along the coast, and exercising his engineering skill in making them more secure. On the 30th of December, in company with his staff, he visited the military district of Brigadier-general Evans, and made important observations in that quarter. Several additional troops were forwarded from Richmond to them, and every effort made to resist the at- tempts of the enemy to invade the land. In the latter part of February, 1862, it was much desired by many members in the Southern Congress, that General Lee should be appointed Secretary of "War, but this was overruled, though, afterwards, he was virtually acting as such. Meanwhile, he had got the army in South Carolina into a very high state of efficiency. His district was placed in an admirable state of defence, and, in commenting upon him, the Southern papers remarked, that " the time would yet come when his superior abilities would be vindicated, both to his own renown, and the glory of his 4 50 SOUTHEEN GENEEALS. country." At Charleston, where he was in command, or. the 28th of February, every confidence was placed in his power to defend the city against any force of the enemy, if the people themselves only helped him aright. But in a few days after- wards, he was summoned by President Davis to Richmond, and after various delays and difficulties between parties acting from jealous motives, he was appointed to the newly formed office of commanding general of the forces. It was at this- time the valuable services of General Lee began to be rightly understood. Richmond and Virginia were both in a state of great agitation in the public mind, owing to the advance of the Northern army towards the capi- tal. While the foe was at a distance, the people flattered themselves that success would yet attend the movements of their leaders ; but, the moment that foe — a power, be it re- membered, that, only fourteen months previous, had been acknowledged as the sovereign authority in the land — ap- proached the portals of their doors, tremor seized them. Dis- asters, also, in the West, had tended to depress their minds, and doubts began to arise as to the wisdom and policy of the course then pursued. McClellan, with a large army, had already commenced a march along the Peninsula from York- town, which, with Williamsburg, the Southern forces had been compelled to abandon, while McDowell, in the southern part of the State, was prepared to join him. Would Rich- mond be the next city to be yielded? Would the Confederate Executive desert them by retreating further inland, and leave them to their fate? Was President Davis, after all, the man to meet such an emergency as this? Were the generals, then at the head of a fine and powerful army assembling around Richmond, and, a part of it, holding in check the Union forces in the North, sufficiently capable of standing against the military chiefs — McClellan, in particular — opposed to them? These were serious questions, and questions, too, that were openly discussed, even in their Senate. True, Richmond had been placed in a good position of defence ; and J. E. Johnston, who commanded the army, was a man of acknowledged ability and skill. Still there was perplexity and doubt, as there evei will be where men have taken a bold step in opposition to a long-established constituted authority, and, at lengthy find GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 51 that authority at their doors, menacingly calling them to ac count for what they have done. What the state of the capital was at this important moment, when, had not circumstances with which we have nothing now to do prevented him, McClellan could soon have had Richmond in his power, may be gathered from the following brief statement of facts: On the 14th of May, the General Assembly of Virginia, passed a resolution expressing a desire that the capital should be defended to the last extremity, " if such defence be in accordance with the views of the President.' , That such was doubtful, was to be inferred from seeing many large boxes on the side-walks, in front of the various official departments, labelled " Lynchburg," as if ready for departure thither. Iron safes, and valuable property were consequently moved away by timid persons ; and, not a few began to con- vert every thing into cash at ruinous rates of discount, some- times paying four hundred dollars in paper for one hundred dollars in cash, while others changed goods into tobacco, which they stowed away in cellars. Fortunately, some relief to the agitated mind of the people was given, when, in response to the above resolution, and, on a personal interview with the President, Governor Letcher was assured that " it would be the effort of Mr. Davis' life to defend the soil of Virginia, and to cover her capital;" and, moreover, "he had never enter- tained the thought of withdrawing the army. If, in the course of events, the capital should fall, — the necessity of which he did not see or anticipate, — that would be no reason for with- drawing the army from Virginia. The war could still be suc- cessfully maintained on Virginia soil for twenty years." Thus reassured, a popular outburst of feeling followed. The people swore to defend their capital with the last drop of their blood. The Governor, in warm language, echoed this sentiment, and called upon all persons to unite in rallying to the rescue. The Mayor, Joseph Mayo — a descendant of the founder of the city — said it should never be surrendered by him, for he would sooner die ; and if any persons wished Rich- mond to be abandoned, they must elect another mayor in his place. The press advocated, rather the total destruction of the city than its surrender.* " To lose it was to lose Virginia ; * Cook's Siege of Richmond, p. 106. 52 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and to lose Virginia was to lose the key of the Southern Con federacy. Better fall in her streets ; for such would be bliss, in comparison with that of basely yielding. The loss of Rich- mond would sound in Europe like the loss of Paris or London, and the moral effect would scarcely be less." Thus, then, the determination to fight to the last, was made manifest, and the fears of the people were somewhat allayed. But still there was cause for great anxiety. The Union forces by this time (the end of May) had vigorously pushed forward advances to the neighborhood of the capital, and the right of their line was only four miles distant from it — their left about seven miles. This made it imperative on the part of the Gov- ernment, to adopt every measure for preventing a nearer ap- proach, and to secure the safety of Richmond ; and now, in this trying time, and in the midst of all this agitation and ex- citement, the calm mind, smiling, though ever thoughtful coun- tenance, and kindly tones of General Lee, came forward to give strength and courage to the feeble and the drooping. His great engineering skill had already done much towards sur- rounding the capital with defences. The earthworks designed by him around it were of considerable magnitude, and were constructed in different shape, to suit the conformation of the ground. They swept all the roads, crowned every hillock, and mounds of red earth could be seen, in striking contrast with the rich, green aspect of the landscape. Redoubts, rifle-pits, casemate-batteries, horn works, and enfilading batteries, were visible in great number, in and out of the woods, in all direc- tions. Some were mounted with heavy siege pieces, of various calibre, but the majority were intended for field-guns. Heavy ordnance was scarce, and home-made cannon often proved worthless and brittle, in many instances killing those who put them to the proof. Strong works had also been hastily erected and mounted at Drury's Bluff; and the immense raft on the river was considered impregnable. Several large rifle pieces were manned by the crew of the late Merrimac, w T hile the banks and woods swarmed with sharpshooters, and a number of rifled field-batteries were ready, with supports, to the rear. Meanwhile General Lee himself was not unmindful of the serious aspect of affairs. Should Richmond be laid siege to, the wives and families of those eng-a^ed in conflict would be GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 53 better away, and General Lee seems to have previously sent his wife to the family seat called the White House. This celebrated mansion was, to a certain degree, looked upon as sacred by both the North and the South, on account of its connection with Washington, through his wife, who., while living there, as the widow of Mr. Custis, had been visited by the "Father of his Country" before marrying her. It came into the posses- sion cf General Lee when he married, and had we space, sev- eral interesting incidents belonging to the place could here be given. One only, as immediately referring to the subject of our memoir, may, however, be recorded. The White House, known as such at this time, was not the original, but one built upon the site of that where Mrs. Custis had lived. It was in the form of a centre building and wings, its entire front being about forty feet, and its depth twenty, plainly built, two stories high, with a peaked roof, and porches. Inside there were main halls, and a staircase occupying the centre, with a room on each floor in each wing.* Two attics were under the roof, and the whole structure was of frame. Such a building could have been erected in the North for about fifteen hundred dollars, f The grounds around the house were simply a grass field, in which grew several trees. The house was about fifty yards back of the Pamunkey River, and some twenty-five miles northeast of Richmond. The negro huts and garden were on the bank of the stream below. When General Stoneman's troops (the advance of McClellan's army en route to Richmond, from Williamsburg) occupied White House on the evening of May 10th, the guard placed to protect the mansion found a paper pinned to the wall of the main corridor, on which was written, in a lady's hand, the fol- lowing words : " Northern soldiers who profess to reverence Washington, forbear to desecrate the home of his first married life, the property of his wife, now owned by her descendants. " A Grand-daughter of Mrs. Washington." This was signed by Mrs. Robert E. Lee, and below it, upon the wall, one of the guards wrote an answer : — * Cook, p. 169. f See McClellan's official correspondence. 54 SOUTHERN GENERALS. "A northern officer has protected your property in sight oi the enemy, and at the request of your overseer." About a fortnight afterwards, the advance forces having moved nearer Richmond, found, in a house, distant seven miles from the capital, the family of General Lee, consisting of his wife, her daughter-in-law, the wife of Colonel Lee, of the Kent Cavalry, and two nieces. Probably they had moved there from the White House, when finding it was to be occupied by the Northern forces. But they were now again surrounded, and placed under guard of Union soldiers. A party had been sent to search the house, with a view of securing some valuable papers, supposed to be secreted there. Finding nothing, they were about to depart, when Mrs. Lee handed a note to the officer in charge. This note was directed to the command- ing officer of the division, with the request that it should be handed to him in person. It was delivered as required, and was found to be as follows : " To the general in command, — Sir, I have patiently and humbly submitted to the search of my house, by men under your command, who are satisfied that there is nothing here that they want. All the plate and other valuables have long since been removed to Richmond, and are now beyond the reach of any northern marauders who may wish for their possession. "Wife of Robekt Lee, General C. S. A." The Union forces had now been in position around Rich- mond about a month, and after various skirmishes Hanover Court-house had been captured by them on the 28th of May. This, with other successes to the North, made the Confederates again very dissatisfied, and the Richmond papers were once more clamorous. The Enquirer said : "We are now looking to General Johnston with great inter- est, and not without some solicitude The time has come when retreat is no longer strategy, but disaster. It must, therefore, give place to battle. The temper of the army is opposed to retreat. The men are weary of toilsome marches, and almost clamor to be led against the enemy. . . . The cam- paign has ripened for the battle, and a battle is at hand." It was even so as desired. Almost before the printer's ink was dry, the sound of a general engagement was heard. On GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 55 the 31st of May, General Johnston attacked the union iorces under General Casey, and drove them hack ; but his success was checked afterwards by fresh troops from McClellan, coining to the rescue. Johnston himself received a severe wound in the groin, and was conveyed from the field, at that time with little hopes of recovery. Longstreet then for the moment took command ; but, on renewing the battle next day, the North maintained their ground, and made any advan- tage to the South exceedingly doubtful. During the engagement, which has been termed the Battle of Seven Pines, there was a violent rain and thunder storm, and the Chickahominy river was greatly flooded, some of the bridges having been washed away. The city of Richmond, during the night, was also placed in total darkness, owing to the gas-works becoming flooded. All this, however, did not prevent renewed eagerness for a continuance of the fight, and now, at last, the President yielded to the common desire, by appointing General Lee, on the 3d of June, to the command- in-chief of the army. On assuming his position, he issued an address to the army, which was read at the head of the regi- ments. Its sentiments created the liveliest enthusiasm. The address informed them, in a very few words, that the army had made its last retreat, and that henceforth every man's watchword must be " Victory or Death !" The response was cheers from all the regiments. 56 SOUTHERN GENERALS. CHAPTER IT. Lee's Plan of Operations. — General Stuart's Cavalry Raid around McC.ellan'a army. — -General Jackson's arrival from the Shenandoah Valley. — Battle of Median - iesville. — Lee's Headquarters at Hogan's House. — Personal Description of Lee and his Generals. — Battle of Gaines' Mills. — General Cobb's gallant Charge. — Meagher and the Irish Brigade. — Their Heroic Defence. — Battles of the Chiekahominy, White Oak Swamp, and Malvern Hill.— Tribute to McClellan. — Richmond Relieved. — De- parture of the Federal Army. — Pope's Operations. — Battle of Cedar Mountain. — Second Battle of Bull Run. — Lee's Report. — Invasion of Maryland. — Capture of Har- per's Ferry. — Battles of South Mountain and Antietam. — Retreat of the Confederate. — Stuart's Raid into Maryland. — Movements of the Federals. — McClellan Relieved by Burnside. — Rapid March of the Confederates to the Rappahannock. — Battle o f Fredericksburg. — Retreat of Burnside. It was now that an entirely new policy in the Confederate military affairs was adopted. General Lee had, for some time past, been virtually Secretary of War, though General Ran- dolph bore that title, and he now was able to carry out the whole of his plans in reference to army movements. At a glance, he perceived that the siege of Richmond could not be raised without beating the enemy out of their formidable works in which they had intrenched themselves, and he im- mediately set about devising means to accomplish it. To attack their intrenchments merely in front, he saw was not only a hopeless undertaking, but was the thing above all others that they would naturally desire. He saw that a strong force must be brought from without, to operate upon the flank and rear of the enemy, and to turn his formidable works, in co- operation with an attack in front from the direction of the city. He therefore determined to bring Jackson down upon the left fiank of the Union forces. To do this, great caution was necessary so as not to excite the enemy's suspicion. To that end, powerful reinforcements were sent to him with a great appearance of mystery, and it began to be whispered (that such might reach McClellan's ears), that he was to invade Maryland by way of Harper's Ferry, and strike a blow directly at Washington. Meanwhile, General Lee strengthened anew the fortifications around Richmond, in order that he might be able to spare as many men as possible from his right and centre, to operate GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 57 upon his left. He was now seen on horseback more frequently. and scarcely a day passed without his being met ambling along the roads, and in all kinds of out-of-the-way places. Though naturally quiet, thoughtful, and polite, the responsibility rest- ing on him rendered his deportment even more so than usual, and to strangers, his manner was so calm and placid, his dress bo humble, and his gait so slow and unofficial, that he could not have been recognized as one whose genius and resources commanded the unbounded confidence and hopes of the entire Confederacy. Brigadiers, with couriers and orderlies at their heels, dashing to and fro, would have presented a much more impressive idea of importance and dignity, than the meek, gray-headed gentleman passing along without the distinctive color or uniform, or blazing stars on his shoulder-straps. "With reference to General Lee's important services at this period, when it is very evident that immediately following upon the battle of Seven Pines, Richmond could have been captured, even if, as the people said, all its inhabitants shed their blood in its defence, a writer observes : " The shell which wounded General Johnston was the sad- dest shot for Federal success that had been fired during the war. It changed the entire Southern tactics. It removed the first commander of the Confederate army, and 'replaced him by a most eminent leader., General Robert E. Lee,' who brought to the field ' skilful generalship, excellent plans, and good discipline.' Before the battle of Fair Oaks, the Southern troops were sickly, half fed and clothed, and had not a full heart for the work. On the 1st of June, General Lee com- menced his efforts to reorganize the army. He removed their camps from the swamps, and placed them in healthy situations. He procured supplies of wholesome provisions, particularly fresh beef and bread. He redressed many wrongs the men had suffered, attentively listening to their just complaints, and he soon found his efforts crowned with success. Mutiny and dissatisfaction almost universally disappeared. There were no more cries for food, no more outcries against oppression. The troops improved in appearance, cadaverous looks became rare among prisoners. The discipline became better: they went to battle with shouts, and without being urged, and, when in it, fought like tigers. A more marked change for the 58 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. better never was made in any body of men than that wrought in his army by General Lee." The preparations in progress made it evident to all, that operations would soon recommence on a scale surpassing any thing hitherto attempted. Frequent reconnoissances were made towards the interior, to ascertain the enemy's strength and po- sition on their left wing. McClellan never opposed these movements, being probably ignorant of them, as they were made principally at night-time, or in unpropitious weather. The Confederate Generals would sally forth on a march of ten miles, and return, almost without the knowledge of the main body of the army. But the most important and extraordinary reconnoissance among these, was that dashing raid of J. E. B. Stuart, through and around McClellan's army, as far as the Pamunkey river, and back. Accompanied by Colonel Fitz Hugh Lee, the son of General Lee, and another Colonel Lee, his nephew. This bold cavalry officer succeeded in accomplishing his purpose, and re- turned with valuable information. By these movements Lee had satisfied himself of McClellan's true position ; and, in a general order, he felt bound to express " his admiration of the courage and skill so conspicuously ex- hibited throughout by Brigadier-general Stuart and the officers and men under his command." In addition to the officers, General Lee deemed it but just, to specially name some of the privates who had been mentioned by their several commanders as particularly deserving commendation. At length, on the 25th of June, Jackson, in pursuance of his orders, reached Ashland, and Lee prepared for the grand at- tack he had contemplated upon the enemy. On Thursday, June 26th, Jackson began his march from Ashland, at 3 a. m., and passed down the country on the left bank of the Chickahominy. He then quickly came upon the advanced guard of the Union forces, driving them in, and con- tinuing his march towards Mechanicsville. His force was in three columns, himself on the left, General Branch in the centre, and General A. P. Hill on the right, next the river. About 5 p. m., Hill assaulted Mechanicsville, where the enemy was strongly, posted, and in two and a half hours carried their batteries. But the victory was not complete, for, at Ellison's GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 59 Mills, about a mile from Mechanicsville, and on the right of his line, the Union forces were in great strength, defended by sixteen pieces of cannon. Feeling the importance of settling this affair as soon as possible, General Lee now gave orders to storm this battery. Several attempts were made to carry it ; but these proving, fur the time, abortive, the troops desisted at ten o'clock, and during the night the enem}', having burned his platforms, withdrew a portion of his force. That night, however, was not to give rest to either party of the combatants. Ambulances, carriages, and litters were busy in collecting and conveying the wounded to Richmond ; prisoners were collected, spoil secured, and various divisions put in proper order and position for the next day's operations. The tramp of men was incessant ; artillery and ammunition- wagons toiled along; stragglers were brought in; captured cannon and stores sent to the year ; and from Brook Church turnpike to Mechanicsville, a distance of several miles, lights were flitting in fields and woods, searching for the wounded, or burying the dead. Amidst all this scene of excitement General Lee had to be calm, and fully prepared in his mind to direct every movement. Positions had to be taken, and orders given to the several corps and division commanders as they came in. At midnight Featherstone and Pryor were sent up to Beaver Dam Creek, and Gregg towards Ellison's Mills. Featherstone reached his post about 4 a. m., and found the enemy on the alert. The twilight had just begun to appear, and in that dim shadowing of the coming day, his men boldly advanced to the conflict. Pryor's division ably seconded him ; and both rushed forward, with the wild yells peculiar to Louisi- ana soldiers. Wilcox now came on the scene, with reinforce- ments of Alabamians, and then the sight was awfully grand. Men were standing on the parapets of batteries, fighting in every conceivable attitude, and as the sun brilliantly rose over the tree-tops, illumining the scene, the semicircular line of tight, with its streams of fire, bursting of caissons, shouts, yells, and charging on the right and left — the centre occupied by a strong redoubt, crowds of combatants rushing in and out, with a sea of heads swaying to and fro round the banners floating on the wall — all was soul-stirring, sublime, and horrible I Finally, the Southern troops gained the point, and Wilcox. CO SOUTHERN GENERALS. again advanced, while Featherstone and Pryor rested awhile on the spot. Meantime General Gregg had been as successful at Ellison's Mills, which was taken at the point of the bayonet, and thus both of the enemy's advance posts — strong impediments in the way of the Confederate movements — were removed. It was now past 8 a. m., and Lee felt the vast importance of not losing an hour of time. He had received information, to be relied upon, that McDowell, who was to have supported McClellan, was still inactive, but how long he might remain so was very uncertain. McClellan himself, however, was not to be despised. Lee knew him well : they had been com- panions in arms ; and the strategy of both was familiar to each other. Moreover, his army was a splendid one, and a brave, determined body of men, well posted behind various strong intrenchments. Accordingly, a general advance must imme- diately take place ; and thus, by nine o'clock, the several di- visions of the Confederate forces were approaching the ene- my, towards Gaines' Mills, the commander-in-chief accom- panying them ; and, on arriving, at once formed them in line of battle. General Lee's headquarters were now at Hogan's House, a place about six miles and a half to the northeast of Richmond. It was a square mansion of frame, two stories high ; and at about two hundred yards from it, in front, on a lane leading out to the road, was an enormous oak, of faultless beauty. Almost a perfect sphere, it was covered with foliage without break or imperfection. It was the cynosure of all eyes, and many of the Union officers had expressed themselves not only in terms of admiration, but with a desire that it could have been conveyed to the North. This house, at first, was used by the Federal generals as headquarters, but, on the retreat of the Union Army, General Lee, accompanied by Longstreet, fixed his post there. In an adjoining orchard, a fine field-work had been abandoned by the northern soldiers, and several other important structures nearer the river. The building was badly shattered by shot and shell from the Confederates during the previous fights, and was \erj shaky. In the upper room.s were large stains of blood, near where a shell had entered ; and the outhouses bore every appearance of having been used GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 61 for hospitals, while numerous mounds of earth spoke of sep- ulture. As soon as the Confederate chief took possession, the whole yard and orchard was occupied by general officers, aids, couriers, and prisoners. Says an eye-witness, Lee sat in the south portico, absorbed in thought. Dressed in a dark blue uniform, buttoned to the throat, his hne, calm, open counte- nance and gray hair would have tempted an artist to sketch him in this thoughtful attitude. Longstreet sat in an old garden-chair, at the foot of the steps, under shady trees, busily engaged in disposing of a bunch of sandwiches. With his feet thrown against a tree, he presented a true type of the hardy campaigner ; his once gray uniform, had changed to brown, and many a button was missing; his riding-boots were dusty and worn ; but his pistols and sabre had a blight polish, by his side, while his charger stood near, anxiously looking at him, as if expecting a morsel of bread and meat. Maxcy Gregg was sitting on his horse in the shade, convers- ing with a few about the affair at Ellison's Mills. Wilcox, Pry or and Featherstone were also present, talking freely and gaily, as if about to start on some pleasant picnic. Some other generals likewise surrounded the commander-in-chief, and a few civilians, principally landowners in the neighbor- hood, who had come to see the havoc made during the past engagements. * Presently General Gregg was called, and leaning his head through a window, conversed with General Lee. The sub- stance of the communication he received was brief, and imme- diately afterwards he rode away to take post in a quarter assigned him. Wilcox, Featherstone, and Pryor then received orders, and rode off at a gallop. The next moment a courier rode up, and delivered some papers to General Lee, he calmly perusing them. The General then mounted, and, with Long- street and their staffs, proceeded to New Coal Harbor, three miles distant, where it was now understood Jackson's right wing had already arrived. The position of the Union army was such as showed great forethought, talent, and coolness on the part of General McClel- lan. With one portion of his troops he had crossed to the south side of the Chickahominy, and there confronted Magiu- 62 SOUTHERN GENERALS. der, who was in command of the Confederate right, while, with the larger portion of his force, he had taken up a position more to the rear and nearer the railroad, where he was resolved to accept battle. The different divisions of his army took their positions with admirable precision, and awaited the onset with firmness. On the side of the Confederates, their forces were thus arranged : D. P. Hill, Anderson, and Whiting formed the centre, moving towards Coal Harbor; while Jackson, Ambrose Hill, and Long^treet formed the left, and marched down along the bank of the river. Magruder, as we have said, command- ing the right wing, was, on account of the swampy nature of the ground he occupied, ordered to hold himself merely on the defensive. General Wise had command of the defences at Fort Darling, on the James river. The advance was begun on Gaines' Mill about one o'clock, p. m., by Longstreet moving forward, with skirmishers thrown out, and driving in the enemy's outposts as he proceeded. The divisions of Anderson, A. P. Hill, and Pickett co-operated with him, while Jackson had already commenced work on the extreme left. The attack now began in fearful earnest. " With thundering hurrahs the gallant masses rushed forward upon the musketry of the foe, as though it were a joy to them. Whole ranks went down under the terrible hail, but nothing could restrain their courage. The struggle was man to man, eye to eye, bayonet to bayonet." The Union brigade of Meagher, composed chiefly of Irishmen, offered heroic resistance. The Confederates began to give way, and at length all orders and encouragements were vain — thev were falling back in the greatest disorder. At that critical moment, infuriate, foaming at the mouth, bareheaded, sabre in hand, * appeared on the field General Cobb at the head of his legion, and with him the Nineteenth North Carolina and Fourteenth Virginia regiments. The attack w T as at once renewed, but in vain. The Irish held their position with a determination and ferocity that called forth the admiration of the very officers opposed to them, and, notwithstanding that they had to stand their ground without other support, from four until eight, p. m., they firmly resisted every attack. It was only when the news came that Jackson was upon them in the rear, that the gallant defenders of Gaines' GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 63 Mill- -the Irish Brigade — retired before the enemy, and then marched on with streaming banners and rolling drums, carry- ing with them their baggage and wounded. Gaines' Mill had been won, but at a fearful slaughter, and when night at last put an end to the horrible carnage, it was as if the Deity had mercifully spread a pall over man's fero cious doings in his madness, to hide them from his eye when more calm and sane. Quiet gradually returned, except where the noise of the preceding night was repeated in the task of attending to the wounded and the dying. To use the words of a Prussian field-officer of the Confederate army : ''The scene of ruin was horrible. Whole ranks of the enemy lay prone where they had stood at the beginning of the battle. The number of wounded was fearful too, and the groans and imploring cries for help that rose on all sides had, in the obscurity of the night, a ghastly effect that froze the blood in one's veins/' Upon many battlefields had this officer been, in Italy and Hungary, yet "never had his vision beheld such a spectacle of human destruction." He adds : " It was a most heartrending task to get the wounded into Richmond. Many expired just as succor arrived, and many more received no aid at all in the darkness of the night. Finally, by midnight, the first train of the most seriously wounded, about two hundred, in sixty wagons, was taken to the city." We need not dwell upon the feelings and the anxieties that must have filled the breast of General Lee and his several commanding officers. There are moments when the nature of man rises above all art and education, and we very much err if such be not the case with the greater number of those who are placed in command, even perhaps more so than with those who have merely to obey. But no exterior emotion must display itself on the features of him who has to direct great and important movements. Better he appear cold, passive, and heartless, than alarmed, doubtful, or weak. Thought, sensation, inward agony, no matter how great, must all be restrained, that the one object alone shall be accomplished. Thus was it with General Lee. Still calm, still unruffled, in the midst of all the excitement, he has been described as just the man suited for the moment. There was, neither for him nor his officers, rest to be obtained until the work was done. 64 SOUTHERN GENERALS. The gates of the city — the threshold of their homes — had been menaced by a determined foe, and that foe must be driven back, no matter what the cost to all who had volunteered to defend the capital. The blood that had been freely offered to save that city and its inhabitants, was now flowing in streams around the walls, while heaps of slain lay on the ground never to rise again. Yet, more blood must run ; more human bodies must be destroyed, and more terrible scenes enacted ere it could be hoped the enemy had gone. So it was, and four long days more saw the terrible drama of blood repeated, until, finally, the invading force was driven far beyond the walls, and Richmond was free ! The incidents connected with these battles around Richmond would fill a large volume full of heroic deeds and interesting detail. But we can only touch upon the leading points. On Saturday, June 28th, the enemy was pressed heavily oai the Chickahominy, and General Jackson had succeeded in cutting off McClellan's communication with the base of his supplies at the White House. At ten p. m., the last of the Federal army had left Woodbury bridge, on the Chickahominy, and were in full retreat towards Savage Station, where, until one o'clock that night, General McClellan had his headquarters. But at that hour he ordered his tents to be struck, and, with his staff and escort, proceeded towards White Oak Swamp. On Sunday, the 29th, about two p. m., the Confederate forces again came upon the Union troops near Peach Orchard and Savage stations. The battle lasted until eleven at night ; and resulted in the Federals again retreating, but with great loss to both sides. The same day General Stuart captured the White House, and large supplies intended for McClellan's army. On Monday morning, June 30th, Jackson crossed the Chick ahominy in pursuit of the Federals, along the Williamsburg road, while Longstreet, A. P. Hill, and Magruder, followed them along the Charles City road. Jackson came upon the right of the enemy, after he had burned the bridge over the White Oak creek. A long artillery fight ensued, and the Federals again fell back. On their left, the battle raged with great fury, and for some time, towards evening, the Confed- erates were compelled to retire, but, by great exertions, they GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 65 were again brought forward, and thus succeeded in holding their position while McClellan continued the retreat of his army to the James river. In this engagement of Monday, General Lee was on the im mediate field of action, personally encouraging and pushing forward his men, whenever showing symptoms of discourage- ment. To his commanders of divisions, as was his wont, he left all movements, after having once given them his plans, but when his presence was needed, he was ever at hand. It is also stated that General McClellan was personally on the battle-ground, but there is much dispute in the Northern accounts on the subject. The following morning, Tuesday, July 1st, saw the pursuit renewed by the Confederate army, and about three p. m. the Federals were again encountered at Malvern Hill. A desperate battle ensued, the enemy's gunboats in the river aiding in the scene of carnage, by throwing in shell. Night came, and the battle slackened, finally ceasing at dark. The carnage had been frightful, and the Confederate loss very heavy, with no successful result, except the empty one of occupying a field which had been held by the enemy only until his retreat was safely accomplished. Still, the foe had been driven away, and General Lee, by a series of skilful combinations in war tactics, had forced McClellan from his strong intrenchments, round Richmond, to a place thirty miles below, thus relieving all fears for the safety of the Southern capital. The siege had been raised ; an army of 150,000 men had been pushed from their strongholds and fortifications, and put to flight; and the great moral effect of this on the minds of the people could not be otherwise than immense. Still, such is the extraordinary perversity of poor human nature, that, because such a large amount of success had been achieved, there was grumbling that it had not been greater. Lee and his brave officers and men had done so well in repelling the enemy, that it was speedily a cause of repining that they had not done even more, by com- pletely capturing the foe. Yet, a little thoughtful considera- tion would have shown otherwise. General Lee, it has been well said, was, like every general-in-chief, but a workman on a large scale, using many different instruments in his work; and it may happen, especially in new operations with a por- 5 66 SOUTHERN GENERALS. tion of untried material, that all do not fit and accord exactly as planned. There was an eqnal amount of mental and physi- cal opposing force on both sides, and it is therefore to tl o credit of Lee and his brave army — impelled by that stron.* feeling which prompts men to greatest deeds in defence of their homes — that they succeeded so well against such a brave and splendid force as that which McClellan had under his command. Nor let us forget that chief himself. Few even of his military opponents but award to him the highest praise for the skill, spirit, and masterly generalship he displayed in this retreat through the difficult and pestilential swamps of the Chickahominy ; and impartial persons competent to judge — men of high military rank and experience here and abroad — speak of it in the highest terms. What may have been the secret causes that impeded General McClellan's plans in every thing he undertook, — as he and his friends assert, — it is not our province to inquire into. It is enough that we venture this humble tribute to the merits of a gallant chief, a brave man, and a patient, forbearing gentleman, and at the same time bear cheerful testimony to the high -courage and daring of his noble army. The effect in Richmond produced by the relief from this im- mediate presence of an enemy before its doors, may be sur- mised. Joy and congratulation were everywhere felt, though not much outwardly displayed. There was still too much cause for anxiety, to be overboastful. But there was a calm and sober thankfulness not to be doubted. In the churches, prayers were offered up in gratitude for deliverance from peril, and in humble supplications, that, if possible, further effusion of blood might be averted. Elsewhere it was evident, however, that more work had yet to be done. The War Office department was particularly busy, and General Lee was constantly seen actively employed on some new important duty. Where and when the next blow would be struck, was, however, a secret, except to himself and those necessarily in his councils. About this time, 3r rather on the 21st of July, General Lee had occasion to communicate with General McClellan, then at Harrison's Landing, on the subject of citizens (non-combatants) of the State of Virginia being compelled by the United States to take the oath of allegiance, or be imprisoned, when falling GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 67 into the hands of the Union forces. He complained, that some had been so imprisoned at Fortress Monroe, and, by order of the Confederate Government, he was directed to say, that if such was persisted in, retaliatory measures would be adopted. President Davis, and the Adjutant-general at Richmond, also wrote in a similar strain ; and, finally, not receiving a reply — > for General McClellan had referred the communications to Washington — Lee addressed General Halleck on the subject. After some time replies came, but couched in any thing but satisfactory terms ; and finally, General Lee received a letter from General Halleck, as follows : " Your two communications, of August 9th, 1862, and of the 2d instant, with inclosures, are received. As these papers are couched in language exceedingly insulting to the Government of the United States, I most respectfully decline to receive them. They are returned herewith." Whether or no General Lee's language was " insulting," those who care to read the correspondence can judge. Shortly afterwards, in a letter to General McClellan, General Halleck, on the part of the Government, disavowed authorizing any such measures as complained of. Much of the cause of this correspondence arose from certain orders issued in July by General Pope (who had assumed command of the Federal forces in Northern Yirginia), to arrest all disloyal male citizens within the Union lines, or within reach of his several divisions; and, on refusing to take the oath of allegiance, they were to be banished from their homes, and, if found to have returned, would be subject to the ex- treme rigor of military law. Moreover, " if any person, hav- ing taken the oath of allegiance as above specified, be found to have violated it, he shall be shot, and his property seized and applied to public use." In addition to this, there was another order, to hold under arrest prominent citizens as hostages for any of the Union soldiers shot by roving bands of the South. ISTow, we need hardly say, that this caused a great amount of bitterness on the part of Southerners towards Pope and his army, and it was with something more than ordinary joy the news was finally received that General Lee was on the way to attack him. This, however, did not occur until after it was seen that McClellan was not in a position to molest Richmond 6'8 SOUTHERN GENERALS. again ; and yet it was necessary to do it before the three hun dred thousand recruits called for by the Washington Govern* ment should be brought into the field. Consequently, while Lee still remained watching over the capital, Jackson was dis- patched to hold Pope in check. As this was, evidently, to be an important campaign, it was intrusted solely to General Lee, who directed and controlled every movement ; and, when the Union forces finally evacuated the Peninsula, hastened, himself, in the middle of August, to the scene of action. Meanwhile Jackson had crossed the Rapidan, at Barnett's ford, in heavy force, after marching for two days, and attacked that portion of Pope's army stationed near Cedar Mountain, under General Banks. The fight began at about 6 p. m., and lasted nearly two hours. The contest was very severe ; but General Banks bravely held his position until darkness ended the engagement, with great loss on both sides. On the next day, according to well-conceived plans, Jackson rapidly and secretly withdrew from the Rapidan, intending, by a flank movement on Pope's right, to menace his rear, while General Lee came up in front. This was accomplished by the 17th of August, when Lee assembled before Pope a force sufficient to contest his further advance, and balk his threatened passage of the Rapidan. It was, probably, the design of General Lee, with the bulk of the Confederate army, to take the front, left, and right, and engage General Pope at or near the Rapidan, while Jackson and Ewell were to cross the Shenandoah river and mountains, cut off his supplies by way of the railroad, and menace his rear ; but Pope's retreat to the Rappahannock partly frustrated the design, and compelled Lee to keep the enemy's attention drawn to his front. Jackson, however, succeeded in getting behind Pope, and surprised his troops at Bristow and Manassas stations. On the 27th, 28th, and 29rh fighting occurred be- tween Pope and the forces under Jackson and Longstreet ; but, hearing that more soldiers were coming to reinforce Pope, General Lee at once determined to give him battle. Accord- ingly, on the 30th of August, he attacked him on the old battle- field of Bull Run. The account of this battle may be best given, for our r. resent GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 69 purpose, nearly in the words of General Lee himself, and from what has already been published. It appears that on Friday night (August 29th) the Confed- erate forces were resting upon their arms, and ready for the engagement next day. The following morning the pickets ot the two armies were within a few hundred yards of each other, and the line of battle of each party was as follows.* The Confederates were placed in the form of an obtust crescent, at least five miles long, with Jackson's division stretch- ing from Sudley, on Bull Run, along the partly excavated track of the Manassas Independent line of railroad, for a por- tion of the way, and thence towards a point on the "Warren- ton turnpike, about a mile and a half west of Groveton. His extreme right came within about six hundred yards of the turnpike. Longstreet's command, which formed the Confederate right wing, extended from Jackson's, beyond the line of the Ma- nassas Gap railroad. Thus the centre of Lee's army was not far from the same position that the right wing of McDowell's army was in at the first battle of Bull Run, July, 1861. In- deed, the whole ground covered by the fight of this day, was identical with the scene of McDowell's and Beauregard's hard- fought field thirteen months before. In the centre of Lee's army, between Jackson and Long- street, eight batteries were placed on an important elevation, under command of Colonel S. D. Lee, of South Carolina. This spot was one of the best that could have been selected, as it had the advantage of overlooking all the locality around. Pope's army had formed in line of battle similar to that of Lee's, with its advanced centre at Groveton, and its wings declining obliquely to the right and left. Heintzelman had the extreme right (his old ground), and McDowell the left, while the corps of Fitz John Porter, and Siegel, with Reno's division of Burnside's detached forces, were in the centre. Early in the morning, the battle began with artillery, but little damage was done until the afternoon, when the engage- ment became very severe. Jackson's infantry raked the enemy most fearfully, causing him to break and run several times, * Pollard, Second Year of the War. 70 SOUTHERN GENERALS. yet as repeatedly rallying again under the appeals of their officers. Finally, however, they were compelled to retreat, apparently designing to fall back in the direction of Manassas. But General Lee, with Jackson and Longstreet, had been care- fully watching their every movement, and frustrated any such attempt, had it been really intended. For a short time, a pause now ensued, when suddenly the roar of artillery again shook the ground, and the gallant Federals were seen advancing with heroic determination upon Lee's centre. They were met by a murderous discharge from Colonel Lee's well-posted artil- lery, which almost annihilated them, as the shot and shell raked and tore them to pieces. It was impossible to withstand this terrible discharge, and the advancing columns fell back, only to be succeeded, however, by another gallant brigade of Federals charging as before. Again the iron storm crashed through their ranks, and again they broke and ran. A third force, heavier than before, now advanced with mad rapidity, and, in the midst of the awful fire of the Confederate batteries, threw themselves upon Jackson, engaging him most desper- ately. Reserves followed, and the fight became furious. Pres- ently the Union troops were compelled to give way, amidst a scene of horrible slaughter. Swift in pursuit, Jackson's men rushed forward, and at the same time Longstreet dashed with impetuous force upon the Federal left flank. The whole Con- federate army was now in motion, and the battle raged in all its power. Jackson on the Union right, and Longstreet on their left, was forcing their extended flanks inward, while General Lee with his centre, and artillery, now moved on from hill to hill in advance, was ploughing a way in huge gaps through their heart. The effect was terrible. " The Confed- erates came on," says a Northern journalist, "like demons emerging from the earth." Up the old, and, to some of the regiments, the well-known Warrenton turnpike; down the steeps of the plateau around the famous Henry House; across the fields and over the hills on the left, as you come from Sud- ley to the Dogan farm ; pell-mell, mad with excitement, rage, and that fearful desire for blood which all feel at such times, over heaps of dead and dying, rushed the wild Southern sol- diers upon their foe, still combating foot by foot the ground whereon they had to retreat. But, this time, it was not as GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 71 before, when a sudden panic drove the Northern soldier madly forward, in terrible confusion, anxious to escape. It was a well-contested movement backwards ; and as the sun went down, once again upon that gory battlefield, as it had done on the evening of July 21st, of the preceding year, the defeated forces of the North could boast of having fought bravely to the last, and only retreated when to longer stand would have been complete annihilation. Forced across Bull Run, with their dead covering every acre from Groveton to the Stone Bridge, and the enemy in overwhelming numbers pursuing, nothing remained for them but to try and check the foe's ad- vance. This was done by destroying the bridge, and making the fords, as General Lee himself says, doubtful to pass. Pursuit, therefore, ended, and the remnant of Pope's heroic army marched at once to Centreville, where it encamped in strong position. Thus ended the second battle of Bull Run, and General Lee had again achieved a victory, for which he and his brave army soon afterwards received the grateful thanks of President Davis and the Confederacy. In the battle, Generals Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, Hood, Kemper, Evans, Jones, Jenkins, Stuart, and other generals, were everywhere conspicuous, sharing in all the dangers of their men, and personally directing and encouraging the on- ward movements. The colonels and subordinate officers are also highly spoken of, and the conduct of the too often forgot- ten private was justly remembered by Lee, as was ever cus- tomary with him. Night had now put an end to the scene, and the troops bivouacked on the battlefield. But, next morning, Sunday 31st, it was necessary to put the army in motion again towards the Little river and Chantilly, for the purpose of trying to turn Pope's right, or drive him further back. Accordingly, Jack- son's corps was pressed forward, and Stuart pursued with his cavalry, fighting the Union rearguard at Cub Run bridge, which they burned after them. Stuart then struck into the turnpike towards Chantilly, and found the Federal army, on Sunday evening, retreating towards Fairfax Court-house. Meanwhile, General Pope, on the day after the battle, had found it necessary to send a flag of truce to General Lee with 72 SOUTHERN GENERALS. reference to his wounded left on the field uncared for, except so far as attention was humanely given them by the Confed- erates. The reply of General Lee gave consent to ambulances coming within his lines, and promising every assistance, but did not agree to any suspension of military operations.* * The following is General Lee's Eeport of tliis battle, and the correspond- ence we have referred to : Headquarters, Army Northwestern Virginia, | Chantillt, Sept. S, 1862. J His Excellency, Jefferson Davis, President Confederate States of America : Mr. President : My letter of the 30th ult. will have informed your Excel- lency of the progress of this army to that date. General Longstreet's division, having arrived the day previous, was formed in order of battle on the right of General Jackson, who had been engaged with the enemy since morning, resist- ing an attack commenced on the 28th. The enemy, on the latter day, was vigorously repulsed, leaving his numerous dead and wounded on the field. His attack on the morning of the 29th was feeble, but became warmer in the afternoon, when he was again repulsed by both wings of the army. His loss on this day, as stated in his published report, herewith inclosed, amounted to 8,000 killed and wounded. The enemy, being reinforced, renewed the attack on the afternoon of the 30th, when a general advance of both wings of the army was ordered, and after a fierce combat, which raged until after nine o'clock, he was completely de- feated and driven beyond Bull Run. The darkness of the night, his destruc- tion of the stone bridge after crossing, and the uncertainty of the fords, stopped the pursuit. The next morning, the enemy was discovered in the strong position at Cen- treville, and the army was put in motion towards the Little River turnpike, to turn his right. Upon reaching Ox Hill, on the 1st of September, he was again discovered in our front, on the heights of Gennantown, and about 5 p. m. made a spirited attack upon the front and right of our columns, with a view of appar- ently covering the withdrawal of his trains on the Centreville road, and mask- ing his retreat. Our position was maintained with but slight Iocs on both sides. Major-general Kearney was left by the enemy dead on the field. During the night the enemy fell back to Fairfax Court-house, and abandoned his posi- tion at Centreville. Yesterday about noon, he evacuated Fairfax Court-house, taking the roads, as reported to me, to Alexandria and Washington. I have, as yet, been unable to get official reports of our loss or captured in these various engagements. Many gallant officers have been killed or wounded Of the general officers, Ewell, Trimble, Taliaferro, Fields, Jenkins, and Ma- hone, have been reported wounded : Colonels Means, Marshall, Baylor, Nefl-', and Gadberry, killed. About 7,000 prisoners have already been paroled, about the same number of small-arms collected from the field, and thirty pieces of cannon captured, besides a number of wagons, ambulances, etc. A large num- ber of arms still remain on the ground. For want of transportation, valuable etores had to be destroyed as captured, while the enemy, at their various de- pots, are reported to have burned many millions of property in their retreat. GENERAL EOBERT EDWARD LEE. 73 The results of General Lee's strategy were indicative of the resources of military genius. Day after day the enemy were beaten, until his disasters culminated on the plains of Manassas. Day after day the officers and men manifested a daring and skill rarely, if ever, surpassed. The summer campaign in Virginia had been conducted by the same army that had relieved the siege of Richmond in the seven days' battles. The trials and marches of these troops are most extraordinary. Transportation was inadequate ; the streams which they had to cross were swollen to unusual height ; and yet, forcing themselves onward, they ultimately succeeded in their crown- ing triumphs of the Second Battle of Bull Run ; or, as termed, in the South, "Manassas." General Lee now followed up his success by an attack on the enemy massed in the neighborhood of Chantilly, at Ox Mill, Nothing could surpass the gallantry and endurance of the troops, who have cheerfully borne every danger and hardship, both on the battlefield and march I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General. [Chantilly is north of Centreville and northwest of Fairfax Court-house, about six or eight miles from each. The " letter of the 30th," referred to in the above, was not received. The Little River turnpike leads from Middleburg to Alex- andria, and intersects the Centreville turnpike about a mile this side of Fairfax Court-house. Germantown is on the Little River turnpike, about half a mile west of its intersection with the Centreville turnpike.] The following correspondence will illustrate the thoroughness of the enemy's defeat in the battle of the 30th. It bears date, as will be seen, of the next day. Centreville, Augivst 31, 1862. Sir— Many of the wounded of this army have been left on the field, for whom I desire to send ambulances. Will you please inform me whether you consent to a truce until they are cared for ? I am, sir, your obedient servant, JOHN POPE, Major-general United States Army, Commanding. Commanding Officer Confederate forces, near Groveton. Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, August 31, 1862. Major-general John Pope, D. S. A., Commanding, etc. : Sir — Consideration for your wounded induces me to consent to your sending ambulances to convey them within your lines. I cannot consent to a truce nor a suspension of military operations of this army. If you desire to send for your wounded, should your ambulances report to Dr. Guilet, medical director of this army, he will give directions for their transportation. The wounded will be paroled, and it is understood that no delay will take place in their removal. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General. T4 SOUTHERN GENERALS. just above German town. Here, in the afternoon, an engage- ment took place, which was exceedingly obstinate, though not lasting. It was here that the gallant and lamented Kearney fell — the admired and esteemed of all, who had come expressly from Europe to join the Union cause, the cause of his native land ; and his body lay undiscovered until the next day, when the Confederates carried it to his comrades under a flag of truce. That evening the battle was interrupted by a severe thunder-storm, and darkness coming on, the engagement ceased. On the next day it was found that the Union forces had fallen back within the defences of Washington, and the Confederates thereupon once more took possession of Fairfax Court-house. Immediately afterwards, demonstrations were made near the Chain Bridge, and the fords of the Potom.ac above "Washing- ton, as if Lee intended to assault the fortifications. But this was merely a feint to mislead the foe, — Jackson, ordering maps of the locality, and inquiring all about the roads around the capital, quietly and suddenly went forward in another direc- tion, in pursuance of previous plans and the wishes of his whole army. General Lee's determination now was to invade Maryland, and see if that State might not be aroused to join the South.* On the 4th of September, 1862, leaving to his right Arlington Heights, to which Pope with his army had retreated, he crossed the Potomac in the neighborhood of Leesburg, and marched to Frederickton, throwing the whole State of Pennsylvania into great alarm. The people of Maryland, however, did not join him as anticipated, and he resolved, therefore, to mark his invasion by an attack on Harper's Ferry. General Miles, of the United States army, held the post with 11,500 men, and Lee sent against him General Jackson with his corps, while Longstreet with his troops covered the movement, and D. H. Hill was stationed at Boonesboro to check the advance of McClellan, who had been reappointed to the command of the Union army. Lee himself kept with Longstreet, and continued, by various feints, to lead the North into continual doubt and anxiety as to his real object. Oil the 14th of September, General D. H. Hill was posted * Pollard, " Second Year of the War," p. 124. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 75 in and around a gap in the South Mountain, close to Boones- boros, This pass is known as Boonesboro Gap, being over the broad back of the mountain, a continuation of the National turnpike. The road is winding, narrow, rocky, and rugged, with either a deep ravine on one hand, and the steep sides of the mountain on the other, or like a huge channel cut through the solid rock. Near the crest are two or three houses, which to some extent overlook the adjacent valley, but elsewhere the face of the mountain is unbroken by a solitary vestige of the handiwork of man. It was here that McClellan with his new forces encountered Hill. The battle commenced soon after daylight by a vigor- ous cannonade, under cover of which, two or three hours later, first the skirmishers and then the main body became engaged. A regular line of battle on the Confederate side, either as regards numbers or order, was impossible, and the theatre of the fight was therefore limited. The fortune of the day, which was desperate enough in the face of overwhelming numbers, was stubbornly contested by the Confederates. The brigade of General Garland, of Virginia, the first engaged, lost its brave commander. While endeavoring to rally his men, he fell, pierced in the breast by a musket-ball, and died upon the field. While the Confederate lines were giving way under pressure of McClellan's troops, the welcome sounds of reinforcements were borne on the air. The corps of General Longstreet was at Hagerstown, fourteen miles distant, and at daylight com- menced its march towards the scene of action, General Lee accompanying it. Hurrying forward with all speed, stopping neither to rest nor eat, the advance arrived at the Pass about 4 h., and were at once sent into the mountain. Brigade after brigade, as rapidly as it came up, followed, until, by five o'clock, nearly the entire command was in position, and a portion of it already engaged. The accession of fresh numbers at once arrested the backward movement of Hill, who, having gallantly fought all the day, was now overpowered on his right wing. But the reinforcements had arrived in time, and when night came on, the two armies were in much the same position as at the commencement of the battle, with no advantage to either, except that which the Confederates wished, of holding McClellan in check. 76 SOUTHERN GENERALS. While this action was in progress, the capture of Harper's Ferry was effected by the army corps of General Jackson. During the night of the 14th he had planted his guns, and early next morning opened, in all directions, on the Federal forces, drawn up in line of battle on Bolivar Heights. Soon after seven o'clock, however, a white flag was raised, and Harper's Ferry, with its line army, its splendid park of artil- lery, and a large number of small-arms, surrendered. Meanwhile General Lee fell back to Sharpsburg, to concen- trate his forces, and give battle to the still advancing foe. Sharpsburg is about ten miles north of Harper's Ferry, and eight miles west of Boonesboro. Tiie town lies in a deep val- ley. The country around it is broken. Ascending a hill, just on the outer edge of the town, and looking towards the Blue Ridge, the eye ranges over the greater portion of the eventful held. To the right and left is a succession of hills which were occupied by the Confederates. In front is the beautiful valley of the Antietam, divided longitudinally by the river, which empties into the Potomac on the right, forming a background to the picture. Two miles distant are the steep, umbrageous sides of the Blue Ridge. The morning of the 17th of September found General Lee strongly posted when the battle commenced. The Union forces, commanded by McClellan in person, were in line of battle, between four and five miles long, with their left stretching across the Sharpsburg road. General Burnside was on this extreme left, and General Hooker on the right. During the afternoon of the 16th, McClellan had opened a light artillery fire on the Confederates ; but not until daybreak of the 17th did the battle, in all its fury, commence. Then be- gan one of those severe contests which showed the indomitable bravery and determination of each side. In the morning, some of the divisions belonging to the Confederate army had not come up from Harper's Ferry ; but, later in the day they ar- rived, and then the conflict raged throughout the entire line. A portion of the Southern army on the left was driven back ; and though the troops under McClellan were, in a great meas- ure, composed of raw levies, they behaved so well, that even Lee's veterans, for a time, became staggered. At length, how- ever, the new recruits of the Northern army were compelled GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 77 to tall back, and allow the longer-tried soldiers to maintain the ground, and this they did most bravely. Furiously the battle raged, and " backwards and forwards, swaying like a ship in a storm," were the various columns of the contending parties seen in motion. Nobly did the soldiers of the South, also, perform their duty, and even their enemies could not help praising them. " It is a wonder," wrote a Federal officer, " how men such as the rebel troops are, can tight as they do. That those ragged wretches, sick, hungry, and in all ways miserable, should prove such heroes in fight, is past explana- tion. Men never fought better." In the afternoon, the Union forces pushed forward on Lee's right, where General Jones' division was posted. There Gen- eral Toombs' brigade was guarding a bridge, spanning Antietam creek, and, as the enemy advanced, they fought until nearly cut to pieces, and obliged to retreat. The movement was fol- lowed up by Burnside crossing the bridge in force, and with an irresistible impulse that nothing could resist. But. night now approached, and, after a hard-fought day, the two parties rested in the positions they had respectively secured, without, however, either gaining material advantage over the other. Burnside held the bridge, but in other parts of the field the Confederates maintained their own. This battle was one of the most bloody and terrible that had yet been fought. "Many of the dead had to be left unburied for a time on the battlefield. Some of them laid with their faces to the ground, whither they had turned in the agony of death ; others were heaped in piles of three and four together, with their arms interlocked, and their faces turned upwards towards the sky. Scores of them were laid out in rows, as though the death-shot had penetrated their breast as they were advancing to the attack. Covered with mud and dust, with their faces and clothes smeared with blood and gore, there they rotted in the sun." The close of this battle left neither army in a condition to rer" • the conflict. The next morning, General Lee found that McClellan had moved his army from the front, and, knowing the superiority of Northern troops in numbers, and expecting a rapid movement to cut him off, he crossed the Potomac with out delay, taking position near Shepherdstown. 78 SOUTHEEN GENEEALS. It has been asserted in the North, and denied by the South, that McClellan had here gained a victory over Lee. But, the truth of history must admit that both sides were victorious, and } 7 et both also suffered a defeat. They were victorious — the North in effectively arresting the enemy from advancing further — the South in preventing their foe from entrapping them ; and they were equally defeated, when neither could further accomplish his designs, and when both had to leave the battlefield on the next day without attempting more. To General Lee and his army, in the enemy's own country, it was a victory, because he could and did move backward at will, and without molestation. To General McClellan and his brave soldiers it was also a victory, for it effectively stopped the Southern advance and compelled them to retire. McClellan had now retreated to Harper's Ferry, which was again in possession of the North ; but, on the 1st of October, his cavalry undep General Pleasanton drove back the Confed- erate pickets in front of Shepherdstown. The Ninth Virginia Cavalry, on picket duty, bravely disputed the ground, step by step to the main body. General Lee, in his official report, says: "By the time his artillery reached him, Colonel W. F. H. Lee, who was in command of the brigade, was obliged to place it on the west bank of the Occoquan, on the flank of the enemy as he approached Martin sburg. General Hampton's brigade had retired through Martinsburg, when General Stuart arrived and made dispositions to attack. Lee's brigade was advanced immediately, and Hampton's ordered forward. The enemy retired at the approach of Lee along the Sheperds- town road, and was driven across the Potomac by the cavalry, with severe loss, darkness alone preventing it from being a sig- nal victory. His rear was overtaken and put to flight, our cavalry charging in gallant style under a severe fire of artil- lery, driving squadron after squadron, killing a number, wounding more, and capturing several. He was driven through Shepherdstown, and crossed the river after dark, in no case standing a hand-to-hand conflict, but relying upon his rtillery and carbineers at long range for protection." General Lee's headquarters were now established near Win- chester, and there, by the skilful disposition of his forces, he rendered it impracticable for McClellan to invade the Shenan- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 79 doah valley, but forced him to adopt the route on the east 6ide of the Blue Kidge into Virginia, which was still looked upon, by the North, as the great held where battles should be fought. Shrewd, careful, and far-seeing, however, Lee was not to be deceived into fancied security by any display of the enemy's movements* Under that calm exterior of his, there was a tire of enthusiasm and an energy of mind — well and ably seconded by the brave and faithful chiefs, officers, and soldiers around him — that was capable of the most masterly generalship and prompt execution of plans. Hardly had the Marylanders re- covered from their dismay at finding Lee's army in their midst, and their after thankfulness at his departure, than they were astonished by another daring incursion amongst them. This was accomplished by that bold cavalry officer General Stuart, and was started by Lee on the 8th of October, accord- ing to the following directions. Stuart was to take from 1,200 to 1,500 well-mounted men, cross tJie Potomac above Williamsport, and proceed to the rear of Chambersburg, where he was to destroy the railroad bridge, and commit any other damage possible, on the enemy, or his means of transportation. Every information of the po- sition, force, and probable intention of the enemy was to be gained ; and, to avoid news being forwarded by citizens to the Union forces, they were, upon suspicion, to be arrested. Officials under the Federal Government were to be seized and held as hostages ; but, in all cases, every respect and con- sideration was to be shown them. Horses, and any other necessary articles, were to be captured ; and then every expe- dition used to rejoin the army. Full reliance was justly placed on General Stuart to carry out these instructions as he might consider best; and Colonel Imboden was directed to draw the enemy's attention away from such parts of the Potomac where the Confederates might cross. These instructions were faithfully carried out by General Stuart, and his command, — Brigadier-general Hampton, Col- onels "W. F. H. Lee, and Jones, forming a part of it, — and on the 12th the entire expedition returned safely, without the loss of a single man, and with only a few slight wounds received c SOUTHERN GENERALS. in skirmishes. They had passed through several important places, and entered Chambersburg, where possession of the town was immediately given to them, and where, as well as in other places, every care was taken, according to orders, that the peaceful inhabitants should not be ill-treated. Several official persons and prominent citizens were captured as hosta- ges for Southern non-combatants imprisoned by the North, and a large amount of provisions and a great number of hor- ses were also secured. Altogether the expedition was most successful, and General Lee, in his official report, very highly complimented Stuart and his command for its execution. Towards the end of October, fresh movements, on the part of the Union forces, began to take place. Several minor en- gagements had occurred, and, finally, the disposition of the respective troops was as follows : " The Northern army occupied all the region east of the Blue Ridge mountains, with the right resting on Harper's Ferry, and the left near Paris, on the road from Aldie to Winchester. The centre was at Snickersville, with Snicker's Gap in its possession. The Confederate line was on the south side of the Blue Ridge, with the Shenandoah river immediately in its front, extending from Front Royal down to Charleston, with the great body of their troops massed between Berry ville and Winchester. On the 4th of Novem- ber, Ashby's Gap was occupied, without opposition, by the Federal troops. The approaches to Manassas Gap were also held by the Federals, and, on the 6th, General McClellan had his headquarters at Rectortown, near Front Royal." Thus, to all appearance, the Confederate forces were thoroughly hem- med in, and General Lee confined, hopelessly, near Winchester. Great, therefore, was the surprise of the Union army when it was found that Lee had intuitively judged their plans, and forestalled them by detaching the greater part of his troops, and accompanying them to the south bank of the Rappahannock, leaving Jackson to guard the Shenandoah until circumstances would indicate whether he should unite with him. The available force of General McClellan was about 120,000 men, and its condition and spirit was unequalled by that of any force before organized : that of General Lee consisted of about 60,000 able men, at Culpepper and Gordonsville, and 30,000 in the Shenandoah valley, and we have already seen GENERAL EOBERT EDWARD LEE. SI what was their state, away from all their immediate resources, and enfeebled, but not dispirited, by a long campaign. Thus, then, it is evident that it was again a very critical juncture for the South, and one that required the most consummate ability, on the part of Lee, to guard against. The two former close companions in arms — the general-in-chief of the Northern army, and the commander-in-chief of the Southern forees — were, as they had been only three months previously, when Richmond was in danger, face to face with each other, ready to renew a contest for " victory or death." Yet, just at that moment, by the supreme Federal authority, MeClellan was removed, and a new, a brave, but hitherto untried, military chief in the field, General Burnside, was placed in command. What followed is familiar to every one who knows aught of the history of the heroic army of the Potomac and its beloved commander. MeClellan bade his troops farewell amidst scenes of deep feeling, and wild, impassioned tokens of affec- tion, on the part of his officers and men, sueh as rarely wit- nessed since Napoleon's adieu at Fontainebleau. Latterly it has been made to appear that this love and esteem of his soldiers had decreased, but impartial history cannot fail to do justiee, by recording the truth as here narrated. With McClellan's departure, Lee found that a new change of programme, on the part of the enemy, was to commence. On the 12th of November a consultation took place between General Burnside and General Halleck, at Warrenton, and by the morning of the 18th the Northern forces had all left, en route for Fredericksburg, which, at that time, was held by the South. Lee immediately followed, and with that promptitude and sagacious skill which characterized his every movement, had his army concentrated on the heights, in the rear of Fredericksburg, at the same time Burnside had massed his forces at Falmouth, on the oppposite side of the Rappahannock river. Here was another surprise for the North. A very short time previous, General Lee and his worn-out troops were cooped up at Winchester, in the Shenandoah valley ; now, he and his hardy veterans were in readiness for the fight at Fredericksburg, and had actually blocked the passage of the Rappahannock! So confident, it is said, was Burnside and his army of success attending his stratagem — a stratagem 6 82 SOUTHERN GENERALS. whereDy lie had hoped to get on to Richmond by the neaiei route from Fredericksburg, left, as he supposed, unguarded, — that the most sanguine expectations were raised of a speedy downfall of the Southern capital. The quick and energetic steps taken, however, by Lee, so dashed these hopes to the ground, especially on seeing the way to Richmond thus again barred by the same daring chief and his undaunted soldiers, who had before stayed the invaders at the very threshold of the coveted city, that gloom and distrust were again speedily manifested. Delays on the part of the Union forces followed, and these delays the more enabled General Lee to make his position impregnable, and to increase his reserve of resources within his own intrenchments, all unknown to the enemy. Finally, on the night of the 10th of December the battle was begun ; and here we cannot do better than let General Lee speak for himself, as he does in the report sent by him to President Davis. " Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, Dec. 14, 1862. " The Honorable Secretary of War, Richmond, Va. " Sir, — On the night of the 10th instant the enemy com- menced to throw three bridges over the Rappahannock — two at Fredericksburg, and the third about a mile and a quarter below, near the mouth of the Deep Run. The plain on which Fredericksburg stands is so completely commanded by the hills of Stafford, in possession of the enemy, that no effectual oppo- sition could be offered to the construction of the bridges on the passage of the river, without exposing our troops to the destructive fire of his numerous batteries. Positions were, therefore, selected to oppose his advance after crossing. The narrowness of the Rappahannock, its winding course, and deep bed, afforded opportunity for the construction of bridges at points beyond the reach of our artillery, and the banks had to be watched by skirmishers. The latter, sheltering themselves be- hind the houses, drove back the working parties of the enemy at the bridges opposite the city ; but at the lowest point of crossing, where no shelter could be had, our sharpshooters themselves were driven off, and the completion of the bridge was effected about noon on the 11th. " In the afternoon of that day the enemy's batteries opened GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 83 upon the city, and by dark had so demolished the houses on the river-bank, as to deprive our skirmishers of shelter ; and, under cover of his guns, he effected a lodgment in the town. The troops which had so gallantly held their position in the city under the severe cannonade during the day, resisting the advance of the enemy at every step, were withdrawn during the night, as were also those who, with equal tenacity, had maintained their post at the lowest bridge. " Under cover of darkness and a dense fog, on the 12th, a large force passed the river, and took position on the right bank, protected by their heavy guns on the left. a On the morning of the 13th, his arrangements for attack being completed, about nine o'clock, the movement, veiled by a fog, he advanced boldly, in large force, against our right wing. General Jackson's corps occupied the right of our line, which rested on the railroad ; General Longstreet's the left, ex- tending along the heights to the Rappahannock, above Fred- ericksburg ; General Stuart, with two brigades of cavalry, was posted in the extensive plain on our extreme right. As soon as the advance of the enemy was discovered through the fog, General Stuart, with his accustomed promptness, moved up a section of his horse-artillery, which opened with effect upon his flank, and drew upon the gallant Pelham a heavy fire, which he sustained unflinchingly for about two hours. " In the mean time the enemy was fiercely encountered by General A. P. Hill's division, forming General Jackson's right, and after an obstinate combat repulsed. During this attack, which was protracted and hotly contested, two of General Hill's brigades were driven back upon our second line. Gen- eral Early, with part of his division, being ordered to his sup- port, drove the enemy back from the point of woods he had seized, and pursued him into the plain, until arrested by his artillery. " The right of the enemy's column, extending beyond Hill's front, encountered the right of General Hood, of Longstreet's corps. The enemy took possession of a small copse in front of Hood, but were quickly dispossessed of it, and repulsed witi loss. " During the attack on our right the enemy was crossing troops over his bridges at Fredericksburg, and massing them in 84: SOUTHERN GENERALS. front of Longstreet's line. Soon after his repulse on our rignt he commenced a series of attacks on our left, with a view of obtaining possession of the heights immediately overlooking the town. These repeated attacks were repulsed in gallant style by the Washington Artillery, under Colonel Walton and a portion of McLaw's division, which occupied these heights. "The last assault was made after dark, when Colonel Alex- ander's battalion had relieved the Washington Artillery, whose ammunition had been exhausted, and ended the contest for the day. " The enemy was supported in his attacks by the fire of strong batteries of artillery on the right bank of the river, as well as by the numerous heavy batteries on the Stafford Heights. " Our loss during the operation, since the movements of the enemy began, amounts to about eighteen hundred, killed and wounded. Among the former, I regret to report the death of the patriotic soldier and statesman, Brigadier-general Thomas R. R. Cobb, who fell upon our left ; and among the latter, that brave soldier and accomplished gentleman, Brigadier- general M. Gregg, who was very seriously, and, it is feared, mortally wounded, during the attack on our right. " The enemy to-day has been apparently burying his dead. His troops are visible in their first position, in line of battle; but, with the exception of some desultory cannonading and firing between the skirmishers, he has not attempted to renew the attack. " About five hundred and fifty prisoners were taken during the engagement, but the full extent of his loss is unknown. " I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, "R. e. LEE, " General in command." On the day following the dispatch of this Report, Burnside determined to withdraw across the river, from Fredericksburg, and reoccupy his old position. This was most skilfully done, during the night and early morning of December 15th and 16th ; and every man, with all the property, was safely brought away, the pontoon bridges removed at the same time, before General Lee and his army were aware of it. Thus ended an- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 85 other terrific battle, wherein immense slaughter occmred, and no positive advantage was gained to either side. The ghastly field was such, that even those most inured to sickening scenes of blood shuddered. The loss of brave men on both sides was great, though far greater on the North than on the South ; and the destruction of peaceful homes and private property such as to make the most indifferent pause thoughtfully on beholding it. General Lee, with the well-known sensibilities of his kindly nature, felt this acutely, especially as these were the native scenes of his early youth, and every thing around him re- minded of cherished family ties, and associations. But honor and duty forbade any display of his own personal feelings. Neither had he time to dwell upon painful memories of the past. His native soil had chosen him to defend her rights and privileges as an independent State, and the united South had elected him for its chief. Thus he had to keep himself actively employed, and not allow one moment to be taken away from carefully watching over, and, as far as possible, protecting the interests of the people confiding in him. When the news concerning Lee's victory at Fredericksburg reached Richmond, the hopes of the South at first rose high that some important results would attend the success of their arms. But these hopes were speedily dashed to the ground, when it was found that the Northern army had been able to effect a successful retreat. People at a distance fancied that Lee could and should have wholly annihilated Burnside and his men, but they little knew the almost utter impossibility of such a task on either side. There was the same amount of in- domitable courage, the same skill, more or less displayed — the same fertility of resources — the same perseverance, and the same remarkable personal bravery (with rare exceptions) amongst officers and privates alike, on the part of the North as well as the South, and with the latter as the former. Neither could justly claim a superiority in these respects. Both of the contending parties were akin in all the fearlessness of character and heroism of mind for which they of old, in the days of Carthage and of Rome, have been remembered. And it is only the difficulty of trying to compress, within a limited space, details belonging to prominent individuals, that forbids us dwelling with an admiring pen (though also, with a 86 SOUTHERN GENERALS. saddened heart, to find such brave men fighting against each other) upon the many heroic deeds on record. We must lei them pass now, and merely confine ourselves to general events. A master mind occasionally does arise amongst the many great and brave ; and it is evident that, for the South, in its great emergencies, General Lee was that master mind ; yet he could not do more than direct, and plan, and personally encourage his brave men. He could not annihilate foes who were equally brave and daring as himself, and, moreover, fought with the knowledge that theirs was a cause about which there could be no dispute as regarded its loyalty and national right. There- fore, when cavils, at any time, were raised by thoughtless men against their general, he only showed a more noble and su perior mind, by calmly pursuing his way, regardless of them. The public approbation, however, of the Confederate au- thorities, of the Southern Congress, and of those competent tc judge, as well as the people generally, was fully awarded tc General Lee, and no terms of laudation and esteem seem tc have been strong enough to express what was felt concerning him. Nor was he, himself, unmindful to bestow just praise upon those who had so ably and cheerfully seconded his efforts, In a general order, issued on the 31st of December, 1862, he expressed himself very warmly on the endurance and gocd conduct of his troops. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. bl CHAPTER V. General Lie's Family. — Death of his Daughter. — Military Operations and Cavalry Exploits at Beginning of 1863. — Biirnside relieved by Hooker. — Movements of tho Northern Army to outflank Lee.— Battle of Chancellorsville. — Death of Stonewall Jackson. — Lee's deep Regret and General Order on the Subject. — Evacuation of Fred- ericksburg. — March up the Shenandoah Valley. — Ewell in the Advance. — Capture of Winchester. — Crossing the Potomac. — Occupation of Chambersburg. — Personal Characteristics of Lee. — Advance upon Gettysburg. — Commencement of the Battle.— Ewell, Anderson, Early, and McLaws. — A. P. Hill's bold Assault. — Terrific Combat. — Retreat of the Confederates. — General W. H. F. Lee. — Meade's Pursuit — Kecross- mg of the Potomac. — End of the Maryland Campaign. The commencement of the year 1863 was signalized by no event of any military importance as connected with General Lee personally. A family affliction, the death of his daughter, Annie Carter Lee, at Jones' Spring, Warren county, North Carolina, may, however, be recorded ; but the private history of the Confederate chief — that inner life of a great man which all love to hear about, and to read — cannot yet be written, until by himself, or another authorized, those particulars are given to the world. But a summary of cavalry exploits un- dertaken by his direction towards the close of the past year and the beginning of this, in which, as usual, his sons, nephew, and personal friends bore themselves bravely, may be aptly noticed here. In his general order, February 28th, Lee says : " About the 1st of December, General Hampton, with a de- tachment of his brigade, crossed the upper Rappahannock, surprised two squadrons of Union cavalry, captured several commissioned officers, and about one hundred men, with their horses, arms, colors, and accoutrements, without loss on his part. " On December 4th, General W. F. Lee's brigade crossed the Rappahannock below Port Royal, in skiffs, attacked the en- emy's cavalry pickets, captured forty-nine officers and men, etc., and recrossed the river without loss. " On the 11th and 16th of December, General Hampton made two successful raids to Dumfries and the Occoquan. 88 SOUTHERN GENERALS. "On the 25th of December, General Stuart, with detach- ments of Hampton's, Fitzhngh Lee's, and W. F. Lee's brigades, under command of those officers, made a successful attack upon the enemy's rear at Dumfries, Alexandria, the Occo- quan, and north of Fairfax Court-house, returning to Culpep- per with more than two hundred prisoners and twenty -five wagons." On February 16th, 1863, Captains McNeil and Stamp, of General Imboden's cavalry, with twenty-three men, attacked a Union supply-train near Romney, routed the guard, and took a number of prisoners. The 25th of February, General W. F. Lee attacked and damaged two of the enemy's gunboats at Tappahannock, dri- ving them down the river. The same day, General Fitz Hugh Lee, with four hundred of his brigade, crossed the Rappahan- nock, and reconnoitred the enemy's lines to within a few miles of Falmouth, broke through his outposts, fell upon his camps, killed and wounded many, took one hundred and fifty prisoners, and safely returned with only a loss of fourteen killed, wounded, and missing. The next day, Brigadier-general W. E. Jones made an attack upon two cavalry regiments of Milroy's command, in the Shen- andoah valley, and routed, them, taking two hundred pris- oners, etc. Major White, of General Jones' command, attacked the enemy's cavalry near Poolesville with success. Captain Randolph, of the Black Horse cavalry, had also made several bold reconnoissances. Lieutenant Mosby, with his detachment, had likewise done much to harass the enemy. Sergeant Michael, with seventeen men of Hampton's bri gade, had, in like manner, performed a heroic act in routing a large body of Federals; "and, in conclusion, adds General Lee, " the commanding general takes special pleasure in ad- verting to the promptness of the officers in striking a successful blow whenever opportunity offered, and the endurance and gallantry with which the men have always supported their commanders." We will now return to the main body of the army and ita movements. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 89 After the battle of Fredericksburg, Burnsicle kept bis posi- tion at Falmouth, until about the middle of January, when he began to move higher up the Rappahannock, with the object of trying to cross the fords, and make an attack upon the flank of General Lee. Various causes prevented this. At first the roads were dry and hard, but, by the time delays were ended and the army really prepared for the march, the weather suddenly became so bad that the roads were almost impassable, and finally the Union forces returned to their for- mer quarters. Of course these movements could not be wholly concealed from the keen eyes of General Lee and his officers. Accordingly, at any moment, the Confederate army was fully prepared for a renewed engagement. Meanwhile, however, another change in the command of the Northern forces occurred. Burnside, at his own request, was relieved, and Hooker was appointed General-in-oliief, on the 26th of January, 1863. From this date, for nearly three months more, both armies remained comparatively inactive. The winter season was too inclement for any operations to be car- ried on successfully. Raids on both sides occasionally relieved the monotony of camp-life, and in one of these, on the 12th oi March, a portion of Lee's cavalry made a bold dash within the Federal lines as far as Fairfax' Court-house. Brigadier-gen- eral Stoughton was taken from his bed and carried off, and a detachment from his brigade, with guards, horses, &c, cap- tured. On the 17th of March a sharp conflict took place be- tween a body of cavalry under the Union General Averill, and an equal number of Lee's dashing horsemen at Kelly's ford, wherein both sides suffered. At length, on the 13th of April, Major-general Stoneman, with detachments of cavalry, in- fantry, and artillery, proceeded to several places in the neigh- borhood of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan, as an advance to reconnoitre the ground. No opposition of any importance was met with, and, therefore, General Hooker finally deter- mined to make the grand attack. At this time, the end of April, General Lee's army was en- camped along the Rappahannock, from above Fredericksburg on the left, to Port Royal on the right, and numbered about 70,000 men, while Hooker's army consisted of about 120,000 men, in the highest condition and spirits. To attack Lee, 90 SOUTHERN GENERALS. therefore, and fight him with hopes of success, Hooker thought it a good plan to make a feint on the right of the Confederate army, about three miles below Fredericksburg, and at the same time carry on a vigorous flank movement on the left, and thus compel Lee to come out of his intrenchments. The execution of this plan was commenced on Monday, the 26th of April, by three corps of the Union army marching up the river, northwest, some twenty miles, to a place called Kelly's ford, where they arrived and crossed on the next evening and following morning. They then promptly turned round to the south, aud before night, had reached the Rapidan which runs from the west and unites with the Rappahannock at about twelve miles from Fredericksburg. Due south of this junction, at about four miles, is a place called Chancellorsville, and thither the three Union corps, joined by Stoneman's cavalry, and afterwards by another corps — the Second — made their way. They all arrived without the slightest interruption, on Thursday' night, April 29th, and General Hooker here made his headquarters. Meanwhile, the other part of Hooker's plan of attack was being carried out at the same time. Three other corps were sent down the river to a place called Deep Run, there to cross and make show of attacking Lee in great force. This was done, still without molestation, and so certain did the Federal troops now appear of success that Hooker, on the next day, April 30th, issued the following order : — " It is with heartfelt satisfaction that the commanding gen- eral announces to the army that the operations of the last three days have determined that our enemy must either in- gloriously fly, or come out from behind his defences and give us battle on our own ground where certain destruction awaits him. The operations of the Fifth, Eleventh, and Twelfth corps have been a succession of splendid achievements." That such elation did seem justifiable at the time, may be gathered from the fact that, apparently, Lee and his army were indeed completely entrapped. Longstreet, at that pe- riod, was not with Lee, having previously been detached with his corps, and sent to face the enemy then advancing upon Suffolk, in Southeast Virginia. But, on the other hand, Stonewall Jackson and his veterans had joined him, and was GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 91 now stationed on the right. Still, what means of retreat were there, if it was necessary for the army to fall back ? The only road of communication with the rear, was by the railway from Fredericksburg to Richmond, or the turnpike from the same place to Gordonsville, passing through Chancellorsville, and this was now in possession of the enemy. Moreover, the cav airy force of General Stoneman had been sent to cut up the communication by rail with Richmond, and thus completely isolate Lee's army. Well, then, might the Federal com- mander congratulate himself and his forces at this having been so speedily, and apparently so successfully accomplished. But where, then, was the acute and clear-sighted Lee ? Could he be insensible to what was going on ? Not he ! — no, not for one moment, had he allowed what was taking place to es- cape his closest observation ; and beneath a calm and seem- ingly indifferent exterior — at least to those who knew him not ■ — not to his brave and trusting troops — he was silently plan- ning the means for a more effectual overthrow of his enemy, and even while the congratulatory order of Hooker was being issued, Lee was in the act of bursting upon him with an effect that soon completely altered the tone of joy to one of dismal foreboding. He had allowed the crossing of the Rappahan- nock on his left, and likewise the crossing of the river on his right, that he might thoroughly penetrate the enemy's design before making any movement of his own that might possibly weaken himself. It became evident to him that the strategy of McDowell at the first battle of Bull Run, was now being adopted by Hooker; and, therefore, on the night of Thursday, April 29th, he ordered General Jackson to leave one division to watch the enemy on the right — already lessened by the de- tachment of one of the three corps sent to join Hooker — and march rapidly to the extreme left, where a portion of his foi- ces, under Anderson and McLaws had already been forwarded in advance to watch the Union army. Jackson, characteris- tically, started on his march at midnight, and in the morning joined the forces in advance. He then proceeded towards Chancellorsville, and between that place and Fredericksburg, encountered Sykes' division of General Meade's corps, thrown forward by Hooker to reconnoitre. Some heavy firing ensued, but the Union forces fell back according to previous orders, 92 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. and, as night approached, Jackson halted to get up the whole of his command, and better prepare for the next day. Thai evening General Lee arrived with such additional forces as he deemed it prudent to withdraw from their intrenchments, and immediately a consultation was held. The position attained by Hooker was indeed a most formi dable one. Chancellorsville is eleven miles from Fredericks burg, and about four miles from the point of confluence of the two rivers, and consisted of a large two-story brick house, formerly kept as a tavern, and a few outhouses. It is situated on the plank-road leading to Orange Court-house, and is easily approached by roads from the several fords of the Rapidan and Rappahannock. Between Chancellorsville and the Rapi- dan lies "The Wilderness," a district of country formerly covered with a scrubby black-jack, oaks, and a thick, tangled undergrowth, but now somewhat cleared up. The ground around Chancellorsville was heavily timbered, and favorable for defence. Seven miles from Chancellorsville, on the road to Fredericksburg, and four miles from the latter place, is Salem Church. It was at Chancellorsville, Hooker had formed a double line of battle, resembling the two sides of a square — his right rang- ing along the plank-road nearly east and west, his left extend- ing towards the river, nearly north and south — the apex, where the two lines of battle joined each other, being near the Old Chancellor house. In front of these lines the dense timber of the region had been felled so as to form an almost impassable series of abattis : in rear of this were elaborate ranges of earth- works for infantry ; and behind, as upon either flank — wher- ever, indeed, a position could be obtained — the hills bristled with artillery, completely protected from attack by felled timber. During the consultation between Generals Lee and Jackson, it was seen that to storm Hooker in front would be vain, with- out a frightful loss of life. Consequently, a suggestion made by the heroic Jackson, that he should attempt a flank move- ment to the left, was assented to. But even this was a task almost impossible, as was thought, in the time necessary to be effective. A road had to be actually cut through the forest protecting Hooker's advanced right, and this was done under GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 93 the most extreme difficulties, and, necessarily, with much secrecy. General Fitz Hugh Lee's brigade of cavalry was dis- posed in such a manner as to guard the front and flanks of the column as it advanced, from observation on the part of the enemy, by driving off scouting parties and acting as pio- neers. Diverging to the left from the plank-road, the command, which now consisted of three divisions only, and the cavalry, moved to and passed the point known as "The Furnace,"' and thence proceeded towards the road leading to Gordonsville, crossing it near its junction with the road 'to Germania ford. It was along this road that the main body of Hooker's right was posted, and to get round this, it was necessary for Jackson to move still further to the left. Accordingly, the march was continued, the cavalry moving upon the flank, as well as the dense undergrowth of timber in the wilderness permitted. Thus, apparently screened from the enemy, the head of the column reached Germania ford, about half a mile east of the old Wilderness post-office. At this point, General Fitz Hugh Lee informed General Jackson that by ascending a neighbor- ing hill, he could obtain a view of the position of the enemy, and perhaps be taken for a mere simple vidette. He did so, accompanied by one or two of his staff", and saw at a glance the enemy's position. Instantly, he turned to one of his' aids, and said briefly, "Tell my column to cross that road," and then hastening back to the head of his command, gave orders to prepare for action. It is not in our power, here, to give the details of this bat- tle. All we can do is to hurriedly sketch such movements as were undertaken by the contending parties respective^, under Generals Lee and Hooker, while we occasionally introduce the names of the other actors in the engagement, that belong to this especial work. The attempt of Jackson to effect a flank movement, by sur- prise on Hooker's right, was not so successful as he had sup- posed. The Union forces were commanded by shrewd and skilful generals, who closely watched every motion made by Lee and his men. Accordingly, the advance of Jackson had been perceived, and, to ascertain its true character, General Sickles was sent by Hooker with a reconnoissance in force 94 SOUTHERN GENERALS. towards the quarter threatened. At the same time certain divisions were pushed to the front, and were speedily engaged with General Lee's command, under McLaws and Anderson. It was about 5 p. m. on Saturday, May 2d, when the fight began, by Rodes' and A. P. Hill's divisions, under orders ot Jackson, rushing to the assault, and so fierce and sudden was the attack, that, in a short time, the Federal troops opposed to it (principally the Eleventh Corps) gave way. In a few moments more they threw down their arms, and fled towards headquarters in the wildest disorder, Jackson's men pressing the advantage with renewed vigor. Thus, on their right and rear, the Union forces found themselves furiously attacked and driven back by General Jackson's command, while in their front, Lee himself, with Anderson and McLaws, nut only stood their ground, but succeeded in preventing any advantage being obtained by the entrapped foe. Hooker sent up reinforcements to his right, but it was evident that noth- ing could retrieve what had already been lost. Night came on, but a bright moon soon rose to shed its calm and holy light upon the terrible scene, and the fighting still continued, with the same success for the Confederate arms. It was at this time, about nine o'clock, when Jackson — the esteemed and admired, alike of friend and foe — met his death, and that, most lamentably, at the hands of his own men. He had been, with his staff, reconnoitering, when, on returning, a regiment of his command, mistaking the general and his com- panions for a party of the foe, fired upon them, killing one 01 two on the spot, and so severely wounding their beloved com- mander that he died soon afterwards. No words can possi bly convey the anguish and mourning that followed, not merely among his own soldiers, but everywhere. General Lee, on hearing that he was wounded, immediately addressed him a note, as follows : " General : I have just received your note, informing me that you are wounded. I cannot express my regret at the occurrence. Could I have directed events, I should have chosen, for the good of the country, to have been disabled in your stead. I congratulate you upon the victory which is due to your skill and energy." And, when it was known that he was dead, a general order was issued by Lee, expressive of the GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 95 great grief felt, and eulogizing the departed hero in the highest terms. General A. P. Hill now took command of the Confederate left, but soon afterwards was himself wounded, and obliged to relinquish it to General Rodes, who yielded it to General G. H. Stuart, on his arrival. The latter renewed the fight, and compelled the enemy's right wholly to give way. Sunday morning the battle still raged, and with increased fury. In every direction the Union forces were made to retreat, and at one time it was thought by the Confederate army, that Hooker's was certain of entire capture, so com- pletely did they seem hemmed in. But this was not so. General Lee soon perceived that the enemy were still in force, toward the river, and, moreover, heard that Sedgwick was advancing on his rear, from where he had crossed below Fredericksburg. This movement necessarily compelled Lee to turn and meet the new foe, who had succeeded in tem- porarily defeating the force, left at the lower crossing, under Early and Barksdale. Accordingly the divisions of Anderson and McLaws were sent back towards Fredericksburg, to check Sedgwick's advance. This was successfully done, not, how- ever, without great loss to both parties, and, finally, night coming on, the conflict was for a short time closed. The enemy, however, was not yet defeated. The same un- conquerable spirit, and the same fierce bravery, which belonged to Lee's impetuous soldiers, was possessed also by Hooker's men, and every inch of ground was pertinaciously resisted. That the Union troops had made a mistake in strategy, or in maturing their plans, was sad, but it was no reason they should give way without a great struggle; and, therefore, during the night the Federals, on Hooker's extreme left, massed a heavy force against McLaws. Anderson moved rapidly to his support, and during the day, Monday the 4th, General Lee arrived, having secured the advantage he had gained in Hooker's front. About 4 p. m., the battle was renewed here with impetuous fury, and in a short time Lee'a forces succeeded in driving back the enemy, and, finally, com- pelling them to cross the Rappahannock with great slaughter. There still now remained, however, the principal part of Hooker's army, on the south side of the river, at the United J 96 SOUTHERN GENERALS. States ford. No time, therefore, could be lost. One half ol the enemy defeated and effectually forced back, there was yet the rest to conquer, and conquer them he must, at once, if possible. Accordingly, Anderson and McLaws were ordered back to Chancel lorsville and the ford. But the weather now changed, a storm of wind and rain set in, continuing, without cessation, until Wednesday forenoon, and during this time Hooker recrossed the river, " leaving the dead on the battle- field unburied," and, owing to " the rapid rise of the river,' 1 unmolested from General Lee, who was thus unable to follow him. Even the w r onnded belonging to the Union arm}' were left behind, under charge of the medical director, Dr. Luckley, and not until a week afterwards, May 12th, were they able, some 1,200 in number, to be returned to their own camp. They were, however, as kindly treated as possible, by General Lee, consider- ing his already straitened means, and he even sent a flag of truce to General Hooker for supplies for them, stating that his own medicines and hospital stores were exhausted. The two armies now re-established themselves in their old positions, remaining inactive for some little time; but the effect of the late week's battles was of even more importance than perhaps appeared. It proved the undoubted superiority of generalship on the part of Lee and his officers, while it also contributed greatly to strengthen the moral power and prestige of the South. Indeed, this was fairly and honorably admitted by several of the Northern journals when commenting on the battle, and, in speaking of the defeat the Union forces had received, it was said, "We had men enough, well enough equipped, and well enough posted to have devoured the ragged, imperfectly armed and equipped host of our enemies from off the face of the earth. Their artillery horses were poor, starved frames of beasts, tied on to their carriages and caissons with odds and ends of rope and strips of raw hide. . And yet they have beaten us fairly, beaten us all to pieces, beaten us so easily that w r e are objects of contempt even to their commonest private soldiers, with no shirts to hang out of the holes in their pantaloons, and cartridge-boxes tied round their waists with strands of rope." On the 7th of May, General Lee issued an address to his army, congratulating his officers and men for " the heroic GENERAL EOBERT EDWAED LEE. 97 conduct they had displayed under trying vicissitudes of heat and storm, in a tangled wilderness, and again on the hills of Fredericksburg," and inviting them to unite on the following Sunday "in ascribing to the Lord of Hosts the gloiy due his name." At the same time, a letter from President Davis was read, wherein he said to General Lee : " In the name of the people, I offer my cordial thanks to you and the troops under your command, for this addition to the unprecedented series of great victories which your army has achieved. The univer- sal rejoicing produced by this happy result, will be mingled with a general regret for the good and the brave who are numbered among the killed and the wounded." It might be supposed after this, that General Lee's mind would have been quietly resting awhile ; but not so. Like his father, " Light Horse Harry," he was determined to follow up every advantage where, by so doing, an object of impor- tance could be gained. That object, especially dear to himself and to every Virginian in his army, as well as necessary to the South, was to compel the Union forces to evacuate the State and fall back on their own Federal soil. Accordingly, various cavalry reconnoissances were made along theRapidan, and, finally, Ewell, who had succeeded to Jackson's command, was rapidly marched across the Blue Ridge Mountains, by way of Front Royal, into the Shenandoah Valley, upon Win- chester. There he quickly defeated General Milroy, and then promptly moved up to the Potomac, where he occupied all the fords. Meanwhile certain movements in Lee's army, at Fredericks- burg, led General Hooker to suppose that some of the Con- federate forces had been withdrawn ; and, accordingly, on the 5th of June a strong reconnoissance was sent across the river on Lee's right. Some skirmishing ensued, but Lee's strategy was again displayed by masking his real strength, and by an appearance of greater means than he actually had, leading his enemy to suppose his entire army was still there. At this time, the beginning of June, the Confederate Army had been completely reorganized, and filled up, and it was in- tended by Lee, in conjunction with the authorities at Rich- mond, once more to attempt a blow on the enemy, within their own States. For this purpose, on the 3d of June, a part of the 7 9S SOUTHERN" GENERALS. army left Fredericksburg for Culpepper Court-house, and, aftei the Federal reconnoissance of the 5th, was joined, on the 8rh, by Longstreet and Ewell, — the cavalry under General Stuart also being concentrated there. On the following day an at tack was made by the Union cavalry, on this force of Stuart's. A severe engagement ensued, and continued until late in the afternoon, when the enemy was forced to retire, leaving nearly four hundred prisoners behind. Lee having evacuated Fredericksburg, now marched rapidly forward in pursuance of his plans, while Hooker, withdraw- ing from the line of the Rappahannock, took up a strong po- sition at Manassas and Centreville, so as to interpose his army between the Confederate forces and Washington. But in the mean time Lee had pushed on the rest of his forces, and merely so played with the enemy as to mislead him entirely. Indeed, so well was this done, that an impression began to prevail in the North, that all fear of an invasion into Pennsylvania might be cast aside, and the Governor of New Jersey went so far in this feeling of confidence, that his troops were recalled. Lee, however, was even then well on his way. Hooker had followed him to the passes of the Blue ridge, but was so uncertain whether he meant to give battle there or move up the valley, that time was lost, and instead of bringing the point to an issue at once in Virginia, the Federal commander had to hastily cross the Potomac, and take position in Maryland. There he was in hopes that Lee would give him battle, but again was disappointed ; for that able general had, after a skirmish be- tween the cavalry of Stuart and Pleasanton, promptly followed his advanced forces up the Shenandoah, and on the 24th of June crossed the Potomac, in the vicinity of Shepherdstown. The corps of General Ewell had preceded Lee two days before, and on the 23d had occupied Chambersburg, where a most praiseworthy order was issued against the sale or use of intox- icating liquors in his army without permission of a Major- general. Lee himself, immediately after his arrival, issued very stringent orders against " unnecessary or wanton injury to private property," and enjoined upon his officers "to arrest, and bring to punishment all who shall in any way offend." Indeed his whole order on this subject is most praiseworthy, and truly Christian in spirit. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 99 On the 27th of June, the whole of Lee's army was at Cham- bersburg Preparations had been made to advance on Harris burg, but the design was abandoned on the 29rh, in consequence of information that the Federal army was moving northwards, and so menacing the communications of the Confederate army with the Potomac. To check the Federal advance, therefore, Generals Longstreet, Hill, and Ewell were ordered to proceed to Gettysburg. But, before we give any particulars of the battle that here followed, let us again, for a moment or two, speak of General Lee himself, not forgetting that since the sixth of June, and thus within twenty days, he had brought his entire army from Fredericksburg, by the way of the Shenandoah Valley, to Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, without obstruction. This, as has been justly said, will rank with some of the most remark- able marches on record, even though others have been per- formed by brave and enduring men, under Sherman, Rose- crans, Blunt, Grant, and other eminent leaders, not omitting the extraordinary and hazardous retreat with Hunter, across and along the mountains in Southwest Virginia. But, when Lee set out upon this northern expedition, he was confronted by one of the largest and best-appointed armies the enemy ever had on the field. Winchester, Martinsburg, Harper's Ferry, and Berry ville were garrisoned by hostile forces, and the Union cavalry were in splendid condition. Yet, General Lee marched along the Rappahannock, over the passes of the Blue Ridge mountains, up the Shenandoah Valley, and across the fords of the Potomac, into Pennsylvania, without his progress being arrested. At this time, General Lee was in every respect a most popu- lar man, and deservedly so. Even his opponents, with some few partisan exceptions, gave him that honorable meed of praise which was his due. Bearing in mind that he was a Virginian, and had forsaken a splendid home and rich estate in defence of what he considered to be the just cause, only one opinion as to the disinterestedness and integrity of his motives could be given, though the wisdom of his course may cer- tainly be much questioned. His personal character was also above reproach ; and, as we have shown, even in his military operations, every possible forbearance and kindly disposition was evinced by him towards a foe. A foreign writer, in speak- 1 100 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. ing of him at this date, says: "General Lee is, almost with out exception, the handsomest man of his age I ever saw. lie is fifty-six years old, tall, broadshouldered, very well made, well set up — a thorough soldier in appearance — and his man- ners are most courteous, and full of dignity. He is a perfect gentleman in every respect. I imagine no man has so few enemies, or is so universally esteemed. Throughout the South all agree in pronouncing him as near perfection as a man can be. He has none of the small vices, such as smoking, drink- ing, chewing, or swearing ; and his bitterest enemy never ac- cused him of any of the greater ones. He generally wears a well-worn, long, gray jacket, a high, black felt hat, and blue trowsers, tucked into his Wellington boots. I never saw him carry arms ; and the only marks of his military rank are the three stars on his collar. He rides a handsome horse, which is extremely well groomed. He himself is very neat in his dress and person ; and in the most arduous marches he always looks smart and clean." The same writer adds, that he understood Lee never to have slept in a house since commanding the Virginia army, and he had invariably declined all offers of hospitality, fearing that the person offering it might afterwards get into trouble on account of having sheltered him. In fact, whatever may be the ideas of persons interested on either side of the war as to its conduct and that of its leaders, no one of honest impartiality can deny to General Lee the credit of being a perfect Christian gentle- man, a brave, skilful soldier, and a thoroughly unambitious, unselfish man. And thus, under such a leader, united with subordinate chiefs of similar virtues, and all devoted to the cause in which they had embarked, did the Confederate army march to the battlefield of Gettysburg. On the 26th of June, General Lee encamped on the turn- pike-road, three quarters of a mile from the town of Gettys- burg, and so particular was he as regards any thing that might seem to press harshly upon the inhabitants around, that he was very chary of giving passes, even to officers of rank, to visit Chambersburg, or elsewhere. No private houses were al- lowed to be entered on any pretence whatever, not even to procure rations for the troops ; and the stringent order already mentioned, was issued by him against all manner of retaliation GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 101 This order was tolerably well received by his troops, but, in 6uch a large army, where so many bad characters are sure to be found, it was, as is always the case, impossible to prevent instances of plunder and pillage. This is true of both sides in the war, and should be fairly admitted when speaking of ruin and devastation, either by the North or the South ; and no doubt it is equally true, as it assuredly is of Lee, that other generals, in common with him, not only used every effort to protect private property and non-combatants, but also severely punished delinquents when guilty of any breach of this com- mand. On the 1st of July, Hill's division, joined afterwards by Ewell's during the engagement, came up with the Federals, who were driven through Gettysburg with heavy loss. The Federals retreated to a high range of hills, and the attack was not pressed that afternoon, as the Confederates did not know the force of the enemy. General Lee, in his report, says : " It had not been intended to fight a general battle at such dis- tance from our base, unless attacked by the enemy ; but find- ing ourselves unexpectedly confronted by the Federal army, it became a matter of difficulty to withdraw through the moun- tains with our large trains. At the same time the country was unfavorable for collecting supplies, while in the presence of the enemy's main body, as he was enabled to restrain our foraging parties by occupying the passes of the mountains with regular and local troops. A battle thus became, in a measure, unavoidable. Encouraged by the successful issue of the first day, and in view of the valuable results which would ensue from the defeat of the army of General Meade,* it was thought advisable to renew the attack. " On the following day, about two in the afternoon, the Fed- eral position was again assaulted. Unfortunately, on the pre- vious day, when the enemy were driven through Gettysburg, they had obtained possession of the high range of hills south and east of the town, and were so posted as to make its posi- tion almost impregnable. "The town of Gettysburg is situated upon the northern slope of this ridge of hills or mountain range, and about one * Hooker had been relieved at Lis own request, and Meade appointed. 102 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and a half or two miles from its summit. The western slope of this range was in cultivation, except small patches where the mountain-side is so precipitous as to defy the efforts of the farmer to bring it into subjection to the ploughshare. At the foot of the mountain is a narrow valley, from a mile to two miles wide, broken in small ridges running parallel with the mountains. On the western side of the valley rises a long high hill, mostly covered with heavy timber, but greatly in- ferior in altitude to the mountain range upon which the enemy had taken position, only running nearly parallel with it. The valley between this ridge and the mountain was in cultivation, and the fields were yellow with golden harvest. About four or five miles south of Gettysburg, the mountain rises abruptly to an altitude of several hundred feet. Upon this the enemy rested his left flank, his right being upon the crest of the range near Gettysburg. " The Confederate line of battle was formed along the western 6lope of the second and inferior range described above, and in the following order, — Ewell's corps on the left, beginning at the town with Early's division, then Rodes' division ; on the right of Rodes' was the left of Hill's corps, commencing with Heth's, then Pender's, and Anderson's divisions. On the right of Anderson was Longstreet's left — McLaw's be- ing next to Anderson, and Hood on the extreme right of the line, which was opposite the enemy's left on the highest eminence." It was not until the afternoon that the attack again com- menced. General Lee gave the orders for Longstreet to begin, and then, in quick succession, the other divisions to follow him. This was done. Longstreet was gallantly met by Gen- eral Sickles who, for two hours, stood firm against the assault, and then fell back, but, the wavering line having been rein- forced from Meade's centre, the Confederates were repulsed in that quarter with great loss. The divisions of McLaws and Anderson attacked the centre of Meade, and fought with ter- rific fury, but after again and again charging up the steep Bides of the hills on which the enemy were posted, they, also, had to retire. On the Confederate left, Ewell had made an attack upon the high ground before him, and General G. H. Stewart achieved some success, but, here again, the enemy GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 103 came forward with reinforcements, and finally compelled him to retire. Thus, in this day's fight, the advantage was decid- edly in favor of the North. Meanwhile, and directly the firing began, General Lee had joined Hill just below a tree, and remained there nearly all the time looking through his field-glass, sometimes talking to Hill, and sometimes to Colonel Long, of his statf. But generally he sat quite alone, on the stump of a tree; and during the whole time the firing continued he sent only one message, and received only one report. It was evidently his system to ar- range the plan thoroughly with the three corps commanders, and then leave to them the duty of modifying and carrying it out to the best of their abilities. Soon after 7 p. m. the following report came to General Lee by signal from Longstreet, " We are doing well," and a little before dark the firing dropped off in every direction, and soon ceased altogether. Intelligence then came that Long- street had carried every thing before him for some time, captur- ing several batteries and driving the enemy from his positions. But when Hill's Florida brigade and some other troops gave way, he was forced to abandon a small portion of the ground he had won, together with all the captured guns except three. His troops, however, bivouacked during the night on ground occupied by the enemy in the earlier part of the day. By 6 o'clock next morning (July 3d) General Lee was again in the saddle, and, with Longstreet and his staff, com- menced reconnoitering and making preparations for renewing the attack. As they rode along, and being rather a large party, they often drew upon themselves the attention of the hostile sharpshooters, and were two or three times favored with a shell. One of these shells set a brick building on fire which was situated between the lines. This building was filled with wounded, principally Union men, who thus must have perished miserably in the flames. As General Lee rode along, some of the dead were being buried, but great numbers were still lying about, also many mortally wounded, for whom nothing could be done. Amongst the latter were several of the Union troops dressed in the Zouarve costume, and these opened their glazed eyes upon the Confederate general in a painful, imploring man- ner. Alas ! with all his desire to abate their present suffering, 104 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. he could do nothing then. His mind, and all his faculties were engrossed by the important considerations involved in the next movement he should make. During the morning of this eventful day — a day that was to decide the great battle — " one of the most terrific combats of modern times, in which more than two hundred cannon were belching forth their thunders at one time, and nearly 200,000 muskets were being discharged as rapidly as men, hurried with excitement and passion, could load them," the fighting was renewed on the Confederate left, and during this time General Lee ascended the College cupola in Gettysburg to reconnoitre. The issue was, perhaps, even then apparent to him ; but no steps to alter previous plans were deemed necessary. At 11 a., m. there was a general cessation of firing, and for about two hours all was quiet. It was, however, merely that calm which is well known to precede the fierce hurricane in nature's storms. At a given signal, the shrill sound of a Whitworth gun broke the ominous silence, and then commenced a can- nonading absolutely appalling, and certainly beyond the power of pen adequately to describe. One writer, who was in the Confederate army, says, " The air was hideous with most dis- cordant noise. The very earth shook beneath our feet, and the hills and rocks seemed to reel like a drunken man. For one hour and a half this most terrific fire was continued, dur- ing which time the shrieking of shell, the crash of falling tim- bers, the fragments of rocks flying through the air, shattered from the cliffs by solid shot, the heavy mutterings from the valley between the opposing armies, the splash of bursting shrapnel, and the fierce neighing of wounded artillery horses, made a picture terribly grand and sublime." But the day was not for the South. The most daring deeds, and the most earnest resolution could not gain the victory over the North at Gettysburg. Men fought on both sides with bravery, perhaps never surpassed, and the record of that three days' battle must ever arouse a thrill of admiration and aston- ishment. In his report, General Lee says, " Our troops succeeded in entering the advanced works of the enemy, and getting posses- sion of some of his batteries; but our artillery having nearly expended its ammunition, the attacking columns became ex- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 105 posed to the heavy fire of the numerous batteries near the sum- mit of the ridge, and after a most determined and gallant struggle were compelled to relinquish their advantage and fa\ back to their original positions with severe loss." Still the Confederate forces struggled on ; and, during one period, when the Federal General Howard slackened the fire of his guns to allow them to cool, it was determined to make one more desperate attack, a storming party rushed forward without a moment's hesitation. The division of General Pickett, which had arrived since the previous daj T , led the advance supported on the right by Wilcox's brigade of Anderson's division, and on the left by Heth's division, commanded by General Pettigrew. These latter, however, being mostly raw soldiers, wavered ; but Pickett's Virginians pressed forward under a terrible fire of grape, shell and canister from forty guns opened upon them. On they pressed, crossing the Em- mitsbnrg road, and steadily approaching the masses of Federal infantry. Hundreds of them go down under the murderous fire, and still they falter not, but — up to the enemy's rifle pits they rush — over them they go, and then with a wild yell dash up to the very muzzle of the terrible guns belching forth flame and destruction upon them. Yain ! vain ! They are now un- supported. Pettigrew's line has been broken, and his men fly panic-stricken to the rear. The brave general, himself, is wounded, but still retained command, and strives to rally his men. But they heed him not, and he is left alone, while Pickett and his brave Virginians contend as best they can against the fearful odds opposed to them. Presently relief ap- proaches. General Lee sends Wright's brigade to their sup- port, and, finally, the remnant of them effects a retreat. It was now that General Lee showed some of those admira- ble qualities, for which he was so noted and esteemed. For- getful of himself, he rode about, quite alone, in front of the wood, rallying and encouraging the broken troops, the whole of his staff being engaged in a similar manner further to the rear. His cheerful and placid face displayed no signs of the slightest disappointment, care, or annoyance ; and to the soldiers he met, some words of encouragement were addressed. To one he would say, " All this will come right in the end ; we'll talk it over afterwards ; but, in the mean time, all good 10G SOUTHERN GENERALS. men must rally. We want all true men just now.''' To another, he would speak in similar terms ; and, to the slightly wounded, words of exhortation were used for them to bind up their hurts and take a musket again in the emergency. And very few failed to answer his appeal, many even of the badly wounded taking off their hats to cheer him. To a foreign military officer of rank, who had come to witness the battle, he said: "This has been a sad day for us, Colonel — a sad day; but we can't expect always to gain victories," and, at the same time, seeing this gentleman somewhat exposed, advised him to get into a more sheltered position. Notwithstanding the misfortune which had so suddenly be- fallen him, General Lee seemed to observe everything, however trivial. When a mounted officer began to ill treat his horse for shying at the bursting of a shell, he called out, " Don't whip him, Captain ; dont whip him. I've got just such another foolish horse myself, and whipping does no good." There was a man lying flat on his face, in a small ditch, groaning dismally; General Lee's attention was drawn to him, and he at once appealed to the man's patriotism to arouse himself, but finding such to be of no avail, he had him igno- miniously set on his legs, by some neighboring gunners. General Wilcox now came up to him, and, in very depressed tones of annoyance and vexation, explained the state of his brigade. But General Lee immediately shook hands with him, and said, in a cheerful manner, " Never mind, General. All this has been my fault. It is I that have lost this fight, and you must help me out of it the best way you can." In this manner did General Lee, wholly ignoring self and position, encourage and reanimate his somewhat dispirited troops, and magnanimously take upon his own shoulders the whole weight of the repulse. " It was impossible," says the writer already quoted, " to look at him, or to listen to him, without feeling the strongest admiration, and I never saw any man fail him, except the man in the ditch." It is difficult to exaggerate the critical state of affairs as they appeared about this time. General Lee and his officers were fully impressed with a sense of the situation ; yet there was much less noise, fuss, or confusion of orders, than at any ordi- nary field day. The men, as they were rallied in the wood, GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 107 were brought up in detachments, and lay down quiet and coolly in the positions assigned them. The result of this day's fight convinced General Lee tha the Federal position was impregnable, and his ammunition being nearly exhausted, offensive operations could not be resumed, even had it been desirable. On the following day, with rain falling in torrents, both armies were occupied in burying their dead ; and, at night, Lee retired with the whole of his troops and prisoners, except the wounded. The march, however, was so slow, owing to the storm, that not until after daylight of the 5th, had his rear column left Gettysburg ; yet no important effort was made to impede him. On Monday, the 6th, Lee arrived at Hagerstown, and on the following day the advance of Meade was at Funktown, six miles south of that place. Meanwhile, General Couch, in command of the department, had immediately sent forward General W. F. Smith, in command of the militia that had been called out from the several States, and directed a pursuit of the Confeder- ate army. At Carlisle, General Smith was met by General W. H. F. Lee, who had there expected to find Ewell. Lee retired, and Smith now joined his raw troops to those of Meade ; but, by this time General Lee had reached the Poto- mac at Williamsport, ready to cross. Here a difficulty awaited him. "The Potomac," he says, "was so much swollen by the rains that had fallen almost incessantly since our entrance into Maryland, as to be unfordable. Our communications with the south side were thus interrupted, and it was difficult to procure either ammunition or subsistence ; the latter difficulty being enhanced by the high waters impeding the working of neighboring mills. The trains with the wounded and prisoners were compelled to await, at Williamsport, the subsiding of the river, and the construction of boats, as the pontoon bridge left at Falling Waters had been partially destroyed. The enemy had not yet made his appearunce, but as he was in a condition to obtain large reinforcements, and our situation, for the reasons above mentioned, was becoming daily more embar- rassing, it was deemed advisable to recross the river. Part of the pontoon bridge was recovered, and new boats built, so that by the 13th, a good bridge was thrown over the river at Falling Waters." 108 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Lee crossed over in face of the enemy (who had arrived on the 12th, and taken up position) "with no loss of material, except a few disabled wagons and two pieces of artillery, which the horses were unable to move through the deep mud. Before fresh horses could be sent for them, the rear of the column had passed." Before finally retreating from Maryland, General Lee, on the 11 th of July, issued an address to his army, acknowledging the gallantry and devotion of his troops, and concludes his modest report with a few words of kindly remembrance of the "brave officers and patriotic gentlemen who fell in the faithful discharge of their duty, leaving the army to mourn their loss and emulate their noble examples." General Meade ordered a pursuit of Lee, and, at the Falling Waters, an encounter took place, which was the cause of some official correspondence on the part of both generals. The Federal commander stated that he had captured a brigade of infantry, besides the two pieces of artillery, etc., already men- tioned ; and to this General Lee replied at some length in a denial. He says that " the enemy did not capture any organ- ized body of men on that occasion, but only stragglers and such as were left asleep on the road, exhausted by the fatigue and exposure of one of the most inclement nights known at that season of the year. It rained without cessation, . . . and the last of the troops did not cross the river at the bridge till 1 a. m. of the 14th. While the column was thus detained on the road, a number of men, worn down with fatigue, laid down in barns and by the roadside, and though officers were sent back to arouse them as the troops moved on, the darkness and rain prevented them from finding all, and many were in this way left behind No arms, cannon, or prisoners were taken by the enemy in battle, but only such as w T ere left behind, as I have described under the circumstances." To this reply, General Meade, in an official letter to General Halleck, responds by reiterating his former statement, and inclosing the report of General Kilpatrick, who commanded the cavalry on the occasion. From this report, it would seem that General Lee had been misinformed as to the affair. We have mentioned the preceding, because it not only belongs to matters connected with General Lee's personal GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 109 history, but because it shows, very strikingly, the condition and hardships of the soldiers (on both sides alike) during the war, although what is here narrated is but trifling, compared with what has been endured at other times. The pursuit of Lee was resumed by a flank movement of the Federal army, crossing the Potomac at Berlin and moving down the Loudon Yalley. The cavalry were pushed into several passes of the Blue Ridge mountains, but despite all efforts of the Union forces, General Lee succeeded in once more establishing his men on the Rapidan, while General Meade took position on the Rappahannock, and thus termi- nated the campaign. 110 SOUTHERN GENERALS. CHAPTER VI. Position of the two Armies. — General Meade's Order. — Grand Review of the Con- federate Army.— Longstreet sent to reinforce Bragg. — Lee's sudden Flanking oi Meade. — Minor Operations of the Army. — Imboden.— Fitzhngh Lee. — General Stu- art. — Meade's Attack on Ewell. — Lee visits Richmond. — Question of Ranking Officer. — Bragg as Military Adviser. — Condition of the Confederate Army. — Religion in the Camp. — Amusements. — Thanks of Confederate Congress to Lee and his Army. — General Custer's Raid.— Position of Lee's Forces. — Reinforced by Longstreet. — Day of Fast. — Commencement of a New Campaign. — Grand Advance of the Northern Army.— General Ulysses Grant. — Battle of the Wilderness. — Heroic Achievements. — Spottsylvania. — Grant Crosses the Pamunkey. The pursuit of Lee by General Meade had been as follows : On the 18th of Jul y the latter moved across the Potomac; on the 19th he was at Lovettsville ; on the 20th and 21st at Union ; on the 22d at Upperville ; on the 23d at Markham station ; on the 24th at Salem, and on the 25th at Warrenton, with the army occupying the same line which it did two months previous. On the 30th of July, General Meade issued an order of a very stringent character, concerning "numerous depredations committed by citizens, or rebel soldiers in disguise harbored or concealed by citizens along the Orange and Alexandria railroad," within his lines, and threatened not only severe punishment to offenders, if caught, but held the " people within ten miles of the railroad responsible in their persons and property" for any injury done. During General Lee's advance into Pennsylvania, some cor- respondence had taken place between him and President Davis on the subject of reinforcements, and the latter intimated that there was some doubt as to whether the capital might not be left too defenceless, owing to certain movements of the enemy again on the peninsula. From this, it appears that General Lee must have felt some difficulty about staying long across the Potomac, lest Richmond should be endangered while his army was at too great a distance to go quickly to its rescue. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. Ill True, there were other forces, and other commanders, but they were all much occupied elsewhere, and it was mainly upon the army of Virginia that the Confederate authorities at the capital had to depend. That there was some cause for doubt may be seen from the fact that General Dix, then in command at Fort Monroe, had made a diversion towards Richmond, and also to threaten the communications of Lee, and while thus occupied, TunstalPs station was seized, and Brigadier-general W. F. Lee — one of the general's sons — was captured. The return, however, of the army from across the Potomac to its old quarters on the Rapidan, relieved the public mind, South, and again cleared the peninsula. It was now necessary for a time that some rest should be obtained to recruit the army, and prepare for future work. Consequently a short period of relaxation followed, and fur- loughs were granted to the men. The system adopted by General Lee, with regard to these furloughs, was very good. His order on the subject stated that, for the purpose of allow- ing " as many of the brave soldiers to visit their families and friends as can be done consistently with the service, and at the same time give some reward for meritorious conduct, a system of furloughs is instituted in the army." First, two for every one hundred men present for duty, and afterwards at the rate of one in a hundred. Commanders were to forward urgent and meritorious cases for approval, and the time of leave varied, according to the State, from fifteen days in Vir- ginia to thirty days in Louisiana. On September 9th, General Lee held a grand review of his army, at which were present Generals Ewell, Longstreet, Hill, Stuart, Wilcox and others of note. The condition of the troops was excellent, and the only fault the strictest disciplinarian could find was the irrepressible manifestations of affection for the generals. The number of troops reviewed is not stated, but it must have been considerable, for in passing along the lines and returning, the various generals had to gallop over nine miles. About this time affairs in the western departments led to a withdrawal of Longstreet's portion of the Yirginian army, for the purpose of reinforcing Bragg. At first, it had been sup- 112 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. posed at "Washington, that Lee was receiving more reinforce- ments ; but on the 14th of September General Meade reported that, in his opinion, and from all that he had learned, Lee had been reduced in his forces by Longstreet's withdrawal, and by some regiments from Ewell and Hill. To meet this additional force in the west, the North dispatched General Hooker, with nearly two corps from Meade's army, to reinforce Rosecrans in Tennessee. Thus the two armies in Virginia still confronted each other with about the same comparative numbers. A period of total inaction, except occasional skirmishes, seemed to have settled on both parties. The Federals were in a good position, and the North clamorous for another onward movement, but none took place. Neither did it appear that General Lee fell inclined to take the initiative in a fresh struggle. In fact, a sort of lethargy had apparently fallen upon all, and in the beginning of October so much quiet reigned, that people both in the North and South began to wonder and to speak aloud in murmuring tones. Suddenly, however, unexpectedly, and in a marvellous, un- intelligible way, it was reported that General Lee and his army had flanked Meade, and was several miles in his rear, between him and Washington. Then came alarm and dismay. A hasty retrograde movement of the Northern army ; an inef- fectual attempt to check the Confederate advance ; a severe engagement with the rear guard ; affrighted sutlers, and panic- stricken teamsters pouring in throngs along the roads to Wash- ington ; provisions and materiel, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, given to the flames, are the primary results of Lee's new and masterly strategy. Finally, the Northern army, jaded with a week's incessant marching, disheartened by an instinctive sense of the enemy's superior strategy, takes up a position on the old ground again. And thus it was, as we have already stated, Lee had posted his army on the line of the Rapidan, with his right wing at Fredericksburg, and his left near the Orange Court-house, while the Northern forces occu- pied the banks of the Rappahannock. On the 8th and 9th of October Lee suddenly dispatched a portion of his troops towards Madison Court-house, and by circuitous and concealed roads, contrived to get up near Culpepper without notice of the enemy. Lee himself with the bulk of his army, except a show GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 113 ot force, under General Fitzhugh Lee, left in his old lines, swiftly followed, and on the 11th was at Culpepper, where he found Meade had retreated along the line of railroad running to Alexandria. Lee immediately pursued, having now been joined by the commands of Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee, who had repulsed Buford's attack on the remaining force of the Con- federates at the Rapidan, and driven him back to his main army. On the 11th Lee arrived on the Rappahannock, at Warrenton Springs, after a skirmish with the Federal cavalry at Jefferston. The next day, after a short march to Warren- ton, where the whole army was reunited, a halt was made to supply the troops with provisions. On Thursday, the 14th, Lee again pushed on in two columns, and by different roads, towards Bristoe station, where the rear guard of General Meade, under General Warren, was attacked by the advance of General Hill. A sharp fight ensued, ending in the repulse of Hill, with considerable loss, before Lee could send to his as- sistance. The advance thus checked, and Meade, having re- treated to the old battlefields around Bull Run and Centreville, which he was strongly fortifying, it was deemed unwise by General Lee to continue the pursuit any further, especially as the intrenchments around Washington and Alexandria would render abortive any success that might attend efforts to turn Meade's new position. Accordingly, after destroying the rail- road from Cub Run southwardly, Lee, on the 18th, returned to the line of the Rappahannock, leaving his cavalry in front of Meade. Next day this force was attacked, and compelled to retire, until General Fitzhugh Lee arriving, a severe action followed, and the Confederates advanced nearly to Haymarket and Gainesville. There Meade's infantry were met, and Fitz- hugh Lee fell back unpursued. While this flank movement and advance of Lee's was taking place, directions had been sent to General Imboden, of the Con- federate forces, in the Shenandoah, to guard the passes of the mountains on Lee's left. This was done in a most admirable manner, and was then swiftly followed by the capture of Charlestown in West Virginia, by that gallant officer, on the 18th of October. The Union forces stationed there, consisting of the Ninth Maryland regiment, and three companies of cav- alry, with their stores and transportation, were nearly all made 8 114 SOUTHERN GENERALS. captive. But, on a strong Federal force appearing fn m Flarp er's Ferry, Imboden had to retreat. General Lee had placed his troops again in position, on both sides of the railway, upon the line of the Rappahannock, with Ewell on theright, Hill upon the left, and the cavalry protecting each flank. It was fully expected that Meade would advance upon the Confederate forces as soon as he could, and this was seen to be the case on November 6th, when, having repaired the broken railroad, he came in force upon Lee's army at Rap- pahannock station and Kelly's ford. An engagement fol- lowed, which was continued after dark, and resulted in the Confederates being defeated with great loss. General Lee then fell back to Culpepper, but finding that position untenable, he once more retired to his old lines on the Rapidau. There, on the 27th of November, Meade again advanced upon the Confederates at Germania ford. General Edward Johnson, of E well's corps, with his division, was in advance, and the two armies came into collision about a mile and a half from the river, and near the plank-road, noted in the battle of Chancel- lorsville. A desperate conflict ensued, which was maintained on both sides with great obstinacy, until night caused a cessa- tion of the fight. The engagement was not again renewed ; but Meade withdrew next day from the front, and reoccupied his post about Brandy station, on the Orange and Alexandria railroad. This virtually ended the campaign for that year. With the exception of some skirmishes, and a slight engage- ment on the road to Orange Court-house, nothing more was done by the two armies. The Union forces went into winter quarters on the line of the Rappahannock about the 6th of December, and the Confederate army did the same on the Rapidan. Soon afterwards General Lee made a visit of some length, to Richmond, which was, no doubt, necessary to give himself some change, and to see his family ; but it was also for the pur- pose of assisting in certain war-councils, especially with regard to new appointments in the military departments. General Bratr>' had been relieved from his command in the West, and was intended for the post of "' consulting or advising officer " to the Executive — in other words, virtually commander-in-chief of the Southern armies — while General Lee was to keep the GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 115 field in Virginia ; but many difficulties were in the way of such an arrangement, though Bragg was not only the ranking gen- eral, his friends claimed for him far greater merits than the piblic generally acknowledged. General Lee, as he had in- variably done, was ready to relinquish self to the service of his country ; but, naturally, his old classmate, friend, and former companion, J. E. Johnston, had his warmest recom- mendations in the matter of new appointments. The difficulty arose thus : Generals Cooper, A. S. Johnson, Lee, Beaure- gard, and J. E. Johnston had been appointed under the pro- visional government, in 1861. When A. S. Johnson fell at Shiloh, in 1862, after the organization of the permanent gov- ernment, Bragg was appointed to the vacancy, and this was at once confirmed by Congress. The appointments of Cooper, Lee, and the others, were also confirmed by the same Congress, but subsequently to that of Bragg, therefore he was considered, in reality, the senior general. The matter was however settled, at this time, by Bragg's appointment at Richmond, and Generals Lee and Johnston keeping their important positions in the field. There were many other causes tending to much anxiety in the mind of General Lee. His brave army had been subject to great depletion, and was suffering from those accursed evils, which, even more than the battlefield itself, belong to war, and help to destroy lives to a greater extent than the cannon-ball and rifle-shot. Richmond was no more exempt from this than any other capital, where a market is made by hordes of base contractors, who seize the opportunity of a nation's hour ot peril to gorge themselves with golden spoils. The honorable and just-dealing man, who fairly turns his goods to ordinary profit at such times, can make no headway in such a greedy crowd, and consequently has but faint conception of the fright- ful and inhuman wrongs heaped upon the heroic soldiers bleeding for their country's weal. "Well may a famous general in the Napoleon wars have expressed a wish that the whole class of fraudulent contractors had but one neck, that he could have the pleasure of hanging them at once with a single rope ; for, if ever men deserve to be strangled or guillotined tho&j do who thus take advantage of their country's need, and reck-' lessly plunder government and soldier alike, by the vile sup- plies they cunningly substitute for the good samples speciously 116 SOUTHERN GENERALS. submitted to inspection. Again, these same men, an 1 theii innumerable hangers-on, are too comfortable at home to risk their precious lives on the camp-ground, in the maintenance of that cause they, on both sides, talk so much about as a good and righteous one. The consequence is, that when inaction among the ranks of the army occurs, and, especially when cold and hunger — arising from short rations and ill-made gar- ments — are felt, desertions, repinings, apathy, and general dis- content, are sure to be found. The subordinate officers, even those of higher grade, experience this, and the generals in com- mand have, in such, far more to contend with than the greatest difficulties connected with strategic movements or a battlefield. In the case of the Northern army of Virginia there was, about the winter of 1863-4, much of this for General Lee to contend with. The line officers, it was said, who had marched many weary miles with their men, and had cheerfully borne all ordinary privations and want, bitterly felt the contrast be- tween themselves and the shirkers who staid at home, speculat- ing upon the miseries of citizens and soldiers alike. The consequence was that desertions were not unfrequent, and the commander-in-chief had to use all his own personal popularity in procuring fresh men to fill the ranks. Every thing he could possibly do to promote the welfare and comfort of his troops, it was universally admitted he did, and his example, not only in this respect, but by being constantly with them for so long a time, sharing their privations and often shelterless bivouacs, was of immense benefit. " He was truly the soldiers' idol, not merely on account of his great genius, but — like the first Na- poleon — he ever studied the wants of his private soldiers, and personally looked into their supplies." Yet, what could he, what can any human being do, especially one of mind, of talent and masterly ability in great things, adequately to oppose the mean and contemptible trickery of little souls backed by the gold they have so avariciously contrived to make? Absolutely nothing! And, when the calm future arrives in the yet uncon- ceived history of the great and mighty people such as must exist on this continent, the eye will look with amazement on the prolongation of this sad struggle, and truth will then admit, it was chiefly occasioned by the greed and infamy of designing speculators, and base men throughout the land. GENEEAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 117 To meet these difficulties,- General Lee had to exercise every available faculty of his mind. A tithe-tax was instituted, whereby the people in Virginia, around his troops, furnished supplies to the army, and in various ways did he so continue to lessen some of the evils spoken of, that several old regiments re-enlisted for the war, and new ones numerously came for- ward. He increased the length of furloughs, and it was truly gratifying to find the soldiers so promptly return at the expira tion of their leave. Nor was another important subject in the welfare of the army forgotten. Say, or think what some will to the contrary, there is a sure safeguard for the moral, and even physical good of man, in unaffected, honest-hearted re- ligion, particularly when he is thrown amongst his brethren without the usual restraints of home society. Therefore, the exercises of religion, even in its mere form alone, are of real practical good, and we find that it was much evinced in Lee's army. In accounts of what was then passing, it is said ' k the religious interest in the army is unchilled by the cold weather. Meetings are still held in every part of the army ; and, in many, if not all the brigades, meeting-houses have been con- structed by the soldiers, for their own use, and faithful chaplains nightly preach to large and deeply attentive congregations." But, beside the more serious duties incumbent on a wise general to regard and encourage among his men, the lighter occupations of life were not forgotten. No one who has ever been called to headship over others — if he be at all capable of right feeling himself — can fail to know the importance of main- taining a healthy spirit of mirth and cheerfulness around. Give the soldier, or the sailor, or the employed artisan, a fair proportion of life's joys, whenever it can be done, and let him see and experience the pleasant smile or the uproarious glee of others around him, and assuredly it will do him immense good, no matter what his privations or even his sufferings may be. Accordingly we find many wise commanders especially attending to this, and in Lee's army (as it was also to be seen amongst the Union forces) sports and pastimes were not omitted in the military economy established. A newspaper, called The Rapid Ann, was issued by some of the soldiers, with pen and pencil, and the following is a specimen of its good humor: 118 SOUTHERN GENERALS. " Tactics of Kissing. — Recruit is placed in front of the piece First motion — Bend the right knee ; straighten the left; bring the head on a level with the face of the piece ; at the same time extend the arms, and clasp the cheeks of the piece firmly in both hands. Second motion — Bend the body slightly for ward ; pucker the mouth, and apply the lips smartly to the muzzle mouldings. Third motion — Break off promptly on both legs, to escape the jarring or injury should the piece recoil." It may seem trivial to bring forward such incidents as this, in writing a biographical sketch of a great man, but we con- ceive that nothing which tends to illustrate the character of such a one, and of those under his control, who as a glass throw back the reflection of his own face, should be omitted. Lee had been now, March, lS6i, for more than twenty months in command of that army, and much of the reflex of himself was sure to be found in the general actions of his men, when free to display the bent of their own inclinations. Thus, their pleasures and amusements, their sense of religious duty, and their devotion to the cause they served, were all indicative of that kindly and wise spirit which ruled over them. Nor was his family less thoughtful and friendly disposed tos^ard the soldier. Like the angels of goodness and mercy in the North, who are ever seeking to relieve the wants and sufferings of the Union soldiers, so were there in the South, vast numbers of ladies constantly at work for the benefit of their own troops, and amongst them was ever prominent, Mrs. General R. E. Lee. On one occasion, hearing that a detail of men from the Fifty-third North Carolina regiment were engaged, during severe weather, in rebuilding the plank-road near Orange Court-house, Virginia, she made and presented to them thirty - seven pairs of most useful gloves, a gift the more valuable on account of the difficulty and the cost, at that time, to a soldier in procuring them. One more trait illustrative of General Lee's personal char- acter as a man, and yet as a military chief, and we pass to other and sterner things. A soldier had deserted, and had gone back to his wife, who, however, in spite, as she said, of her love for him, and the suffering and hardship she endured in conse- quence of his absence, would not shield him when officers came in search. The army needed every man in her country's GEKERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 119 hour of tribulation, and to protect him while other brave men perilled their lives, and other women had to be separated from their husbands, brothers, and sires, was against her sense of duty. Therefore, he was arrested, though she was aware the sentence for his crime would be death. But, having done her duty, her woman's nature strove all in her power to get him pardoned, and that heroic wife, that true woman, had the bliss of succeeding. General Lee, hearing of the case, granted his reprieve at the moment of execution, giving as his reason for doing so, that it was on account of the noble-minded, patriotic wife, and as an encouragement for other wives to be equally true to their country and their duty. Let us now turn to the general occurrences connected with Lee, from the beginning of 1864. On the 2d of January, in the Confederate Senate, at Rich- mond, Mr. Johnson, of Arkansas, submitted the following, with reference to General Lee and his army : " Whereas, the campaigns of the brave and gallant armies covering the capital of the Confederate States, during the two successful years of 1862 and 1863, under the leadership and command of General Robert E. Lee, have been crowned with glorious results ; and, " Whereas, these and other illustrious services rendered by this able commander, since the commencement of the war of independence, have especially endeared him to the hearts of his countrymen, and have imposed on Congress the grateful duty of giving expression to their feelings ; therefore, it is '■'■Resolved, by the Congress of the Confederate States of America, That the thanks of Congress are hereby tendered to General Robert E. Lee, and to the officers and soldiers of the Confederate armies under his command, for the great and sig- nal victories they have won over the vast hosts of the enemy, and for the inestimable services they have rendered in defence of the liberty and independence of our country. " Resolved, That the President be requested to communicate these resolutions to General Robert E. Lee, and to the officers and soldiers herein designated." After some remarks by senators, highly complimentary to General Lee and the army, the resolutions were unanimously adopted, and were afterwards made known, by the commander 120 SOUTHERN GENERALS. in-chief, fn handsome terms, to his officers and men. At about the same time he announced, in a special order, to the Mis- sissippi soldiers under his command, the resolutions of thanks of their own State Legislature. The month of January now passed without any military event of importance, except cavalry raids, and the capture of a Union wagon train by General Rosser, of Early's division,. at Petersburg, in Northwest Virginia, on the 30th, and the fur- ther destruction, on February 2d, of bridges over the Patter- son creek, and north branch of the Potomac, besides taking a number of prisoners. In the month of February, on the 6th, the Federals crossed in large force at Morton's ford, but, after a sharp contest, were repnlsed by General Edward Johnson's division, and driven back over the river. They also attempted to cross at Barnett's ford, but were repulsed by General Scales' North Carolina bri- gade and Lomax's cavalry. On February 28th, General Custer of the Union cavalry, made a raid on the left flank of Lee's army, and succeeded in getting as far as the vicinity of Charlottesville, where a camp of Stuart's horse artillery was stationed, near the Ravenna river. The huts of this camp were arranged with mathemati- cal precision and soldierlike regularity. On one side were the horses, quietly standing at the time Custer's men approached ; on the other side, pieces of artillery were packed with all the appurtenances neatly arranged, and close to the caissons. It was about noon on Monday when the Federal horse ap- proached this camp, and immediately the Confederates sounded alarm. But the surprise was so sudden, that it was found impossible to save the caissons in the prompt retreat which had to be made. Captain Moorman, who commanded the post, ordered the men to retire, with what guns they could save, to a neighboring hill, whence they kept up a galling fire upon the Union cavalry, now engaged destroying the camp. This done, and the Southerners obtaining reinforcements, Gen- eral Custer and his men retreated towards their own lines. On the way, General Stuart, having swiftly followed on receipt of the news, met Custer near Stannardsville, and a sharp en- counter took place, the Union commander gallantly charging through, and ultimately reaching his own camp in safety. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 121 This expedition of General Custer's *vas mainly for the pur- pose of drawing away the Confederate cavalry from the Cen- tral railroad to Richmond, so as to allow General Kilpatrick the better to accomplish an object then in view, of penetrating within or to the fortifications. This bold exploit was emi- nently successful, except in the cutting off of Lee's communica- tions, and getting within the works around the capital. But we must now hasten on to the more important events that were shortly to occur. At this period, the beginning of March, the strength of the Confederate armies was estimated at 314,000. Lee's force was, as we have said, stationed along the Rapi- dan, and Meade's on the banks of the Rappahannock. But now another important actor was to appear upon the scene. Ulysses S. Grant, who had made himself famous as the hero of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Yicksburg, had been appointed Lieutenant-general and Commander-in-chief of all the Union forces. Modest and unpretending, calm and thoughtful in his mind, he was considered well fitted to cope with Lee ; and, immediately upon the assumption of his rank he prepared for active exertions in the field. General Lee, now reinforced by Longstreet, was not idle in adopting all precautionary measures to meet him. He strong- ly intrenched his lines, dug rifle-pits at the fords of the Rapi- dan, and kept a good force on the Gordonsville road so as to hold the communication open to Richmond by that route, while by the way of Fredericksburg he destroyed the bridges and rails in order to prevent, or make more difficult, the enemy's advance in that direction. Thus, then, when the battle between the two parties was likely to commence, it was sure to be again a bloody one. What the plan of the new campaign would be no one but the few initiated knew. Gen- eral Grant was exceedingly reticent, and Lee equally so. In- deed, on both sides, all communications respecting movements of the army were forbidden to be published. The visit of General Grant to Butler at Fortress Monroe, indicated some important strategic operation in connection with the cam- paign, but nothing appeared as to the actual object in view. On the 7th of April General Lee issued a general order di- recting the morrow to be observed " as a day of fasting, hu- 122 SOUTHERN GENERALS. miliation, and prayer." All military duties, unless absolutely necessary, were to be suspended, and the chaplains were de sired to hold divine service in their regiments and brigades Officers and men were " requested" to attend. This passed the final preparations were made for the deadly struggle that it was evident, would soon commence. The Northern army was strong, fresh, vigorous, and anxious for the fight. The Southerners were firm, defiant, and maddened with the sense of wrongs they felt had been inflicted upon them and their homes. " For your stricken country's sake, and ours," said the "wives, daughters, sisters, and friends" of these soldiers in a published address to them, "be true to yourselves and our glorious cause. Never turn your back on the flag, nor desert the ranks of honor, or the post of danger. You are constantly present to our minds. The women of the South bestow all their respect and affection on the heroes who defend them." With such an appeal to them, who can doubt that the soldier — with rare exceptions — remained true and undaunted ? General Lee now sent to the rear all superfluous baggage, and unnecessary incumbrances. The sick and useless were removed from the camp, and due transportation provided for the movement of stores, and the conveyance of wounded in the forthcoming battles. Ever since Kilpatrick's " fruitless raid," the Confederates had kept a battery in position at Ely's ford, and, when a party of foreign officers, visiting the Union army, rode to the front one day to examine Lee's position, they expressed an opinion that it was all but impregnable, so strongly and admirably had he fortified it. As to the South itself, and what was thought there, we need hardly say that very hopeful ideas were prominent in the printed opinions. Gen- eral Grant was admitted to be " a man of far more energy and ability than any that had yet commanded the army of the Potomac," but " his performances would bear no comparison whatever to those of General Lee." Thus stood the two armies, and thus awaited and hoped the people of the North and South, towards the end of April, when at length some symptoms of an active movement oc curred. About the 23d of April, General Grant, whose head- quarters were at Culpepper, ordered portions of two army corps to make a feint on Lee's left, and draw back Longstreer's GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 123 supposed movement in that direction. The result, however was merely a reconnoissance on the part of the Union forces and the occupation of Warrenton by the Confederates. In th latter part of April the famous Court-house at Madison wa destroyed by an expedition sent from Washington. The Con federates occupying the locality were attacked. — retreated and fought in the town. The result was that the Union troops compelled a retreat of their opponents by tiling the place, and reducing nearly every house to ashes. On the 29th of April Mosby surprised a Union picket post of men at Hunter's Mill in Fairfax county, and captured six men, and eighteen horses. The rest escaped. Afterwards he was pursued, and the Fed- erals recaptured live horses, and took prisoner one of his lieu tenants. May now opened, and the great and bloody drama of the ■war recommenced. On Tuesday night, May 3d, the Union army broke up its encampments and at dawn of next morning crossed the Kapidan at the old fords — Ely's and Germania — and in much the same line that Meade attempted in the pre- vious November, and where Lee had caused Hooker to retreat a year before. The Second corps, commanded by General Hancock, in front, crossed at Ely's ford, the Fifth corps, under Warren, took the Germania ford, while the Sixth (Sedgwick's) followed immediately upon it. Two corps of Lee's army were at once moved to meet them, — Ewell's by the old turnpike, and Hill's by the plank-road. The advance of Ewell's corps — Johnson's division — arrived within three miles of Wilderness run that evening and encamped. Rodes lay in his rear ; and Early was next at Locust Grove, all ready to strike at Grant's advance the next morning. At about 6 a. m. the enemy was discovered by the skirmishers thrown out, and Johnson imme- diately pressed forward to gain a hill where he proceeded to form his troops in line of battle. The Union forces now ad- vanced as well as they could through the thick tangled forest already mentioned in describing the battle of Chancellorsville, with a heavy line of skirmishers in front, and followed by a solid column four lines deep. At the first onslaught, the Con- federate skirmishers were driven in, and the Fifth corps of the Union army came thundering along, unchecked by a terrible fusilade from Johnson's line, until with deadly fire, and after 124 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. a brief struggle, General Jones' brigade of "Virginians were forced back. Junes strove, in desperation, to rally his broken troops, but with no avail ; and, as the brave general was im- ploring his men to stop their flight, a ball struck him, and he fell from his saddle a bleeding corpse. Captain Early, of his staff, was at the same time also killed. Now came the decis- ive moment. Warren's men poured forward with stern deter- mination, but just then General Stewart moved from his posi- tion in line of battle and with a wild cheer dashed upon the advancing Federals, driving them back by the impetus of his charge, and capturing their guns. At the same time Ewell ordered Daniels' and Gordon's brigades of Rodes' division to form on the right and charge. They did so, crushing through the enemy's first lines, and capturing many prisoners, besides some guns. The Federal front, now thrown into confusion, fell back and retreated some distance. Meanwhile, the Union troops were engaged in a heavy conflict on the left of this part of the field, with General Stafford at the head of his Louisian- ians, who succeeded in repulsing them, but with the loss of the general, who fell mortally wounded. Sedgwick had now come up, and fiercely attacked the Confederate left flank, but was repulsed by Pegram's and Hays' divisions. But again the brave Federals came on in dense masses, and the fight was renewed till after dark with great slaughter, Pegram, himself, falling severely wounded. The engagement for that day now ended, and both parties maintained their position on the field. Meanwhile, Hill's corps had moved along the Fredericks- burg plank-road, Heth and "Wilcox in advance, while Ander- son remained behind for a time to guard some fords. The two divisions bivouacked for the night of the 4th near Ver- diersville. Next morning the march was pursued along the same road, and parallel with that which, at the same time, Ewell was taking, though some three miles apart, the inter- vening space being the " Wilderness" heretofore described. While thus marching an incident occurred that must be nar- rated as personally affecting General Lee. Between the two parallel lines of march, and in a part of the wilderness, was an open field, where, during the forenoon, the commander-in-chief, with General Hill and some other officers, were seated on the ground in consultation. At this GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 125 moment, some of the enemy's scouts and skirmishers, arrived near the spot, and might with the greatest ease have shot General Lee, had they not, on finding their dangerous position, hastily retreated, ignorant of who it was that had lain so closely at the mercy of their rifles. General Lee now opened a communication with Ewell, and Wilcox's division moved forward to effect the junction. The line of battle thus completed, now extended from the right of the plank-road through a succession of open fields and dense forest to the left of the turnpike. It presented a front of six miles, and occupied a very irregular plane along the broken slopes of the stream known as the Wilderness Run. There was, however, in the front, an almost impenetrable thicket which, as necessarily occupied by the Union troops, prevented their artillery being used except in the openings of the roads. It was now about 2 p. m. (May 5th), and large columns ol the enemy were seen coming up, along the roads from the Union rear. The attack then began in front of Hill, Heth's division for some time bearing the whole brunt of the fierce onslaught of the Federal troops. This being perceived by General Hill, he ordered Wilcox from Ewell's right to come to the support, which was done in double quick, at about 4 p. m. The conflict now was again most fearful, and continued with no important advantage to either side, but with considerable loss in killed and wounded, until night closed in and com- pelled the combatants to cease. During that night, the two armies lay so close to each other as to be within hearing. Indeed, a small stream on the Con- federate left constituted their mutual supply of water, and was so near both, that men from either side going out to fill their canteens from it, were very often captured by some from the other. It was in this manner Colonel Baldwin, of the First Massachusetts regiment, while slaking his thirst, was taken prisoner. We must now, for a moment, turn back to Longstreet's corps, which, on the 3d, w r as posted some thirteen miles south- west of the original position on the Rapidan. Ordered by Lee to march forward, it moved from Gordonsville on the morning of the 4th, and on the night of the 5th it halted within twelve miles of the advanced field of battle just described. News, 126 SOUTHERN GENERALS. however, now reached Longstreet, at midnight, of Hill's dan ger in front, and, accordingly, at 2 a. m. of the 6th, he aroused his sleeping men from their bivouac, and marched on to the field of battle. That morning, at daylight, General Lee was him self well in the advance, but on renewing the engagement, snch was the impetuous valor of the Union troops that, despite the most determined bravery of Ileth's and Wilcox's divisions, they were overpowered, and had to give way. On rushed the victorious Federals, pushing the Confederates before them to within a hundred and fifty yards of Lee, when, at that mo- ment, McLaws' division of Longstreet's corps arrived, and for a time checked the enemy in his victorious career. Then came up Anderson's division, and presently Longstreet him- self rushed forward with his staff to the front. Loud were the cheers that greeted him and General Lee as each rode on, — the former taking the more advanced post, and the latter person- ally directing and encouraging the men. Longstreet galloped forward, and as he pushed on, General Jenkins spurred to his side to grasp his hand, with the true pleasure of a soldier- friend, — for, be it remembered, Longstreet had but newly arrived from several months' campaign in Eastern Tennessee. But, alas ! hardly had the mutual congratulations passed each other's lips, when a deadly volley from one of their own bri- gades — mistaking Longstreet, Jenkins, and the rest, for a party of the flying foe — poured into them, at short range. Jenkins fell instantly from his horse a lifeless corj>se, while Longstreet received a ball that entered his throat and passed out through his right shoulder. It was supposed that he was dead, but it was not so, and he was speedily taken to the rear for medical care. The battle now became general, and the field was well con- tested on both sides. At one time, however, the aspect of affairs was so alarming for the South that, fearing for the con- stancy of his troops under such fierce attacks, General Lee placed himself at the head of Gregg's brigade of Texans, and ordered them to follow him in a charge. But the wounded Longstreet, ere he was moved, raised his feeble voice to pro- test against it, and even the rough soldiers positively refused 'o move until their beloved general in-chief had gone to his proper position of safety. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 127 Ewell, on the extreme left, was battling severely against the powerful onslaughts of the enemy, and by a successful move- ment completely repelled Burnside's attempt to outflank him, in the space between Lee's two wings left vacant by Wilcox's removal. Ewell then united with the right, and again and. again were the most valiant charges made on both sides with- out the crown of victory alighting positively on either party. Success, in a detached form, undoubtedly attended the one side and the other. Both took prisoners, and captured guns, colors, and materiel ; but the general results were about equal, and when night again closed upon the scene, it was to blot out of sight, for a few hours, another terrible field of carnage, no more decisive than had been that of the day before. In this battle, General Lee so much exposed himself that Presi- dent Davis wrote him a touching letter of remonstrance. The explosion of a shell under his own horse, the killing of the horse of his Adjutant-general, Lieutenant-colonel Taylor, and the wounding of another officer, Lieutenant-colonel Marshall, attached to his person, caused great and most affectionate anxiety in the army. On Saturday, the seventh, both armies moved their position — Grant's to take an interior road towards Bichmond by the cjpottsylvania Court-house, and Lee's, back, apparently, to- wards Orange Court-house, but in reality it was to reach Spottsylvania before the enemy. Something like a neck and neck race took place, but the advance of Lee arrived first and took up a good position, the main army quickly following. Next morning, Sunday, May 8th, a part of "Warren's Fifth corps of Federals, under General Kobinson, tried to dislodge Longstreet's corps — now under Anderson's command — from their strong position, but were repulsed, and General Robinson wounded. Grant now placed his army in line of battle, Han- cock being on the right, Warren in the centre, and Sedgwick on the left, the line reaching about seven miles. The day following, about 2 p. m., the engagement began, but consisted principally of skirmishing. It was, however, at that time General Sedgwick was killed. Tuesday, May 10ih, the struggle was renewed at an early hour, Warren's coips being the one most hotly engaged against the Confederates, though all were fighting heavily. About 128 SOUTHERN GENERALS. half-past five two divisions of Hancock's second corps crossed the Po river and advanced against Lee's lefr, making a strong show of giving battle there. Lee, supposing the enemy was massing forces at that point, moved his troops during the night and next day to that quarter, but, in the morning of Thursday, the 12th, it was found that Hancock was again in the centre, and vigorously assaulting Johnson's division. The struggle, here, now became very fierce. Charge after charge was made by the Confederates to regain what ground they had lost, but the} f w r ere met so determinedly that each time they fell back with broken and shattered ranks. The dead and wounded, ac- cording to the report of one eye witness, here lay piled over each other, " the latter often underneath the former." Gen- erals Edward Johnson and G. H. Stuart were taken prisoners ; and, on the Union side, Generals Wadsworth and Hayes were killed, besides Sedgwick, as previously mentioned, and many more of lesser rank. It was now evident that Grant's strategy was, by a series of flank movements on Lee's right, so to revolve around him, even as the fierce cyclones of a tropical clime gyrate in their rapid career, that a constant surprise might be created, and the Confederate army kept unsettled, until the Union forces had again reached the old battle-ground of McClellan's on the Peninsula. To aid in this, a cavalry expedition was dispatched by Grant, while Lee was on the Rapidan, down the Richmond railroad. This expedition was under command of General Sheridan, since so noted in the Shenandoah Valley. It first effected some damage at Beaver Dam, and thence moved rapidly to the South Anna and the Ashland station. But Gen- eral J. E. B. Stuart promptly followed, and on May 11th overtook them at the latter place. A sharp fight commenced between Fitz Lee's advance and the enemy, which resulted in Sheridan's leaving the place and pushing on towards the " Yellow Tavern," six miles only from Richmond. Stnart quickly moved ahead to intercept them, while General Gordon was aiding him by attacking them in the rear. An engage- ment ensued, and it was here that the lamented Stuart lost hia life. After the engagement of the 12th, at Spottsylvania, little was done for a few days except skirmishing, but, on the GENEEAL EOBEET EDWAED LEE. 129 16th, Grant made a retrograde movement to the Ny river, where he received reinforcements, and prepared for another battle. Lee occupied the same position he had previously held, on the north side of the river Po. On the 18th Grant made an assault upon E well's line, with a view of turn- ing Lee's left, but this failing, the Union troops returned to their camp, after a severe loss. At the same time Grant began another of his flank movements, by moving to Guinney's sta- tion, some ten miles east of Spottsylvania, on the railroad. The Union cavalry, under Torbert, went in advance to clear the way, and the right corps followed. Lee was thus neces- sarily obliged to evacuate his position on the Po, and by an admirable movement took up a new position between the North and South A.nna rivers before Grant's army had arrived. On Friday, the 20th, the Federal cavalry had reached Milford station, and the next and following day, Hancock, "Warren, Wright (late Sedgwick's corps), and Burnside, en- camped there. On Sunday, the 22d, the Union line of battle stretched in a curve from Milford to Guinney's, through Bowling Green, and on the next day Grant determined to attack the Confederate lines. Accordingly, "Warren crossed the North Anna, principally at Jericho ford, the men wading waist- deep, while Hancock engaged at Taylor's bridge. These fords and bridges were just above Sexton's Junction. Warren's corps and the portion of Hancock's which had crossed, feeling their way towards the Little river and the Virginia Central railroad, were fiercely attacked, and were only extricated from a very perilous position by their determined bravery and the timely arrival of Burnside and Wright. Next day, Tuesday, May 24th, the fighting continued at Taylor's bridge, and at a place called Oxford ; and on Wednes- day Grant found it necessary to make another flank movement, by recrossing the North Anna, and marching easterly towards the Pamunkey. To cover his plans, an attack was made on Thursday upon Lee's left, while a portion of Sheridan's cavalry tore up the Central Railroad track. As this was going on, the Union forces withdrew, merely keeping a strong body of skir- mishers in front of the Confederates, in order to mislead them. But General Lee was fully master of the situation, and could 130 SOUTHERN GENERALS. not be thus blinded. Comprehending Grant's tactics, he was as prompt in his movements, and as skilful in his strategy as the Union commander. Moreover, the scene of battle was now, once more, nearing the old ground where his first great victories had been won. Richmond, too, the home of trusting wives and families, was again to be menaced ; and a wily, as- tute, and determined foe was bent on its destruction. Ac- cordingly, no sooner did Grant's army, on the 28th, arrive at Hanovertown, on the Pamunkey, fifteen miles northeast of Richmond, than it was found the Confederates were in line of battle, from Atlee's station, on the railroad, ten or eleven miles north of Richmond, to Shady Grove, eight or nine miles north-northeast of the capital. To reconnoitre this position, on the same morning, Grant dispatched Torbert and Gregg's division of cavalry down towards Mechanicsvilte. But before arriving there, the Confederate cavalry, under Fitzhugh Lee and Hampton, were encountered at a place not far from Tolo- patomoy creek. A severe engagement followed, ending in the Union cavalry remaining on the field, while Lee and Hamp- ton fell back to the main lines, both sides suffering much loss. On Sunday, the 29th, the whole of the Union forces were across the Pamunkey, marching towards Richmond, and re- inforcements from Butler's army, on the James river, were arriving at White House, which once more formed the Federal base of supplies. On Monday, May 30th, the Union cavalry pickets on the left were driven in, and a sharp fight ensued, with some slight loss. The same afternoon, Rodes' division of E well's corps hotly attacked Warren's corps, then moving along the Mechan- icsville road, and Crawford's division was forced back. War- ren's flank was also in danger, but reinforcements arrived, and though General Meade ordered an attack of the whole line, it was dark before any other of the Federals but Hancock could respond. He, with his accustomed gallantry, dashed on, and succeeded in obtaining good ground in the advanced Confed- erate lines, but with no other important advantage. On the next day, May 31st, the two armies were ready for a general en- gagement ; and here, for a moment, let us review the whole situation as it was at that time, when the singular fortune of war had again made the Peninsula a deadly battle-ground. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 131 One month had hardly elapsed since the present campaign had begun, and of those brave companions and friends already lost to Lee, and to the Confederacy, the following are some of the prominent names : — Killed, Major-general J. E. B. Stuart ; Brigadier-general Stafford ; Brigadier-general Jennings ; Brigadier-general J. M. Jones; Colonels Nances, Grice, Carter, Forney, Avery, Ran- dolph, and Binney : Wounded, Lieutenant-general Longstreet; Major-general Heth ; Major-general Pickett; Brigadier-gen- eral Walker ; Brigadier-General Hays ; Pegram ; Benning ; Colonels Gailland, Kenedy, Herbet, Ronlove, Jones, Sheffield, Whitehead, Board, Winston, Lane, Sanders, Falum, Miller, Davidson, Lamar, Crott, Hartsfield, Wilds, Hodge, and Willett ; besides Major-general E. Johnson and G. H. Stuart captured. When Lee stood in array against Grant at the Rapidan, his force was then estimated at less than 80,000 ; since then it had been considerably decreased by the many killed, and the wounded unlit for duty. But it had, also, been reinforced by Breckinridge with his troops, so that it now numbered about 110,000 men. Grant's army, at this time, was estimated at 200,000, includ ing all the reinforcements sent to him from Butler. The position of these two armies was as follows : — Grant was between the Chickahominy and the Pamunkey, with his left thrown forward to Mechanicsville, his right withdrawn to White House, and his reserve massed in rear of his left, and Richmond somewhat behind his left flank. Lee was posted from Atlett's station, on his left (with his advance parties towards Hanover Court-house), to Gaines' Mill, with outposts as far as Coal Harbor. This position of Lee's was nearly identical with that of Jackson's in 1862 ; and indeed, the whole Confederate line of battle was on ground oc- cupied by both the armies at that time. On Tuesday, the 31st of May, there was some skirmishing between the two parties, and a cavalry attack at Cold Harbor, by Sheridan, against Fitzhugh Lee ; but it was not till next day, June 1st, the engagement fully began. Lee, anticipating Grant's last gyratory movement, had de-' termined to secure positions he knew, from the battles of two years before, to be good ones. Accordingly he sent forward 132 SOUTHERN GENERALS. to the right, Kershaw's and Hoke's divisions of Anderson's corps, with orders to occupy the eminences around Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor. As already stated, Grant's orders had also been to secure these places, and the cavalry engagement of Tuesday partly effected it. But on arrival of Hoke's di- vision, shortly afterwards reinforced by McLaws', the Confed- erates obtained possession of the desired posts. At the same time Breckinridge and Mahone, of Hill's corps, were equally successful in gaining certain advanced positions. In the afternoon an attack was made upon Heth's division, by the Federals, reinforced by Baldy Smith's Eighteenth corps ; but after a severe and gallant fight, were unable to gain any advantage. Next morning it was found that Grant had made another gyratory movement, even as Lee suspected, and, therefore, he was closely followed. The Confederates were put in motion on a parallel line, while Early, command- ing Ewell's corps (Ewell being sick), swung round, late in the afternoon, and took the enemy in flank, drove him from two lines of intrenchments, and inflicted great loss. Meanwhile Breckinridge, supported by "Wilcox, proceeded, under orders from Lee, to attack the advanced Federals, now on the extreme right, at Turkey Hill, and there succeeded in driving them away. Thus another important position was obtained by Lee, for this hill commanded the approaches from the north and east to the military bridges which McClellan had formerly thrown over the Chickahominy. It was evident to Lee that Grant was aiming for those bridges, consequently he continued to move his army to the right, until he had thrown it across the intended path of the Federals. During the night, breast- works were hurriedly thrown up, and every preparation made for the attack. This commenced early on the morning ot Friday, June 3d, when the Union army, now extending from Tolopatomony creek to and across the road from Cold Harbor to the Chickahominy, advanced, in full line of battle, upon the Confederate army. The formation of the Union line of battle was as follows : From right to left, Burnside, Warren, Smith, Wright, and Hancock, the latter thus being opposed to Breckinridge, who was on Lee's extreme right, and Ewell's corps on the extreme left, opposite Burnside, — Hill's corps being in reserve. Taking GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 133 the Confederate right, Hancock, with his division commanders Gibbon, Barlow, and Birney, dashed gallantly forward, and, for the moment, carried the position held by Breckinridge, but speedily General Finnegan, with Milligan's Florida brigade and the Maryland battalion, rushed into the breach, and swept the brave Federals out, and compelled them to retire, though only to a short distance. On the right of Han- cock, the sixth and eighteenth corps of Wright and Smith assaulted, with all their force, but with equally bad results; while Warren and Burnside vainly strove to gain some advan- tage over Lee's troops before them. Numerous were the assaults made by the Federals, but such was the determination of the Confederates not to be beaten, that no amount of bravery on the Union side could overcome them. The slaughter was again immense, but we may not dwell upon it. Enough that the battle of Cold Harbor was, after five hours' fighting, lost to Grant and won by Lee. On the following two days, Grant renewed the attack upon Lee, but without success, and during the night of the 5th he withdrew his right wing about two miles, and placed it behind a swamp which protected both the flank and front of that por- tion of his army. The battle of the 3d was fought upon the same ground as the battle of Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor in 1862. It was at Cold Harbor that Jackson first struck McClellan's right and rear in his first grand flank movement, a fact well known to the Confederates, and from which they drew fresh inspiration. The position of the armies was reversed in some respects, the Federals occupying nearly the same ground the Confederates held in 1862. In the engagements of that year at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor, McClellan, though strongly intrenched, was driven from his position with heavy loss. Thus far Grant had found it impossible to dislodge the Confederates from the same ground. The latter availed themselves, upon some parts of the field, of the works from which they formerly drove McClellan. Among the killed on the Confederate side were Brigadier- general Doles, of Georgia ; Colonel L. M. Keitt, of South Carolina, formerly a distinguished member of the United States House of Representatives, and Colonel Edwin Willis, of *~ 134: SOUTHERN GENERALS. Georgia, a late graduate of "West Point, and one of the most promising officers in the Confederate army. Among the wounded were Brigadier-general Law, of Alabama, Kirkland of Georgia, and Lane, of North Carolina, the two first slightly. Major-general Breckinridge had his horse killed under him in the night attack of the 4th. On the evening of the 5th, General Grant sent a communi- cation to General Lee, proposing that when the armies were not actually engaged, either party may, upon notification to the other, succor its wounded and bury its dead. General Lee replied that he preferred the custom common on such occasions — to wit, that the* party desiring to remove its wounded and inter its dead should send in a flag of truce and ask per- mission to do so ; adding, that the burial party should be accompanied by white flags. To this Grant rejoined, affecting to understand General Lee as accepting his proposition, and informing him that he would send forward a force between the hours of 12 and 3 p. m. of the 6th, to care for the wounded and killed, and that they would be instructed to carry flags of the kind designated by General Lee. The latter immediately informed him that he had misunderstood him, and that if he (Grant) should send out a party for the purpose indicated without first obtaining permission under flag of truce to do so, he would cause the party to be warned off* by his pickets. Accordingly, Grant made the usual request for permission to bury the dead, and Lee immediately granted it. For several days after the battle of Cold Harbor there was comparative quiet, with the exception of a few unimportant skirmishes and picket firing. At length, on the 12th of June, Grant completed his preparations to abandon the late field of operations about the Chickahominy, cross the James 1 river, and occupy the south side towards Petersburg. To do this he had to make another movement round Lee's right, extending as far as Bottom's bridge, and march low down the Chicka- hominy as far as the next crossings at Long's and Jones' bridges. The movement was effected with consummate skill, and with hardly any impediment. On Monday evening, June 13th, the advance had reached Wilcox's landing on the James, near Charles' City Court-house, and the next day the wholti Union army was safely transferred over to the opposite shore. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 135 It may be a matter of surprise to some, that General Lee did not attack Grant in his movement to the James, but it must be borne in mind that Richmond and Petersburg had both to be guarded, not only against the army of the North, but also that of Butler, who had come up the river in force to co-operate with Grant. Consequently, it was the capital that had to be thought of, more especially as Hunter was advancing along the road to Lynchburg, with a view of throwing a third army, if possible, on the city. Lee, therefore, acted wisely in not forcing his troops into another conflict until they had been recuperated, and additional means of defence prepared. Some of his men he had to send away to assist in checking Hunter's advance, and it was about this time another brave Confederate general, J. W. Jones, was killed. Then, too, Sherman's opera- tions in the Western part of Georgia had more in them than met the general eye. Hence there was much to guard against, and be prepared for. Petersburg was well able to withstand a siege, especially with the additional fortifications promptly erected around it and on the banks of the Appomattox, while at Fort Darling, Drury's Bluff, there was as good and strong a point of defence as need be wished for. At the time Grant determined to cross the James, he had already sent the eighteenth corps, by way of the White House, back to Fortress Monroe, in transports. Thence it proceeded up the James, and, at 1 a. m. of June the 15th, disembarked at Bermuda Hundred. The different forces, thus united, now marched rapidly forward to invest Petersburg. It had been attacked once before, on the 9th, by an expedition from Butler's army, but, after making a gap in the Confederate lines, the Federals were repulsed. The first attack was made late in the afternoon of the 15th, by 15,000 men, under General Smith, Hancock then advancing along the road. The second, on the 16th, by the two corps combined, and the third on the 17th, with Burnside's forces in addition to those already en gaged. The Union losses during these days were very heavy, especially so among the officers. On the 18th, a fourth attack was made, by four Union corps, and in several desperate assaults they were repulsed, with a slaughter even more terri- ble than the well-known carnage at Fredericksburg in 1862. Meanwhile Butler, taking advantage of the Confederates in 136 SOUTHERN GENERALS. his front having been -withdrawn to Petersburg, sallied from behind his intrenchments and advanced towards the railroad, intending to tear it up, but Lee promptly prepared for him. The lines necessarily vacated by Beauregard, when he had to fall back and defend Petersburg, had already been taken pos- session of by the Federals ; but directly Butler made his at- tempt, General Anderson was dispatched with his corps from Richmond to repulse him. This was done most effectively, Pickett's division being with difficulty restrained in their im- petuous advance. The result was so satisfactory, and the exploit so gallantly accomplished, that General Lee issued the following congratulatory dispatch : Clay's House, June 17 — 5£ p. m. Lietit.-gen. R. H. Anderson, Commanding Longstreet's Corps : General — I take great pleasure in presenting to you my congratulations upon the conduct of the men of your corps. I believe that they will carry any thing they are put against. We tried very hard to stop Pickett's men from capturing the breastworks of the enemy, but could not do it. I hope his loss has been small. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General. That the statement made by General Butler, to the effect that he had destroyed the railroad, was a mistake, is evident from the fact that Lee was, all day, on the 18th, sending troops from Richmond to join Beauregard at Petersburg. The same evening, Friday 17th, at 10 o'clock, an attack was made on Burnside's line of advanced rifle-pits by the Con- federates, who drove the enemy back on his supports, and re- mained in possession until daylight, when they retired to their own works. The strongest part of the Confederate intrenched line was in front of the Second Union corps (Hancock's), then under Bir- ney's command; and on Saturday the 18th, the attempt al- ready mentioned as the fourth attack was unsuccessfully made by the Fifth, Eighteenth, Second, and Tenth corps of Federal troops to capture this line. This check to the Federals in regard to capturing Peters- burg, by them, at one time, thought so easy of accomplish- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 137 merit, was only what Lee felt convinced would occur. He had fnlly expected that city would be attacked, and as he well knew how impregnable it could be made, in addition to its original strength, none of Grant's movements affected him. On the contrary, they were quite in accordance with his own purposes. As for the siege itself, he knew it must be long, and this would give him ample time and opportunity to execute certain measures for the defence of Richmond on the south, which he might not otherwise have had. On Wednesday, the 22d, an attempt was made by the Union forces to get possession of the Weldon railroad, but when they had reached the Jerusalem plank-road, the Confederates, con- sisting of A. P. Hill's corps and Anderson's, successfully en- countered them, and drove them back with severe loss. Gen- eral Wilson, however, on the Union side, succeeded in reach- ing the railroad at Ream's station, below where the combatants were engaged, and tore up some of the track, but which was repaired again by the Confederates soon afterwards. Wilson, joined by Kautz, then struck across to the Petersburg and Lynchburg railroad, destroying it in their progress. They then proceeded to the Southside railroad, and following that, came upon the Danville track, — on the way having a sharp engagement with a small Confederate force near Nottoway Court-house, night ending the fight. Continuing along the Danville railroad to the southwest, they arrived at the cov- ered bridge over the Staunton river, about 3 p. m. of the 24th. There a body of Virginia and North Carolina militia met them, and after a brisk encounter Wilson and Kautz had to retire. This was the limit of their bold and adventurous raid. They returned as rapidly as they could, but at Ream's station were nearly all captured by a Confederate force under Hamp- ton and Fitz Hugh Lee. Kautz's knowledge of the country only enabled him to escape. He, with his shattered band, reached the Union camp on the 30th of June, while Wilson, with his men in a pitiable and wretched condition, did not ar- rive till next day. It was a brave undertaking, but produc- tive of only most disastrous results to themselves.* * In General Lee's report, dated July 5th, tie says the Federal loss was " one thousand prisoners, thirteen pieces of artillery, thirty wagons and am 138 SOUTHERN GENERALS. General Lee was now in person at Petersburg, Beauregard Btill remaining in charge of the city ; and on the 28th of June, five regiments from Lynchburg, where they were no longer required, reinforced him. Meanwhile occasional demonstrations were made by the Federals against the Confederate lines, but with the same want of success as before ; and, while this was going on in that quarter, with Grant fully occupied in the south of Vir- ginia, General Lee was very quietly and skilfully sending another army of invasion into the Northern States. The oc- currences pertaining to this great and audacious movement belong more to a history of the war than a biography of the able military chief who planned it. Whether it was for the purpose of drawing Grant away from Petersburg and the vicinity of Richmond, or to throw terror and confusion into the very heart of those who sat in the executive and legislative chairs at Washington, the mas- terly skill and ability displayed by General Lee at this time, the future cannot fail to laud in the high terms it deserves. Viewing the operations of Lee at this time, what do we find ? Petersburg vainly assaulted and holding Grant at bay, the brave Union troops were almost themselves as if be- sieged, instead of being the besiegers ; and feeling this to be the case — having full confidence in the result — Lee unhesita- tingly withdraws a large portion of his forces for a new inva- sion of Maryland. Grant had to detach " Baldy" Smith's corps from his army, and hastily send it to Baltimore ; while Lee left at Petersburg nearly " two divisions of EwelPs corps, one division of Longstreet's, and the whole of A. P. Hill's." This evidently shows an amount of confidence on Lee's part that could only be attained by the most masterly skill and experience in military affairs. Well might the veteran Gen- eral Scott's words be remembered, when, as currently reported, he remarked to this effect, " it would be better to lose any one than Lee, so clear, far seeing, and almost omniscient was his judgment." *&* bulances, many small-arms, horses, ordinance stores, and several hundred negroes they had taksn from the plantations on their route, besides many kiUed and wounded thev had to leave on the field." GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 139 It was about this time, the middle of Juty, that a repot t be came cunent that all the household effects of General Lee would be sold at public auction. The sale was postponed, however, in consequence of some doubt as to the real owner ship of the property, it originally having belonged to his father-in-law, Mr. Custis, by whom it was bequeathed to his grandchildren ; consequently the seizure of it might grove illegal. Some months previous, Lee's family estate, the Arling- ton House, had been formally seized, confiscated, and sold by order of and for the use of Government ; and the White House estate had long ago been taken from him for military purposes when the Union troops arrived there, though, in the various changes of war, it had come back and been lost several times. Thus, few men and few families had abandoned so much, or suffered so much loss and ruin by adherence to the Confederate ^ause — a cause they believed to be a just one — than General Lee and his devoted wife, with her brave sons and their families. Eight or wrong, the Lees of the South have un- doubtedly proved themselves pure-minded and disinterested. Towards the latter part of July, Grant had strengthened his forces, by sending additional troops over to Deep Bottom, on the north side of the James, where for some time he had sta- tioned a large body of men ; and, while little of importance was going on actually before Petersburg, this force, amounting to some 20,000 men and twenty-two pieces of cannon, attacked the Confederate troops near Newmarket. The result, on either side, was unimportant, but it was generally conceived that a more determined effort would soon be made by Grant from his three main positions, Deep Bottom, Bermuda Hundred, and before Petersburg, and that operations on the north of the James were merely a ruse to cover his real designs. On Fri- day, July 27th, the demonstrations on the Union side, at Deep Bottom, were, however, so apparently important, that, in the eyes of nearly all but Lee, it was looked upon as a new attempt on Richmond. General Lee, however, was not deceived. He knew it to be a ruse of some kind, and contented himself with dispatching a force sufficient to check Grant's advance, while he kept the remainder of his army behind the intrenchments, calmly awaiting the Federal plans. That it is probable he had heard all about them, or had a good idea of what they were, 140 SOUTHERN GENERALS. may be inferred from several little matters coming from Federal sources, and appearing in the press. But the public generally, and especially the humane portion of the civilized world, could have formed no conception of the horrible truth as it was soon to be unfolded. On the 25th of June a plan was suggested by Lieutenant- colofiel Pleasants, of the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania, whereby a tunnel could be excavated right under the enemy's works. It was at once adopted by Grant, and on the 25th of July the work was completed. Its length was about five hundred feet, and at the end of the tunnel the mine was formed, running parallel with and directly under the fort that was to be de- stroyed. On the twenty-seventh, the enormous quantity of 12,000 lbs. of powder was placed in the mine, fuses were con- structed and connected with the magazine, and every thing was in readiness for the grand explosion. It was also arranged that immediately after the explosion, a grand charge should be made against the other parts of the enemy's lines, and the feint of operations on the north of the James was merely to try and weaken the enemy by deceiving Lee into sending away a portion of his troops. What ensued when the mine was sprung may be gathered from the follow- ing account in a Southern paper. "The chasm caused by the enemy's explosion appears to be about forty feet in depth and some two hundred feet in circum- ference, and resembles more what one would imagine to have been the effects of a terrible earthquake than any thing else. Immense boulders of earth were piled up rudely one above the other, and great fragments of bomb-proofs, gun-carriages, timbers, etc., were lying promiscuously in every direction. "The sides and bottom of the chasm were literally lined with Yankee dead, and the bodies were in every conceivable position. Some had evidently been killed with the butts of muskets, as their crushed skulls and badly smashed faces too plainly indicated, while the greater portion were shot, great pools of blood having flowed from their wounds and stained the ground. " Between our breastworks and the enemy's, large numbers of dead and wounded were still lying, the latter begging piteously for water and praying to be cared for. The length of the GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 141 'sap' made by the enemy is supposed to have been about six hundred feet." A Petersburg paper, describing the struggle for the repos- session of the Confederate works captured by the enemy in the confusion consequent to the explosion, says: " Arriving upon the ground, General Mahone found twelve of the enemy's flags waving upon the ramparts of that portion of our line carried by the explosion, and the whole vicinity 6warming with white and black Yankee troops. Getting his men into position, General Mahone ordered his forces to retake a part of the works, and instructed Wright's brigade to come up in such a manner as would insure the recapture of the remaining portion. Under command of Colonel Weisiger, acting brigadier, Mahone's brigade formed into line, and were about to move up, when the enemy rallied out and made a charge. The Confederates reserved their fire until they could see the whites of the enemy's eyes, when they poured into them such a storm of bullets that the enemy recoiled and fell back in confusion. A charge was now ordered, and Weisiger's men dashed forward with a yell, driving the enemy up to and over the breastworks. On the works our men halted and de- livered a plunging fire, which proved so destructive that the enemy never rallied again on this portion of the line, but left our men in undisturbed possession." For some time after the mine explosion, but little was done by the Federals in front of Petersburg. Grant went to the north to direct some movements on the part of Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, and General Lee, accompanied by Gen- eral Beauregard and a retinue of officers, visited the hospitals at Richmond, to see how their brave soldiers were faring. Speaking of it, a Richmond paper says : " It is pleasant to the eye, and gratifying to the heart, to behold these great cham- pions of our national honor, turning aside for a season from the rigor of their martial duties, and lending the sympathies of their noble souls to the suffering and wounded, whom they have led to glory in the hour of battle. We love our generals the better when we witness them thus giving evidences of the tender affection they bear towards their men, knowing that they find narrow scope for the display of such virtues in the storm of combat upon the field of carnage." 142 SOUTHERN GENERALS. In the middle of August, another attempt was made by Giant's arm j, on the north of the James, to defeat the Confed- erates, but again Lee's troops were successful. On the 18th and 19th, however, Grant's left, under Warren, after a defeat on the first day, succeeded on the next and following in hold- ing the Weldon railroad, and enabling the Federal commander to form his plans with reference to the Danville road. " These plans," remarked a Richmond paper, "are now revealed, and all the energy and gallantry of the army under Lee and Beau- regard will not be too much to beat back this bold movement to the south of Petersburg." On the 25th, a severe engagement took place at Reams' station, between the Federals, Hancock's and Warren's corps, and the Confederates of A. P. Hill's corps, under Wilcox, Heth, and Mahone. The result was unfavorable to the Union troops, though they still held on to the railroad, where it was first gained, nearer Petersburg. The official report of General Lee stated that " seven stands of colors, 2,000 prisoners, and nine pieces of artillery remained in possession" of the Confed- erates. " One line of breastworks was carried by the cavalry under General Hampton, with great gallantry, who contributed largely to the success of the day." General Hill's official report, at a later date, September 2d, says : " The correct results were, twelve stands of colors cap- tured, and nine pieces of artillery, ten caissons,*2,150 prison- ers, 3,100 stand of small-arms, and thirty-two horses." His own loss was, " in cavalry, artillery, and infantry, 720 men, killed, wounded, and missing." This achievement at Reams' station, wherein many of the North Carolina soldiers were engaged, elicited from General Lee a highly complimentary letter to Governor Vance, con- cerning them. He says, under date August 29th, "I have been frequently called upon to mention the services of North Carolina soldiers in this army, but their gallantry and conduct were never more deserving of admiration than in the engage- ment at Reams' station, on the 25th instant." He then men- tions the various brigades and divisions, and adds: "If the men who remain in North Carolina share the spirit of those they have sent to the field, as I doubt not they do, her defence may be securely intrusted to their hands." GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 143 A tribute like this, and many similar that General Lee gave to his soJ'Jiere, was particularly encouraging to the men, show- ing the kindly, just nature of him who wrote it, as well as convincing the troops that they had a commander whose eye was always upon them, ready to encourage and reward their good conduct. It may be supposed that the stoppage of communication on the Weldon railroad, by Grant holding possession near Peters- burg, would materially interfere with Lee's supplies, but this was not so. Other avenues to the fertile grain districts were open, and, meanwhile, his troops were employed, when not fighting the enemy, in building a branch line to connect the parts of the track not destroyed. In the mean time, Lee's army " was being steadily and con- stantly filled to its original standard by men in the very prime and vigor of youthful manhood," and the daily routine showed a full determination on the part of the general and the Con- federate authorities to remain firm at their post, while Grant was before the city. Nothing of importance, however, oc- curred in regard to the bombardment. A Confederate raid by General Hampton, on a large number of cattle, was so success- ful, and done with so much skill, that it proved of considera- ble annoyance and vexation to Grant's army, the poor soldiers thereby being subjected to much inconvenience. About the same time, Early's operations in the Shenandoah, where Sheri- dan was obtaining so much fame, called upon General Lee to reinforce him, which he did by sending troops along the Rich- mond and Gordonsville railroad, now in full working order under his control. At length, on the 29th of September, General Grant recom- menced active operations by another movement towards Rich- mond. His dispatch of that date, from Chapin's farm, stated that General Ord's corps had carried the Confederate line of intrenchments and fortifications below that place, and captured three hundred prisoners, with fifteen pieces of artillery. At the same time, General Birney moved from Deep Bottom and carried the Newmarket road. Simultaneous with these move- ments, General Meade, on the Union left, assaulted the Con- federate right wing near Poplar Grove church. The latter retired to their earthworks, which were carried, and one gun 144 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and sixty prisoners captured. Advancing half a mile further, Meade was encountered by a strong force, and some desperate fighting ensued, without any additional success to the Federals. Indeed, the whole question of any real success at all was doubtful. It is true that at one time reports were current in the North, of information, from reliable sources, having been given to the effect that Lee had evacuated Richmond, but these were soon afterwards changed to rumors of reverses again to the Union troops. Lee, in an official report, stated that " Hill and Hampton had driven back the Federals on the right," while on the left they were effectually checked. On the 7th of October, an engagement occurred on the Darby- town road, which the Confederates state to have been success- ful for them. General Lee, in his official report, said that General Anderson attacked the enemy on the Charles City road and drove them from two lines of intrench men ts, cap- turing prisoners and materiel, but with the loss of the brave General Gregg. Various movements took place on both sides during the month of October, but at its close the position of Grant's army was as follows : North of the James the troops were dis- posed in a line from Fort Harrison, near Chapin's Farm, across the Newmarket and Central roads, the Eighteenth corps holding the right, strongly protected by the fort, and the Tenth the left, flanked by the cavalry of Kautz. Meade's army stretched from Petersburg across the Weldon railroad, to within four miles of the Southside road ; the Second corps on his right, the Ninth in the centre, and the Fifth on the left. In the official report of General Lee, dated October 2Sth and 30th, he says : " The attack of General Heth upon the enemy, on the Boydton plank-road, was made by three brigades, un- der General Mahone in front, and General Hampton in the rear. Mahone captured four hundred prisoners, three stands of colors, and six pieces of artillery. The latter could not be brought off, the enemy having possession of the bridge. In the attack subsequently made by the enemy, General Mahone broke three lines of battle ; and during the night the enemy retired from the Boydton plank-road, leaving his wounded, and more than two hundred and fifty dead on the field. " About 9 p. m., a small force assaulted and took possession GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 145 of our works on the Baxter road, in front of Petersburg, but was soon driven out. On the Williamsburg road, yesterday, General Field captured upwards of four hundred prisoners, and seven stands of colors. The enemy left a number of dead in front of our works, and returned to his former position to-day." In the latter part of October, General Longstreet was suffi- ciently recovered from his wound, received at the Wilderness "battle, to be able to take up his command again, and General Anderson, who had held his post, now was appointed to that of Beauregard, which had been vacated by the latter going to the West. General Lee, at this time, had occasion to open a correspond- ence with General Grant, on the subject of Butler's order con- cerning captured soldiers of the Confederate army being placed at labor in the Dutch Gap canal, then in process of construc- tion ; also, as regarded negro soldiers. The correspondence is too long to insert here ; but it is alluded to, on account ol some interesting remarks made by a correspondent of the Savannah Republican, on the chirography of the two parties. He says : " General Lee's handwriting is bold, and rather stiff; his letters being large, round, and very distinct. He bears heavily upon the pen — probably a goose-quill — and abbreviates many of his words, as if writing were a labor to him. The following is an exact transcript of the first sentence in his letter to General Grant : '"General: I have read your letter of the 18th inst., ac- comp'g copies of letters from Judge Ould Comm'r of Exchange of Pris'rs on the part of the Conf 'ate States & the Honb'le E. M. Stanton Sec'y of War & Lt. Col. Mulford Asst. Comm'r of Exc. of the IJ. States.' " " He does not, as you perceive, punctuate closely ; and no- where in his letter does he write out the word ' and,' but in- variably uses the abbreviation ' &.' And yet he pauses long enough to dot all his ' i's,' and cross all his ' t's.' All his let- ters are drawn nearly straight up and down the paper ; in other words, they are like himself, round, full, bold, and up- right, inclining neither to the right nor the left, and standing firmly on their base, as if they disdained all assistance. They are so clear and precise, so round, and weighty, and distinct, 10 146 SOUTHERN GENERALS. that each letter reminds one of a solid cannon-hall, and each word of a cluster of grape-shot. " General Grant's handwriting, on the contrary, though not so bold and distinct, nor the letters so large, and round, and erect, is, nevertheless, very legible, and very striking. It is full of energy and action, and his letters all incline to the right, and follow one after another, with a little space between them, as if they represented an equal number of his brigades on a rapid march round Lee's right. Among chirographers his hand would be called a running-hand. The words occupy much space from left to right, and still they are very clear and legible. He pays more attention to punctuation than General Lee, abbreviates less, and is equally careful of his ' i's ' and ' t's.' It may be the work of imagination, yet in reading his letter I cannot but picture the writer as a restless, nervous, en- ergetic man, full of fire and action, always in motion, and al- ways in a hurry." The month of November chronicled but few changes in the position and advantages of the two armies. Movements, how- ever, had been made, which seemed to augur a battle on an extensive scale ; but if such was intended by Grant, it failed - Any advances his army made were promptly met by Lee, and the result was, that the Federals fell back, and occupied their old camps again. "W"e have not space to minutely relate, or even give an abstract of what was done ; and, moreover, it belongs to the present hour, when each event comes daily be- fore the eye of every one who chooses to read what the press so diligently and faithfully chronicles. On the 1st of December fresh movements were made by a part of the Union forces. General Gregg's raid on the Peters- burg and Weldon road was speedily followed by one under General Warren, who marched down the Jerusalem plankroad, and, crossing the Nottoway on pontoons, proceeded as far as the Meherrin River, where, finding the Confederate forces too strong, he turned about and safely reached his own camp. A cavalry reconnoissance had been thrown out between Grant's lines and this advance of "Warren, with the view, doubtlessly, of ascertaining whether the Confederates had taken any steps <"-;/■ rising it off. After forcing Lee's pickets across Hatcher's GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 147 Kim, the Federal horse returned. In reference to these at- tempts General Lee makes the following report : Headquarters Army Northern Virginia, Dec. 13. Bon. James A. Seddon, Secretary of War : The expedition to Belfield, under General Warren, returned within the enemy's lines yesterday. The two divisions of the Ninth Corps which went to Warren's relief proceeded no fur- ther than Belcher's Mill. On meeting the returning column it turned back. On retiring from Belfield, the enemy moved easterly to the Jerusalem and Sussex Courthouse roads. Our troops, therefore, only encountered their rear-guard, and pur- sued no further than the Nottoway River. They have returned to camp, bringing in a few prisoners. Our loss is very slight. The superintendent of the railroad reports about six miles of the track torn up. xv. E. LEE. Towards the close of the year, the Union calvary, under General Torbert, attacked the Confederates near Gordonsville, and another party of the Federal forces gained possession of Saltville. The following are General Lee's official announce- ments on the subject: Headquarters Army op Northern Virginia, Dec. 24, 1864. Hon. James A. Seddon : General Fitz Lee reports that the force which attacked Lo- max yesterday consisted of two divisions of the enemy's cavalry, under General Torbert. General Lomax was posted across the Madison turnpike, two and a half miles from Gordonsville. The enemy was handsomely repulsed, and retired about 3 p. m., leaving some of his dead on the field. He travelled too rapidly last night to engage his rear, hav- ing passed Jack's shop, twelve miles from Gordonsville, one hour after dark. Thirty-two prisoners captured at Liberty Mills on the 22d, being unable to keep up on their retreat, were liberated. General Lomax's loss was slight. R. E. LEE. 148 SOUTHEEN GENEKALS. Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, Dec. 24, 1864. Hon. James A. Seddon, Secretary of War : General Breckinridge reports that the enemy, after having been roughly handled in the engagements of Saturday and Sunday, near Marion, many having been killed and wounded, gained possession of Saltville during the night of the 20th. The garrison retreated up Rich Yalley. His advance arrived at daylight on the 21st, and the enemy retired that night and the morning of the 22d towards Hector's Gap. They are being pursued. Our troops are bearing the fatigue and exposure with great cheerfulness. The damage to the (salt) works can soon be repaired. Many bridges and depots on the railroad have been burned. R. E. LEE, Another subject, and that an important one, has yet to be introduced before we close the year 1S64 as regards General Lee. In the month of November the legislative council of the South seriously considered the question of arming the negroes as Confederate soldiers, and the opinion of such a man as Lee was naturally looked for with some eagerness. He soon gave it, and the following remarks from the New York Herald, of December 28th, embody what he says : " In support of an argument for the arming of the slaves of the ' Confederacy' in the cause of Southern indepen- dence, one of the Richmond journals recently asserted that General Lee was in favor of the scheme, and that, such being the case, the question ought to be considered as finally settled. This statement, it now appears, was no random assertion ; for a Richmond correspondent of the Liverpool Courier, in a let- ter to that journal of the 5th November, says he had been spending a day with General Lee, who, in a conversation upon the subject, said : 'I wish you to understand my views on this subject. I am favorable to the use of our servants in the army. I think we can make better soldiers of them than Lin- coln can. He claims to have two hundred thousand of them in his service. "We can destroy the value of all such soldiers to him by using ours against them. I do not see why I should not have the use of such available material as well as he. I would hold out to them the certainty of freedom and a homo GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 149 when they shall have rendered efficient service. Ele has not given them a home, nor can he give them officers who can un- derstand and manage them so well as we can.' " At a later period, February 18th, 1865, in a letter to the Hon. E. Barksdale, he expressed himself in similar terms. This, then, was General Lee's opinion, but events have since changed the whole circumstances as connected with the colored population of the South, and time has yet to show how far those events have or have not benefited the negro race. The year 1865 commenced with many internal symptoms, on the part of the Southern Confederacy, that a severe and bitter struggle was yet to take place — not merely in regard to the military battle-field, but also with reference to the political and social state of things then existing. Dissension, doubt, and, to a certain extent, dismay, found a place nearly everywhere. At length, as with one mind, all men turned their eyes upon Lee. "His wisdom and firmness," it was hoped, would yet save their tottering cause at that " critical period," and accord- ingly, on the 17th of January, it was resolved by the General Assembly of Virginia, that his appointment to the entire con- trol of the military forces in the South should be, confiden- tially, pressed upon Mr. Jefferson Davis. This was done by a letter to the President of the same date, and to which he re- plied without delay, cheerfully acknowledging the high regard felt for General Lee, and the great confidence placed in him. Mr. Davis, however, implied that Lee had once before, in 1862, been in the post now desired for him — viz., general-in-chief of all the armies of the Confederate States — but had been relieved at his own especial request when the duties became such as to prevent his more undivided attention to the army in the field within his own native State. Nevertheless, Mr. Davis assured the General Assembly, that, whenever it should " be found practicable by General Lee to assume command of all the armies of the Confederate States, without withdrawing him from direct command of the Army of Northern Virginia, he would deem it promotive of the public interests to place him in such command." Accordingly, upon a resolution of the Confederate Congress, passed a few days afterwards to that effect, Mr. Davis signed the bill which created a general-in-chief, and on the 1st of 150 SOUTHERN GENEEALS. February, Lee was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate as commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies. The official order, promulgated February 6th, an- nouncing this, is as follows : General Robert E. Lee, having been duly appointed general- in-chief of the army of the Confederate States, will assume the duties thereof, and will be obeyed and respected accordingly. General Order, No. 22, of 1864, is hereby revoked. Lee now assumed entire command, and issued a general order to that effect, wherein he says : " Deeply impressed with the difficulties and responsibility of the position, and humbly invoking the guidance of Almighty God, I rely for success upon the courage and fortitude of the army, sustained by the patriotism and firmness of the people, confident that their united efforts, under the blessing of Hea- ven, will secure peace and independence. " The headquarters of the army, to which all special reports and communications will be addressed, will be for the present with the Army of Western Virginia. The stated and regular returns and reports of each army and department will be for- warded as heretofore to the office of the adjutant and inspec- tor-general. R. E. LEE, General.' On the 11th of February, he published an address to the army and country, wherein he urges " constancy, fortitude, and courage in the hour of that adversity, suffering, and dan- ger," then close upon them. In another order he speaks of " the discipline and efficiency of the army" as having been "greatly impaired;" and, on the 13th, he summoned his forces to prepare for the spring campaign. But, though expressive of hope and confidence in his public addresses, it is evident that General Lee felt less sanguine in his private sentiments. He admitted that there was, among themselves even, a source of fear, and that was " the spread ing of a causeless despondency among the people." This may have been a mild form of putting his inward convictions; but, probably, he had stronger ideas than these as to the back- GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 151 wardness and apathy of the masses in the South. Perhaps they were tired of the war, and were desirous of seeing it ended, hence the dilatoriness so often displayed in responding to fresh calls made upon them. At all events, Lee found it necessary to again renew these calls, and just prior to his new appointment we find him, on the 25th of January, appeal- ing for arms, and, on the 28th, asking Georgia for general supplies for his army. Meanwhile, the Federal forces were again in motion. On the 4th and 5th of February attempts were made by Gregg, "Warren, and Humphreys, with their respective troops, against the Confederates stationed on the south of Petersburg, with what result, according to General Lee, the following shows : Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, Feb. 6, 1865. General S. Cooper, A. A. G. : General — The enemy moved in strong force yesterday to Hatcher's Run. Part of his infantry, with Gregg's cavalry, crossed and proceeded on the Yaughn road — the infantry to Cat-tail Creek, the cavalry to Dinwiddie Courthouse, when its advance encountered a portion of our cavalry and retired. In the afternoon part of Hill's and Gordon's troops demon- strated against the enemy on the left of Hatcher's Run, near Armstrong's Mill. Finding him intrenched, they withdrew after dark. During the night the force that had advanced beyond the creek returned to it, and were reported to be crossing. This morning Pegram's division moved to the right bank of the creek to reconnoitre, when it was vigorously attacked. The battle was obstinately contested for several hours, but General Pegram being killed, while bravely encouraging his men, and Colonel Hoffman wounded, some confusion occurred, and the division was pressed back to its original position. Evans's division, ordered by General Gordon to support Pegram's, charged the enemy and forced him back, but was, in turn, compelled to retire. Mahone's division arriving, the enemy was driven rapidly to his defences on Hatcher's Run. Our loss is reported to be small. That of the enemy not sup- posed great. (Signed) R. E. LEE. 152 SOUTHERN GENERALS. There was, however, but little done, for some time, beyond desultory fighting similar to that just mentioned. Symptoms of a speedy termination of the struggle began to be more and more evident. Lee is reported to have said, in reply to ques- tions of the Confederate Congress, that there were " not enough troops for the next campaign," and that their existence " could not last till midsummer." He added, moreover, as is stated, that "the. cause of the South could not be saved, nor could any human power save it." Indeed, what was there for hope to dwell upon? Grant with his brilliant and powerful army of veterans — Sherman with his hardy and victorious cam- paigners — each had the Southern troops almost absolutely in their power; and this the Government at Richmond appeared to perfectly comprehend. The evacuation of the city, there- fore, was seriously thought of, even so early as the month of February. The press began to discuss the route of Lee's re- treat, ultimately concluding that Lynchburg would be the first place to fall back upon. Vainly did General Lee urge upon the Southern Congress some definite measure that would either give additional strength to the army, or bring about peace. To this latter, Lee was willing to use every means for its ac- complishment. Certain unofficial communications had already taken place between the civil powers, but there were obstacles in the way of any thing like a treaty being made. The South was considered in " rebellion" against the national power, and, consequently, an unconditional submission was first required by the Federal authorities. But it was surmised that a military convention could be called for the purpose of bringing about an adjustment of affairs ; and, owing to some misconceptions of General Grant's remarks on the subject of exchange of prisoners, General Lee was informed that an inter- view on the subject could take place. Accordingly, after communicating with Mr. Davis, he wrote to General Grant, under date March 2d, 1865, and stated his " sincere desire to leave nothing untried which might put an end to the calami- ties of war." He proposed a meeting at such time and place as General Grant should deem convenient. To this letter, General Grant replied by explaining the mis- conception as to any meeting on such a subject, and stated that he had no power to accede to any such interview unless GENERAL EOBERT EDWARD LEE. 153 on subjects of a purely military character. ~No alternative remained, therefore, but submission, or war to the bitter end ; and to carry out his duty, to the full extent of his means in this respect, Lee accepted the power at length yielded to him by the Senate, in the early part of March, of arming the negroes. The 10th of March was appointed by Mr. Davis as a fast day, and, in issuing an order for its due observance, General Lee again shows his deep and earnest feeling. " Soldiers," says he, "let us bow with penitence and deep humility before Almighty God, who has sorely chastened us, beseeching Him to turn again and cause His face to shine upon us." But now the time for a final struggle had come. Grant had massed his forces with a view of making a vigorous movement on a plan of his own ; and Lee anticipated this by a fierce as- sault on the Union right at Hare's Hill, on the Appomattox. Two columns of the Confederate army, under General Gor- don, were sent at daylight of March 25th, to the attack. On Hare's Hill was Fort Steadman, and this was quickly stormed and captured, its guns being turned upon other portions of the Union works. But short-lived was this success, the last that the Confederate cause achieved. Up rose other Federal forces near by, under Hartrauft, Potter, and Willcox, and with deter- mined bravery forced back the Southern troops, capturing some two thousand that were cut off from the main body. Near about the same time, General Humphreys of the Second Corps, stationed on the extreme left of the Union army, hear- ing the firing on the right, at once pushed forward and cap- tured the advanced Confederate lines south of Petersburg. This was the signal for a general move. Grant advanced to the front, and sent Sheridan with his cavalry ahead to clear the way, which he did in a masterly manner by sweeping every thing before him. The engagement at Five Forks, on April 1st, was a complete victory for the Federals ; though every point on the headlong career of the elated Union troops was fiercely and gallantly contested by the Confederates. But in vain. The last days of the Southern Confederacy had come. Lee, in Petersburg, aided by his able and heroic gen- erals and brave soldiers, did all that could be done by men fighting at the last gasp. Petersburg fell on the morning of 154 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Sunday, April 2d, and, almost at the same moment, Richmond was evacuated, and Lee with his discomfited, troops on the way to Danville or Lynchburg, as might be. That Richmond was to be abandoned, when Petersburg could no longer be held, seems to have been previously deter- mined, for several important movements of individuals and effects had taken place, and President Davis himself, with some of his officials, left the capital, directly news arrived of the Union successes. Meantime Grant, merely sending a force to occupy the cap- tured cities, pushed on the whole of his army to intercept Lee. Sheridan with his cavalry dashed forward to Burkesville at the junction of the Lynchburg and Petersburg, and Danville and Richmond railroads, while the Fifth and Second corps encamped further on. Lee had crossed the Appomattox at Devil's Bend, and on Tuesday, April 4th, was in the vicinity of Amelia Courthouse. Next day, Grant having reached Nottoway Courthouse, heard from Sheridan that Lee was intercepted, and accordingly pushed on to the support. Lee, finding himself thus cut off from Danville, made for Lynchburg by a westerly route through Farmsville and Deatonsville. Here, on the 6th, the Confederate rear was attacked by Sheridan with his cavalry and the Sixth Corps on the left, while the Second and Fifth corps supported on the right. A victory was again achieved by the Federals, and 13,000 prisoners, including Generals Ewell, Custis Lee, Anderson, and others of note, taken. Next day General Grant commenced the following correspondence, while Lee was pushing on towards Appomattox Court- house : i. GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE. General E. E. Lee, Commander C. S. A. : P n ' General — The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift from myself the re- sponsibility of any further effusion of blood, by asking of GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 155 you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States army known as the Array of Northern Virginia. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, Commanding Armies of the United States. II. GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT. April 7. General — I have received your note of this date. Though not entirely of the opinion you express of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Array of Northern Vir- ginia, I reciprocate your desire to avoid useless effusion of blood, and, therefore, before considering your proposition, ask the terms you will offer on condition of its surrender. R. E. LEE, General. To Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, Commanding Armies of the United States. m. GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE. April 8. To General R. E. Lee, Commanding Confederate States Army : General — Tour note of last evening, in reply to mine of same date, asking the conditions on which I will accept the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, is just received. In reply, I would say, that peace being my first desire, there is but one condition that I insist upon, viz. : That the men surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged. I will meet you, or designate officers to meet any officers you may name for the same purpose, at any point agreeable to you, for the purpose of arranging definitely the terras upon which the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia will be received. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, Commanding Armies of the United States. 156 SOUTHERN GENERALS. IV. GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT. April 8. General — I received, at a late hour, your note of to-day in answer to mine of yesterday. I did not intend to propose the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, but to ask the terms of your proposition. To be frank, I do not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender. But, as the restoration of peace should be the sole object of all, I desire to know whether your proposals would tend to that end. I cannot, therefore, meet you with a view to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia, but so far as your proposition may affect the Confederate States forces under my command, and lead to the restoration of peace, I should be pleased to meet you at 10 a. m., to-morrow, on the old stage-road to Richmond, between the picket-lines of the two armies. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General Confederate States Armies. To Lieutenant-General Grant, Cornrnauding Armies of the United States. GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE. April 9. General R. E. Lee, Commanding C. S. A. : General — Your note of yesterday is received. As I have no authority to treat on the subject of peace, the meeting pro- posed for 10 a. m., to-day, could lead to no good. 1 will state, however, general, that I am equally anxious for peace with yourself; and the whole North entertain the same feeling. The terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By the South laying down their arms they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hun- dreds of millions of property not yet destroyed. Sincerely hoping that all our difficulties may be settled without the loss of another life, I subscribe myself, Very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, U. S. A. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 157 YI. GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT. April 9, 1865. General — I received your note of this morning on the picket-line, whither I had come to meet you and ascertain definitely what terms were embraced in your proposition of yesterday with reference to the surrender of this army. I now request an interview in accordance with the offer contained in your letter of yesterday for that purpose. Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General. To Lieutenant-General Grant, Commanding United States Armies. VII. GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE. April 9. General R. E. Lee, Commanding Confederate States Armies : Your note of this date is but this moment (11 : 50 a. m.) received. In consequence of my having passed from the Richmond and Lynchburg road to the Farmville and Lynchburg road, I am at this writing about four miles west of Walter's Church, and will push forward to the front for the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road where you wish the inter view to take place will meet me. Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. In accordance with this intimation, Lee designated a spot where he and Grant could discuss the terms of surrender. This was at Appomattox Courthouse — a small country vil- lage of some five hundred inhabitants. The building selected for the interview was a two-story brick house nearly square ; rather old, but surrounded by a beautiful yard of shrubbery and flowers, with roses and violets in full bloom, and the trees decked in a coat of green. It belonged to Mr. Wilmer McLean, a well-to-do farmer. Here, about 2 p. m., General Lee arrived, accompanied by Colonel Marshal, his chief of staff, and was immediately shown into the parlor, a large room neatly furnished, where he took a seat at the table. 153 SOUTHERN GENERALS. General Lee was dressed in the usual Confederate gray, and had donned a very handsome sword that had been presented to him by friends. A few moments later General Grant arrived, accompanied by his aid-de-camp, Colonel Parker, for- merly chief of the Six Nations — a man of a wonderfully acute mind, and a fast friend of the general's. Grant was dressed in blue, and without his sword. Lee immediately arose, and advancing towards each other they shook hands, and then in- troduced their respective chiefs of staff. The business of the meeting then followed, and in a few moments was settled as follows : THE TEKMS OF SURRENDER. Appomattox Court-House, April 9. General R. E. Lee, Commanding C. S. A. : In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th instant, I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, on the following terms, to wit : Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take arms against the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander to sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery, and public property to be packed and stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the offi- cers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside. Yery respectfully, U. S. GRANT, Lieutenants eneral. THE SURRENDER. Headquarters Army op Northern Virginia, April 9, 1865. Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, Commanding U. S. A. : General — I have received your letter of this date, contain ing the terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 159 as proposed by you; as they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th instant, they are accepted. 1 will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect. Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General. While the papers were being drawn up, the time was passed between these two eminent chiefs in recalling events that trans- pired long before the war, to which no further allusion was made on either side. When the articles of surrender were drawn up and signed, Lee remarked that many of his cavalry- men owned the horses upon which they rode, and he asked if the word "personal effects" included them. General Grant replied that he considered that they ought to be turned over to the United States, and with this General Lee coincided. "But," said General Grant, "I will instruct the officers who are appointed to carry out the capitulation to allow those who have their own horses to return to their homes ; they will then do for spring ploughing." General Lee was struck by this liberal act, and with considerable feeling said, " Allow me to express my thanks for such consideration and generosity on your part. I think it cannot fail of having a good effect." The following was the parole signed by General Lee and his staff-officers : THE PAROLES OF GENERAL LEE AND HIS ARMY. The following was the parole signed by General Lee and his staff-officers : We, the undersigned, prisoners of war belonging to the Army of Northern Yirginia, having been this day surrendered by General R. E. Lee, commanding said army, to Lieutenant- General Grant, commanding the armies of the United States, do hereby give our solemn parole of honor that we will not hereafter serve in the armies of the Confederate States, or in any military capacity whatever, against the United States of America, or render aid to the enemies of the latter, until 160 SOUTHERN GENERALS. properly exchanged in such manner as shall be mutually ap» proved by the relative authorities. E. E. LEE, General. W. H. TAYLOR, Lieutenant-Colonel and A. A G. CHAS. S. VENABLE, Lieutenant-Colonel and A. A. G. CHAS. MARSHAL, Lieutenant-Colonel and A. A. G. H. E. PRATON, Lieutenant-Colonel and Inspector-General. GILES BROOKE, Major and A. A. Surgeon-General. H. S. YOUNG, A. A. General. Done at Appomattox Courthouse, Va., ) this ninth (9) day of April, 1865." J The parole was countersigned as follows: The above-named officers will not be disturbed by United States authorities as long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside. GEO. H. SHARPE, General, and Assistant Provost-Marshal. The officers of the rebel army signed the following parole for their men : "I, the undersigned, commanding officer of , do, for the within-named prisoners of war belonging to the Army of Northern Virginia, who have been this day surrendered by General Robert E. Lee, Confederate States Army, command- ing said army, to Lieuten ant-General Grant, commanding armies of the United States, hereby give my solemn parole of honor that the within-named shall not hereafter serve in the armies of the Confederate States, or in military or any capacity whatever against the United States of America, or render aid to the enemies of the latter, until properly ex- changed in such manner as shall be mutually approved by the respective authorities." The within named will not be disturbed by the United States authorities so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside. Done at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, ) this 9th day of April, 1865. ) Immediately on conclusion of the formal terms of surrendei General Grant telegraphed to Washington as follows : GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 161 Headquarters Armies op the United States, ) April 9—4 : 30 P. M. J" Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War : General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia this afternoon, upon the terms proposed by myself. The ac- companying additional correspondence will show the con- ditions fully. (Signed) U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. On the next day. General Lee issued the following farewell address to his army : GENERAL ORDERS— NO. 10. Headquarters Armt of Northern Virginia, April 10. After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. I need not tell the survivors of so many hard, fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them, but holding that valor and devotion could have accomplished nothing that could compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuation of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past valor has endeared them to their countrymen. By the terms of agree- ment, officers and men can return to their homes and remain there until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfac- tion that proceeds from the consequences of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend you His blessing and protection. With an increasing admiration of your constancy and devo- tion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration of myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell. ROBERT E. LEE, General. General Lee remained with his army for a few days to carry out the terms of capitulation, and then went to Richmond, where he arrived on the afternoon of April 15th. His recep- tion there was of such a character that we cannot pass it over 11 162 SOUTIIEKN GENERALS. without a few words in the language of those who were eye witnesses. It was towards 3 p. m., when General Lee, with some half- dozen of his staff and a few cavalry, approached the city by the Lynchburg turnpike. When he arrived at the pontoon bridge, spanning the James Elver between Richmond and Man- chester, an immense crowd had collected to receive him, and he was greeted with cheers upon cheers. Several Union officers and soldiers were also there, and these, with the true character- istic of all brave and noble-minded men, raised their caps to the fallen commander-in-chief of the Southern armies — he who, for the whole period of four years had been the leading and only general in the State of Virginia, and who had so long stood up against the daring and heroism of the North. As he now passed along the streets towards his residence, in Franklin- street, windows and doors flew open, and the softer sex spon- taneously appeared waving their 'kerchiefs as a welcome. These tokens of respect and esteem evidently affected him, especially as he marked the sad tokens of the past in the aspect of men and things around. What were his thoughts we can only judge from a knowledge of the whole previous history connected with him and with the city itself. But, except an occasional bow, as he recognized an acquaintance, and an acknowledgment of the salutations made to him, he gave no sign or token of his mind. His hair white as snow, his face care-worn, and his air and manner jaded, he rode on with a quiet and thoughtful countenance. At every step the crowd increased. Strong men, alike with women, wept aloud, for the glory of Richmond — as its people once felt — had departed, and its great chief and popular idol now came, not as a victo- rious general, but as a conquered man. The residence of General Lee, at Richmond, was a large three-story brick house, built without ornamental flourishes, with a hall at one side, a basement, and the general arrange- ment of rooms. As he dismounted here and ascended the steps, the crowd spontaneously gave him three cheers, and called upon him for a speech, while, for a moment, he stood upon the balcony and bade his staff good-by. But, no doubt too much affected, Lee merely raised his hat to the crowd, and bending his head in salutation, passed within his doors, GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LSE. 163 and was lost to sight as the high military chief who had won so much renown in the cause he had — rightly or wrongly — from a sense of duty to his native State, espoused. It is due to Lee, says a Philadelphia correspondent, to state that " he entered the city with the least possible display, and that he took the shortest route to his house, trying to avoid all kind of public demonstration. But the people loved as well as admired the man, and his simple presence — fallen as conquered, but not disgraced — stirred them to the last sign of emotion. It was no words that he spoke, for he said not a word. It was no mute appeal that he made, for he avoided them ; but it was his presence and its signification that moved them." To this may we not add that man's truer and bettor nature is ever keenly susceptible of loftier and nobler emotions when beholding a spectacle of fallen greatness. There is in disaster and suffering, a something which tends to soften our sterner and more repellant character. Truly, as the writer from whom we obtain our information says, " The animate corpse of Napoleon, pacing the walks of Longwood, drew tears from many besides the worshippers of the empire. Lee riding, a prisoner of war, through the streets of the city he had so long defended, is the latest parallel of that sad scene. We must forgive this people." Happily, as the public press stated at the time, General Lee found the noble-minded*partner of his life, Mrs. Lee, in good health, though reports to the contrary had gone forth ; and in a few days afterwards he received the visits of his friends. But, there were other visits, however, of a character that soon became annoying. He became troubled by calls, from many whose sole object was curiosity or a desire to catch what he might say and make something — for good or for evil — out of it. We have several instances of this before us; but pass them over now. One anecdote illustrative of this may alone be mentioned. A free negro had about three hundred dollars owing to him from the Southern Confederacy ; and, hearing that General Lee had arrived, he went to him and asked for his money. The general was seated in his back piazza with a portion of his family around him, when the following colloquy took place : 164 SOUTHEKN GENEKALS. General. "Well, Edward, how do you do? I am glad to see you ! Edward. I am right well, sah : had mighty hard time here, sah. General. Yes, we have all had a hard time, Edward. Edward. Ise been very poorly, and dey owes me three hundred dollars, and I come to get it. General (somewhat surprised). Oh, Edward, I have noth- ing to do with that. Mr. Trenholm attended to that. "Yes, sah," said the old messenger, and taking himself off, hat in hand, left General Lee, no doubt in a state of bewilderment at this new development of negro strategy and business tact. From the date of Lee's arrival in Richmond as a prisoner of war, there is little to chronicle that of right belongs to the public to become acquainted with. The general has merged into the private citizen, honorably doing his duty in that new station of life to which Providence has called him. One or two events alone have to be recorded as attached to his past military career, and to the position he now holds in connec- tion with the Literary Institute of Virginia. For the rest, the pen has no right to enter upon it more than he himself may choose to put down. When the news of President Lincoln's assassination reached General Lee, he was powerfully affected. Like all properly constituted minds, and especially of such a stamp as Lee's, hie was filled with horror at the atrocious deed, and, for some time, he remained wholly secluded. At length a new order of things called him forth to attend to his personal position. President Johnson's proclamation of amnesty led him to apply for a special pardon ; but just at this time a Federal judge at Norfolk thought fit to frame an indictment for treason against him. Thereupon General Lee inclosed his application to General Grant, who, in the most complimentary and friendly terms, forwarded it to Washington. But, owing to some mis- conception, his name got mixed up with those mentioned in the indictment prepared against Wirz, and only for prompt action on the part of the Executive, it would have so stood. But the sense of the people in the North as well as the South was against it, and, finally, General Lee received his full acquittal. GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 1C5 In August he was offered the Presidency of "Washington College, and as soon as he found himself at full liberty to dc so, he accepted it. In his letter of acceptance he says : "It is the duty of every citizen, in the present condition of the country, to do all in his power to aid in the restoration of peace and harmony, and in no way to oppose the policy of the State or General"* Government directed to that object;" and that " it is particularly incumbent on those charged with the instruction of the young to set an example of submission to authority." The rector of the college, John W. Brockenbrough, then issued an announcement, dated September 1st, that General Lee had been appointed, and spoke of him in very high terms, indorsing the sentiments uttered in his letter, and concluding his remarks as follows : " In dedicating his future life to the holy work of educating the youth of his country, General Lee presents a new and in- teresting phase of his grand and heroic character, a character than which no more perfect model exists among living men. "lis a solid fabric, and will well support the laurels that adorn it. Let the young men of the country, North as well as South, be wise and profit, not less by his precepts, than by his great example." On the 2d of October the amnesty oath was taken by Gen- eral Lee ; and the same day, at Lexington, Va., he was formally installed with becoming ceremonies as president of "Washing- ton College. •* * * * . " * "We now close our sketch of General Lee with the following illustrations and remarks on his character. A foreign gentleman who had been in the South during a great portion of the war, said : " I assure you that Lee is more than ever a sight for gods and men. The same tranquil modesty, utter absence of van- ity, egotism, or self-seeking, and determination to spend and be spent in discharge of his duty. It is certainly one of the most beautiful characters I ever read of — certainly the most beautiful that I ever encountered." A characteristic incident concerning him is thus related : " A gentleman who was in the train from Richmond to 166 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. Petersburg, a very cold morning, not long ago, tells us his at tention was attracted by the efforts of a young soldier, with his arm in a sling, to get his overcoat on. His teeth as well as his sound hand were brought into use to effect the object; but, in the midst of his efforts, an officer rose from his seat, advanced to him, and very carefully and tenderly assisted him, drawing the coat gently over the wounded arm and buttoning it np comfortably, then, with a few kind and pleasant words, returning to his seat. "!Now, the officer in question was not clad in gorgeous uni form, with a brilliant wreath upon the collar and a multitude of gilt lines upon the sleeves, resembling the famous labyrinth of Crete, but he was clad in ' a simple suit of gray,' dis- tinguished from the garb of a civilian only by the three stars which every Confederate colonel in the service by the regula- tions is entitled to wear. And yet he was no other than our chief, General Robert E. Lee, who is not braver and greater than he is good and modest." But apart from what his personal friends, his companions in arms, or impartial strangers may say, we need only refer to the honest opinions of those generous-minded men who were his opponents. The estimation of Scott and others has been recorded, and the dignified, manly act of General McDowell — the act of a true soldier and a man — who had once been his friend, in refraining from trespassing on Lee's private property, till military necessity forced his compliance with official orders, cannot be forgotten, nor the considerate and generous demeanor of General Grant. True, there have been those who, through the press, have allowed party feeling of late to malign Lee and all his family — even the dead — forgetting the numerous testimonies of their worth found in letters of Wash- ington, Judge Marshall, and other eminent men ; but, when the fierce tide of passion and sad strife is ended, justice, we are sure, will yet award a truthful panegyric to his name. As aptly illustrating our remarks, the following able analysis of his character, from the American Phrenological Journal of September, 1864, deserves to be brought forward. " The likeness of General Lee herewith presented is said to be an excellent one. The position, however, is not the best for phrenological and physiognomical purposes, a three-quarter GEJSERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE. 167 or a side view being better. The skilful reader of character will be able, however, to make out much even from this. " First, it may be observed that General Lee is a large man and well built, each part being in perfect proportion and har- mony with every other part and with the whole. The chest is capacious, the heart, the stomach, etc., are amply developed, and he is said to be the picture of perfect health and manly beauty. " The temperaments are well balanced, tho vital and motive, however, predominating, with not too much of the mental ; and he is naturally cool and collected, rather than nervous, fiery, or fidgety. He thinks before he speaks, and looks be- fore he leaps. His head is in harmony with his body, being large — even massive — and both long and broad. There is nothing pinched up, contracted, or little about him. He has been literally endowed with all the natural talents vouchsafed to man ; and in addition to this, he has been thoroughly edu- cated, intellectually, religiously, and socially. If he is not a philosopher or a statesmen, he is at least a first-class scholar, and would everywhere pass for a gentleman. " His intellectual faculties, without an exception, are promi- nent. Causality and comparison are especially large, but lan- guage is less conspicuous. u The moral sentiments, as a class, are scarcely full. Benev- olence, conscientiousness, self-esteem, firmness, and approba- tiveness are among the largest organs. Combativeness, de- structiveness, secretiveness, and cautiousness are full. The organs comprising the social group are also full or large, and he is affectionate, loving, and warm-hearted. As a citizen in civil life, he was without reproach ; as a military man, he stands in the front rank. No one will dispute his ability in this department. "Were he on the side of the Unionists, instead of the Confederates, the entire North would be proud of him, and claim equality for him with a Napoleon or a Wellington. "We claim for him only what phrenology indicates, and what he has proved himself to be. Nature made him a man, cir- cumstances made him a slaveholder and a soldier. He an- swers well the ends of his creation and position. We are charitable enough to attribute to him no wrong motive, for we remember that George Washington was no less a rebel than is 168 SOUTHERN GENERALS. General Lee, though on the side of freedom instead of slavery. But we may affirm, judged from our standpoint, that both he and all his associates have acted unwisely and from a mistaken judgment. May he see the error of his ways, and correct them." In conclusion, we now offer the following remarks as coming from a paper (the London Daily JVews) ever most warm in favor of the Northern cause. It says : " General Lee and the relics of his army have surrendered. The most honored and the most trusted of the Confederate leaders, the man who but a few weeks back was appointed commander-in-chief of the whole armies of the Confederacy, expressly that he might retrieve its fortunes and establish its independence, has laid down his arms. In thus acting he has been faithful to his character and his honor. He fought gal- lantty while by fighting he could hope to achieve any practi- cal reslk, to hold the capital, to save the army, or to maintain the existence of the State which had confided to him its defence ; but when the course of events and the fate of war satisfied him that none of these objects could be served by resistance, he spared the useless effusion of blood. The respect which he has won from friend and foe will be heightened by this conduct. His military reputation suffers nothing from succumbing to superior numbers; his patriotism shines the brighter for this evidence that not even the passionate chagrin of defeat could induce him to set personal ambition or false pride above the true interests of his country." L T CEN.T. J.JACKSON GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. CHAPTER I. The Farmer-lad. — His Journey on Foot to Washington. — Seek, and it may b« Found: Persevere, and it maybe Obtained. — Struggles of Early Life. — The Young Lieutenant at Chapultepec. — The Bold General at Manassas. — "Stonewall" Jack- son. — His Parentage, Education, and Peculiar Qualities of Mind. — His Military Ca- reer. — Appointed Professor in the Military Institute. — An Attempt to Murder him. — His First and Second Marriage. — Joins the Service of his Native State. — In Command at Harper's Ferry. — Engagement with the Onion troops. — Made a Brigadier-general. — Jackson in the Fight. — General Bee. — Arrival of Kirby Smith. — Jackson's Farewell to his Brigade. — Ordered to the Shenandoah. — Characteristics of General Jackson. — Winter Campaign. — Fearful March over the Mountains. — Rornney Occupied. — Gen- eral Banks in the Shenandoah valley. — Engagements at Kernstown. One day, in the year 1841, a lad, seventeen years old, might have been seen wending his way, on foot, towards the great city of Washington, the seat of government of the United States. There was nothing particularly striking about this lad, except, perchance, a stolidity of expression upon his coun- tenance, and, rather than otherwise, a want of those marked features of vivacity and intelligence, generally so characteris- tic of the youthful American. Indeed, he would have seemed to be rather a dull and ungainly lad, than a bright one. But, there was evidently a stubbornness of purpose about him, as he plodded along on his way, that showed a dogged perti- nacity in his will as to whatsoever he had set his mind upon. Plain in appearance and indifferently dressed, it was clear that his life had not been passed amidst city scenes, or in polished society. There was nothing courtly or refined about him, beyond the simple manners nature herself teaches. And whatever he was, or whatever he might become, assuredly to himself alone did and would belong all the credit due. We have said this lad was on his way, a-foot, towards Wash- ington ; and now we must add, that, having an irresistible de- sire to enter upon a military career, he was bent upon trying 170 SOUTHERN GENERALS. to see if lie could not, possibly, get an appointment as a cadet at West Point. But, what had he to help him in procuring such an appointment ? In those days it was not easily ob- tained, and, especially, it needed some influential or prominent introduction. Had he got this, then, that solitary youth plod- ding along the highway ? Had he wealthy friends, or relatives of political note? Was he linked to any of the old established families of the land? ~No, reader! ISTot one of these things, or any thing else save perhaps some political friends to help him along, had he : but he had energy, perseverance, a strong heart, and, even young as he was, a firm belief that what he wished fur would be. In other words, he was a believer in the doctrine of predestination, and hence his desires, he con- ceivect; would be granted, because his desires were just exactly what might occur, whether for good or for evil. A stern fatalist, he was a passive, though ready worker in the hands of destiny. Still, it was necessary that some human means should be found to aid his inclinations. Were these, then, to be found? Let us see. The lad himself was, as we have said, about seventeen years old, and, at the time we introduce him, had just left a farm, where, first as a laboring boy, then as something of assistant manager, he had been working for all the past period of his life. An orphan, dependent in his childhood upon a paterna. uncle, with whom he had ever since remained honorably earn- ing his bread, the early lessons received by him were those of poverty, though at the same time of honest ennobling labor. Yet, at his birth there might have been hopes far different. His father had been a lawyer at Clarksburg, in West Virginia; his grandfather, a surveyor of the county in which he resided, and represented it in the Legislature. But when this lad was only three years old his father died, and, through some previous unfortunate circumstances, left this youngest child, with an elder brother and two sisters, completely penniless. His uncle took the orphan to his home, where, as we have seen, he remained for the next fifteen years. During this time the boy worked hard : in summer, always in the field — in winter, devoting all spare hours to school, where he gained the rudiments of a plain education. Conscientious in the dis- GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN" JACKSON. 171 charge of his duties, — grave and seriously disposed, he waa noted for his industry, intelligence, and probity. Indeed, it is believed he was, when only sixteen, elected constable of the county, in consequence of his remarkable high qualities ol mind and conduct. At length he determined to enter upon a new career. A military life seemed to be that which was, to his nature, most inviting; and with promises, from political friends, of kindly aid to pave the way in his first movement — John Tyler, of Virginia, at that time being president — this lad started on foot, to try if his object could be accomplished. Did he suc- ceed, that sturdy farmer lad? "We shall see. * * * * There is, in Mexico, and close to the great city itself, a very strongly fortified place called Chapultejpec. It is a natural and isolated mound of great elevation, and, at the time we are about to refer, contained the military college of the republic, with a large number of sub-lieutenants and other students. The works about this place were of great magnitude ; and, in fact, it was the key on the west side to the city of Mexico, and to get possession of the latter, it was necessary to capture the former. Now, in the month of September, 1847, a gallant army of Americans, under the leadership of General Scott, was engaged in vigorously assaulting this place, prior to the great victory they soon obtained, both there and in the capi- tal of the Montezumas itself. Among the bold assailants, there was one officer holding a lieutenant's commission in a field-battery. This officer was in charge of one section of artil- lery in the advance. He was cool, self-possessed, and seem- ingly in utter indifference to the storm of shot and shell which came pouring down from the besieged. There, with unflinch- ing nerve, he stood his ground, only moving forward, when he moved at all. At length, an order to charge was given by the general in command. The lieutenant promptly prepared to obey, but his men, appalled by the terrible Hue poured upon them, hesitated, and remained under cover. Seeing this, with- out a moment's hesitation, the young officer stepped into the exposed road, and said, " See, my men : there is no danger. Follow me!" Chapultepec was taken ; and among the many heroic inci 172 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. dents of that day, September 13th, this one of the bold lieu- tenant has been recorded. TT vr w *7T Fourteen years after the preceding occurrence, there is an- other battlefield we must cast our eye upon, but, this time, it is at our own doors. Friend to friend, brother with brother — sons born of the same flag — contend for mastery, and fierce, most deadly fierce, is the strife ! Already has the carnage been dreadful ! Heaps of slain cover the ground, and the whiz of shell and shot seems as if complete annihilation to every man and beast upon that blood-stained field must ensue. Yet, cool, calm, stern, and self-collected, one man sits upon a charger as though he were a mere spectator at a review ! On a rising ground, which commands a full view of the battle, at that time fearfully grand, his keen glittering eye takes in the whole scene, as he remains there apparently insensible to all. For a moment or two, let us take a closer glance at this strange man, so seemingly immobile amidst such terrible strife ; let us approach him and examine his appearance. See! He is evidently a powerful man, and, when erect on foot, must be some five feet ten inches high, rather thick-set, with a full chest, broad stalwart shoulders, but somewhat clumsy looking. His face is slightly bronzed, but showing the picture of health, and denoting a mixture of several quali- ties that might puzzle one to say which was most predominant. Raising his hat, the broad forehead indicates clearness of in- tellect, courage, self-command, perseverance, and indomitable will. His eyes express a singular union of mildness, energy, and concentration ; his cheek and nose are both long and well formed. In his dress, simplicity is characteristic, — a common suit of gray, faded cassimere, but just sufficiently braided to show his rank is that of a general. On his horse, he has a most unmilitary appearance. The stirrups are short — his knees are cramped up, with his heels stuck out behind, and his chin, now and again, falls drooping on his breast. But his eye, that piercing, eagle eye, when looking on the field, even at the very time he so droops his head, tells of the man, and at once proclaims him a true hero. And now mark his every motion. See ! The troops on his own side are evidently over- powered ! Appalled at the fierceness of an heroic attack made GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN" JACKSON. 173 upon the hill on which they are stationed, they gradually fall back, and seem as if about to fly. Yet, still lie sits, calm, immovable, and like a statue. His orders had been given ; he waits for one decisive moment to effect another move- ment ; and his presence thus to the brave soldiers who know him well, acts as a charm to stay their flight. Who then is he, that thus so strangely appears amidst such a wild and ter- rible scene ? Listen, and observe. An officer of rank, dashing furiously up, amid the fiercest of the fight, approaches him. " General," said he, " they ar^ beating us back ! We're obliged to give ground !" For a second or so, the general looks at the officer, but his stern, silent face betrays no answering emotion. The keen eye glit- ters for a moment ; then a speaking animation spreads across his features : his lips open ; and in curt, peculiar tones, he re- plies, " Aye, sir ? Well, then, we must give them the bay- onet !" The gallant officer — himself meeting his death im- mediately afterwards — gathers new inspiration from his words. He gallops back to the remnant of his command, and, pointing to the statue-like general, says to his men, " Look ! there is Jackson, standing like a stone wall. Come ! Let us conquer or die ! Follow me !" Yes ! that strange, apparently immobile general, was the now well-known heroic Thomas J. Jackson, thenceforth called by the term here applied to him, " Stonewall " Jackson,* — the same calm, sturdy, energetic being who, as a lad, walked his way, twenty years before, to Washington for the appoint- ment he obtained as a cadet to West Point, and who, as the young lieutenant at Chapultepec, encouraged his men onward by personally showing them the road, heedless of the danger ! ***** * The above is the currently received idea of Jackson's receiving the name of Stonewall affixed to his own. But it has been asserted, with some good evi- dence, that the soubriquet of "Stonewall" originally came from Ms brigade, which was so called because principally recruited in a stone-wall country — the valley counties of Jefferson, Frederick, Page, and Warren. The brigade bore this name before the battle of Bull Run, and thus lent its name to its stout leader — not derived it from him — and Jackson, even in his last hours, was par- ticular in explaining to those around him, that the title belonged to his men. and not to him. 174 SOUTHERN GENEEALS. We will now proceed to fill up the blanks in the above rapid sketches of the man, and then go more into detail with his after history. The immediate ancestors of General " Stonewall" Jackson were settled in Western Virginia, — his grandfather being Ed- ward Jackson, for a long time surveyor of Lewis county, and a member of the Legislature, — his father, Jonathan Jackson, a lawyer of some considerable reputation at Clarksburg. The mother of our hero was the daughter of a Mr. Thomas Neal, of Wood county, who bore to her husband four children, two sons and two daughters. The youngest of these children was Thomas, the subject of this sketch, who was born January '21st, 1824. When he was three years old, his father died in em- barrassed circumstances, and, as we have already mentioned, the lad was left to the care of his paternal uncle, until, by his own perseverance, he contrived to get an appointment as cadet at West Point. It appears, from various statements, that the lad was at first strongly dissuaded, by his friends and relatives, from venturing on such a step ; but, he was not to be turned from his purpose. A member of Congress from his section of Virginia had a presentation to West Point, and young Jackson determined to ask for it. He obtained an in- troduction, and, with a slender wardrobe in his hand, jour- neyed, partly by stage and on foot, to Washington, and that, too, during the muddy season. His perseverance met a re- ward. Introduced to the secretary of war, that eminent of- ficial complimented him for his energy, and gave the appoint- ment. But Jackson had other difficulties in himself to over- come. His education had been very poor, and he was thus inferior to all his classmates in every intellectual attainment. Still he persevered ; and those who remember him there, speak of him as an earnest worker, plodding onward in his tasks with unwearied assiduity. He was, however, looked upon as dull and slow, taking three times as long to learn any thing as did his companions. Nevertheless, what he did learn was learned well, and his tutors felt much pleased with him. He was of a retiring and taciturn disposition, but when brought out in con- versation on subjects of interest, his face would light up with a pleasant smile, and his whole countenance beam with intel- ligence. GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 175 After the usual four years' residence, he graduated number seventeen in his class ; and in July, 1846, was brevetted second- lieutenant, with orders to report for duty in Mexico, under General Taylor. "When General Scott took command, Jackson served under him during the several battles made so famous to the American arms by the skill of that great military chief- tain. His conduct, as we have already seen, was marked by daring and firmness, and his promotion, consequently, was rapid. In August, 1817, he was made a first-lieutenant, in Magruder's battery ; in August, 181S, he was brevetted cap- tain, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battles of Contreras and Cherubusco ; and in March, 1819, brevetted ma- jor, for like good conduct at Chapultepec. In 1852, finding his health such as would interfere with the conscientious discharge of his duties, and peace having been restored, he resigned his commission and returned to Virginia. Just prior to this time, " there was a vacancy in one of the professorships at the Vir- ginia Military Institute, and General Smith, the superintend- ent, was instructed by the Board of Visitors to seek, by private inquiries, some one suitable for the position. Among those to whom he first applied was General D. H. Hill, then a profes- sor in "Washington College. Hill warmly recommended T. J. Jackson, then serving with the army in Florida. Hill had, at that time, no family connection with Jackson ; but he knew him well, and with a penetration and sagacity that did him much credit, declared that he was not only a competent, faith- ful, reliable man, but had a great deal of 'outcome' in him. Repairing subsequently to "West Point, General Smith ad- dressed his inquiries to the faculty there. They recommended. as eligible for the position, McClellan, Rosecrans, Foster, Peck, and G. W. Smith. Upon General Smith's stating that Jack- son had been recommended, they said of him that he was an indefatigable man, and would do well, but had come to the academy badly prepared. Inquiries elsewhere developed the fact, that the persons recommended at "West Point were con- sidered better hook-men than Jackson, but all bore testimony to his great personal worth and. energy, and his sterling qualities. " "When the Board of Visitors met, General Smith reported the name of Jackson, together with a statement of the recommenda- 176 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. tions and encomiums already referred to. It happened that there was on the Board a member who appeared there on that occasion for the first time and the last. He at once advocated Jackson's appointment, though evidently taken by surprise at the sugges- tion of his name. He spoke in very high terms of Jackson, whose townsman he said he was, and told of the great pleasure which his appointment would give to the people of Northwest Virginia. This member, who thus eulogized Jackson, was J. S. Carlile. He was the only one of the Board who knew Jackson, and he warmly advocated him before that jury of strangers. Influenced by what they had thus heard, the Board, without the usual delays, at once ordered the appoint- ment to be tendered to Jackson, and as his health was feeble, he resigned his commission and accepted it." The post he now undertook to fill was Professor of Chemis- try and Natural Science, and the mere fact of his having been chosen for such a position from among other eminent names put forward, is strong evidence of the extraordinary abilities lie possessed, and the innate genius of his mind. The farmer lad, of so poor an education that ten years before he was hardly qualified to enter West Point, was now selected by ex- perienced judges to sit in a professor's chair, and instruct youthful members of the Military' Institute in two of the sciences requiring great mental acquirements to fully compre- hend. But he was not found defective in the task he had un- dertaken. Zealous and persevering in the discharge of his duties, he soon became marked as one of the most competent that could have been found for the position. His peculiar character, however, did not make him a favorite with his pu- pils, and perhaps we may ourselves slightly err in saying that he was too much of a martinet, with too little of that valuable experience in life which enables a wise teacher to sow good and lasting seed, by winning his way into the hearts of more youthful blood than his own. Jackson will be ever deservedly admired for his high qualities as a Christian soldier, and a moral, upright man. But the natural bent of his mind was such as could not exactly see where to draw the line between actual excesses and those irregularities of youth which most men are liable to in their early days, though it appears, in his case, he had been exempt from. Certain it is, however, he GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 177 was not popular with the students ; and, it is said that one instance occurred where his life was in danger from a youth he had expelled owing to misconduct. It seems that this youth, in the heat of passion, determined to have revenge, and way- laid the Professor on his return home from college. A friend apprized Jackson of the possible danger, as he was walking towards the place where the mad boy was concealed ; but Jack- son exclaimed aloud, "Let him shoot me, if he will!" and walked on. The intended murderer was near, and heard the remark. It took effect. Reflection instantly came, and he slunk away, saved from the commission of a great crime, and thus allowing Jackson to fulfil the destiny he ever seemed to think was allotted him. That there was something more than ordinarily peculiar about Jackson's mind, must be inferred from the many circum- stances currently reported of him. One statement goes to as- sert, that "he was afflicted with different forms of hypochon- dria, and had a mania for believing that every thing he ate went down and lodged in his left leg. At another time he would never eat except by the watch, at the precise moment ; and he would take out his watch, lay it on the table, and eat at that moment. If the meal was behind-hand, he would not eat at all. 1 ' Many other singularities are reported of him, some few may be yet mentioned in their place ; but, whatever may have been those peculiarities, it is certain that, even in other things, he was very different from most men. Perhaps his early strug- gles in life, and the hard lessons of poverty, may have some- what soured his temper, and inclined him to asceticism, though to a really healthful mind the tendency is the reverse. The experiences of a painful past should make us more forbearing and indulgent to others in the present ; but all men cannot be thus, especially when holding fast to the tenets of religion in one of the strictest sects of the Christian faith. And such was his case. A conscientious and devout member of the Presby- terian church, of which he was an elder, we can understand how it was that no allowance could be made, in his position, even had his inclination ever tended that way, for the errors and infirmities of those placed under his tuition. " Indepen- dent of his work in the professorship, he was indefatigable 12 178 SOUTHERN GENERALS. in the duties of his creed. He taught in the Sunday-school, he visited the sick, and took a lively interest in. the spiritual welfare of the negroes. Every Sunday he expounded the Scriptures to a class of negro children, and, though in all things else modest and retiring, his voice was heard, and his influence exerted to the utmost, in all questions that related to the moral and spiritual welfare of the colored race. Soon after entering upon his professorship, he married Miss Junkin, a daughter of the Rev. Dr. George Junkin, principal of the Washington College. This lady died in the year 1855, and her children also lived only a short time. Jackson, then, on leave of absence, visited Europe, and upon his return resumed his duties both at the Institute and in the church. He was now married again, to Miss Morrison, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Morrison, late President of Davidson College, N. C, and sister of the wife of the present Confederate general, D. H. Hill, already mentioned as favoring his appointment at the Institute. From this period until the year 1861, Jackson con- tinued in the quiet methodical duties of his position. He was not known, at any time, to mix in the political questions of the day, though he must have watched, with keen anxiety, the violent agitation which resulted in the disruption of the Union. Hidden from the great world without, it is probable that the name of " Stonewall" Jackson would never have been heard in history, certainly not with such fame as now, had not the gigantic strife of civil discord burst forth in his native land'. But, like many of the stern enthusiasts of times before him, he suddenly appeared like a blazing meteor, and by the swiftness and striking energy of his movements, made for himself a niche in the temple of fame, which will stand to all posterity with those of Cromwell, Cameron, and others. The history of the secession of Virginia is well known. Hesitating and doubtful for a time, that State at length passed an ordinance of disunion on the 17th of April, 1861, and im- mediately it was determined to drive the Federal forces away, if possible, beyond the border-lines. Harper's Ferry and the Arsenal there was then garrisoned by a detachment of United States dragoons, under Lieutenant Jones, who, on the 18th of April, evacuated the place, in consequence of a large force of Virginians coming to take possession of it. But, it was neces- GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN" JACKSON. 179 sary for Virginia to keep an " army of observation" there, and Governor Letcher immediately issued a commission to Jackson appointing him a colonel in the State troops, with command in the Shenandoah Valley, the headquarters being at Harper's Ferry. It is, however, stated that previous to this, Jackson was commandant of the camp of instruction at the Fair Grounds, Richmond ; but even if so, it is certain that his was the first regular military commission issued by his native State, and that on the 3d of May he took command at Harper's Ferry. On the 23d of May, the military forces of Virginia having been more fully organized, General J. E. Johnston took com- mand at Harper's Ferry, and assigned Jackson to the infantry then concentrating in the Valley. Stuart was appointed to command the cavalry, and Pendleton had charge of the artil- lery, and it was thus conceived that under such leaders the new Confederate troops would be successful against any Federal attacks, especially as Jackson had already placed the soldiers under excellent drill, and moulded them "into that impenetrable phalanx which stood stern and unbroken after- wards, amid scenes of the most frightful carnage." But, early in June, General Patterson advanced with a large Union force, and necessitated the evacuation of Harper's Ferry by Johnston. The Confederates retired to "Winchester, but had scarcely arrived there when information was obtained that the Federals were still advancing, and therefore Jackson, with his brigade, was sent to the neighborhood of Martinsburg to aid Stuart's cavalry in destroying what they could of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad stock, and thus check the enemy's movements. Patterson, however, still came on, though not by the way of Harper's Ferry, which remained unoccupied, but intending to cross the Potomac near "Willi am sport, twenty-five miles higher up. There, on the 2d of July, Jackson, with his force of some 3,500 troops, all Virginians, prepared to resist the Union attempt. The ford across the Potomac at "Williamsport is narrow, and the river so shallow at times, that a man may wade it without being wet above the waist. There, however, in the early morning of Tuesday, the 2d of July, the advanced Federal forces crossed, and, after some movements on both sides, Jackson fell back to Falling Waters, on the main road ISO SOUTHERN GENERALS. to Martin sburg, a running fire being kept up. A detachment of Union troops was then sent forward to reconnoitre, and at 9 a. m. Jackson was encountered on the Porterfield farm, where he had formed his men in line of battle behind the house, and with a park of artillery (four guns) directly upon the turnpike along which the enemy was advancing. The battle now commenced, and for half an hour Jackson succeeded in maintaining his ground; but, the remainder of Patterson's army coming up, he' was compelled slowly to fall back. This he did for a mile or two further, and then made a second stand, renewing the fight with great obstinacy. The odds, however, were too much against him, and finally he "retired, when about to be outflanked, scarcely losing a man, but bringing off forty-five prisoners." Jackson then rejoined the main army, under Johnston, at Winchester. This engagement — it can hardly be called a battle — was the first that took place between the two armies, and from several circumstances related concerning it, wherein parties of both sides are said to have met each other without knowledge of either being foes, it would seem that regular organized warfare had hardly yet commenced. The commanding officers were schooled in military art, but the men were still raw and un- used to a battlefield. Shortly after this affair, Jackson was made a brigadier-gen- eral ; and he then continued to march and countermarch in front of Patterson, thoroughly checking his onward move- ments, for a fortnight more. At the end of that time, July 18th, a dispatch reached General Johnston, at Winchester, that the great Northern army was advancing on Manassas, where the bulk of the Confederate forces under Beauregard were then concentrated, and that he was to go thither as speedily as possible. In two days from that date, Johnston had arrived with his army at Manassas, and General Jackson was posted, with his brigade, in the rear of Longstreet's forces, near Black- burn's ford, where an engagement with a portion of the Union troops had already taken place, viz., on the 18th of July. Next morning, Sunday, July 21st, began that great battle, which, first in this memorable strife, was also remarkable for the great panic that occurred on the Union side, and the complete- ness of a hard-earned and nearly lost victory to the Confed- GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 181 erates. But, in this hasty sketch of the life of one of the many eminent commanders on both sides, engaged on that day, it is impossible to do more than give a hurried outline of the entire battle. As is well known, the Union army was under General McDowell, and the Confederates under Beauregard and John- ston, — the latter, though senior, allowing the former to con- duct the engagement in accordance with his previous plans. The several corps and division commanders on either side were men of skill and ability, but the soldiers, though brave even to rashness, were all, or nearly all, inexperienced, and not yet fully disciplined. The fight, therefore, was bloody and severe. A portion of the Union forces crossed Bull Bun stream, about 10 a. h., at a place called Sudley's ford, eight miles higher up than where Jackson's brigade was posted, and the remainder were stationed at the Stone bridge, also six miles above Jackson's position. Later in the day, however, a part of this remaining Union force crossed the stream, and engaged, hand to hand, in the conflict, while the rest still defended the bridge. The Confederate line of battle was from below Jackson's position on the right, to the Stone bridge, and then diverging along the Warrenton turnpike to near Groveton, on the left, where the Union right had come forward, hoping to outflank their foe. Within this line was an irregular plateau, the slopes of which reached down upon and slightly across the turnpike road. On the Confederate left of this plateau was a farm-house, belonging to a widow lady named Henry, who, during the engagement, being bedridden, was once or twice carried out by her family, but ultimately met her death while lying there during a part of the fiercest of the strife. This house was in a prominent position, and consequently became the scene of several severe attacks for its capture and recap- ture on both sides. On the morning of July 21st, Jackson was moved from his position in the rear of Longstreet, more to the left, so as to support either Bonham, in front of him, at the Bull Run stream, below the Stone bridge, or Cocke, who was on the left. Here he remained during the greater part of the morning, until, finding that a portion of the troops already hotly engaged on his left were exhausted and in disorder, he moved to reinforce 182 SOUTHEEN GENEEALS. them. Marching along the back of the plateau, he suidenly came out upon its eastern crest, a little below the Henry House, and there with his artillery opened fire to great effect. The Union forces, in spite of the most heroic charges, and a tremendous fire aiding them from Griffin's and Rickett's batteries, were completely held in check, until Johnston him- self, with Beauregard, came up and reformed the shattered columns, compelling the Federals for a time to retire. Jack- son was now in the centre with four regiments and thirteen pieces of artillery; and the most strenuous efforts were made by him, and the other heroic commanders on his right and left, to keep the advantage so far gained. But, the enemy was again dashing on with irresistible power. Up the sides of the plateau, — from the turnpike road, and from their right, — forward they came with a determination and bravery that justice must admit, and the truth of history cannot deny. Heavily reinforced, they gained the summit, and all around the Henry House, with other portions of the ground, was in their possession. Then General Beauregard gave orders for the entire right of his line, except the reserves, to advance. With a wild yell, peculiar to the Southern troops, they did so, Jackson's brigade piercing the enemy's centre, and recovering what had been lost, though at a fearful sacrifice of life. But, the triumph was shortlived. Again did the Federals rush forward, and this time so overpoweringly, that the Confed- erates once more gave way. Now appeared Jackson, no more as the calm, reserved college professor, but as a thorough im- personation of the military chief. Everywhere in the thickest of the fight, with the voice and the look of a warrior upon him, he cheered and encouraged his men amid the deadliest slaughter. He seemed to have a charmed life, so futile to touch him were the efforts of the enemy's fire. But, hope was nearly gone. The fortunes of the day were evidently waning for the Confederate cause, and about 4 p. m., when a lull in the battle occurred, he paused awhile, on his horse, to consider anew what could be done. It was while thus reflecting, Gen- eral Bee rode up, and, as we have already mentioned, spoke, in the bitterness of his heart, of the lowering aspects of the day. Then came that reply before recorded ; and when again the troops once more rallied to the bugle blast, Jack- GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 183 son was among them, foremost in the fray. Just then General Kirby Smith's reinforcement arrived, and the sight of their comrades so inspirited the Confederate soldiers, that nothing could withstand them. The Union forces broke in disorder. In vain their commanders tried to rally them. They fled, and ere darkness had commenced, the battlefield of Bull Run was in possession of the Southern army, and the victory was theirs. Thus terminated the battle, in which Jackson obtained his soubriquet of " Stonewall." That there was any thing, up to this time, very extraordinary in his military talents above his brother commanders, may reasonably be questioned ; but, a fortuitous circumstance gave him a name, and this, added to something of a Cromwellian charm about the man, has caused him to be spoken of, perhaps, in a higher degree than impar- tial justice to all would exactly warrant. However, he was one of the many deserving great admiration and respect. The Union army having retreated towards Washington, Jackson remained with his brigade near Centreville. In Sep- tember he was made a major-general, and, in the early part of October, assigned to the command of the Confederate forces in and around Winchester. When the news of this appointment reached his old brigade, which was to remain with the main Yirginian army, it caused general regret at the separation. On the 4th of October he took leave of his men, and, as they were drawn up before him, the silent but deep sorrow expressed in the countenance of every man was unmistakable. With the short abrupt tones peculiar to him, he addressed his soldiers in words of praise for the past and exhortation for the future, adding, that " he trusted whenever he should hear of the First brigade on the field of battle, it would be of still nobler deeds achieved, and higher reputation won." Then, pausing for an instant while his eye ran along the line, that outwardly cold, stern soldier was unable to master the emotion within him ; but, suddenly rising in his stirrups, and throwing the reins upon his horse's neck, he extended his arms, and exclaimed, with an emphasis that sent a thrill through every heart — " In the army of the Shenandoah, you were the First bri- gade ! In the army of the Potomac, you were the First brigade ! In the Second corps of the army, you are the First brigade ! 184 SOUTHERN GENERALS. You are the First brigade in the affections of your general ; and I hope, by your future deeds and bearing, you will be handed down to posterity as the First brigade in this our second war of independence. Farewell !" Three prolonged and deafening cheers then burst forth from his brave and hardy soldiers, which were renewed again and again. His face flushed for a moment as he listened to the sound, but he did not speak. Perhaps — for even stern gen- erals are men — his heart was too full to say another word. But he looked the kindly thanks, and waving his hand, he galloped away. When Jackson w T as ordered to the Shenandoah, he took with him several new regiments ; and, attached to one of these was a gentleman, whose correspondence with another Confederate officer has been published by the latter. As portions of it aptly serve to illustrate the character and describe the move- ments of General Jackson at this time, we briefly transcribe them, with such trifling amendments as reference to other re- ports make necessary. The writer says : " When we were ordered up the Yalley with old Jackson, it was considered to be a source of congratulation to all for going into active service ; but, believe me, I would willingly have gone back into winter-quarters again after a week's trial, for Jackson is the greatest marcher in the world. When we first moved up here, our orders were for a march to Charlestown ; next day we moved back to Winchester; in a few days again back to Charlestown ; and thence from one place to another, until at last I began to imagine we were commanded by some peripatetic philosophical madman, whose forte was pedestrian- ism. With little or no baggage, we are a roving, hungry, hardy lot of fellows, and are not patronized at all by parsons or doctors : the latter have a perfect sinecure amongst us. ' Stonewall ' may be a very line old gentleman, and an honest, good-tempered, industrious man, but I should admire him much more in a state of rest than continually seeing him mov- ing in front. And such a dry old stick, too ! As for uniform, he has none — his wardrobe isn't worth a dollar; and his horse is quite in keeping, being a poor lean animal of little spirit or activity. And don't he keep his aides moving about ! Thirty miles ride at night through the mud, is nothing of a job ; and, GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN" JACKSON. 1S5 if they don't come up to time, I'd as soon face the devil, for Jackson takes no excuses when duty is on hand. He is solemn and thoughtful, speaks but little, and always in a calm decided tone ; and, from what he says there is no appeal, for he seems to know every hole and corner of this valley as if he had made it, or, at least, as if it had been designed for his own use. He knows all the distances, all the roads, even the cow-paths through the woods, and goat-tracks along the hills. He sits horse very awkwardly, and has a fashion of holding his head very high, and chin up, as if searching for something skywards ; yet, although you can never see his eyes for the cap-peak drawn over them, nothing escapes his observation. His movements are sudden and unaccountable : his staff don't pretend to keep up with him, and, consequently, he is frequently seen alone, poking about in all sorts of holes and corners, at all times of night and day. I have frequently seen him approach in the dead of night and enter into conversation with sentinels, and ride off through the darkness. ... In my opinion, Jackson will assuredly make his mark in this war, for his untiring in- dustry and eternal watchfulness must tell upon a numerous enemy unacquainted with the country, and incommoded by large baggage-trains. Jackson evidently intends to supply himself at Federal expense ; and, as he is a true tire-eater, and an invincible believer in our ' manifest destiny,' Banks will find him a disagreeable opponent to confront in the mountain passes, or at the many fords." Another writer, speaking of him at the same period, says : " He is as calm in the midst of a hurricane of bullets as he was in the pew of his church at Lexington, when he was professor of the Institute. He appears to be a man of almost superhuman endurance. Neither heat nor cold makes the slightest impression upon him. He cares nothing for good quarters and dainty fare. Wrapped in his blanket, he throws himself down on the ground anywhere, and sleeps as soundly as though he were in a palace. He lives as the soldiers live, and endures all the fatigue and all the suffering that they endure. His vigilance is something marvellous. He never seems to sleep, and lets nothing pass without his personal scrutiny. He can neither be caught napping, nor whipped when wide awake. The rapidity of his marches is something 186 SOUTHERN GENERALS. portentous. He is heard of by the enemy at one poirt, and before they can make up their minds to follow him, he is off at another. He keeps so constantly in motion that he never has a sick-list, and no need of hospitals." The movements of Jackson at this period must now be briefly mentioned. At the time he was ordered to the Shenan- doah, there was a strong force of the Federals at Bomney and Bath, in Northwestern Virginia, while General Banks, with his army, was on the north of the Potomac, ready to Cross into the Valley. Jackson, accordingly, determining to try and annoy the enemy, even if he could not beat them, conceived the idea of destroying the "dams" up the river, so that sup- plies could not be forwarded to the Union army at Washing- ton by the canal. Accordingly, the attempt was made, and, amid the cold aud snows of a severe winter in that region, his men were engaged, waist-deep, in the river, endeavoring to tear down Dam No. 5, near Williamsport. The attempt at first was unsuccessful, owing to the severity of the weather and a continual fire from the Federals on the river bank, but, ultimately, the task was accomplished in December, though with the loss of several men. No sooner was this done, than Jackson, on the 1st of January, 1862, without allowing any one to know whither he was bound, started with his force t of 2,200 men to surprise the Federals stationed at Bath, otherwise known as Berkley Springs. The day was fine, and the air soft and balmy, so that the men left their blankets and overcoats behind, expecting the wagons to follow and join them before those articles were needed. But, by some mischance, the wagons did not come up, and on the third day of the march, the weather changed again to all the severity of winter. Bain, snow, hail, sleet, beat upon the troops thus shelterless, and without their ordinary covering. The horrors of the march became fearful. " The country was exceedingly rough ; unfrequented roads had to be taken ; ice was on the ground, and neither man nor beast could maintain a footing. Men soon were bootless, hatless, and ragged ; horses could scarcely stir, and, at night, the weary soldiers had to sleep out upon the snow as best they could. By and by, whew the wagons came up, matters were in no ways mended, fur, in toiling over the hills, horsemen, infantry, wagons and GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 187 all, would frequently slip over an embankment. One train of wagons and artillery took from daylight until 3 p. m. to pass a hilly point, heavy details of men steadying the wagons, and almost lifting the animals along." This expedition appears to have been unnecessary and ill planned. But the object of it was accomplished. Bath was occupied by Jackson, who " drove the Federals across the Potomac, on one of the coldest nights ever known in that region," and he immediately marched on towards Eomney, which place was evacuated by the Union troops, under Gen- eral Shields, before Jackson's arrival. At this time, General Loring, with Jackson's old brigade, had joined him, and the former was now left at Romney, while the latter, with his " Stonewall" companions, rapidly returned to Winchester. Information, however, now came to him that Shields had united with Banks, and their whole army was on the march down the Yalley. Accordingly, Jackson speedily collected his corps together from all points, and prepared to retire down the Shenandoah whenever necessary. On the 11th of March he evacuated Winchester, and slowly marched along the Yalley, with all the spoils he had obtained, toward? Staunton. But, on the 21st, after passing Strasburg, the enemy still following him thus far, he heard that General Shields* was falling back, and a body of Union troops was moving by way of Snicker's Gap, to reinforce the Federals operating against General Johnston at Manassas. He therefore, at once returned and pushed forward with the greatest rapidity to Winchester. On the afternoon of the 23cl, Jackson's army was again near that place, intending to bivouac for the night at Kernstown. But, finding the enemy likely to receive rein- forcements, he at once determined upon attacking him. The battle began about 4 p. m. and continued until dark, ending in success to the Federals, and Jackson being compelled to fall back to Cedar creek. In this engagement, it is understood that Jackson was com- pletely outwitted by General Shields' feint of retreating back to the Potomac ; but the Confederates, however, " accomplished something of what they desired, in preventing a junction -of Banks' command with other forces." 1S8 SOUTHERN GENERALS. CHAPTER II. Arrival of General Ewell. — Advance of General Milroy. — Jackson unites wAh Gen- eral Edward Johnson. — The Military Institute Cadets and General Smith. — Move- ments in the Valley. — Observance of the Fast-day. — Eetreat of General Banks. — Divine Service in Camp. — Movements of Fremont and Shields. — Battles of Crosskey and Port Republic. — Jackson and the Bible Society. — McClellan's Army around Richmond. — Jackson's March to the Peninsula. — Battle of Cold Harbor. — Pursuit of the Federals. — Battle of Malvern Hill. — Jackson's Army in Camp recuperating. — On the March again. — Advance towards the Army of Pope. — Battle of Cedar Run. — Jackson Moves by the Federal Right Flank to Pope's Rear. — Attack on Manassas. — Affair at Bristoe Station. — Jackson falls back to the old Battlefield of Bull Run. — Battles of August 29th and 30th. — Rout of the Federals. — Pursuit. — Engagement at Ox Hill. — Movement into Maryland. — Arrival at Leesburg. — Crossing the Potomac. — Capture of Harper's Ferry. — Battle of Antietatn. — Return to the Shenandoah valley. — Anecdote of Jackson. — Battle of Fredericksburg. After this battle, General Jackson retreated in the direction of Harrisonburg, pursued by Banks' army as far as that place. He then, on the 19th of April, crossed the south fork of the Shenandoah, and took position between that river and Swift Run Gap. General Ewell had also been directed to join the main body of Jackson's army, and arrived from Gordonsville on the 30th of April. Meanwhile it was ascertained that Gen- eral Milroy, with another portion of the Union forces, was ad- vancing from the west side of the Shenandoah mountains, with the intention of effecting a junction with Banks, and then both to attack Staunton. To defeat this, Jackson determined to join his own forces with the Confederate troops of General Ed- ward Johnson, then near Buffalo Gap, west of Staunton, and, while Ewell was sent to keep Banks in check, Milroy should be attacked. This was done. At Staunton, Jackson found himself earnestly supported by Major-general Smith, his old friend, the superintendent of the Military Institute, and the cadets, who had all come forward to assist in defending that portion of the Yalley ; and on the 7th of May he directed John- son to move in advance on Milroy's position. The latter re- treated until he was reinforced by General Schenck, in the McDowell valley, where he stood his ground for an engage- ment. This took place on the 8th, and ended in the furthei GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 189 retreat of Milroy, pursued by Jackson to the vicinity of Frank- lin. Here Jackson deemed it advisable to return to the Shen- andoah Valley again, with the intention of attacking Banks with all of the Confederate forces — his own, Johnson's, and Ewell's united — before those of the Union commander could be again concentrated. On the loth of May he had recrossed the mountains, and encamped for the night near the Lebanon "White Sulphur Springs. Here the troops were halted for a short time, to enable them to attend divine service, and observe the Fast recommended by President Davis. On the 17th, the march was resumed towards Harrisonburg, and thence — hear- ing that Banks had fallen back to Strasburg, which he was strongly fortifying — he moved rapidly down the Valley to New- market, where a junction was again effected with Ewell. From tin's place Jackson crossed to Luray and Front Royal, hoping, by a surprise of the Union troops there, to get in the rear of Banks, or compel him to abandon his fortifications at Strasburg. On Friday, May 23d, the Federals were attacked and defeated at Front Royal, and Jackson immediately pre- pared to advance upon General Banks. But the next morning he was surprised to hear that the entire Union army was in rapid retreat up the Valley, towards Winchester. The Con- federate cavalry had previously been posted near the Federals, and Ewell also sent on in advance, and now, together, these so completely harassed the Northern troops, that something like another Bull Run panic commenced. The scene along the road is described as something never before witnessed. " Every imaginable article known to campaigning was strewn about for miles : the fields were crowded with fugitives, while scores of ambulances were filled with foot-sore or wounded Federals. Now and again the rear of the enemy would rally, and try to check the impetuous advance of the victorious Confederates ; but it was only a vain effort. The cavalry, under the gallant Turner Ashby, the infantry under Ewell, and the main body under Johnson, with Jackson himself and his old brigade amongst them, all swiftly followed on, capturing immense spoils and a vast number of prisoners. "For many miles along the road towards Winchester and beyond, large and in- numerable fires told that the enemy were destroying their sup- plies, and already on their retreat towards the Potomac. The 190 SOUTHERN GENERALS. whale country seemed on fire, and on the night of the 24th the sight was awfully grand, for, whichever way the eye turned, fires illuminated the dark and distant landscape." Early on the morning of the 25th of May, Jackson began to move on Winchester. Dense columns of smoke issuing from the town, made it evident that the enemy were busily engaged in burning stores ; but Jackson, wishing to stop this, pushed forward, and, meeting with a feeble resistance, the Confederates rushed into the town, driving the foe through every street, and speedily causing the Federal troops again to hurriedly re- treat. But swift upon their heels came the victorious Southern soldiers — Ashby, with his cavalry, hanging close to their rear. Soon it was discovered that Banks had shaped his course towards Williamsport, and ere he had crossed over to that town, the Confederate advance was well up with him. Now the scene became even more intensely exciting than ever. The dead and wounded along the road were so numerous, that it was more like the last of a battle-field than a retreat. " Hats, caps, muskets, boots, wagons, burning stores, sa- bres, pistols, etc., besides exhausted Union soldiers, lined every yard of the way, and could be found in the woods at either side. At last, Jackson's army, totally prostrated from fatigue, and helpless as children, reached the vicinity of Williamsport on the evening of the 26th of May, and found that all who remained of the enemy, had effected a passage across the river at different points, and were safe in Maryland." On the following day " divine service was held in the camps of the Southern army, and thanks rendered to God for the success with which He had blessed their arms, and His con- tinued favor implored, — a duty which General Jackson never failed to impress upon his troops." The men then rested ; but on the 28th, movements against the enemy were renewed. The Federals still had some of their divided army near Charles- town, but Generals Winder and Evvell were sent by Jackson to disperse them; and this accomplished, it was then necessary for Jackson to guard against a serious peril which menaced him behind. Shields was moving rapidly towards his right, and Fremont from near Koniney, on his left, with a view of concentrating q, heavy force in his rear, and cutting GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 191 oil a retreat up the valley. To avoid this, Jackson, on the 30th of May, with all his troops, except Winder's and the cavalry, returned to Winchester. Before he reached there, however, news came that the Union cavalry had already ap- peared at Front Royal, and the Confederate force left in pos- session had abandoned it. Jackson, therefore, on the 31st, hurried forward, and moved towards Strasburg, encamping there that evening. Next morning, June 1st, Fremont's forces having arrived by the way of Warclensville, attacked Jackson's ontposts in that direction. Ewell was now ordered to hold Fremont in check until the remainder of the Confederate forces under Winder arrived, which they did that evening, — a part of them, the Second Virginia, having marched thirty-six miles. The command being thus united again, the retreat continued towards Harrisonburg. The incidents of this retreat now became numerous and most exciting. Fremont hung close upon Jackson's rear, but the gallant Ashby, by his skill and personal daring, materially checked the pursuit, and early on the morning of the 5th of June the Confederates reached Harrisonburg, and passing beyond the town, turned towards the east, in the direction of Port Republic. Next day an engagement took place between Ashby's cavalry, supported by General G. H. Stewart's bri- gade of infantry, and the Union cavalry, supported by the Pennsylvania "Bucktails." In this encounter, two important Union officers — Colonel Sir Percy Wyndham, and Lieutenant- colonel Kane — were captured by the Confederates, and their forces driven from the field ; but this wf.s dearly bought by the death of the heroic Ashby. The main body of Jackson's command had now reached Port Republic, and were encamped on the high ground north of the village, about a mile from the South river, a tributary of the Shenandoah. Ewell's forces were four miles distant, near the road leading from Harrisonburg. Fremont had ar- rived with his forces in that vicinity, and Shields was fifteen miles below Port Republic. Jackson's position was about equidistant from both parties, and it was his object to prevent, if possible, a junction between them. Accordingly, when Shields had approached nearer, he was attacked by Jackson, at Port Republic, and driven back, while Ewell encountered 192 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Fremont's advanced forces, and, after 9 sharp engagement at Cross Keys, on the 8th of June, defeated them. The forces of General Shields having retreated, it was now- easier to attack Fremont, when he again made his appearance ; but that general deemed it more wise to concentrate his troops around Winchester, as a base of operations, and accordingly retreated thither, leaving Jackson to pursue his triumphant march unmolested. On the 12th of June, Jackson recrossed South river, and en- camped near Weyer's Cave ; " and for the purpose,", as he said, " of returning thanks to God for having crowned our army with success, and to implore his continual favor, divine service was held in the army on the 14th." The army re- mained in the same place until the 17th, when Jackson again took up the line of march, but, now, to join in the great movements then going on around Richmond. It was about this time that General Jackson was made a Life Director of the Bible Society of the Confederate States ; and the following is his letter of acknowledgment : Headquarters Valley District, Virginia, July 21, 1862. Rev. E. A. Booles, General Ageut Bible Society of Confederate States of America : Dear Sir: — I gratefully acknowledge the honor conferred upon me by a portion of God's people, in constituting me a Life Director of the Bible Society of the Confederate States of America. It is a cause in which I feel a deep interest, and my earnest prayer is, that God will make this infant Bible Society the means not only of giving His blessed "Word to our own people, but of sending it freely to the remotest nations of the earth. Inclosed is a check for one hundred and fifty dollars. Please acknowledge its reception, and believe me to be, very truly, your friend and brother in Christ, T. J. JACKSON. During the period of Jackson's labors in the Shenandoah, the Union army, under McClellan, had invested Richmond ; but, on the 31st of May, at the battle of Seven Pines, General Johnston inflicted upon the Federals the first of those severe GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN" JACKSON. 193 checks that finally ended in their withdrawal before the Con- federates under General Lee. We have already seen, in our sketch of General Lee's life, how this was accomplished, and i would be a needless repetition to go again into details. We shall, therefore, confine ourselves simply to the personal move- ments of Jackson. On the 17th of June, General Jackson commenced his march from Weyer's Cave to the Peninsula, leaving a small force at Harrisonburg to watch the enemy. On the 25th he had ar- rived at Ashland, sixteen miles from Richmond, at the very time McClellan, probably hearing of his advance, " closed the siege, by changing his policy from offence to defence." The next day, Jackson, as directed by Lee, steadily advanced to- wards Cold Harbor, where he immediately took up a position to fall upon the enemy. On the 27th of June the great battle began. " Stuart, with his cavalry, was posted on the left of Jackson's troops, to charge and intercept the Federals if they attempted to retreat in the direction of the Pamunkey ; and hardly had line of battle been formed, when heavy firing on the right indicated that General A. P. Hill, who had gone in that direction, was hard pressed. Jackson immediately or- dered a general advance of nis entire corps, which hastened forward, Whiting's division on the right of the line, and Jack- son's, Ewell's, and D. H. Hill's, in the order named, from right to left. The welcome sound of Jackson's guns came to Lee and Longstreet as they were hastening forward from Gaines' Mill, and the entire Confederate force on the left bank of the Chickahominy, which had only waited the arrival of Jackson, advanced in one wild charge, and the battle began to rage with a fury until then unknown." The result is well known. The Union forces fought heroically, and occasionally gained some advantage; but, "just as night was descending, the general and decisive charge was made all along the line, and in obedi- ence to Jackson's brief, stern order, 'Press them with the bayonet !' Hill's, Ewell's, Whiting's, and Jackson's divisions all charged. Hood's Texans, and the Stonewall brigade, in advance of all the rest, pressed forward, with cheers of defiance, over every obstacle ; and before this terrible charge in front, and the storm of artillery on their right, the enemy wavered, broke, and were put to rout. Posted in advance of his batter- 13 194 SOUTHERN GENERALS. ies, his figure clearly revealed by the fires which the enemy had kindled to draw the artillery fire from their guns, Jack- son heard the wild cheers of his men as they pursued the fly- ing enemy in the direction of Grapevine bridge." Next morning, Jackson sent Ewell forward to Dispatch sta- tion, on the York River railroad, General Stuart being in advance with his cavalry. The cavalry attacked and routed a party of the enemy, and Eyvell tore up and destroyed the railroad at that point. Jackson remained on the battlefield directing movements, as the Confederate forces pursued McClellan's army ; and on the night of the 29th, he crossed to the right bank of the Chickahominy, hastily reconstructing the bridge destroyed by the Federals. At Savage station, he gathered up about 1,000 stragglers from the Union army, and then proceeded to White Oak Swamp, where he pressed heavily upon the enemy's rear, to Frazier's farm. There he met Generals Lee and Long- street, and was at once assigned to the front, infusing, by his presence, new ardor into the pursuit. At Malvern Hill his corps was confronted by the entire army of McClellan, and, in that heavy engagement, lost some of its best men. It was during these battles that Jackson and Lee met for the first time in the war, and, having now seen each other at work, there sprung up at once between them that profound respect, confidence, and regard, which thenceforth knew no diminution. Jackson's opinion of Lee was shown, when he said, " He is a phenomenon — I would follow him blind- folded ;" and the appreciation of Lee for Jackson, after events fully proved, when, on the occasion of Jackson's death, he ex- pressed himself as having lost his right arm. The day after the battle of Malvern Hill, Jackson was sent forward towards Harrison's landing, and on the folloyving day there was a desultory skirmish between the opposing forces ; but the great and bloody drama of the Peninsula campaign, on that occasion, was ended ; and on the 8th of July, when the Confederates were withdrawn, Jackson's corps returned to Richmond, and went into camp on the Mechanicsville road. Here, for a time, it might be naturally expected that he and his hardy soldiers would have obtained some rest, after the constant marching and countermarching, with the numer- GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 195 cms engagements they had gone through. But it was not so. Only a few days had elapsed when new movements had to be made. Pope was massing large bodies of Union troops on the Rapidan, and threatening the Central railroad at Gordonsville, consequently he must be promptly checked. General Lee had quickly perceived that the scene of action was rapidly chang- ing from the James to the Rappahannock, and it was neces- sary to maintain the Confederate position at such an important place as Gordonsville. Accordingly, Jackson was directed to proceed thither and guard that point against the threatened assault upon it. At the time this order was given, no one except the official few had any idea where the destination would be ; and, saj's one writer, as for gleaning any information concerning it from " the sharp-eyed, tart, sarcastic, crabbed-spoken Jackson," a person might as reasonably "whistle jigs to a mile-stone." When his corps received orders to move, some imagined mere- ly a change of camps, or some such indifferent movement, yet when Richmond was left far to the south, and the column pro- ceeded rapidly in a northwestern direction, many thought it was again to the Shenandoah Valley. But facts soon became known, when, on the 19th of July, Jackson with his own old division and General Ewell's arrived at Gordonsville. Here Jackson received information that the Federal army in his front was in great force, and, accordingly, upon his represen- tation, General A. P. Hill's was sent to reinforce him. It was not long, now, before the advanced forces of cavalry, on both sides, came into collision at Orange Court-house, and the Confederate horsemen had to retreat ; but Jackson ascertaining that only a portion of Pope's army was at Culpepper, he de- termined to advance and attack it before the remaining Union forces could arrive. Accordingly, on the 7th of August, he moved with his entire force from Gordonsville in the direction of the enemy. On the 9th, Jackson reached a point about eight miles from Culpepper, and found the Union troops, under General Banks and General Sigel, posted in his front, near Cedar Run, a short distance west and north of Slaughter moun- tain. "A large body of Federal cavalry occupied a ridge on the right of the road, and a Confederate battery, under Lieu tenant Terry, at once opened upon it. General Early then 196 SOUTHERN GENERALS. advanced, keeping near the Culpepper road, while General Ewell diverged to the right along the slope of the mountain. Early, forming in line of battle, moved into the open field, and drove the enemy's cavalry before him to the crest of a hill. Along this hill the Federal batteries were posted, ready to open as soon as he appeared. In his front, the country was, for some distance, open and broken. A cornfield, and to the left of it a wheatfield, extended to the opposite hill, which was covered with timber." As soon as Early reached the eminence described, the Federal batteries opened upon him, large bodies of cavalry appearing in the wheatfield to the left. A rapid and well-directed fire was returned, and the engagement began. By this time, General "Winder, with Jackson's own division, had arrived, and he immediately disposed the several brigades under Garnett, Taliaferro, and his own under Colonel Eonald, in position behind various batteries. He was then proceeding to direct the movements of these batteries when he was struck by a shell, from which he expired in a few hours. The com- mand of Jackson's division now devolved upon Brigadier- general W. B. Taliaferro, whose brigade, during the action, was commanded by Colonel A. G. Taliaferro. Meanwhile, Ewell had reached the northwest termination of Slaughter mountain, and upon an elevated spot, about two hundred feet above the valley below, had planted Latimer's guns, which opened with marked effect upon the enemy's bat- teries. At 5 p. m. Banks had thrown forward his skirmishers through the cornfield, and advanced his infantry. Another body of infantry, at the same time, moved upon Early's right, and speedily the fight extended from the left to the centre, in a sharp and very warm contest. General Hill had sent one of his brigades to support Early, and while the fight was in pro- gress here, the Federals fell with great vigor on the Confederate left, turning it, and pouring a destructive fire into the rear, compelling Taliaferro's brigade to fall back. At this critical moment, Branch's brigade, of Hill's division, and Winder's brigade, came up and succeeded in driving back the Federals with great slaughter. A general charge was now made by Jackson, and resulted in driving the enemy across the field into the opposite wood, strewing the narrow valley with their GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 197 dead. The victory for the Confederates was gained, and, as night fell, the full-orbed moon soared aloft, pouring its mellow light upon the field of carnage. Over the beautiful slopes of Culpepper, covered with the wounded and the dying, the battle-flag of the South floated proudly in the light of the calm August moon. But the contest was hard and desperate, and, at one time, the day seemed to be in favor of the Federals. I was then, however, that Jackson, carried away by the excite ment of the battle, threw aside his usual cool reserve, and rushed forward to the front, rallied, with his voice and mien, his confused troops, and ordering the decisive bayonet charge, retrieved the broken fortunes of the day. Jackson being now anxious to reach Culpepper without delay, determined to advance through the night, but his front having encountered the enemy's batteries posted in the woods, it was deemed necessary to halt, and this was done. On the following morning, the 10th, he heard that the Federals had been reinforced, and, therefore, did not advance any further. General J. E. B. Stuart now arrived on a tour of inspection, and at Jackson's request took command of the cavalry to reconnoitre. On the 11th, a flag of truce was received from the Union commander, requesting permission to remove and bury the dead. This was granted until 5 p. m., when, hearing from Stuart that the enemy were too heavily reinforced to be wisely attacked, Jackson, during the night, fell back towards Gordonsville, with a view to strategic movements of his own. On the 14th, as was customary with him, General Jackson rested his troops to " return thanks to God for the victory won," and also to await the main army, which was now rapidly marching, under General Lee, from Richmond to co-operate with him. General Lee soon arrived, united with Jackson near Culpepper, and immediately made various demonstrations at the fords of the Rapidan, lower down, to attract Pope's attention while Jackson attempted a flank movement on the left. On the 25th, with some 25,000 men, Jackson left the main army, and proceeded rapidly towards the head waters of the Rappahannock, crossed that river at Hinton's ford, dragging his artillery with difficulty up the narrow and rock-ribbed road beyond, and pushed forward with the utmost speed. It was something of a gigantic task* 198 SOUTHEEN GENEKALS. Indeed, the undertaking was almost superhuman. Miles 01 weary marching — across open fields, by strange country roads and comfortable homesteads, past a little town called Orleans up the steeps, along and across the valleys skirting the Blue Ridge mountains ; always on, on, and seldom resting even for an instant — footsore, hungry, and all but completely exhausted " — did the daring band under Jackson (himself ever sharing the same fatigue and hardship) push forward to Thoroughfare Gap, that it might be reached before the enemy could be aware of their intention. At midnight the troops arrived at Salem, rested a few hours, and then, at dawn of day, on they marched again. At length they reached the Gap. It is, as is well known, a mountain gorge, and was then undefended by the Federals. Jackson, therefore, passed rapidly between the frowning ramparts with his little army, hungry, exhausted, but resolute as ever, and descended, like a hawk, upon Manassas. General Stuart had pushed in advance with his cavalry, ascended the Bull Run mountain, by a winding and rocky road, to the right of the Gap, and descending the eastern acclivity, took his post again in front and on the flanks 01 the army, which, on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 26th, reached the neighborhood of Manassas. Jackson was now completely in the enemy's rear, and speedily possessed himself of the railroad which supplied their army, while Lee was rapidly approaching in the Federal front. Manassas was quickly captured by Stuart, with his cavalry and some infantry, and the first symptoms of a general engage- ment now appeared. The old ground of the Bull Run battle was to be the scene of another great fight, and, on the morning of the 27th, reinforcements from Washington, under General Taylor, passed the Stone bridge, and advanced upon that portion of the Confederate troops at Manassas. An engage- ment followed, ending in the rout of the Federals, who were driven over Bu41 Run, by Blackburn's ford, with the loss of their commander, and hotly pursued by the Stuart horse- artillery, under Major Pelham. Later, on the same day, Ewell attacked Hooker at Bristoe station, but was compelled to retreat and fall back to the main army at Manassas. At the same time, General Fitzhugh Lee, with some cavalry, went GENEKAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON". 199 cm an expedition to Fairfax Court-house, to still further damage the Federal communications, and, if possible, cut oft the retreat of Taylor's brigade. At nightfall, Jackson directed Manassas to be evacuated, after destroying all the Union storea found there, and setting the place on fire. Jackson's position was now somewhat hazardous. Lee wa8 approaching, but had not yet come up — (Long-street's corps taking the same route that Jackson had) — and Pope was mov- ing with his whole force to attack him. But it was neeessary that the advanced ground should be maintained, and, accord- ingly, Jackson determined merely to fall back to within sup- porting distance of Longstreet, and hold on till the main body of the Confederate army arrived. This was done. He divided his corps, and sent Hill by way of Blackburn's ford to Centre- ville, so as to deceive the enemy, while he himself took up a position on the precise ground occupied by the right of the Federal army in the first battle of Bull Run. There he was joined by Hill, who, according to orders, had turned from Centreville back along the Warrenton road, and crossed the Stone bridge to Jackson's quarters. Meantime, the enemy had followed Hill, and pursued him hotly until his rear-guard had passed over Bull Run, while Stuart attacked a portion of the Federals at Haymarket, and 6ent forward a dispatch to Longstreet, who was then fighting at Thoroughfare Gap. It was now late in the day, August 28th, and the Union forces were seen advancing, with the intention of crossing the stream at the Stone bridge and Sudley ford. "Whereupon, Jackson immediately decided to attack them, and, pointing to the enemy in his front, he said, briefly, " Ewell, advance !" A fierce engagement followed, and at nightfall the enemy gave way, but remained, not far off, in line of battle waiting for daylight. In this engagement, General Ewell was badly wounded in the knee, and his services were, consequently, lost in the sub- sequent battles. At this time, a courier brought to Jackson the welcome in- telligence that Longstreet had passed Thoroughfare Gap, and was rapidly pressing forward to join him : also, that Lee him- Beli" was near. The information was an immense relief to him, 200 SOUTHEEN GENEEALS. and when the news came, he drew a long breath, and uttered a sigh of intense satisfaction. The next morning, Friday, August 29th, Longstreet arrived and took position. General Lee was on the ground nearly at the same time, and immediately the order of battle was formed, though General Anderson's division had not yet come up, and the whole of the Confederate forces were overpowered by long marches and incessant encounters with their foe. While Lee was thus getting his men into position, -the Fed- erals energetically attacked Jackson, and gradually the fight became general along his entire column. It continued very severe, and with changing success until the afternoon, when Hood's division, of Longstreet's corps, was ordered to attack the enemy's left. This was done with marked effect. Jackson, thus strengthened, fought with renewed vigor, and finally, about 9 p. m., the enemy was compelled to retire for nearly a mile. During the night, however, General Lee directed his troops to fall back to their old and better position of the morn- ing, where they could again attack, with more advantage, next day. The following morning, August 30th, the battle was re- newed ; but, as General Lee was now commanding in person, and as we have already briefly given the events of the fight in our sketch of that general, we may refer to it for details. Enough to say that the day ended in a complete victory for the Confederates, and another disastrous rout to the Union forces on the celebrated battlefield of Bull Run. On the next day, Sunday, August 31st, Jackson's corps pressed the enemy towards Centreville, and on Monday after- noon his advance had a brief but severe engagement at Ox Hill, just above Germantown, the Confederates occupying Fairfax Court-house that same night. It might be supposed that now, at last, some rest would be obtained by Jackson's iron-framed soldiers; but hardly had the victory been won, and Fairfax occupied, than a new move- ment commenced, — this time, for the purpose of crossing into Maryland. On the second day after the battle at Ox Hill, Jackson arrived at Leesburg, and was there joined by the other corps of the army. From Leesburg, in accordance with General Lee's plans, he marched straight across the country to GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 201 "Williamsport, for the purpose of possessing Martinsburg, and intercepting the Federal retreat if the enemy moved up the river, while McLaws occupied Maryland heights ; and this with a view to the surrender of Harper's Ferry, then garrisoned by a large force of Union troops, under General Miles. Jackson rapidly and most successfully performed his task, and Harper's Ferry, with " 11,000 troops, an equal number of small-arms, seventy-three pieces of artillery, and about 200 wagons, sur- rendered, on the 15th of September. This accomplished, Jack- son, leaving General A. P. Hill to hold Harper's Ferry, hastily marched to join Lee, who had fallen back to Sharpsburg, after a heavy encounter with McClellan on the 14th, at South Mountain. By a severe night's march, Jackson reached the vicinity of Sharpsburg on the morning of the 16th, and, by direction of Lee, lie immediately advanced on the enemy, taking position to the left of Longstreet, near a Dunkard church, Ewell's di- vision (General Lawton commanding) forming the right, and his own divison (General J. R. Jones commanding) forming the left. Major-general Stuart, with the cavalry, was also on his left. That night the troops slept upon their arms, and on the fol- lowing day, Wednesday, September 17th, the battle of Antie- tam was fought. The result has already been related (see page 77), and, on the morning of the 19th, the Confederate army having recrossed the Potomac, Jackson, with his troops, was again on the way to Martinsburg. The next day, a Federal force crossed in pursuit, but was routed by a portion of Jack- eon's corps, under A. P. Hill. On the evening of the 20th, the command moved to the Opequon river, in the vicinity of Martinsburg, and encamped there for a week. At the end of that time, Jackson went a little further on to Bunker Hill, and there, at length, gave to his weary troops that rest they so much needed. In connection with this period, the following incident is re- lated of Jackson. A correspondent states, that " on the morning of a recent battle near Harper's Ferry, after a sermon by one of his chaplains, Stonewall Jackson, who, by the way, is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, administered the sacra- ment to the church-members in his army. He invited all 202 SOUTHEEN GENERALS. Christians to participate in this ceremony. A Baptist, the straitest of his sect, thoroughly imbued with the idea of close communion, was seen to hesitate ; but the occasion, and the man who presided, overcame his scruples: and thus it has hap- pened that the prospect of a fight and the eloquence of Jack- son made a Baptist forget that baptism is the door into the Church. In all Jackson's army an oath is rarely uttered. A religious enthusiasm pervades it which makes every man a hero. Conscious of the justice of our cause, and imbued with the strongest convictions of patriotism, his men are irresistible. In this incident we have an explanation of General Jackson's invincibility, and we are thus enabled to understand why his men are all heroes, and why they endure without a murmur the severest hardships to which any troops have been sub- jected during the war. When peace is restored, it will be honor enough for any man to say, ' I belonged to the army of Stone- wall Jackson.'" In the month of November, 1862, the Confederate army was once more on the move towards the Rappahannock, and Jack- son, with his hardy veterans, accompanied it, forming the rear- guard, as far as Millwood, where he remained until the 1st of December, watching the enemy and retarding his movements. He was then sent for to join Lee at Fredericksburg, which he did, by a rapid march, on the 10th, and his corps encamped beyond the Massaponnax, entirely out of sight, but ready for prompt work when called upon. This was not long unre- quired. The battle of Fredericksburg may be said to have commenced on the 11th, and ended on the night of the 15th- 16th, but the principal engagement was on the 13th, and in it Jackson, as usual, had a goodly share. We have, however, already given an account of this (see page 82), and therefore pass on to succeeding events. After the battle of Fredericksburg, Jackson retired to Moss Neck for winter-quarters, with his corps hidden in the woods, and for a while devoted himself to the task of preparing his official reports. In this work it is said that he was exceed- ingly careful not to have any thing placed on record which was not established by irrefutable proof. Truth was with him the jewel beyond all price — and nothing discomposed him more than the bare suspicion that accuracy was sacrificed to effect. GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JAQKSON. 203 He disliked all glowing adjectives in the narratives of his bat- tles ; and presented to the members of his staff and all around him, a noble example of modesty and love of truth. He disliked all ostentation, self-laudation, or the attempts of others to elevate him above his brother commanders. He objected to all popular ovations ; and even refused, on several occasions, to allow his portrait to be taken. Ihus, an account of the battles wherein he fought, may be relied upon as strictly truth- ful, if following his official reports, which are " the sworn statements of a man who would have laid down his very life before he would have attached his name to what was partial, unfair, or aught but the simple, absolute truth." The army now rested from its severe toils : the brave men who had so long battled with an equally brave enemy, now had months to recuperate, and gather fresh strength ere the fierce cry of battle-strife was again likely to be heard, though they were ever ready, should signs of any fresh encounter be presented. Jackson himself, at length, enjoyed some relief from the anxieties and cares that had incessantly pressed upon his mind ever since the war began. With his headquarters in a small outbuilding of the " Corbin House," situated on a crest of hills running along the right bank of the Rappahannock, he remained during the whole winter and spring of 1862-3, watching the hills on the opposite side of the river, lest the enemy should make a sudden advance, and at the same time he enjoyed the social friendship of many who visited him. Nu- merous incidents are related of his life at this period, but we can only find space to mention one or two, as illustrating the character of such a man. " At his headquarters," says the pleasing writer we have so often quoted from, " might be seen ornaments of the most unique and surprising description. On the walls of the apart- ment were pictures of race-horses, well known and dear in former days' to the planters of the neighboring region. Then there was a portrait of some celebrated game-cock, ready trimmed and gaffed for conflict to the death. A companion- piece of these was the picture of a terrier engaged in furious onslaught upon an army of rats, which he was seizing, tear- ing, and shaking to death as fast as they came. These decora- tions of headquarters excited the merriment of the general's 204 SOUTHERN GENERALS. associates ; and one of them suggested to him that a drawing of the apartment should be made, with the race-horses, game- cocks, and terrier in bold relief, the picture to be labelled, ' Yiew of the winter-quarters of General Stonewall Jackson, presenting an insight into the tastes and character of the indi- vidual.' Hearty laughter, on the part of General Jackson, greeted this jest from the distinguished brother soldier who had stood beside him upon so many bloody fields — whom he loved and opened his whole heart to — and to whom, when, struck down by the fatal ball at Chaneellorsville, his mind first turned as his successor. " The children of the house and in the neighborhood will long remember the kind voice and smile of the great soldier — his caresses and affectionate ways. A new military cap had been sent him just before the battle of Fredericksburg, which was resplendent with gold braid and all manner of decora- tions. Jackson did not admire this fine substitute for that old, sun-scorched head-covering which had so long served him ; and when, one day, a little girl was standing at his knee, look- ing up from her clustering curls at the kindly general, whose hand was caressing her hair, he found a better use for the fine gold braid around the cap. He called for a pair of scissors, ripped it off, and joining the ends, placed it like a coronet upon her head, with smiles, and evident admiration at the pretty picture thus presented. " These are trifles, let us agree, good reader," adds the au- thor who narrates them, " but, is it not a pleasant spectacle to see the great soldier amid these kindly simple scenes, — to watch the stern and indomitable leader, whose soul has never shrunk in the hour of deadliest peril, passing happy moments in the society of laughing children ?" It was during the time of his resting in winter-quarters that the following interesting letter was written : Gutnney's Depot, Caroline County, Va., ) Dec. 10, 1862. ) My Dear Colonel — Yesterday I heard that Governor Letcher and yourself were coming to visit the army, but the arrival of the cars without you doomed me to disappoint- ment. I hope you will come before long. Please give my GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 205 kindest regards to the governor, and remind him of his long standing promise to visit me. Colonel Linedi says he heard distant artillery, and others agree with him. The direction is towards Port Royal. I have heard with great interest the reports of the Congress- ional Committee, recommending the repeal of the law requir- ing the mails to be carried on the Sabbath, and I hope that you will feel it a duty, as well as a pleasure, to urge its repeal. I do not see how a nation that arrays itself by such a law against God's holy day can expect to escape his wrath. The punishment of national sins must be confined to this world, as there is no nationality beyond the grave. For fifteen years I have refused to mail letters on Sunday, or to take them out of the office on that day, except since I came into the field ; and so far from having to regret my course, it has been a source ot true enjoyment. I have never sustained loss in observing what God enjoins, and I am well satisfied that the law should be repealed at the earliest practicable moment. My rule is to let the Sabbath mails remain unopened, unless they contain a dispatch ; but dispatches are generally sent by couriers, or tel- egraph, or by some special messenger. I do not recollect a single instance of any special dispatch having reached me, since the commencement of the war, by the mails. If you de- sire to repeal the law, I trust . that you will bring all your in- fluence to bear in its accomplishment. Now is the time, it appears to me, to effect so desirable an object. I understand that not only our president, but also most of our colonels, and a majority of our congressmen, are professing Christians. God has greatly blessed us, and I trust He will make us that people to whom God is the Lord. Let us look to God for an illustra- tion in our history that righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Please send me a copy of the staff bill, as I may have some- thing to say respecting it in my letter to Colonel Miles. Yery truly, your friend, T. J. JACKSON Colonel A. R. Boteler, Richmond, Va, In March, 1863, General Jackson moved his headquarters tc a point near Hamilton's crossing, not far from General Lee 206 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and, soon afterwards, his peaceful quietude was broken by the notes of war. On the 17th of the month the first movements of the Federals took place, by Hooker sending General Averill on an extensive raid in the direction of Gordonsville. But, it was not until the end of the month of April, when the Union forces had crossed the Rappahannock with a view of flanking Lee, that Jackson's active services were again in request. As we have seen in the account of the battle of Chancellorsville (page 90), Jackson was ordered, on Thursday evening, the 29th, to leave one division of his corps in front of the enemy at Fredericksburg, and proceed towards the field of action. His after movements we have already recorded, — how, after a con- sultation with General Lee, he attempted a flank movement on the enemy's right, stationed at the Wilderness, and how successfully it was executed. We have also hurriedly men- tioned that it was on the evening of that first day's engage- ment he met his death-wound. But it is now our province to go into a few details explaining this mournful occurrence. It was during the latter part of the day, May 2d, when the Federals were hurriedly retreating before Jackson's impetuous charge, that he directed certain movements to be made in the front, and then,, being anxious to personally see them executed, he rode forward with his staff to the advanced line of skir- mishers. The field of battle was, as we have before stated, amidst much of the thick scrub and wood of the " Wilderness," and it was with the utmost difficulty Jackson's party could proceed. They arrived, however, at the front, and, as night had now approached, Jackson, desirous of seeing more of the enemy's movements, rode on some distance ahead of his skir- mishers, exposing himself to a dangerous fire from the enenxy's sharpshooters posted in the timber. " So great was the danger, that one of his staff said, ' General, don't you think this is the wrong place for you V He replied quickly : ' The danger is all over ; the enemy is routed. Go back and tell A. P. Hill to press right on !' " Soon after this order, General Jackson turned, and, accompanied by his staff and escort, rode back at a trot, on his well-known " Old Sorrel," towards his own men. Unhappily, in the darkness — it was now nine or ten o'clock at night — the little body of horsemen was mistaken for Federal cavalry charging, and the regiments on the right and left oi GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 207 the road fired a sudden volley into them with the most la mentable results. Jackson was struck by three balls, one through the left arm, two inches below the shoulder-joint shattering the bone and severiDg the chief artery ; anothei bail passed through the same arm between the elbow and wrist, making its exit through the palm of the hand ; a third ball entered the palm of the right hand about its middle, pass- ing through, and breaking two bones. He was wounded on the plank-road, about fifty yards in advance. Captain Boswell, of Jackson's staif, was killed, and borne back into the Confed- erate lines by his own horse. Colonel Crutchfield, chief of artillery, was wounded by his side; and two couriers were killed. Major Pendleton, Lieutenants Morrison and Smith, escaped uninjured. As Jackson fell from his horse, he was caught by Captain Wormley, to whom he remarked, " All my wounds are by my own men." He had previously given orders to fire at any thing coming up the road, and probably had forgotten, in his more important thoughts, to notify his own movements. Jackson was at once placed upon a litter, and started for the rear ; but, now, the firing had attracted the enemy's attention, who responded and made a slight advance. The consequence was that one of the litter bearers was shot down, and the General fell from the shoulders of the men, receiving a severe contusion, adding to the injury of the arm, and hurting his side severely. At the same time, the Federals charging, they actually passed over his body, with a heavy fire going on from both sides, and, for about five minutes, lie was left thus, until the enemy had been driven back. An ambulance was then ob- tained, and he was immediately carried to the field hospital at Wilderness Run. There he was promptly attended by the army surgeons, but he had already lost so large an amount ot blood, that for two hours he was nearly pulseless, and thought he was dying. A consultation immediately took place, and amputation was decided upon. The operation was performed under the influence of chloroform, and was borne well. But he expressed an earnest desire that his troops should not know he was wounded, and, while he was being carried from the field, hearing the soldiers ask, " Who have you there ?" he told the doctor not to tell them. In moments of relief he ex 208 SOUTHERN GENERALS. pressed anxiety concerning the battle, and nxvements of hia corps, with a desire that General G. H. Stuart (Hill and Kodea being wounded) should command. After amputation, Jack- son slept well through the night, and when he awoke requested that his wife should at once be sent for. He spoke of the attack which had been made on the previous evening, and felt confident of victory. A note now came from General Lee, expressing deep regret at the misfortune. The contents were : "I have just received your note informing me that you were wounded. I cannot express my regret at the occurrence. Could I have directed events, I should have chosen, for the good of the country, to have been disabled in your stead. I congratulate you on the victory which is due to your skill and energy." Sunday evening he slept well ; and on Monday he was carried to Chancellor's house, near Guinney's depot. He was cheerful, and talked about the battle, asking after all his offi- cers, and especially about the " Stonewall Brigade." On Monday night he rested well, and next morning ate with a relish. On Tuesday and Wednesday, his wounds were doing very well. On Thursday, he suffered some pain ; but now, to his great joy, Mrs. Jackson had arrived, and she assiduously nursed him to the end. But, from the following day, he grad- ually sunk. On Sunday morning, a week from the night of his being wounded, it was evident he had only a few hours more to live. Mrs. Jackson told him so, and in that tender and sacred converse between man and wife, which, at such times of extreme sadness, becomes more hallowed than ever, he said: "Yery good! Very good! It is all right!" He then sent messages to all his friends, the generals and others, and murmured in a low voice his wish to be buried at " Lexington, in the valley of Virginia." His mind then began to wander, and he issued various orders to his officers, — among the last, being, " A. P. Hill, prepare for action !" After this, lie speedily sank, and at a quarter past 3 p. m., Sunday, May 10th, he breathed his last, surrounded by weeping friends. Immediately upon his death being made known, General Lee issued the following official announcement to his army : GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON. 209 GENERAL ORDERS— No. 61. Headquarters, Northern Virginia, May 11, 1863. With deep grief, the commanding general announces to the army the death of Lieutenant-general T. J. Jackson, who ex- pired on the 10th instant, at quarter past 3 p. m. The daring, skill, and energy of this great and good soldier, by an all-wise Providence, are now lost to us. But while we mourn his death, we feel that his spirit still lives, and will inspire the whole army with his indomitable courage, and unshaken con- fidence in God as our hope and strength. Let his name be a watchword to his corps, who have followed him to victory on 60 many fields. Let the officers and soldiers imitate his invin- cible determination to do every thing in the defence of our beloved country. R. E. LEE, General. The body of General Jackson, embalmed, was conveyed to Richmond, where a great and solemn pageant marked the universal sense of loss. Laid in state, in the governor's recep- tion-room, the dead hero was visited by thousands, tender women covering the pall with bouquets of flowers and wreaths; and when borne to the hall of the House of Representatives, the ceremony was grand in the extreme. Besides special regi- ments appointed to attend, there were members of his old brigade, the President of the Confederate States, members of the Cabinet, Generals Longstreet, Elzey, Garnett, and others, with Commodore Forrest, representing the navy, and the judges, citizens, and an immense concourse of persons, follow- ing in the train, — the general's old horse, caparisoned for bat- tle, being led by a groom. Truly it was a grand, though mournful spectacle, and well might the Southern press, under such feelings, exclaim : " It would have been better for us to have lost a thousand ordinary men, than one 'Stonewall' Jackson !" The honors bestowed upon Jackson's remains were of no common kind. During the great procession, his cold corse was carried by some of the bravest and most eminent military and naval commanders of his own South. Ewell, "Winder, Corse, Kemper, Elzey, Forrest, Garnett, and Stuart — the chiv- 14 210 SOUTHERN GENERALS. alrous, bold, and clashing Stuart — were the pall-bearers ; and when the body was sent to its last resting-place at Lexington, Governor Letcher himself attended it thither. Previous to its arrival, and shortly after his death, the superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, — the same General F. H. Smith who, eleven years before, had submitted his name to the Board of Visitors for the vacant professor's chair, — officially an- nounced the painful circumstance to the cadets, in a general order, embodying a brief resume of his valuable services, and passing a high eulogy on his character. " The military career of General Jackson," said the superintendent, "fills the most brilliant and momentous page in the history of our country, and in the achievements of our arms, and he stands forth a colossal figure in this war for our independence. His country now returns him to us — not as he was when he left us. His spirit has gone to God, who gave it. His mutilated body comes back to us — to his home — to be laid by us in his tomb. Reverently and affectionately we will discharge this last solemn duty. And, " Though his earthly sun has set, Its light shall linger round us yet, Bright — radiant — blest !" "When his remains arrived from Richmond, equally high was the honor shown to them at Lexington. The cadets' battery, which he had so long commanded, fired half hour guns, from sunrise to sunset ; the flag of the State and the Confederacy was hung at half-mast; his lecture-room was draped in mourning, to remain so for six months; and the officers and cadets of the Institute wore the usual badge of mourning for thirty days. The journals report that some loving hand planted on his grave a piece of laurel brought from the tomb of Napoleon at St. Helena; and it has been said by an intelligent Union chaplain, that " if any man whom this war has developed re- sembled Napoleon, it was Stonewall Jackson." In this remark there is some reason, says a writer in the Tribune. "Like Napoleon, Jackson had daring, originality ; and like him, he taught his enemy that if they would beat him, they must imi- tate him." But, by many competent judges, quite a different GENERAL THOMAS JONATHAN" JACKSON. 211 estimate is held. The character of Jackson being considered more assimilated with that of the stern Puritans or Covenant- ers ; not — even in a military point of view — with such a unique and master mind as Napoleon's. However, the Southern gen- eral has and will have many great admirers, who almost deify him, through the deserved respect and admiration his country- men have evinced towards such a brave and Christian man, as well as patriotic -soldier. GENERAL PETER G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. CHAPTER I. Exoitement at Charleston.— Bombardment of Sumter.— Beauregard, — Fnll of Sum- tor. — Major B. Anderson and bis Eleroio Band. Beauregard's Parentage and Early Life. Careerin Mexiool Promotions. Resigns -Appointment i" Confederate Ser- vice, — Assumes Command.— Official Correspondence Respecting Sumter. — Beaure- gard's Report of the Fall of Sumter, [noidenta Conneoted with (he Taking of Bum* ter. Russell's sketch of Beauregard.- Flag-staff of Sumter. ird'a Adieu to Charleston, and Assumption of Command at Manassas. -Military Position mid Topographical Features, < lharaoteristios of Beauregard, ntof Blackburn's Ford. Battle of Bull Run.- Letter to Beauregard from Colonel Cameron'* sister. — Reasons Why no A.dvanoe was made <>n Washington.- Prinoe Napoleon's Visit. — General EvanB and the Battle of Leesburg. — Beauregard and President Davis. — His Transfer to the Mississippi Department, Shortly after four o'clock in the dull gray of the morning of Friday, April 12th, 1861, unusual signs of excitement and asritation were seen among the citizens and residents of ( 'harles- ton, South Carolina. Though at an hour when very few per- sons, under ordinary circumstances, arc astir, and though the day was hazy and moist, yet every house appeared to be emp- tying its occupants and sending a living Btream through all the streets Leading to the wharves and battery. Not men, alone, but ladies of all ranks and grades, wended their way eagerly to the point of attraction, No gala-day bad before witnessed so large a number of the fair sex gracing that publio promenade; nor bad any previous occasion awakened in their breasts so mueh anxiety, bope, and fear. With palpitating hearts and pallid faces, the more tender portion of that excited people stood facing the sea, watching tiny wreaths of white smoke curling upwards, in the soft twilight, from one point ol view on the right, and quickly afterwards from another on the left, at dames and Sullivan islands. Soon a, dull, heavy sound fell upon the ear. Then came the whiz and the whirl of fiery implements of destruction; and, anon, the fury of a terrible cannonading, directed towards one solitary spot situated in 2U SOUTHERN GENERALS. the bay, which, to the amazement of all, appeared as quiet aa though death already tenanted it. For more than an hour no answering note replied to the iron messengers of slaughter hurled at it ; but as daylight fully revealed the scene, the excited gazers on the battery promenade beheld, floating to the morn- ing breeze from that one spot, which showed itself to be a fortress of great strength and importance, a large banner, ele- vated proudly aloft, and displaying on its folds the stars and stripes of the United States! Silence reigned around it, ex- cept in the battering it now received on either side from the assault. Another hour passed, and yet no answer came to the attack without; so that those who watched, began to augur results favorable to their own wishes, and to say that the ten- ants of that fort were going to yield. But they were mistaken. They knew not the character of those brave men — absolutely alone amidst surrounding foes, yet heroically bent on doing their duty, as true soldiers and loyal men, to the flag they served, and whose folds waved over them. They fancied that these men were about to succumb, without one note of fierce reply in honor of their name and country's reputation. But, not so. At half-past six, and while the spectators on the Charleston battery still looked on with varied emotions, sud- denly, from casemate and parapet of that solitary fort, there darted forth sharp sheets of flame, and a storm of iron hail went hissing forward, in the direction of the assailing foe ! The scene of carnage had, at last, begun, and the angry pieces of war on both sides were now dealing what destruction they could upon the opposite party. The atmosphere soon became charged with the smell of burnt powder, and the sky clouded, not only by the natural gloomy aspect of the day, but also by the smoke of the numerous guns now at work in deadly conflict. Standing near one of these guns is General Beauregard, ap- parently in the prime of vigorous manhood, and having an emi- nently martial bearing. Spirit and determination may be seen in his glance, and a clearness of perception beyond that of ordi- nary men. Directing the heavy firing now going on againtt that solitary fort, and surrounded by members of his staff, he sends forth various orders in terse, abrupt tones, in the lan- guage of a man well used to, and fitted for command. Called GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 215 to the high and important post of General-in-chief of the Pro- visional Army of the State, and feeling the great responsibility attached to his position at that serious moment, when the first gun of open opposition to Federal power was fired, he could not be otherwise than keenly alive to the necessity for exer cising every faculty of his experienced mind in the part he was now enacting. A few hours more — a day of gal- lant defence on the side of those heroic men in thai solitary fort — and Beauregard was the victor over Sumter fallen ! We have no space here to give all the details of the attack on Fort Sumter, its sturdy defence by the brave Anderson and his comrades, and its ultimate surrender, when it was im- possible to hold it longer under such an overwhelming fire. Our task now, must be merely to sketch the career of him who was destined to be the first military chief in active arms against the Government of the United States. Beauregard was born on his father's plantation, in the Parish of St. Martin, Louisiana, in the year 1816. His great grand- father sprang from a noble family in France, which emigrated to this country during the reign of Louis XT., and settled in Louisiana. The name of the family was Toutant de Beaure- gard, until James, the father of Pierre Gustave, threw off the titular portion of it, for the reason, as some say, that it was repugnant to the old gentleman's republican tastes, or, as oth- ers state, that the name was often confounded with that of an- other family of Beauregards in his immediate neighborhood. From that time the family name has been simply Toutant^ — no one but the subject of the present sketch having since used the original surname of Beauregard. There is, however, still an- other explanation of this change of name. It is said, by a writer in a New York paper, that " the family had an estate called Beauregard, and the elder Toutant — which was the right- ful name — had been in the habit of signing himself Toutant of Beauregard. Thus, when he made an application to the member of Congress from the district in which he resided in Louisiana, for a cadetship at "West Point for his young son, he signed himself in this way — Toutant de Beauregard — and the assumed title was taken for the surname. The appointment for the lad was therefore made out for Pierre G. T. Beauregard, 216 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and the name was retained from a little vanity, perhaps, h ita sonorous quality. Beauregard, however, is still known among his relations in Louisiana as Pierre Toutant." James Toutant, the father, intermarried with Helene Reggio, whose earliest American ancestor came to this country about the time of the Beauregards. The family of Reggio is also of noble origin, being an Italian branch of the House of Este. The fruit of this marriage was three sons, of whom Peter Gustave is the second, and three daughters, married respectively to Mortimer Belly, Esq., of New Orleans, R. S Proctor, Esq., of St. Bernard, and M. Legendre, of New York Pierre Gustave Beauregard entered West Point as a cadet, in 1834, and graduated June 30th, 1838, taking the second honors in a class of forty-five graduates. He was then appointed second-lieutenant in the First Regiment of artillery, which commission he only held for one week, being transferred to the corps of Engineers on July 7th. On June 16th, 1839, he was promoted to a first-lieutenancy, and in that capacity served with great distinction during the Mexican War. Of the sev- eral incidents wherein he made himself conspicuous, we have but to refer to General Scott's official reports, and his Autobi- ography, for ample testimony to the merits of the brave young officer. But the following illustrations of his career at that period deserve to be especially mentioned. The first occurred before Vera Cruz, as follows : Lieutenant Beauregard was sent out by his colonel with a party of sappers to dig and prepare a trench, according to a profile and plan made by the colonel. No sooner had Beaure- gard examined the ground, than he discovered great objections to the plan. To assure himself, he climbed into a tree, and with the aid of the marine glass, the engineer's vade mecum, he made a reconnoissance, and saw plainly that the trench, as planned, would be enfiladed by the enemy's cannon. Here was a difficult position for a subaltern ministerial officer. He decided promptly, and returned to headquarters without stick- ing a spade. The colonel met him, and expressed surprise that he had so soon performed his task. Beauregard replied that he had not touched it. The colonel, with the astonishment mili- tary men feel in hearing their orders have not been obeyed, in- quired the reason. He was soon informed of it. He was in- GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 217 credulous ; " the ground had been examined ;" " the reconnois- sance was perfect," etc. The young lieutenant was satisfied, however, that the reconnoissance of his old chief had not been made like his, "from up in a tree." The colonel, like a sensi ble man, concluded to make another examination : the plan was changed in accordance with the young lieutenant's views. The work done from these trenches is matter of history, but it8 pages nowhere inform us to whom the credit is due. A second incident occurred before the city of Mexico. A night or two before the attack, a council of war was held. There were assembled all the great folks, from Lieutenant-gen- eral Scott, "Worth, Twiggs, etc., down to our friend Beauregard, the youngest officer in the room. The debate went on for hours Scott was solitary in his opinion. Every other officer present, except one, had spoken, and all concurred in their views. The silent one was Beauregard. At last General Pierce crossed over and said, " You have not expressed an opinion." " I have not been called on," said Beauregard. "You shall be, how- ever," said Pierce ; and soon resuming his seat, announced that Lieutenant Beauregard had not given his opinion. Being then called out, he remarked, that if the plan which had re- ceived the consent of all but the commanding general was car- ried into effect, it would prove disastrous. It would be anothei Churubusco affair. He then detailed the objections to it at length ; and taking up the other, urged the reasons in its favor, with equal earnestness. The council reversed their decision. The city of Mexico was entered according to the plan urged by the young lieutenant ; and it would seem that his reasons influenced the decision. A few days afterwards General Scott, in the presence of a number of principal officers, alluded to Lieutenant Beauregard's opinion at the council, and the con- sequences which had followed from it. On August 20th, 1847, Beauregard was brevetted captain, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battles of Con- treras and Churubusco ; and again as major, for the battle of Chapultepec, to date from September 13th, 1847. At the Belen gate, Mexico, he was wounded ; and, afterwards, upon his return home, he was presented with an elegant sword. Subsequently he was placed by the Government in charge of the construction of the Mint and Custom-house at New Or- 218 SOUTHERN GENEEALS. leans, as well as of the fortifications on and near the mouth of the Mississippi. At the beginning of the year 1861, Major Beauregard was appointed superintendent of West Point Military Academy, " but was relieved by President Buchanan within forty-eight hours, as a rebuke, it is alleged, to the secession speech of Senator Slidell, who is a brother-in-law of Beauregard." Subsequently he resigned his commission in the service of the United States, and was appointed by Governor Moore, of Louisiana, Colonel of Engineers in the Provisional Army of the South. Soon afterwards, he was made Brigadier-general in the forces of his native State, which appointment was con- firmed by President Davis, on March 3d, with official direc- tions to proceed to Charleston and assume command of all the troops in actual service in and around that place. On arriving there, he immediately examined the fortifica- tions, and put the city and defences in military array. Fort Sumter, at that time, was garrisoned by Major Anderson, of the regular army, and a force of officers and men ; and it was hoped, by the State Convention of South Carolina, that it would be surrendered to the South without compulsion. But, every effort to induce such a course failed. The Federal commander could not and would not yield, while a shadow of hope remained of being able to hold out. That hope much depended upon receiving supplies from the government at Washington. Without those supplies the heroic little garrison could not exist, for all communication betweenSumter and the city of Charleston was, on the 7th of April, cut off. Pre- viously, the wants of the garrison had been supplied through the city, but now the time had come when General Beauregard and the authorities deemed it necessary to stop all further intercourse, except of a purely military character as between belligerents. Thus, Major Anderson had to look to Washing- ton for immediate relief, sending a special messenger thither, stating his condition, and asking for official instructions what to do. Neither the relief, nor the instructions, however, came until too late, though notice had been sent the 8th of April, by an envoy from President Lincoln to Governor Pickens and General Beauregard, that " provisions would be forwarded to Fort Sumter peaceably, or otherwise by force." GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 219 The message of President Lincoln was immediately tele- graphed by Beauregard to the Confederate War Department at Montgomery, and the following reply came back : "If you have no doubt of the authorized character of the agent who communicated to you the intention of the Washing- ton government to supply Fort Sumter by force, you will at once demand its evacuation, and if this is refused, proceed, in such manner as you may determine, to reduce it." To this, Beauregard responded : "The demand will be made to-morrow at twelve o'clock." Whereupon, Secretary Walker again telegraphed : " Unless there are especial reasons con- nected with your own condition, it is considered proper that you should make the demand at an earlier hour." Beaure- gard replied : "The reasons are special for twelve o'clock." This correspondence was on the 10th of April, and on the following day, Thursday, April 11th, at 2.20 p. m., General Beauregard sent two of his aids with a communication to Major Anderson, demanding the evacuation, with an offer to transport himself and command to any port in the United States he might select, to allow him to move out of the fort with company arms and property, and all private property, and to salute his flag on lowering it. To this communication Major Anderson refused to accede, but, as the messengers were leaving, he remarked, that if the fort was not battered to pieces, he would be starved out in a few days. At 5.10 p. m. Beauregard received Anderson's answer, which, in writing, was as follows : Headquarters, Fort Sumter, S. C, April 11th, 1861 General — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication, demanding the evacuation of this fort ; and to say in reply thereto, that it is a demand with which I regret that my sense of honor and my obligations to my Gov- ernment prevent my compliance. Thanking you for the fair, manly, and courteous terms pro- posed, and for the high compliment paid me, I am, General, very respectfully Your obedient servant, (Signed) ROBERT ANDERSON, Major United States Army, commanding To Brigadier-general G. T. Beauregard, Commanding Provisional Army, C. S. A. 220 SOUTHERN GENERALS. This was telegraphed to Montgomery, and the following communication received at 9.10 p. m. in reply : Montgomery, April 11th, 1861. To General Beauregard : Sir — We do not desire needlessly to bombard Fort Sumter If Major Anderson will state the time at which, as indicated by him, he will evacuate (be starved out), and agree that in the mean time he will not use his guns against us, unless arms should be employed against Fort Sumter, you are authorized thus to avoid the effusion of blood. If this or its equivalent be refused, you will reduce the fort as your judgment decides to be the most practicable. (Signed) L. P. WALKER. At 11 p. m. Beauregard sent his aids with another letter to Major Anderson, based upon the instructions he had received. The contents of the letter ran thus : Headquarters Provisional Army C. S. A., ) Charleston, April 11, 1861—11 p. M. f Major — In consequence of the verbal observations made by you to my aides, Messrs. Chesnut and Lee, in relation to the condition of your supplies, and that you would, in a few days, be starved out if our guns did not batter you to pieces — or words to that effect — and desiring no useless effusion of blood, I communicated both the verbal observation and your written answer in my communication to my Government. If you will state the time at which you will evacuate Fort Sumter, and agree that, in the mean while, you will not use your guns against us, unless ours shall be employed against Fort Sumter, we will abstain from opening fire upon you. Colonel Chesnut and Captain Lee are authorized by me to enter into such an agreement with you. You are therefore requested to communicate to them an open answer. I remain, Major, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, (Signed) P. G. T. BEAUREGARD, • Brigadier-general, commanding. To Major Robert Anderson, Commanding at Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, S. C. GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 221 At forty-five minutes past midnight, Major Anderson had this letter placed in his hands, and, after consultation with hia officers, at half-past two in the morning, April 12th, he returned the following reply : General — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your second communication of the 11th instant, by Colonel Chesnut, and to state, in reply, that cordially uniting with you in the desire to avoid the useless effusion of blood, I will, if provided with the proper and necessary means of transporta- tion, evacuate Fort Snmter by noon on the 15th instant, should I not receive, prior to that time, controlling instructions from my Government, or additional supplies ; and that I will not, in the mean time, open my fire upon your forces, unless compelled to do so by some hostile act against this fort or the flag of my Government, by the forces under your command, or by some portion of them, or by the perpetration of some act showing a hostile intention on your part against this fort or the flag it bears. I have the honor to be, General, Very respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed) ROBERT ANDERSON, Major United States Army, commanding. This reply General Beauregard did not consider sufficiently to the purpose, inasmuch as information had come to hand (and after-events proved its truth) that an attempt would be made, by force, from a United States fleet then lying off the entrance of the harbor, to relieve the fort ; and, in that case, Major Anderson would still feel himself bound to hold posses- sion. Prompt measures, therefore, were necessary, and Beau- gard immediately adopted them. He quickly sent back his aides, with instructions how to act, and at 3.20 a', m. of that eventful Friday, April 12th, the following declaration of hostility was delivered to Major Anderson : Sir — By the authority of Brigadier-general Beauregard, commanding the provisional forces of the Confederate States, 222 SOUTHERN GENERALS. we have the honor to notify you that he will open the fire of his batteries on Fort Sumter in one hour from this time. We have the honor to be, very respectfully, Your obedient servants, (Signed) JAMES CHESNUT, Jr, Aid-de-camp. STEPHEN D. LEE, Captain S. C. A. and Aid-de-camp. Major Robert Anderson, United States Army, commanding Fort Sumter. "What immediately followed has already been mentioned at the opening of our chapter ; but, as no event in the history of America has had so important a bearing upon its present and future, since the great day of her independence was acknow- ledged, we deem it best to give an official report of the occur- rences that took place, so far as relating to the subject of our present sketch. General Beauregard says : " At 4.30 a. m. the signal shell was fired from Fort Johnson ; and about five o'clock the fire from our batteries became gen- eral. Fort Sumter did not begin until seven o'clock, when it commenced with a vigorous fire upon the Cummings' Poin iron battery. The enemy next directed his fire upon the en filade battery on Sullivan's Island, constructed to sweep the parapet of Fort Sumter, to prevent the working of the barbette guns, and to dismount them. This was also the aim of the floating battery, the Dahlgren battery, and the gun-batteries at Cummings' Point. The enemy next opened fire on Fort Moultrie, between which and Fort Sumter a steady and al- most constant fire was kept up throughout the day. These three points, Fort Moultrie, Cummings' Point, and the end of Sullivan's Island, where the floating battery, Dahlgren battery, and the enfilade battery were placed, were the points to which the enemy seemed almost to confine his attention, although he fired a number of shots at Captain Butler's mortar battery, situated to the east of Fort Moultrie, and a few at Captain James' mortar batteries, at Fort Johnson. During the day (12th inst.) the fire of my batteries was kept up most spiritedly ; the guns and mortars being worked in the coolest manner, pre- serving the prescribed intervals of firing. Towards evening it became evident that our fire was very effective, as the enemy GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 223 was driven from his barbette guns, which he attempted to work in the morning, and his fire was confined to his casemate guns, but in a less active manner than in the morning, and it was observed that several of his guns en barbette were disabled. " During the whole of Friday night our mortar oatteries continued to throw shells, but, in obedience to orders, it longer intervals. The night was rainy and dark, and as it was con- fidently expected that the United States fleet would sttempt to land troops upon the islands, or to throw men into Tort Sum- ter, by means of boats, the greatest vigilance was o/served at all our channel batteries, and by our troops on b/th Morris' and Sullivan's islands. Early on Saturday mornin/ all of ou'- batteries reopened upon Fort Sumter, which resp Charleston, S. C, Oct. 28, 1863. ) The commanding general feels it his duty to publish to the forces and to the country the names of the stout-hearted offi- cers and men of the Confederate States navy, who, on the night of the 5th inst., assailed and so nearly destroyed the United States ironclad steam frigate, New Ironsides, at her moorings off Morris Island. Lieutenant Vm. T. Glassell, Acting Assistant Engineer J. H. Toombs, Pilot "Wm. Cannon, Fireman James Sullivan, were volunteers for the service, which they executed with a skill and coolness commensurate with their daring. Their country cannot forget their brave GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 267 endeavor, though unsuccessful, and it will surely inspire offi- cers and men of both arms of the service to emulate them. They have shown what four resolute men can accomplish. The example must not be barren. By command of General BEAUREGARD. Thomas Jordan, Chief of Staff. The year 1863 now closed with nothing more of importance to record concerning Beauregard's movements. Carefully attentive to the duties of his post, he appears to have been al- ways present at official headquarters, unless away visiting other portions of his department. In February, 1864, he was at Savannah ; and, in the early part of March, in Florida, where he issued a proclamation, dated from near Baldwin, having reference to deserters from the Confederate army, and. ordering all others who were bound to give military service, and yet evaded it on account of their families needing their personal attention, to do such work, for just pay, in the dis- trict, as would be of material help to the cause. At this time occurred the death of his wife at JSTew Orleans, on the 2d of March, 1864, and in referring to her, the New Orleans papers pay a very high tribute of respect and esteem to her memory. It appears that General Beauregard was not able to attend the funeral ; but the following letter was afterwards sent by him to express his obligations for the general sympathy shown : Charleston, March 28, 1864. Gentlemen : — Accept for yourselves, and for the other offi- cers and soldiers from Louisiana, who met with you at Mobile, on the 19th instant, my heartfelt thanks for the lofty and touching sentiments expressed in the resolutions you were pleased to pass on the occasion of the sad event which has torn from me a most dear and beloved wife, and from the State to which she belonged, one of its brightest jewels and orna- ments. Mrs. Beauregard died a martyr to our cause. Her continued and long separation from the chosen one of her heart, under the trying circumstances she had to pass through, was more than her careworn and enfeebled condition could 268 SOUTHERN GENERALS. endure. Yet she departed not from life without giving utter- ance to her undiminished devotion to that noble cause, and to her unshaken faith in its ultimate triumph. She was a true and fervent patriot. The foul breath of even the most vile among the vilest of our enemies never could taint the pure atmosphere that surrounded her. How bright, how glorious I would deem the day on which it were given to me, at the head of my brave, and so hard- tried compatriots, to rescue, with her hallowed grave, the noble State that bestowed such honors upon her remains, from the footsteps of the foe who pollutes them by his presence. With sincere esteem, and sincere acknowledgments, I remain yours, very truly, G. T. BEAUREGARD. Major Hy. St. Paul, Captain J. T. Purves, Lieutenant Charles Arroyo, Committee, Mobile, Ala. In the month of April, the Confederate authorities deemed it advisable to strengthen their forces in North Carolina and around Richmond, and accordingly the valuable services of General Beauregard were called into requisition from Charles- ton. On the 21st he passed through Wilmington with a large body of troops, and assumed command of the district on the south and east of Richmond. General Butler, at the same time, prepared to advance upon Richmond by the James river, and on the 5th of May landed a large body of troops at City Point, and Bermuda Hundred. On the 7th, he struck for the Petersburg and Richmond railroad, and succeeded in destroy- ing a bridge seven miles from the former place, thus giving some hopes to the Federals that they had effectually got into the rear of the Confederate capital. But, on the 16th of May, General Beauregard, from Petersburgh, suddenly fell upon his forces, in a fog, and drove him back to his original position on the James river. In speaking of this fight the Rich- mond Examiner says, " It was., during the time it lasted, one of the most terrific combats that has been known. Confederate valor never had a more splendid illustration." This was fol- lowed up, in a few days, by renewed attacks on the enemy's lines, especially when it became known to Beauregard that General "Baldy" Smith's corps, and a part of Gilmore's, had GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 269 left Butler to reinforce Grant, then advancing towards the Chickahominy. On the 2d of June, at 3 A. m., Beauregard made a heavy at- tack upon the Federals' advanced line of rifle-pits, near Ware- bottom Church, and succeeded in capturing the position, with about one hundred prisoners. A few days afterwards, how- ever, the Northern army, under Grant, Meade, and Butler, were all across the James river, and Petersburg besieged. Beauregard had already taken measures for its sure defence ; but on some of the first shells from the enemy entering the town, and striking a private dwelling, he sent a flag of truce to know why shelling was commenced without giving due notice to the non-combatants. General Grant replied, as is reported, that he did not know he was so near the city, and would cease shelling until further notice. If this be correctly stated, it displays an instance of great humanity on the part of General Grant, which we feel pleasure in recording. Towards the end of June, the Confederate army was posted in every part of the outer and inner defences of Petersburg, and thence to Richmond ; Generals Hill and Longstreet camped in front of the enemy's advanced lines, — General Lee as com- mander-in-chief, acting on the left — and General Beauregard holding the town. And here we can well leave him for the incidents of the next few weeks, as our space forbids dwelling upon them in detail ; and, moreover, they are related, prin- cipally, in the sketch already given of General Lee. On the 3d of October, General Beauregard was assigned to the command of two military departments, and the troops therein, known as the department of Tennessee and Georgia, and the department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana. He immediately proceeded to the West, first visiting Gov- ernor Brown, at Milledgeville ; and then, via Columbus, Georgia, on the 7th, Opelika, and Montgomery the next day, Talladega, Alabama, on the 10th, and Jacksonville on the 14th, where he joined Hood's army, and then issued an earnest appeal to the people to come forward and support renewed efforts to drive the enemy from the South. It would, however, appear that Beauregard's position now was not so much that of a general in the field, as a military 270 SOUTHERN GENERALS. director, and commander-in-chief over the western depart ments. In some correspondence to the Charleston Mercury we find it stated that he could not take direct control of either Hood's or Taylor's armies, but merely order them from one point to the other, as he deemed advisable. What those move- ments were is of so recent a date that we need not refer to them more than to say, that their great object was frustrated by General Schofield's victory over the Confederates at Nash- ville, Tennessee, and Sherman's grand march through Georgia, towards Savannah. This latter, probably induced the author- ities at Richmond to recall Beauregard from the West, to su- perintend the defences at that place ; for we find it stated in the Richmond Dispatch, December 12th, that he was there in conjunction with Generals Hardee, G. W. Smith, and R. Tay- lor ; and about that time official orders extended his de- partment so as to include South Carolina and the Atlantic sea board of Georgia. When Savannah was surrounded by the Federal forces, a flag of truce was, on December 17th, sent in by General Sher- man, demanding the surrender of the city, and, on the next day, a reply was given by General Beauregard, refusing to comply with the demand. But, on Monday, the 19th, the city was evacuated ; and on the 22d we find Beauregard again at Charleston, notifying the Confederate authorities at Richmond, that " the enemy, eight hundred strong, had occupied Pollard," an important station at the junction of the Mobile and Great Northern and Alabama and Florida railroads, about seventy miles north of Mobile. On the 7th of January, 1865, he was at Macon, Georgia, and sent to Richmond, Hood's official report of the last battle in front of Nashville, on December 16th ; also additional reports from that general, dated Tupelo, January 6th. Beauregard afterwards personally commanded the Southern Army of Tennessee, retreating before Sherman in the success- ful advance of that general through South Carolina, until, on February 23d, 1S65, he was relieved by Johnston, though remaining as second in command. When the truce was agreed upon between Sherman and Johnston, Beauregard addressed the following letter to Howe! Cobb, then commanding the Confederate forces at Macon, GENERAL P. G. TOUTANT BEAUREGARD. 271 besieged and nominally captured by General "Wilson of the Union army : " Greensboro', April 19, 1865. " Major-General H. Cobb, via Columbia, 19th, via Augusta, 20th : "Inform general commanding the enemy's forces in your front, that a truce, for the purpose of a final settlement, was agreed upon yesterday between Generals Johnston and Sher- man, applicable to all forces under their commands. A mes- sage to that effect from General Sherman will be sent him as soon as practicable. The contending forces are to occupy their present position, forty-eight hours' notice being given on the event of resumption of hostilities." When Johnston surrendered, Beauregard was included among the principal generals, with staffs attached to them, who were paroled ; and it appears that he then went to Mobile, and afterwards to New Orleans. Here he quietly remained, cultivating his plantation, till, in the beginning of August, his house was suddenly surrounded by the military, under the idea that Kirby Smith was concealed there. Beauregard was con- fined in a cotton-press until the morning. He then complained to General Sheridan, who was greatly annoyed at the occur- rence, and immediately righted the matter with Beauregard. On the 16th of September he took the oath of allegiance, and in November was appointed president of the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad. G E N J E J OH NSTON GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. CHAPTER I. Johnston.— Scotch Descent.— His Family.— Early Life.— Cadet at West Point- Military Career. — Services in Florida. — Anecdote. — In the Mexican War. — Wounded. — Promoted. — Chief of Quartermaster's Department. — Eesigns, and gives his Services to the South. — Commands in the Shenandoah Valley.— Unites with Beauregard. - Manassas. — Characteristics. — Evacuation of Manassas. — March to Peninsula.— McClel Ian. — Prince de Joinville. — Yorktown. — Battle of Williamsburg. — Letter to Jackson. —Battle of Seven Pines.— Johnston Wounded. — Sickness. — Eecovery.— Assigned to Command of the West. — His Movements. — Delicate Position with regard to Gen- eral Bragg. — Correspondence on the Subject. — Vicksburg. — Infirm Health. — On the Field at Jackson.— Grant's Movements.— Battle of Baker's Creek. — Jackson Camped at Vernon. — Incidents. — Order to Evacuate Port Hudson. — Fall of Vicksburg. — Evac- uation of Jackson. — Visits Mobile, etc. — Commands the Army in the Field. — Sher- man in Georgia. — Eesaca. — Sherman's Advance. — Atlanta. — Johnston Superseded by Hood. — High Estimate of Johnston. In the Confederate army there have been several officers 01 rank bearing this name, or a similar one, with merely the let- ter t omitted. The subject of our present sketch, however, is Joseph Eggleston Johnston, of Scotch descent, and, formerly, Quartermaster-general in the United States service, but, after- wards, in conjunction with Beauregard, commanding the Southern forces in the first battle of Bull Run, 1861. This brave and skilful officer was born about the year 1808, in Prince Edward County, Virginia. His father was the late Judge Peter Johnston, of the general court of Virginia, dis- tinguished alike at the bar, and on the bench, for sound prac- tical sense and solid legal acquirements. In youth, he had been serving as an officer under Greene, in the campaign of 1781, and had borne himself honorably at Eutaw, Camden, and other places. After the war of the Revolution, Judge Johnston married Miss Polly Wood, a niece of Patrick Henry, and "one of the most accomplished ladies of her day." They had a large family of sons and daughters, to whose education 18 274 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. they paid the greatest attention, and thus brought them up to be persons of superior understanding. Among the sons, Joseph was the youngest, receiving the rudiments of education in Abingdon district, where his father had been appointed iudge. At school, he was noted as a boy of quick parts and a bold, enterprising disposition. He was, also, possessed oi great fortitude, and calm endurance, as was evinced at one time, when, by an accident, his arm was broken, he submitted to the setting of the limb with the most stoical composure, and with equal patience bore the after confinement necessary to his situation. These traits of character, coupled with his father's past reminiscenses of a military life, no doubt led to his adoption of the army for a profession. In 1829, he graduated at "West Point with great credit, and was imme- diately assigned to the Fourth Artillery, as brevet Second- lieutenant. He remained there until 1836, when he was ap- pointed First-lieutenant and Assistant Commissary of Sub- sistence. In 1838 he was made First-lieutenant of Topo graphical Engineers, and, in that capacity, served throughout the Florida war. There he greatly distinguished himself by his coolness and bravery, during the whole time. It is related of him that, " on one occasion having been sent, under the escort of a party of infantry, to make a survey or reconnois- sance of a region which lay around a lake, and having crossed the lake in boats, the party was waylaid by an ambuscade of Indians, and all its officers killed or disabled at the first fire. The men were thrown into complete confusion, and were in imminent danger of destruction, when Lieutenant Johnston took command, and by his coolness and determination suc- ceeded in rescuing them. He laid hold of a small tree with one hand, and, standing boldly out in face of the whole fire of the savages, called upon the men to rally and form upon him. They immediately returned to their duty and resumed the ac- tion, a perfect volley of balls sweeping around. At last one struck Johnston immediately above the forehead and passed backward over the skull, without fracturing the brain, and he fell, but the troops had caught so much of his spirit that they repulsed the enemj^ and carried off the wounded in safety." For this, and other good service during the Florida war, he was brevetted captain, and in September, 1846, became a full GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLE3TON JOHNSTON". 275 captain by seniority. On February 16th, 1847, he was bre* vetted a lieutenant-colonel of voltigeurs and sailed with the expedition of General Scott to Mexico. After the capture of Vera Cruz, "on the advance to Cerro Gordo, he made a most daring reconnoissance, wherein he was severely, and, as was thought at the time, mortally wounded. He recovered, how- ever, sufficiently to resume his command, and bear part in the concluding battles of that war. He distinguished himself at Molino del Pey, and was again wounded at Chapultepec. In this latter engagement, General Scott says of him : " Be- sides Generals Pillow, Quitman, Shields, Smith, and Cadwal- ader, the following are the officers and corps most distin- guished in those brilliant operations : the voltigeur regiment, in two detachments, commanded, respectively, by Colonel Andrews, and Lieutenant-colonel Johnston — the latter mostly in the lead, accompanied by Major Caldwell (etc.) — the former the first to plant a regimental color, and the latter among the first in the assault." It is reported that General Scott should further say of him "Johnston is a great soldier, but he has an unfortunate knack of getting himself shot in nearly every en- gagement." This was undoubtedly a high testimony to his merits as a brave soldier ; and, for his gallant and meritorious conduct, he was several times brevetted. At the close of the Mexican war he was retained as captain in the Topographical Engineers, and, at a later date, was made a full colonel in the regular army. In June, 1860, he was placed at the head of the quartermaster's department, with the rank of brigadier-general, and was in that post when the pres- ent national strife commenced. At that time he had a great reputation for capacity and probity, and was highly esteemed ; but he felt bound to join the service of his native State, when Virginia seceded, and was immediately appointed to a high command by Governor Letcher. When, however, the Vir- ginia forces became absorbed in the general army of the Southern Confederacy, he received a direct commission from President Davis as Major-general, and proceeded to take com- mand of the forces at Harper's Ferry, then temporarily under the control of Colonel "Stonewall" Jackson. On the 23d of May, 1S61, General Johnston assumed com- mand of what was then called the army of the Shenandoah, 276 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. and, after a complete reconnoissance of Harper's Ferry and environs, he decided that the place was untenable, and, there- fore, determined to withdraw his troops to Winchester. At this time General Patterson was advancing, with a strong Northern force, from Pennsylvania and Maryland, into Vir- ginia, and it was supposed that an attempt would be made by that general to form a junction in the Shenandoah valley with General McClellan, then advancing towards Winchester from the western parts of Virginia. To prevent this junction, therefore, was most desirable, and, accordingly, on the 13th of June, General Johnston abandoned Harper's Ferry, after first burning the railroad bridge and such buildings as were likely to prove most useful to the enemy. On the 14th, while on his march up the valley, he learned that Patterson's forces had crossed the Potomac at Williamsport, and, consequently, it would be necessary to arrest the onward movement by taking up a strong position between the Federal army and Winches- ter. This was done at Bunker's Hill, on the Martinsburg turnpike, and with what result we have already seen in our sketch of General Jackson's life. Patterson fell back across the river, and Johnston pursued his way unmolested towards Winchester. In the early part of July, Patterson made other attempts to entangle Johnston, and, by feints, to detain him in that part of the valley, so as to prevent the union of his forces with those of Beauregard, then strongly encamped on the plains of Ma- nassas. But Johnston saw through this, and skilfully avoided being caught. Keeping his own designs very secret, he made several feint movements, completely deceiving the enemy to the last moment; and, when, on the 18th of July, he received a dispatch from Richmond stating that the Northern army, under McDowell, was advancing upon Manassas, he acted upon the discretionary power given him, and immediately advanced to join Beauregard. His own words are, " It was found to be necessary either to defeat General Patterson, or to elude him." The latter course was the most speedy and certain, and was, therefore, adopted. The sick were provided for in Win- chester ; and for the defence of that place, should the enemy follow, as was expected, the militia of Generals Carson and Meem, seemed ample. Colonel Stuart, with the cavalry, was GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON". 277 sent on in advance to guard the way, and on the 19th, the whole army (except a portion under Kirby Smith, that fol- lowed quickly after) moved through Ashby's gap to Pied- mont, a station of the Manassas Gap railroad. Hence, the infantry proceeded by the cars, — the cavalry continuing the march by road, — and reached Manassas about noon of July 20th. There, though ranking Beauregard, he very consider- ately and generously yielded the seniority, so as not to disturb any of the plans of battle already formed, and, consequently, Beauregard retained supreme command on the field, while Johnston cordially and effectively supported him. The fol- lowing day, July 21st, was fought the great battle which has been already alluded to and described in previous sketches. Bull Run will exist forever, on historic ground, as memorable for more than one severe conflict between the forces of the North and South, in which the former have been defeated. But we can only touch upon it now to say that, in all the dis- positions of the battle, Beauregard submitted them first for approval to Johnston. At half past eight in the morning, General Johnston moved his headquarters to a more central position, where he could watch the course of events, but soon after ten o'clock, — no longer able to remain in the back- ground, — he set out for the advanced lines, gallantly charg- ing to the front with the colors of the Fourth Alabama by his side, all the field officers of that regiment having been pre- viously disabled. Beauregard, however, earnestly persuaded him to retire, and this, reluctantly, he did, afterwards so direct- ing and ordering the reserves, that his valuable services proved most effectual towards the successful issue of the day. When Brigadier-general Kirby Smith arrived about 3 p. m., with the remainder of his troops, he personally directed them to the right of the enemy where they could be most efficient, and where, indeed, their arrival produced that final repulse of the enemy which resulted in a total defeat. After the battle of Manassas, the army remained in camp, with nothing of importance concerning it to relate, as con- nected with General Johnston, until the following March. The personal appearance and characteristics of General Johnston, at this time, have been thus described : " He is about five feet eight or nine inches in height, of good form. 278 SOUTHERN GENERALS. very erect, a handsome face, thick moustache and beard, some what sprinkled with white. His hair is slightly gray. Ilia organs of benevolence and veneration are extremely large; and his eye is very full and large. He should talk well, and speak fluently. He has the decided advantage over Beaure- gard in appearance. Every thing about him — his bearing, style of dress, and even his most careless attitudes — betoken the high-toned and spirited soldier, who loves his profession, and whose soul revels in the din and uproar of the battlefield. Intellectually, he is the equal of any of the generals in the army. His reports are written with great vigor and a degree of elegance which shows that, in the turmoil of the camp, he is not unmindful of the graces of literature. As a strategist, he enjoys a very high reputation among military men. He is also considered one of the best fighters in the army ; but his general manners are rather quiet and dignified." In the early part of February, 1862, General Johnston issued a stirring appeal to the soldiers, on the re-enlistment question, which had much of the effect desired, and filled the ranks that had been thinned by expired service. A portion of that ap- peal, incidentally, referred to some new movement of the army ; and the next month saw the plains of Manassas evac- uated for the purpose of taking up another position further south, on the line of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan. The reasons publicly assigned for this, were that " it was a strategic necessity, and was the surest means of defeating the grand objects of the enemy, and insuring the success of the Confederate cause." The truth is, that it was known a large portion of the Northern army intended to try and reach Rich- mond by way of the Peninsula from Yorktown. General Johnston, therefore, having been left to his own discretion in the matter, wisely determined to change his base of operations on the Potomac, to one where he could be within supporting distance of the army around Richmond and on the Peninsula. His new line, therefore, was one purely defensive. It stretched from the Rappahannock, by a grand circle, to Cumberland gap, in the extreme southwestern corner of the State; em- bracing the Central and the Virginia and Tennessee railroads, the chief cities of Virginia, the valley of the James, with its canal and railroads, within the circumference. This position GENEKA.L JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 279 was assumed in consequence of the great preparations made in the North to invade the South ; and the spirited address of General McClellan at that time, to his troops, clearly indi cated a determination to carry on the war most vigorously and more energetically than had yet been done. On the 14th of March, McClellan assumed command of the " Army of the Potomac," having been relieved from the general superintendence of all the military departments, and, in addressing his soldiers, he says : " The moment for action has arrived. The period of inaction has passed In whatever direction you may move, however strange my actions may appear to you, ever bear in mind that my fate is linked with yours, and that all I do is to bring you, where I know you wish to be — on the decisive battlefield." What his plans were is well known, and has been ably spoken of by the Prince de Joinville, who accompanied McClellan, and afterwards published a small work on the campaign. To attack Rich- mond by the water line was his great desire ; and it was this that General Johnston, with keen-sighted policy, prepared for. The authorities at Richmond also adopted every measure necessary to meet the enemy on his new battle-ground. The capital was, of course, the principal object to be considered, and General Lee was summoned from the South to take mili- tary control of all its defences. On the 17th of March, General McClellan began to forward his troops from Alexandria, by transports, to Fort Monroe, and when he, himself, departed, it was with the expectation that General McDowell, with the rest of the great army would promptly follow. This, however, did not occur. It was found that, though Manassas had been evacuated by the Confederates, they were in far greater force in the Shenandoah Valley, where Jackson was heroically fighting, and in the front of the advanced Northern line of occupation in Virginia, than was before supposed. Consequently, some dread was entertained that Washington itself might be in danger, if left unprotected, and, accordingly, McDowell was detained for that purpose. All this was known to General Johnston, who, however, kept his own designs quite secret, even " shutting out his army from all intercourse with the public." Thus, when Yorktown was besieged in April, Magruder, in command there, was rein 2S0 SOUTHERN GENERALS. forced from Johnston's army without delay or difficulty. John- ston himself went thither, and earnestly addressed the troops, calling upon them " to use every exertion to defeat the Northern invaders.'' But events proved that such was not to be done at Yorktown, nor, afterwards, at Williamsburg. On the 4th of May, Yorktown was evacuated by the Confederates, after, it is said, a unanimous opinion on the part of President Davis, General Lee (both having visited the place for tho purpose), and General Johnston, that McClellan, by his ar- rangements, had made the place untenable. Magruder dis- sented from this view, but yielded to the judgment of the others. General Johnston now retreated upon Williamsburg, hotly pursued by the victorious federals, but here he determined to impede their advance by giving battle. On the 5th of May was fought the battle of Williamsburg, and on the next day the city was occupied by the Federal troops, Johnston gradu- ally retiring towards Richmond. On the 8th he was at Bar- hamsville, and sent an official letter to Richmond, notifying the landing o( the enemy at West Point, under cover o\' their gunboats. This movement appears to have been foreseen by Johnston, and is the key to his motives for withdrawing to tho defences o( Richmond, which now required all the available force that could be collected there. On the 19th, he occupied a line in the vicinity of the capital, so as to cover all the river batteries; and, a day or two afterwards, the advance of the Northern army came within seven miles of the city. The preparations now made to repel the enemy have already been touched upon in our sketch o( General Lee. "We will there- fore confine ourselves to what belongs merely to Johnston's personal doings. On the 27th of May he sent a dispatch to General Jackson, (then in the Shenandoah Valley) wherein are the following important passages, having reference to the army movements at that time : Headquarters Department of Northern Virginia, ) May 27, 1SG2, 9 o'clock 15 min. ) To General T. J. Jackson : Gkneral — I have just received your letter of yesterday by Lieutenant Boswell. A copy of a dispatch telegraphed by (HEVERAL JO0BPB BOO] 281 thai officer from Staunton reached me thii morning. After reading, I wrote to you by a special ting a movement threatening Washington and Baltimore, nnless the enemj still has in jour vicinity force enough to make it ra b to attempt it. Ee has no force beyond the Potomac to make it dangerous ; only what be has on this side need be con- sidered. You cannot, in yotir present position, employ such an army an yours upon any enterprise not bearing directly opon the state of things bere, either by preventing the reinforcements to AfcClellan's army, or by drawing troop-, from it by divisions. These objects might be accomplished by the demonstrations proposed above, or \>y a movement npon McDowell, although I fear that by the time this reaches you it. will ho too Into for either. The most important service you can render the country is the preventing the further strengthening of BdcClel- "an's army If you find it too late for that, strike the most important body of the enemy you can reach. You compel me to publish orders announcing your success .so often that you mu t expect repetition of expressions. Yours very truly, J. K. JOHNSTON. 1*. S. — It is reported thin evening that McDowell is moving this way from Fredericksburg, it i.s probable, J. E. JOHNSTON On the day hut one after, he issued an address to his army "on the brilliant success won by the skill and courage of the generals and troops in the Valley," and calling upon his own soldiers "to emulate the deeds of their noble comrades there, so as to make illustrious in history the part they would soon have to act in tin; impending drama." Having ascertained that the enemy was encamped on the inner side of the Chicka- hominy, near the Williamshurg road, not far from a place called the Seven Pines, he determined to attack McClellan's advance without delay. Written orders were dispatched to tin; Confederate generals in command, and verbal instructions given to General Longstreet, then near headquarters. On Friday night, May 30th, a thunderstorm of unusual violence shook the heavens, and rain fell so heavily that the 2S2 SOUTHEKN" GENEEALS. whole face of the country was deluged with water. The men in camp were exposed to all the violence of the storm, and the roads were rendered almost impassable with mud very deep. The enemy were even worse off, for the bottom lands at the head of the Chickakominy were flooded, and the stream itself was much swollen. Early in the morning of the 31st, however, it was rumored that Johnston intended attacking the enemy's left, and that because, as the bridges were washed away, it would prevent McClellan sending reinforcements to this portion of his army. The movement began between six and eight o'clock a. m., Longstreet and Hill in the advance, toiling through the mire on the Williamsburg road. The plan of operation was as follows : " General Hill, supported by the division of General Long- street (who had the direction of operations on the right), was to advance by the "Williamsburg road to attack the enemy in front; General Huger, with his division, was to move down the Charles City road, in order to attack in flank the troops who might be engaged with Hill and Longstreet, unless he found in his front force enough to occupy the division. General Smith was to march to the junction of the New-bridge road and the Nine-mile road, to be in readiness either to fall on Keyes' right flank, or to cover Longstreet's left." As the troops ma? died on, the heavens were surcharged with clouds, and raindrops fell thickly. In the front were dense woods, on marshy ground, the water in many places being two feet deep. Yet, " through all this, the regiments slowly ad- vanced, while the artillery endeavored to follow. Horses were lashed and goaded. Artillerymen were up to their mid- dle in mire, tugging at long ropes, and trying to get on, but their progress was very slow indeed. The gullies, holes, pools, and rocks, threatened to capsize them at every turn." These, and other causes, delayed the attack on the enemy until about 2 p. m., when Longstreet, finding Huger's division had not come up as expected, opened the engagement, alone, with artillery and skirmishers. By three o'clock it became close and heavy. Meantime, General Johnston had placed himself on the left, with the division of General G. W. Smith, that he might be on a part of the field where good observation could be made of any counter-movement on the side of the GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 283 enemy. But, owing to the dense state of the atmosphere, the first sound of firing on the right did not reach him, and it was 4 p. m. when news came of Long-street's vigorous attack. John ston then ordered forward the whole of Smith's division, and the battle now became general. What followed may be best related in General Johnston's own words, as given in his official report. He says : "The principal attack was made by Major-general Long- street, with his own and Major-general D. H. Hill's divisions — the latter mostly in advance. Hill's brave troops, admirably commanded and gallantly led, forced their way through the abattis, which formed the enemy's external defences, and stormed their intrenchments by a determined and irresistible rush. Such was the manner in which the enemy's first line was carried. The operation was repeated with the same gal- lantry and success as our troops pursued their victorious career through the enemy's successive camps and intrenchments. At each new position they encountered fresh troops belonging to it, and reinforcements brought on from the rear. Thus they had to repel repeated efforts to retake works which they had carried. But their advance was never successfully resisted. " Their onward movement was only stayed by the coming ol night. By nightfall they had forced their way to the ' Seven Pines,' having driven the enemy back more than two miles, through their own camps, and from a series of intrenchments, and repelled every attempt to recapture them, with great slaughter. The skill, vigor, and decision, with which these operations were conducted by General Longstreet, are worthy of the highest praise. He was worthily seconded by Major- general Hill, of whose conduct and courage he speaks in the highest terms. " Major-general Smith's division moved forward at four o'clock, "Whiting's three brigades leading. Their progress was impeded by the enemy's skirmishers, which, with their sup- ports, were driven back to the railroad. At this point, Whit- ing's own and Pettigrew's brigades engaged a superior force ol the enemy. Hood's, by my order, moved on to co-operate with Longsrreet. General Smith was desired to hasten up with all the troops within reach. He brought up Hampton' and Hatton's brigades in a few minutes. 284: SOUTHERN GENERALS. "The strength of the enemy's position, however, enabled him to hold it until dark. " About sunset, being struck from my horse, severely wounded by a fragment of a shell, I was carried from the field, and Major-general G. W. Smith succeeded to the com- mand. " He was prevented from resuming his attack on the enemy's position next morning, by the discovery of strong intrench- ments not seen on the previous evening. His division bi- vouacked, on the night of the 31st, within musket-shot of the in- trenchments which they were attacking when darkness stayed the conflict. The skill, energy, and resolution with which Major-general Smith directed the attack, would have secured success if it could have been made an hour earlier. " The troops of Longstreet and Hill passed the night of the 31st on the ground which they had won. The enemy were strongly reinforced from the north side of the Chickahominy on the evening and night of the 31st. The troops engaged by General Smith were, undoubtedly, from the other side of the river. " On the morning of the 1st of June, the enemy attacked the brigade of General Pickett, which was supported by that of General Pryor. The attack was vigorously repelled by these two brigades, the brunt of the fight falling on General Pickett. This was the last demonstration made by the enemy. " Our troops employed the residue of the day in securing and bearing off the captured artillery, small-arms, and other prop- erty ; and in the evening quietly returned to their own camps." The wound General Johnston received, came while he was in the front, ordering some new attack. A battery opened from a thicket, and a piece of shell struck him severely; at the same time a minie ball entered his shoulder and passed down his back. He fell from his horse, and broke two of his ribs, thus compelling him to leave the field, at the time, with little hope of recovery. He was taken back to the city, to the residence of a celebrated physician, who carefully attended him, and the streets, for squares around, were kept clear of vehicles so as to prevent his being disturbed. It was some weeks, however, be- fore he showed symptoms of recovery ; and, at the end of July, GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 285 he left for Amelia Springs, to derive benefit from the pure country air. For more than three months General Johnston was unable to attend to military duties. At length he was sufficiently restored to permit of his transacting business, though, ap- parently, not of resuming active duties in the field. In Sep- tember he was at Gordonsville and Culpepper on some private matters, as reported, connected with the army ; but not until the beginning of November did he again come forward in pub- lic life. On the 24th of November he was assigned to the command of the "West, in the following order : Adjutant and Inspector-General's Office,) Richmond, November 24, 18(53. f ******* General J. E. Johnston, Confederate States army, is hereby assigned to the following geographical command, to wit : Com- mencing with the Blue Ridge of mountains, running through the western part of North Carolina, and following the line of 6aid mountains through the northern part of Georgia to the railroad south of Chattanooga ; thence by that road to West Point, and down the west or right bank of the Chattahoochie river to the boundary of Alabama and Florida, following that boundary west to the Choctahatchie river, and down that river to Chatahatchie bay — including the waters of that bay — to the Gulf of Mexico. All that portion of country west of said line to the Mississippi river is included in the above command. General Johnston will, for the purpose of correspondence and reports, establish his headquarters at Chattanooga, or such other place as in his judgment will best secure facilities for ready communication with the troops within the limits of his com- mand, and will repair in person to any part of said command whenever his presence may, for the time, be necessary or de- sirable. ******* By command of the Secretary of War, JOHN WITHERS, Assistant Adjutant-general. His Excellency, the President, Richmond, Va. On the 29th of November, General Johnston left Richmond with his staff, and arrived at Chattanooga on the 4th of De- ZS6 SOUTHERN GENEBALS. cember. The next day he proceeded to Murfreesboro, and as sinned command of the army, though, from physical inability, produced by his late wound, he was unable to do more than direct movements. At this time, President Davis was on a tour of inspection, and, in company with General Johnston, visited Bragg's army. The organization of the army, under General Johnson, at the time he took command, was as follows : — General Bragg in command of the army of the Mississippi, located at Murfrees- boro, Tennessee, with Lieutenant-general Polk, commanding the right wing, and under him, Generals Buckner, Cheatham, Breck- inridge, etc. ; Lieutenant-general Kirby Smith, commanding the centre, located at Shelby ville, Tennessee; Lieutenant-general Hardee, commanding the left wing, also located at Shelby ville. Other detachments were under Generals R. Anderson, Pillow, Wheeler, Morgan, Forrest, and Stearns ; and the total amount of force was about 65,750 men. General Johnston, however, does not appear to have remained long at Murfreesboro, but visited other portions of his department, leading to the infer- ence that he was in command at Vicksburg. On the 26th of December, 1862, while at Jackson, Mississippi, in company with the President, who delivered an address before the legis- lature of Mississippi, General Johnston was called upon for a speech. "The scar-worn hero," says a report of the proceed- ings, " looked a little nervous, while the house rang with loud and prolonged applause. He rose and said : ' Fellow-citizens, — My only regret is that I have done so little to merit such a greeting. I promise you, however, that hereafter I shall be watchful, energetic, and indefatigable in your defence.' " At the end of the year (1862) was fought the battle of Mur- freesboro, between Generals Bragg and Rosecrans, each claim- ing the victory, though the former retreated to Tullahoma. At the time, General Johnston appears to have been at Jackson, watching the movements of Sherman on Yicksburg, who had to retreat after an unsuccessful assault upon the city. General Grant had also to be carefully followed in his operations; but General Johnston had some other duties now to perform, which evidently placed him in a delicate position. President Davis had returned to Richmond, and there, it would seem, h was urged to remove General Bragg from his command. The GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON". 2S7 President, however, thought fit to consult General Johnston on the subject, and the following correspondence took place. Richmond, Va., January 22, 1863. General J. E. Johnston, Chattanooga, Tenn. : As announced in my telegram, I address this letter to you [explaining] the purpose for which I desire you to proceed promptly to the headquarters of General Bragg's army. * * * * * * You will, I trust, be able by conversation with General Bragg and others of his command, to decide what the best in- terests of the service require, and give me the advice which I need at this juncture. As that army is a part of your com- mand no order will be necessary to give you authority there, as, whether present or absent, you have a right to direct its operations, and do whatever else belongs to the general com manding. Very truly and respectfully yours, JEFF. DAVIS. Thllahoma, February 12, 1863. Mk. President, — Since writing to you on the 3d, I have seen the whole army.. Its appearance is very encouraging, and gives positive assurance of General Bragg's capacity to com- mand. It is well clothed, healthy, and in fine spirits. The brigades engaged at Murfreesboro are now stronger than they were on the morning of the battle — mainly by the return of the absentees brought back by the general's vigorous system. ****** My object has been to ascertain if the confidence of the troops in the ability of the army to beat the enemy is at all im- paired. I find no indication that it is less th&*i when you were in its camps. While this feeling exists, and you regard General Bragg as brave and skilful, the fact that some or all of the general officers of the army, and many of the subordinates, think that you might give them a commander with fewer defects, cannot, I think, greatly diminish his value. To me it seems that the operations of this army in Middle Tennessee have been con- ducted admirably. I can find no record of more effective 288 SOUTHERN GENERALS. fighting in modern battles than that of this army in December, evincing skill in the commander, and courage in the troops, which fully entitle them to the thanks of the Government. In the early part of January, the country north of Granada being considered impracticable, I directed Major-general Van Dorn to bring to General Bragg's aid the cavalry of the Mis- sissippi army, excej)t such as Lieutenant-general Pemberton considered necessary to him. I have been told by that they have advised you to remove General Bragg, and place me in command of this army. I am sure that you will agree with me, that the part I have borne in this investigation would render it inconsistent with my personal honor to occupy that position. I believe, however, that the interest of the service requires that General Bragg should not be removed. Most respectfully, your obedi- ent servant, J. E. JOHNSTON. It appears, however, that there was a determination on the part of the authorities at Richmond, to have General Johnston in active command on the field, as will appear from the fol- lowing extracts from his official reports. He says : " While on my way to Mississippi, where I thought my presence had become necessary, I received, in Mobile, on March 12th, the following telegram from the Secretary of War, dated March 9. " ' Order General Bragg to report to the War Department for conference. Assume yourself direct charge of the army of Middle Tennessee.' " In obedience to this order, I at once proceeded to Tulla- homa. On my arrival I informed the Secretary of War, by a telegram of March 19th, that General Bragg could not then be sent to Richmond, as he was ordered, on account of the critical condition of his family. " On the 10th of April, I repeated this to the President, and added, ' Being unwell then, I afterwards became sick, and am not now able to serve in the field. General Bragg is, there- fore, necessary here.' On the 28th my unfitness for service in the field was reported to the Secretary of of War. GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 289 " On the 9th of May I received, at Tullahoma, the following dispatch of the same date, from the Secretary of War : ' Proceed at once to Mississippi and take chief command of the forces there, giving to those in the field, as far as practica- ble, the encouragement and benefit of your personal direction.' " It is thus seen, that neither my orders nor my health permitted me to visit Mississippi after the 12th of March, un- til the time when I took direct charge of that department." From the time General Johnston arrived at Tullahoma, until the middle of April, communications by telegraph were received from General Pemberton, then at Yicksburg, indicat- ing that all attempts on that place were apparently aban- doned. But, on the 17th of April, news came that Grant, had resumed vigorous operations, and that the Federal flotilla on the Mississippi was also actively engaged. These operations proved successful. Port Gibson was taken by the Federal forces on the first of May ; Grand Gulf was occupied, and General Grant began his march upon the Jackson and Yicks- burg railroad. It was time, therefore, that Johnston himself, however sick he might be, should be personally present on the scene. Accordingly, he reached Jackson on the night of the 13th of May, and immediately assumed active command. On examination, he found matters very serious. His whole force there, even with expected reinforcements, would not amount to more than " eleven thousand," and Grant, with a powerful army, was rapidly approaching. Next morning, Thursday, May 14th, at an early hour, Johnston marched out Borne eight miles southwest of Jackson, and met the forces of Grant advancing by the main road. A battle was fought, lasting for some time, and ending in the repulse of the Con- federates, and their evacuation of the city. At 2 p. m. John- ston retreated by the Canton road, by which alone he could form a junction with Pemberton, who was in the advanced front of Yicksburg. After marching six miles, the troops en- camped, and General Johnston then sent a dispatch to Pem- berton, advising and directing him what to do. But, on the morning of the 16th Pemberton was attacked by the enemy at Baker's creek, near Edward's station, on the Yicksburg rail- road, and after nine hours' fighting, was compelled to fall back behind the Big Black river. On the 17th, Johnston 19 290 SOUTHERN GENERALS. again tried to join Pemberton by marching in a direction in- timated by that general, but that night it was ascertained he had retired within Yicksburg. The day after, General John- ston had his headquarters near Vernon, close to the Big Black, and thence sent to Pemberton instructions to " hold out," until it might be seen if he could be relieved. At the same time he forwarded directions to General Gardner, at Port Hudson, to evacuate that place ; and, after dispatching these orders, he marched back to re-establish his line between Jack- son and Canton. There, for awhile, we will leave his military movements, and introduce some notice of him from a visitor, who had come across the Atlantic to see what was going on in the Confederate States. "We allude to Lieutenant-colonel Fre- mantle, from whom we have already quoted, and who says, at this particular time, after a difficult journey up the Mis- sissippi : ""We left Jackson (Tuesday, 19th May) with the leading troops (of Confederates proceeding to join Johnston — Grant having gone to Vicksburg), and next day, about 6 p. m., reached General Johnston's bivouac 1 presented my letters of introduction, .... and to me he was extremely affable, though he certainly possesses the power of keeping people at a distance when he chooses, and his officers evidently stand in great awe of him. He lives very plainly, and at present his only cooking utensils consisted of an old coffeepot and fryingpan — both very inferior articles. There was only one fork (one prong deficient), between himself and staff, and this was handed to me, ceremoniously, as the 'guest.' He has undoubtedly acquired the entire confidence of all the officers and soldiers under him. Many of the officers told me they did not consider him inferior, as a general, to Lee, or any oik else. He told me that Vicksburg was certainly in a critical situation, and was now closely invested by Grant. He said that he, himself, had 11,000 men with him, hardly any cav- alry, and only sixteen pieces of cannon ; but, if he could get adequate reinforcements, he stated his intention of endeavor- ing to relieve Vicksburg On the following day I was received into his mess. Major Eustis and Lieutenant "Wash- ington, officers of his staff, are thorough gentlemen, and did all in their power to make me comfortable. The first is a GENEBAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON". 291 Louisianian of wealth (formerly) ; and his negro always speaks French I was presented to Captain Henderson, who commanded a corps of about fifty scouts. These are employed on the hazardous duty of hanging about the enemy's camps, collecting information, and communicating with Pemberton in Vicksburg. They are a fine looking lot of men, wild, and very picturesque in appearance. At noon a Yankee military surgeon came to camp. He had been left behind by Grant to look after the Yankee's wounded at Jackson, and he was now anxious to rejoin his general by flag of truce, but General Johnston very prudently refused to allow this, and desired that he should be sent to the North, via Richmond. By a very sensible arrangement, both sides have agreed to treat doctors as non-combatants, and not to make prisoners of war of them. ... In the evening I asked General Johnston what prospect he thought there was of early operations, and he told me that at present he was too weak to do any good, and he was unable to give me any definite idea as to when he might be strong enough to attack Grant. . . . General Johnston is a very well read man, and agreeable to converse with. He told me that he considered Marlborough a greater general than Wellington. All Americans have an intense admiration for Napoleon ; and they seldom scruple to express their regret that he was beaten at Waterloo. Remarking upon the ex- treme prevalence of military titles, General Johnston said, 'You must be astonished to find how fond all Americans are of titles, though they are republicans ; and, as they can't get any other sort, they all take military ones. ... In the course of our long conversation, he told me that the principal evils which a Confederate general had to contend against, consisted in the difficulty of making combinations, owing to uncertainty about the time which the troops would take to march a cer- tain distance, on account of their straggling propensities. . . . He also said that Grant had displayed more vigor than he had expected, by crossing the river below Vicksburg, seizing Jackson by vastly superior force, and, after cutting off com- munications, investing the fortress thoroughly, so as to take it, if possible, before a sufficient force could be got to relieve it. .... In reference to himself, he said that altogether he had "been wounded ten times. He was the senior officer of the old 292 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. army who joined the Confederates. . . . Saturday, May 23d, General Johnston, Major Eustis, and myself, left Canton at 6 a. m., on a locomotive for Jackson. On the way we talked a good deal about " Stonewall" Jackson, and he said that although this extraordinary man did not possess any great qualifications as a strategist, and was perhaps unfit for the independent command of a large army, yet he was gifted with wonderful courage and determination, and a perfect faith in Providence that he was destined to destroy his enemy. He was much indebted to General Ewell in the valley campaigns. Stonewall Jackson was also most fortunate in commanding the flower of the Virginia troops, and in being opposed to the most incapable Federal commanders, such as Fremont and Banks. " Before we had proceeded twelve miles we were forced to stop and collect wood from the road side to feed our engine, and the general worked with so much energy as to cause his ' Seven Pines' wound to give him pain. "We were put out at a spot where the railroad was destroyed, at about four miles from Jackson. A carriage ought to have been in waiting for us, but by some mistake it had not arrived, so we had to foot it. I was obliged to carry my heavy saddle-bags. Major Eustis very kindly took my knapsack, and the general carried the cloaks. In this order we reached Jackson, much exhausted, at 9 : 30 a. m. . . . I there took an affectionate farewell of him and his officers, and he returned to Canton at 3 p. m." "We have given the above ^extracts as significant of General Johnston's character as a courteous gentleman, and accom- plished military officer of rank. And it is a somewhat striking fact, that he and many others, both North and South, have frequently shown similar kind and gentlemanly feeling to strangers even amid all their cares and anxieties. In the pres- ent case, and while his visitor was actually with him, he was receiving important communications, to which careful answers had to be returned. On the 23d of May, a dispatch came from Port Hudson, stating that the enemy was about to cross at Bayou Sara, and the whole force from Baton Rouge was in front of General Gardner. To this he sent renewed orders to evacuate Port Hudson. " You cannot be reinforced," said he. " Do not allow yourself to be invested. At every risk save GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 293 the troops, and if practicable, move in this direction." Dis- patches also arrived from General Pemberton. dated Vicksburg, May 20th, and 21st. To these, on the 29th, he replied, "I am too weak to save Vicksburg. Can do no more than attempt to save you and your garrison. It will be impossible to extricate you, unless you co-operate, and we make mutually supporting movements. Communicate your plans and suggestions, if pos- sible." After this, much more correspondence with Pemberton, and also with the Secretary of War, at Richmond, took place, all having the same purport, viz., that he (General Johnston) was too weak to relieve Yicksburg, and had not at his disposal half the troops necessary. To the Secretary of War, on the 12th of June, he again said the same, adding, " To take from Bragg a force which would make this army fit to oppose Grant, would involve yielding Tennessee. It is for the Government to de- cide between this State and Tennessee." At intervals, similar communications took place, and a movement of the army was made on the 29th of June, towards the Big Black, with a view of giving some relief to Pemberton. But, on the 5th of July, General Johnston learned that Yicks- burg had fallen to the victorious Federal arms, and accordingly, he marched back, and encamped again at Jackson. There, however, he was not allowed to remain long in peace. On the morning of the 9th, General Sherman appeared, in heavy force, in front of the works thrown up for the defence of the place, and commenced intrenching, and constructing batteries. Next day some spirited skirmishing, with slight cannonading, oc- curred ; and on the following day an assault was made on Gen- eral Breckinridge's lines. On the 16th, General Johnston found that it would be impossible to hold the city, and, accordingly, that night evacuated it, and retired towards Brandon. It is not to be denied, that these defeats and losses to the Confederates in the Mississippi department, produced much despondency and complaint. Upon the conduct of General Johnston many animadversions were cast, and an attempt was made to throw the whole blame upon him. In his official re- port he gives a long account of all his movements, and the orders he had issued, asserting, that in important ones, General Pemberton had not obeyed him. To this we must add, that, aU 294 SOUTHERN GENERALS. throughout, the wounds he had received, and his ger.eral ill health, made him less fit for the superintendence of active ope- rations than might otherwise have been the case, and he him- self constantly urged this upon the authorities at Richmond. On the 27th of July, General Johnston went to Mobile to examine the fortifications there, leaving his army camped at Enterprise and Brandon, under the direct command of Genera 7 Hardee. While there, he carefully inspected the works, and made a map of them, ultimately deciding that they required strengthening immediately, though, said he, " Mobile is the most defensible seaport position in the Confederate States.'* It is related, that when he was told there was an idea afloat in the city, of his coming there to order its evacuation, he re- plied, " Had that been my purpose, I should not have shown my countenance among you. I am here for the directly oppo- site purpose, of looking into your defences, and preparing to hold your city." For the next few weeks General Johnston appears to have been visiting the principal posts of his department, and con- sulting with the several generals in command. It was sup- posed that he had superseded General Bragg, at Chattanooga, but this seems to have been a similar mistake to that made on a previous occasion, when he was seen there. However, on the 15th of September, he visited Atlanta, Georgia, and afterwards was actively engaged in collecting troops, directing their move- ments, and supporting Bragg and Longstreet, in Tennessee, as required. At the battle of Chickamauga, General Johnston held a force of 30,000 troops in reserve, at Kingston, fifteen miles from the scene of contest, besides 5,000 cavalry, under General Pillow, and 15,000 Georgia militia. This was done so as to keep a strong body of reinforcements ready, in case Gen- eral Burnside arrived to join Rosecrans. As this did not oc- cur, General Johnston had no occasion to use his men, General Bragg having effected what was desired, in driving the enemy back. In the early part of October, he so arranged the Con- federate army in Tennessee and North Georgia, that one com- mand, of some 58,000 men, occupied the centre from Lafayette to Look-Out Mountain, near Chattanooga : Longstreet on the left, from Bridgeport, on the Tennessee, to Trenton, with 41,000 men ; and Bragg the right, from Dalton to Cleveland, GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 295 with 57,000 men. The cavalry was under General "Wheeler, and numbered 15,000 strong. At about the same time President Davis again visited the army, and on the 10th of October reviewed the troops, and ex- amined the defences before Chattanooga ; but General Johns- ton was away on an extensive inspection tour. On the 4th he dates a dispatch from Meridian, north Missis- sippi ; and after that we have little account of his movements until, when, in December, General Bragg was at last removed, in accordance with popular opinion, and General Johnston ap- pointed to the field command of the army in Tennessee, then temporarily held by General Hardee. On the 27th of Decem- ber he assumed command at Dalton, Georgia. Commenting upon this appointment, and the correspondence between President Davis and General Johnston, concerning General Bragg, which we have already given in its proper date, though only made public at this time, the Richmond En- quirer remarks : " The manly sentiments, and lofty sense of honor exhibited by General Joseph E. Johnston, in the correspondence with the President, recently published, relative to the removal of General Bragg, have given him a new claim upon the public sympathy and admiration, and are receiving their just praise. The Atlanta Register, while declaring that the announcement of the appointment of General Joseph E. Johnston to the com- mand of the army of Tennessee will be hailed 'with delight by the army and the people,' adds, that ' he is an officer of generous and noble impulses, as is evidenced by his letters to the President in reference to the hero of Murfreesboro and Chickamauga.' " There seemed, however, to be a cloud over the prospects of the Confederates at this time. Grant, Sherman, and Thomas were making rapid strides in successful encounters with the Southern forces ; and again, was a retreat found necessary by General Johnston, who, the latter part of January, 1864, fell back from Dalton, and his advanced posts. On the 7th of February he was encamped at Pome, Georgia ; but again ad- vanced to Dalton shortly afterwards. At the same time the Federals made an attempt to get possession of the place, but were driven back. 296 SOUTHERN GENERALS. In March, the movements of the Northern army indicated that a vigorous attempt would be made to penetrate through Georgia, and therefore General Johnston concentrated a strong force around Dalton, to oppose the enemy's advance. What the condition of his army was at this period may be gathered from the following letter, written to the Mobile Advertiser, in April. The writer says : " I am happy to be able to say, that the condition of our army is splendid in every respect. It is well fed, well clad, in ex- cellent health, and in high and hopeful spirits. For the first time in its history it has no barefoot soldier. . . . " General Johnston is unquestionably a great captain in the science of war. In ninety days he has so transformed this arm}^, that I can find no word to express the extent of the transformation, but the word regeneration. It is a regenera- ted army. He found it ninety days ago disheartened, despair- ing, and on the verge of dissolution. By judicious measures he has restored confidence, re-established discipline, and ex- alted the hearts of his army. The army of Tennessee, the most ill-starred and successless of all our armies, has seen its worst days. "Let us hope, that it will have 'no more retreats, and no more defeats.' I have a firm faith now in the future of the army of Tennessee and its great captain. Let him but be unfettered, and furnished with adequate means, and all will be well. He is very fortunate in having such thorough soldiers as Hood, and Hardee, and Stewart, and Cleburne, to direct his columns, and execute his orders. With such leaders, it seems to me, that defeat is impossible. The intrepid dash, and the young, burning enthusiasm of Hood are directed by military genius, and controlled by a rare and high intelligence. Hardee is al- ways prompt, ready, perfect, and successful. The calm, stoic Stewart, silent, stern, poised, imperturbable, never fails, never errs, and never dallies. He is ever at the right place, at the opportune moment. Cleburne is not merely, though he is al- together, a lion in battle, but he has the genius to ' ride upon the whirlwind, and direct the storm ' of the mighty conflict. With these generals there will be no dallying, no blunders, no ' lost opportunities,' no disobedience of orders. " General Johnston has two modes of stopping deserters. GENEKAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTOIST. 297 One is, by liberal furloughs, allowing all to go home by turns, and the other is, by the inexorable doom of death to deserters. He has announced, in general orders, that he will grant no par- dons, and the doomed must die. , The court-martial have, at last, come to discover the necessity of punishing deserters with death, and few now escape. There are upwards of a dozen soldiers now awaiting execution of the death penalty for de- sertion. Some are to hang ; some to be shot." At length, on the 2d of May, simultaneous with the onward movement of Grant in Virginia, Sherman began his grand march into Georgia. The Federal advance was in three col- umns — Thomas moving in front, direct upon Johnston's centre at Dalton, with his advance at Ringgold and Tunnel Plill ; Schofield, from Cleveland, thirty miles northeast of Chatta- nooga, via Red Clay, on the Georgia line, to unite with Thomas ; and McPherson, by a flank movement of some forty or fifty miles upon Johnston's line of communications at Resaca, a station on the Western and Atlantic railroad, at the crossing of the Oostanaula river, eighty-four miles from Atlanta, and fifteen miles south of Dalton. The attack was made first on the 7th of May, by General Thomas, who drove Johnston's advance back to a place called Buzzard Roost, just north of Dalton. Johnston, knowing the importance of Resaca, and hearing of McPherson "s movement, evacuated Dalton, and hastened to Resaca, which he reached just before the Federal advance. On the 14th of May the two armies came into collision close to Resaca, at a place called Sugar Yalley. General Sherman was determined to force his way, and General Johnston equally as determined to prevent him. In quick time he got up breastworks and gave the enemy battle. At first he ap- peared to be victorious, driving the Federals back some distance, but, eventually, he had to retire, and, after some desultory fighting on the 15th and 16th, he retreated to the Etowah river, passing through Kingston and Cassville. At both places fighting occurred, and Rome was occupied by a portion of Sherman's victorious troops. Johnston still re- treated towards Altoona, where he made a stand, but with their inferiority of numbers, they were soon forced from this position by another movement of the enemy in their flank, by 293 SOUTHERN GENERALS. which the Federal left reached the railroad near Marietta on Monday, May 30th. It is with something of regret that we are compelled, from want of space, to omit most of those interesting details that are to be found connected with the movements of both armies during this celebrated advance through Georgia on the ono side, and the masterly retreat on the other. It is quite impos sible to do complete justice to such earnest and devoted men in a mere outline sketch of their eventful lives, or to narrate, within the limits of one volume, all the incidents of interest and importance connected with them. A correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial, dating from Resaca, May 26th, says : "The designs of Sherman are now somewhat less mysterious. Last night Howard, Palmer, Hooker, Logan, and Dodge's corps were at, and slightly beyond, Dallas — a point on the flank of the rebel position in the Altoona mountains, in what is known as Hickory gap, ten miles southeast of Etowah, the station where the railroad crosses the Etowah river. At the point where the railroad pierces the Altoona mountains, forty miles from Atlanta, Johnston had halted for resistance, occu- pying a very strong, natural, and powerfully fortified position. Before we could attack him in front it was necessary to cross the Etowah river, and march up the steep and rugged slopes of the mountains which abut on the stream. "When the army moved on Monday, Schofield's corps moved to Etowah, and succeeded in laying pontoons, making, the while, at several points, demonstrations leading the enemy to believe that we proposed to attack him directly in front. " While Schofield was thus engaged, the rest of the army marched rapidly to the Etowah river, and crossed without serious opposition at a point about fifteen miles below the railroad bridge. Immediately resuming the line of march, and with but light skirmishing, reached Dallas last evening — about thirty miles from Atlanta, and within a short march of Marietta, a station on the railroad directly in the rear of the rebel position at Altoona. Schofield has crossed the river near Etowah station, and is moving down the ridge to join the main body, his rear guard skirmishing constantly with the enemy. GENEKAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 299 " Johnston is thus compelled to abandon his strong position in the Altoona mountains, and fight, if at all, in the open country south of there. Cannonading has been heard to-day, and the impression prevails that a battle is in progress to-day near Marietta. " A courier from Johnston to his chief of cavalry, General Jackson, was captured day before yesterday, bearing a note of inquiry from the former, asking immediate information of Sherman's movements on his flanks. The courier was taken before General Thomas, who removed his clothes and dressed a trusty scout of his own in them, with an answer to Johnston's message. What this answer was is not generally known, but it is presumed that it did not communicate the movements of our forces with exactness." Another correspondent sa} r s, after a graphic account of pre- vious movements, " So far General Johnston has conducted his retreat in a masterly manner. He has finally succeeded in crossing the Etowah river, at the cliffs, eight miles from here, (Kingston) and there can be no more opportunities for forcing him to fight. ... A great battle will undoubtedly be fought somewhere between here and Atlanta." On the 28th of May there was an encounter between General Cleburne's division of Johnston's army and the ad- vance of the enemy, under McPherson, at New Hope ; and, after that, each party kept maneuvering for positions until near the end of June without another battle. At length, on the 27th of June, Sherman gave orders for an attack upon Johnston's position, then at Kenesaw mountain, near Marietta. At 8 a. m. General McPherson attacked at the southwest end of the mountain, and General Thomas at a point about a mile further south. At the same time, the skirmishers and artillery along the whole line kept up a sharp fire. Neither attack succeeded, though both columns reached Johnston's works, which were very strong. General McPherson lost about 500 men, and General Thomas about 2,000. The loss was particularly heavy to the Federals in general, and field officers. General Harker was one of those mortally wounded, while on the side of the Confederates the loss was trifling. General Sherman, however, speedily rectified this by another 300 SOUTHERN GENERALS. flank movement, which compelled General Johnston to aban don the mountain, and retreat towards Atlanta, leaving tha enemy to occupy Marietta. This continued retrograde move- merit naturally produced considerable disappointment and murmuring in the South. Many were the comments made upon it, and not a few sharp reasons referring, not only to General Johnston, but to the authorities at Richmond, were given for such repeated falling back. A commander-in-chief of an army is compelled to do many things that may appear to his com- mand, and to the public, injudicious. There are reasons and causes never known to others, which cannot be fully explained, and are only known by those to whom he is responsible, which may compulsorily influence his actions ; and that general or officer is quite unworthy of his high position who has not, in addition to his military skill and personal bravery, that sound and healthy moral courage which will enable him in need to act independently of the opinions of irresponsible persons. We do not say that all seeming errors can be thus excused, nor do we venture this as an excuse for General Johnston, it one be needed for him ; the thought, however, should ever serve to moderate sharp comments or severe criticism that after events may possibly prove to be unjust. The Confederate army had now fallen back to Atlanta, and, on the 18th of July, the troops and the general public were greatly surprised by an announcement that General Johnston had been relieved, and General Hood assigned to the command on the previous day. The following address was then issued by General Johnston to his army : Headquhtees, Army op Tennebsee, July 17, 1864. In obedience to the orders of the War Department, I turn over to General Hood the command of the Army and Depart- ment of Tennessee. I cannot leave this noble army without expressing my admiration for the high military qualities it has displayed so conspicuously — every soldierly virtue, endurance of toil, obedience to orders, brilliant courage. The enemy has never attacked but to be severely repulsed and punished. You, soldiers, have never argued but from your courage, and never counted your fears. No longer your leader, I will still watch your career, and will rejoice in your GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 301 victories. To one and all I offer assurances of my friendship and bid an affectionate farewell. J. E. JOHNSTON, General. The suggestion made in the foregoing paragraphs was not, however, acted upon for months. Johnston was shelved by the executive authorities, until the state of affairs was such, under Sherman's successes in South Carolina, that the public voice almost demanded his recall. Accordingly, at the end of January, 1865, the Southern Congress signified to the Presi- dent that it was the wish of the people that Johnston be restored to his original command. Still there was delay. A singular degree of opposition was manifested by certain mem- bers of the Senate and some of the official authorities. But the popular wish prevailed, and on the 23d of February he resumed command of the Army of the Tennessee in Sher- man's front. His stay, however, in that position was only of short duration. Gallantly^ but vainly, contesting the ground, as Sherman and his generals advanced, he finally reached Greensboro', 1ST. C, on the 13th of April, where, having heard of Lee's surrender, with the previous fall of Richmond and Petersburg, he requested an armstice from the victorious Union commander. This was acceded to, and a meeting took place between the two generals, which, after more than one interview, resulted, on the 18th of April, in terms of agreement for the suspension of hostilities under certain conditions, sub- ject to the approval of the President. Forty-eight hours' no- tice had to be given in the event of 'hostilities recommencing. The conditions, however, were not approved by the Execu- tive authorities at Washington, and when a summons was shortly afterwards made to Johnston for the surrender of his army, he was compelled to yield. This was done on the 26th of April, 1865, at Bennett's House, near Durham's Station, North Carolina. Johnston and his army were paroled on the same terms as those given to General Lee, and thus the Confederate Army of the Tennessee ceased to exist. The following orders were promulgated by Johnston on the occasion : 302 SOUTHERN GENERALS. GENERAL ORDERS— No. 18. Headquarters Army of the Tennessee, April 27, 1865. By the terms of a military convention made on the 26th instant, by Major-General W. T. Sherman, United States Army, and General J. E. Johnston, Confederate States Army, the officers and men of this army are to bind themselves not to take up arms against the United States until properly re- lieved from the obligation, and shall receive guarantees from the United States officers against molestation by the United States authorities, so long as they observe that obligation and the laws in force where they reside. For these objects, dupli- cate muster-rolls will be made ; and after the distribution of the necessary papers the troops will march under their officers to their respective States, and there be disbanded — all retain- ing personal property. The object of this convention is pacifi- cation, to the extent of the authority of the commanders who made it. Events in Virginia, which broke every hope of suc- cess by war, imposed on its general the duty of sparing the blood of this gallant army and saving our country from further devastation, and our people from ruin. J. E. JOHNSTON, General. JOHNSTON'S FAREWELL TO HIS ARMY. General Oedkks — No. 22. Headquarters Army op the Tennessee ) Near Greensboro', May 2, 1865. ) Comrades — In terminating our official relations, I expect you to observe the terms of the pacification agreed upon, and to discharge the obligations of good and peaceful citizens to the powers that be, as well as you have performed the duties of sol- diers in the field. By such a course, you will secure comfort, and restore tranquillity to your country. You will return to your homes with the admiration of our people, won by the courage and noble devotion you have displayed in this long war. I shall always remember with pride the loyal support you have given me. I part from you with regret, and bid you farewell with feelings of cordial friendship, and with earnest wishes that you may prosper. J. E. JOHNSTON, General. J. E. Kbnnabd, Colonel, etc GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON. 303 On the 2d of May, General Johnston, in a letter which was published, explained his reasons for surrendering, and among several other causes which he alleges produced it, he says : " With such odds against us, without the means of procuring ammunition or repairing arms, without money or credit to provide food, it was impossible to continue the war except as robbers." To this he adds somewhat more concerning the useless destruction of their bravest men, besides great suffering and ruin to women and children on a desolating march. It is generally conceded that General Johnston acted not only humanely but wisely in the matter of his surrender. In later letters he has given expression to sentiments that prove his sincerity. He says in one communication : " We of the South referred the question at issue, between us and the United States, to the arbitrament of the sword. The decision has been made, and is against us. We must acquiesce in that decision, accept it as final, and recognize the fact that Virginia is again one of the United States. Our duties and interest coincide." In the beginning of last September, General Johnston was proposed as president of the Danville Railroad, but was re- jected in favor of another party. He was, however, soon after- wards elected president of the National Express Company, and on the 31st of October, in response to an official notice of the action of the stockholders, spoke as follows : "Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — 1 have had no higher gratification in my life than my election to this position by the board of directors, and its confirmation by the stockholders. I hope that, six months hence, you may think and feel as you do now ; but in the discharge of my duties I shall require much advice and assistance. I thank you, gentlemen, for the honor conferred upon me, and ybu, Mr. Chairman, for the kind manner in which you have informed me of my election." On a business visit to New York lately, the general is re- ported to have said that the question of State-rights was now settled, and the Southern people regarded themselves as citi- zens of the United States ; and as for slavery, if that institution had not existed, " Virginia would have been a richer State than New York to-day." Jt^f^ GEN. 5. COOPER. GENERAL SAMUEL COOPER. Tiieee are some men whose career through life never dis- plays itself by much public fame, and yet whose services are, and have been fully equal, in their real value, to those of gen- erals and commanders, appearing more prominently on the scene of every-day life. Statesmen, high officials of the gov- ernment, advisers of the constituted authorities, adjutants, commissariat officers, heads of departments, medical directors, and others, rarely come forward in the world's blazonry with that display common usage has affixed to the deeds of military or naval heroes. Yet those very men often deserve as much credit, and sometimes far more, than is awarded to commanders on the battlefield. Their astute, clear, calm, and penetrating minds — their wise judgment, and masterly ability, quietly plan, arrange, and direct, what is often brilliantly accom- plished by the chief of a division, or the head of an army. Had General Lee retained his post as military adviser, or whatever it was, in the spring of 1862, it is very probable he would not have been so greatly noted as he is. Indeed, we hear but little of him during that period ; and yet he was skil- fully planning and directing important movements. So, with the subject of our present sketch, whose valuable services as adjutant-general, both in the North and South, have been generally admitted. "With any minute particulars of General Cooper's career, the public is not yet familiar, except through those ordinary offi- cial channels which give notices of appointments and dates of changes. Consequently, we can do little more at present than put s«ch before the reader, to show who and what he is. General Cooper was born in the State of New York, in the year 1798, and entered the Military Academy at West Point, when only fifteen years old. At that time, the period of study 20 306 SOUTHERN GENERALS. was not so long as now, and, consequently, be graduated in 1815, receiving his commission as brevet second-lieutenant of Light Artillery, on the 11th of December, in that year. He obtained the full rank of a lieutenancy in 1817, and when, in 1821, the army was reorganized, he was retained in the rank he then held. Shortly afterwards, he became first-lieutenant of the Third Artillery, and in 1824, was transferred to the Fourth. Here he remained four years, and then became aid- de-camp to General Macomb, serving in that capacity until the year 1830. These times were days of peace, and we see little recorded of note to mark the military career of any man. In 1831, Cooper was brevetted captain "for faithful service, ten years in one grade." Five years afterwards, he became full captain, and in 1847, he was made brevet major of the staff (assistant adjutant-general). The following year, he was brevetted colonel of the staff, " for meritorious conduct," par- ticularly in the performance of his duties in the prosecution of the Mexican war. These duties appear to have been the onerous ones attached to the department of the adjutant-gen- eral, and so peculiarly skilled was he in that office that, in 1852, he was appointed head of the department, with the rank of colonel in the army. Adjutant-general Cooper was now at the summit of that branch of his profession, in which he had labored so many years to the satisfaction of the army, and approval of the United States government, as well as the general public. At that time, Charles M. Conrad, of Louisiana, was secretary of war, under President Fillmore's administration ; but, on the 5th of March, 1853, Jefferson Davis assumed control of the war office, and thus the present head of the Confederate States and Adjutant-general Cooper must have continually come in contact with each other. How far this may have influenced his after conduct, as regards the severance of the Union, we cannot say; but, it is stated, that his political principles were well known to be adverse to the present policy of the admin- istration in the North, and though faithfully performing his duties to the last moment of Buchanan's reign in power, he immediately resigned when President Lincoln was installed. He sent in his resignation on the 7th of March, 1861, at the same time with Assistant Adjutant-general Withers, and both GENERAL SAMUEL COOPER. 307 were accepted, to be considered as taking effect on the 1st of March. Possibly, as General Cooper is a connection (we be- lieve brother-in-law) of Mr. Mason, other than mere political reasons may have led to this great severance of his long asso- ciation with the government," and with his native North. It is singular that about the last official order signed by Adjutant-general Cooper, should have been the following : Wap, Department, March 1, 1861. By the direction of the President of the United States, it is ordered that Brigadier-general David E. Twiggs, be, and is hereby dismissed from the army of the United States, for his treachery to the flag of his country, in having surrendered on the 18th of February, 1861, on the demand of the authorities of Texas, the military posts and other property of the United States in his department, and under his charge. . J. HOLT, Secretary of War. By order of the Secretary of War, S. Cooper, Adjutant-general. General Cooper immediately went to Montgomery, where he arrived on the 15th of March, and tendered his services to President Davis. These were cheerfully accepted, and the next day he was appointed Adjutant-general of the Confed- erate States, — a position, to some timid minds, the least en- viable of any to be found. The president, and secretary of war, the commanding general, might, each and all, determine upon open strife with the North, and have great abilities for carrying it on ; but where was the material to work with ? Fighting could not be done without soldiers ; soldiers could not be obtained without much careful thought as to the best method of procuring the men ; and men could not be turned into an army of soldiers without skilful organization. The master mind to do this, however, for the new confederacy, came forward at the very moment such was wanted. With his perfect knowledge of all the intricate machinery necessary, and his long acquaintance with the inner workings of the regular army of the United States government, General Cooper stepped in to the precise place requiring to be filled, and undoubtedly must have been hailed as one of the most valuable aids to the cause, that could have been offered. He 308 SOUTHERN GENERALS. must, however, have possessed a strong and determined will, fearless of all consequences, to have undertaken the duties of such a post. To the South, he gave more than himself; — he gave the vast energies of a capacious mind, fully stored with the knowledge and acquirements of many years experience in the duties of one of the most arduous and complicated services relating to the army. To the North, he made himself some- thing, perhaps more to be dreaded, through the peculiar powers he possessed, than even a general in the field, for the latter, could, possibly, be beaten back, and his forces destroyed. An adjutant-general, however, such as Cooper, might speedily reproduce the whole, and thus in a measure, nullifying what- ever of success the enemy of his cause may have attained. The proceedings of General Cooper, after being appointed to his office, have not much individuality in themselves. Occa- sionally his name appeared, in reference to some important matter connected with the army, but his duties rarely brought him personally forward. In the latter part of July, 1861, he had some correspondence with General Johnston, respecting the alleged hanging by the Federals of two captives taken by them. The following letters explain the matter : Adjutant and Inspector General's Office, ) Richmond, July 29, 1861. ) To General J. E. Johnston, Commanding Army of Potomac, Manassas, Va. Sik — Your letter of the 24th instant, inclosing one of the 26th from General Bonham, reporting the hanging of two sentinels of the South Carolina troops, who were captured on the 17th instant, by the enemy, near Centerville, has been re- ceived and submitted to the President, who instructs me to state, that you will send a flag to the general commanding the forces in front of you, report to him the case, and require that he deliver to you, as criminals, the persons who perpe- trated the offence, or avow his responsibility for the act ; and, in the latter case, that you will retaliate, retaining in your possession for that purpose, of the enemy, twice the number of ■'-.hose of our troops that were thus ignominiously executed. Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector-general. (Official) R. H. Chilton, A. A. G. GENERAL SAMUEL COOPER. 309 GENERAL JOHNSTON TO GENERAL COOPER. Headquarters, Manassas, ) August 6, 1861. J To General Cooper, A. and I. G. : Sir — On the 21st ultimo, in obedience to orders received through your office, I addressed to Brigadier-general Mc- Dowell, commanding the department of Alexandria, a letter, a copy of which is inclosed herewith. A reply was returned to our outposts, but being addressed like one which I had a few days before refused to receive, on account of the super- scription, Colonel Stuart refused to transmit it. He ascer- tained, however, that the alleged hanging of our two volun- teers was denied by General McDowell. Since then two other papers, inclosed, were sent under flags of truce, the bearer not being admitted. I send them merely , to show the obstinacy with which the enemy avoids the estab- lished mode of communication. Most respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed) J. E. JOHNSTON, General. (Official) R. H. Chilton, A. A. G. Colonel Stuart was informed in reply to his references of the messages, that when properly addressed, we would give any aid in our power to Colonel Cameron's friends in their search. J. E. J. GENERAL JOHNSTON TO GENERAL M'DOWELL. Headquarters Army of the Potomac, ) Manassas Junction, July 21, 1861. y Sir — Information has been given to me that two soldiers ot the army of the Confederate States, whilst under picket •duty, were hung near Centreville, on the night of the 17th instant. The object of this communication is to ascertain the nature of the offence which required this ignominious punishment, and upon what evidence the decision was based. If done by your authority, I must demand that the perpe- trators of this violation of the usages of civilized warfare, be 310 SOUTHERN GENERALS. delivered to me, for such punishment as the nature of the of feuce demands, or be punished by yourself. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, (Signed) J. E. JOHNSTON, General Commanding C. S. Forces. (Official) H. H. Chilton, A. A. G. To Brigadier-general Irwin McDowell, Commanding Department of Alexandria. In March, 1862, martial law was proclaimed in certain coun ties, and General Cooper at once put it in execution under charge of Generals Heth and Marshall, with an efficient mili- tary police. All distillation of spirituous liquors was positively prohibited, and the distilleries thenceforth closed. Even the sale of spirituous liquors was forbidden. About the same time it was found necessary to call in to the army all the soldiers who were absent, whether on furlough or from any other cause, except well-attested sickness. His gen- eral order on the subject, was dated March 2±th, 1862. Another of his orders, just after the battle of Fair OaTes, or Seven Fines, and referring to officers in battle, may be worth recording here. It says : Officers of the field are permitted to wear a fatigue dress, consisting of the regulation frock coat, without embroidery on the collar, or a gray jacket, with the designation of rank upon the collar. Only caps such as are worn by the privates of their respective commands may be worn by the officers of the line. Mounted officers are ordered to dismount in time of action, whenever they can do so without interference with the proper discharge of their duties. Officers of all grades are reminded that unnecessary expos- ure in time of battle on the part of commissioned officers is not only unsoldier-like, but productive of great injury to the army and infinite peril to the country. They are recommended to follow in this particular, to a reasonable extent, the excellent xample set them by the enemy. By command of the Secretary of War. S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector-General. (Official) Geo. F. Foote, A. A. General. GENERAL SAMUEL COOPER. 311 The several orders, issued by General Cooper, have been, however, so purely military, and have reference solely to de- tails connected with the perfect working of the Southern army, that to repeat them here would be merely introducing a series of official documents. The preceding specimens are sufficient to give an idea of the work he has had to perform. That he executes it faithfully and vigorously is well known, and the ser- vice he has rendered the Confederate States, cannot be over- rated. LT GEN. LONGSTREET. 11b LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. Eirth, Education, and Early Life of Longstreet. — His Services in Mexico. — Long- Btreet and Meade. — Longstreet Promoted. — Kesigns in the U. S. Army and Joins the South. — Battle of Bull Kun. — Yorktown. — Williamsburg. — Heintzelman, Hooker, and Kearney. — Hancock's Gallant Charge. — Prince de Joinville, the Count de Paris, and Due de Chartres in the Battle. — Battles around Richmond. — Longstreet's march Through Thoroughfare Gap. — Death of a Spy. — Second Battle of Bull Kun. — Long- street in Maryland. — South Mountain and Antietam. — Battle of Fredericksburg. — Assigned to the Department of South Virginia. — Siege of Suffolk. — Returns to Lee's Army. — Maryland. — Battle of Gettysburg. — Anecdotes. — Sent to Reinforce Bragg. — Battle of Chickamauga. — Grant's Movements. — Battle of Lookout Mountain. — Order- ed to Knoxville. — General Burnside. — Siege of Knoxville. — Repulse of the Confeder- ates. — Longstreet rejoins Lee. — Battle of the Wilderness. — Wounded. — Sickness.— Resumes Command at Petersburg. — Testimony to his Abilities and Value. A calm, unobtrusive, self-possessed man, yet determined, and reckless of danger : such is the outer character of him whose public life we now bring forward in this sketch. Said a writer we have often quoted, " Every one deplores that Longstreet will expose himself in such a reckless manner. To-day he led a Georgian regiment in a charge against a battery, hat in hand, and in front of everybody." Lieutenant-general Longstreet, though long a resident of Alabama, was born in South Carolina, about the year 1820, and entered the military academy, at West Point, in 1838. He graduated in 1842, and was bre vetted second-lieutenant of the Fourth regiment of infantry. In March, 1845, he was transferred to the Eighth regiment, and was at the storming of Monterey, in Mexico. In a vivid account of this siege, written and published in 1847, by S. C. Reid, of Philadelphia, Long- street is thus mentioned : " At three o'clock, on the morning of the 22d September (1846), the troops that had been detailed to storm the fort, on Independence Hill, were aroused from their slumbers. It was dark and cloudy, with a heavy, thick mist. The command consisted of three companies of the artillery battalion ; three companies of the Eighth infantry, under Cap- 314 SOUTHERN GENERALS. tain Screven, commanded by Lieutenants James Longstreet, T. Montgomery, and E. Holloway ; and seven companies of the Texas Rangers. ... As soon as the height was stormed. . . . Captain J. B. Scott's company, of the artillery battalion, and Company A, of the Eighth, under Lieutenant Longstreet, with a detachment of the Texas Rangers, were thrown forward, within musket range of the castle, to pick off such of the enemy as should give them a chance. Thirty minutes after this posi- tion was taken, their success caused the enemy to make a sor- tie with a large force, with a view to retake the hill. This at- tempt was opposed by our advanced party with great spirit, and the enemy was compelled to retire. . . The command now sustained a severe fire from the enemy's artillery, and a con- tinued fire of musketry from the loop-holed walls, and parapets of the palace. ... At length the critical moment arrived. . . Onward came the enemy in proud array, and most bravely were they met, One volley from the long line of bayonets which suddenly arose before them, with a deadly fire from the Texans, made them reel and stagger back aghast, while above the battle-cry was heard the hoarse command to ' Charge ' ! On rushed our men with shouts of triumph, driving the retreating enemy, horse and foot, who fled in confusion down the ridge, past the palace, and even to the bottom of the hill, into the streets of the city. The victory was won ; the palace ours ; and long, long did the cheers of the victors swell on the air, which made the valley below ring with the triumph of our arms." It is a singular coincidence that the storming party, of which Lieutenant Longstreet was a conspicuous member, was con- ducted along its " dark and devious road" by Captain Sanders, and Lieutenant George Meade, of the topographical engineers, and a Mexican guide. Here, these two brave lieutenants — Longstreet and Meade — were fighting together, almost hand in hand — the one guiding the other, under a proud united flag, to storm a strong position : — seventeen years afterwards the two officers were battling against each other — Longstreet vainly striving to storm Meade's position, on his left; at the battle of Gettysburg ! In February, 1847, Longstreet was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, and from June of that year to July, 1849, he LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 315 served as adjutant of his regiment. He was brevetted captain for u gallant and meritorious conduct " in the battles of Con- treras and Cherubusco, August 20th, 1847, and major for " gallantly " in the battle of El Molino del Rey, September 8th, 1847. In the assault of Chapultepec, September 13th, 1847, he greatly distinguished himself, and is thus spoken of in General Scott's official report : " The following are the officers most distinguished in those brilliant operations, — . . . Lieutenant Longstreet, badly wounded — advancing, colors in hand." In December, 1852, he became a full captain ; and, in July, 1858, he was made paymaster, with the rank of major. It was in this position that he resigned his commission in the Federal service, when the war broke out ; and took sides with his na- tive South. Then, for the first time, the public became ac- quainted with a name that has since maintained its prestige for lofty daring and chivalrous courage throughout the war. But not until the first battles of Bull Run was he conspicuously brought forward. Appointed to command a brigade, he was stationed at Blackburn's ford, when General Tyler, of the Federal army, attempted to force a passage across, on the 18th of July, 1861. Longstreet successfully resisted him, and com- pelled the Northern troops to fall back. Of his conduct on this occasion, Beauregard, in his official report, says : " He equalled my confident expectations, and I may fitly say, that by his presence in the right place, at the right moment, among his men — by the exhibition of characteristic coolness, and by his words of encouragement to the men of his command, he in- fused a confidence and spirit that contributed largely to the success of our arms on that day." During the great battle that followed, on Sunday, July 21st, his position was still in the same place, with orders to move " on the enemy's flank and rear at Centreville, taking due pre- caution against the advance of reserves from "Washington." This movement, however, was countermanded by Beauregard and Johnston, at about half-past ten in the morning, when it was fully ascertained what General McDowell's plans really were. Instead of advancing on Centreville, Longstreet was directed merely " to make a demonstration to his front, so as to engross the enemy's reserves and forces." This was most 316 SOUTHERN GENERALS. effectually done ; during much of the day his men were ex- posed to an annoying, almost incessant fire of artillery, at long range; but, by a steady, veteran-like maintenance of their positions, they held virtually paralyzed, all day, two strong brigades of the enemy, with their batteries (four) of rifle guns. After the rout of the enemy on the main battle-ground, Long- street's brigade was ordered to pursue in the direction of Cen- treville, but at night was directed to fall back upon Bull Run again. The author of " Battles of the South" says that, " on one occasion, soon after this battle, his attention was arrested by three horsemen galloping into camp, and saluting the colonel of his regiment. These were none other than Evans, Long- street, and Ewell — names now forever hallowed in the hearts and history of our gallant army. From their style of riding and peculiar seat in the saddle, I at first took them for dra- goons, and was not mistaken. Evans was very restless, and his horse reared and chafed, and plunged to the right and left all the time he staid with us. . . . Longstreet is a powerfully- built man, somewhat bald, about five feet ten inches high, with sandy hair and whiskers — the latter allowed to grow un- trimmed. He possesses a fine blueish gray eye, of great depth, penetration, and calculation ; seldom speaks unneces- sary, seems absorbed in thought, and very quiet in manner. .... All three were dressed as citizens, with heavy black felt hats on ; and, except pistols in their holsters, were un- armed, and unattended." After the battle of Bull Run, Longstreet was made a Major- general under General Johnston, and remained with the army in its quarters and skirmishing, until, in March, 1862, Manas- sas was evacuated. At length, the army was moved to the Peninsula, and Gen- eral Johnston, with D. H. Hill and Longstreet, joined their forces to those of Magruder, at Yorktown. When this place ■was evacuated by the Confederates, Longstreet was intrusted with defending the rear of the army, and made every disposi- tion to entice the foe into open ground. On the 5th of May, a stand was made at Williamsburg, and General Longstreet so arranged his forces, that the enemy was met a little on the east side of the city. Generals Heintzelman, Hooker, and LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 317 Kearney, had approached by roads through thick woxls, and these roads were made worse by a heavy rain, which com- menced on Sunday afternoon, the 4th, and continued during the next day. It was a sore trial to men and officers to engage in battle on such a day. But it was to be; and, at early morn, the attack began. The Confecterates were first located in the forest, beyond which was a space about a mile wide, partly so by nature, and partly cleared by the felling of trees, these being left prostrate on the ground, in order to obstruct the enemy's advance. On the opposite side of this cleared space was Fort Magruder, flanked by redoubts, and defended in front by rifle pits. The day, as we have said, was stormy in the extreme, but the fighting was severe and effectual on both sides. Longstreet, according to his plan, allowed his advance to fall back so that the enemy should be enticed from the cov- ering of the woods. This device proved successful, and boldly, and in beautiful order they came forward, immediately attack- ing the earthworks in front, but were instantly met by a por- tion of Longstreet's men, who rose up in the works, and poured vollies into their faces, compelling them to fall back to the woods, where, however, grapeshot mowed them rapidly down. Still they were not disheartened. Again and again did brig- ade after brigade of the Federals dash across the open space and assault the works. At length, about noon, Longstreet made a feint of retreating, which brought forth the enemy more boldly from the woods. " Quick as thought, they were attacked with great fury. Longstreet's artillery seemed to have acquired new life. Galloping into the open space, the^ commenced a fearful duel at short range." The Federals were again driven back, and for a time it seemed as though victory had been won by the Confederates. But now the gallant Kearney's brigade appeared in front, and Heintzelman, with characteristic energy, dashed up and down the field, urging the men to advance. Hooker also bravely holding his ground ; and Hancock, on seeing his troops fall back, rode up and down the line, exclaiming, "Gentlemen, charge!'' And charge, anew, they did. Rushing onward with an impetuosity that nothing could check, Longstreet's forces were compelled once more to give way, only, however, to rally again and resist the enemy, till night should put an end to the fearful struggle. 318 SOUTHERN GENERALS. General McClellan had arrived with reinforcements, and the Federals that night bivouacked on the miry field, while the Confederates retired within their works. General Johnston, in chief command, being more on the advance towards Rich- mond. It maj be interesting to some to know that in this battle, sharing all the dangers, and even the discomforts of such a bivouac on the field, were the Prince de Joinville, the Count de Paris, and Due de Chartres, volunteer aids to General McClellan. At two next morning, General Longstreet commenced his retreat, all his forces marching away quite undisturbed. He had to hurry on, that he might overtake the main body of the army under Johnston, and came up with the rearguard of Hood's Texans, at West Point. A few days afterwards, they were all encamped around Richmond. In the battles that followed, for the defence of Richmond, and which have been already described, General Longstreet bore an important part. Prior to the last series of seven days' successive engagements, on and about the Chickahominy, he issued a proclamation to his soldiers, couched in the language of a man feeling most deeply in regard to the invasion of Northern troops. One portion of it only, need we transcribe, wherein he says : " Let such thoughts nerve you up to the most dreadful shock of battle, for were it certain death, death would be better than the fate that defeat would entail upon us all. But remember, though the fiery noise of the battle is indeed most terrifying, and seems to threaten universal ruin, it is not so destructive as it seems, and few soldiers after all are slain. This the com- manding general desires particularly to impress upon the fresh and unexperienced troops who now constitute a part of this command. Let officers and men, even under the most formi- dable fire, preserve a quiet demeanor and self-possessed tem- per. Keep cool, obey orders, and aim low. Remember, while you are doing this, and driving the enemy before you, your comrades may be relied on to support you on either side, and are in turn relying upon you. Stand well to your duty, and when these clouds break away, as they surely will, the bright LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAME3 LONGSTREET. 319 sunlight of peace falling upon our free, virtuous, and happy land, will be a sufficient reward for the sacrifices which we are now called upon to make. "JAMES LONGSTREET, Major-general commanding." Sentiments like these pervaded the minds of all the Con federate leaders and officers, and, generally, those of the men. With such feelings they went into battle, and with such de- termination to conquer, if possible, they bore every hardship, privation, and loss. General Longstreet, like many others, had given up much for the cause of his native South, and never once did he seem to despair of ultimate success. Always ready to do battle anywhere when duty called, he was much esteemed by General Lee, and looked upon as one of the hard- est fighters in the war. His soubriquet of the " War-horse" was given him, we believe, on the occasion of the battles around Richmond. The movements that took place after the events just referred to, have already, been recorded, until General Longstreet, on the 24th of August, was dispatched by General Lee from War- ren ton to reinforce Jackson, then in the rear of Pope's army, near the old battlefield of Bull Run. Longstreet proceeded by way of Thoroughfare gap, a pass in the mountains fifteen miles west of Centreville. This pass, which is a wild and ro- mantic gorge, with frowning fir-clad battlements on either side — its narrow and winding road, and its rugged walls rising rock above rock to the summit, right and left — was defended by a force of the enemy under General Ricketts, who had ju- diciously posted some powerful batteries to take the eastern debouchement with shell and canister. On Longstreet approaching the gap no enemy was at first visible, but, as the 7th and 8th Georgia were pushing forward in advance, the Federals suddenly opened several field-pieces, and commenced to sweep the road. " Oh ! they are there, are they ?" said Longstreet, laughing. " Well, we'll soon dislodge them, boys,' and immediately ordered up several pieces of ar- tillery, which, galloping forward, commenced upon the assail- ing batteries so furiously, and with such accuracy, as to shelter the advancing infantry, and clear the summit of the road. 320 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. This was quickly accomplished, but the artillery were not con- tent — they rushed up the rise and began to shell the foe, who hastily retreated into open ground beyond. Their infantry, then, finding themselves unsupported, fell back in disorder. Longstreet continued his march, and next day his persever- ing and exhausted soldiers formed a junction with Jackson's forces on their right wing. His arrival was hailed with loud shouts of joy, and caused Jackson to draw a long breath, and utter a sigh of great relief. One incident connected with this march of Longstreet to reinforce Jackson, must be mentioned. At that time a great number of spies were about, and caused a considerable excite- ment in the different camps. Now it happened that while Longstreet's advance was on its way, several brigades were ob- served to halt, thereby stopping all further progress of the corps. Yery angry at this, Longstreet trotted to the front and was informed that a courier had brought orders from General Lee to that effect. " From General Lee ?" said he, his eyes glowing with rage. " Where is that courier ?" he asked. "There he goes now, General, galloping down the road," was the reply. "Keep your eyes on him, overtake him, and bring him here," he immediately responded. This was soon accomplished. " By whose orders did you halt my brigade?" asked the brigadier in command of the advance. The reply of the captured courier was, " As I have already told you — by General Lee's ! I have orders for Longstreet, and must be off to the rear !" General Longstreet, himself, then stepped forward, to the horror of the spy — for spy he was — and said, " Here is Longstreet, where are your orders !" The poor wretch was caught ! He turned red and pale, his lip quivered — he was self-condemned. " Give this man ten minutes, and hang him ! Let the columns push forward im- mediately !" In fifteen minutes the spy was lifeless, hanging from a tree by the road-side; but before death he confessed that although a Virginian, and a Confederate soldier, he had been in communication with the enemy over ten months, and was then acting for General Pope. Some fighting of a severe character appears to have taken j)lace between Longstreet's forces, as he was going into posi- tion, about sunset on the 29th, and King's division of Mc LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 321 Dowell's corps, in which the former had been obliged to fall back. Next morning, August 30th, the second battle of Bull Run began. " Part of Longstreet's corps was on the move early in the morning, and seemed to be cautiously taking up positions nearer the enemy's left. Presently the general advance was made, and it was a beautiful sight, as far as the eye could range, to see two parallel lines of glittering bayonets flashing in the sun. Then a gleam of sunlight told that the rifles had been brought to the ' ready,' and a moment after, a long flash could be observed, light curls of smoke arose, and the rattling echo of volleys of fire was carried on the wind The cannonading was terrific, along the whole front, but, on the right the enemy's and Longstreet's artillery literally shook the earth. . . . Fiery Longstreet, with his impatient and gallant corps, rapidly pushed forward the right of the army, while shot and shell ploughed the ground in all directions around him." The battle was once more won by the Confederates on the old ground of Bull Pun, and the conspicuous part Longstreet played therein was honorably mentioned in General Lee's offi- cial report. We have not space to follow, in detail, the next movements that took place in the Confederate army wherein Longstreet figured. Enough to say that a rapid march was made into Maryland — Harper's Ferry taken with a large booty and many prisoners — and the battles of South Mountain and Antietam ensued. Wherever, in the exigency of the moment, and by order of General Lee, he was called, here, there, and everywhere amidst the fray was Longstreet to be found, mov- ing with remarkable celerity, and always with a perfect sang froid. At Antietam, Longstreet commanded the Coil- federate right, and was thus opposed to Burnside who could not advance against him beyond the bridge he had so bravely gained. Night ended the gory contest, and the weary troops rested on another battlefield where victory was again claimed by both parties. The following day, fighting was not re- newed ; and, on the next, September 18th, at night, Longstreet accompanied the Confederate army back to Virginia, camping in the valley of Shenandoah, about Winchester and vicinity. 21 323 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Longstreet's corps was clustered at a point ready to taka position promptly whenever required. Daily drill was in- cessant and severe, discipline was at its highest pitch, and re- views were not unfrequent among the various brigades an divisions. At no period of the war were the soldiers more confident and gay. Extensive appropriations and purchases during their brief sojourn in Maryland and Pennsylvania had replenished their stores, and the government of the South had been so active in the clothing department that the army was quite comfortable, and many smiled to think how former friends would be agreeably disappointed in seeing them so transformed. Thus passed away the months of September and October, without any active movement, the army taking its rest. Early in November, Longstreet's corps was rapidly marched to Fredericksburg, arriving there before any large body of the enemy had appeared — it being known that Burnside had re- lieved McClellan, and was intent upon the Lower Rappahan- nock. Then followed, in December, the great battle of Fredericksburg — Longstreet's position being on the left of the Confederate army, and having, under him, Ransom, McLaws, Picket, and Anderson. Cobb was posted on the rear right of Longstreet, and Hood, A. P. Hill, Early and others continued the line towards Jackson's corps on the right. Stuart's cavalry held the flanks, and D. H. Hill was in reserve. In this battle, General Longstreet was frequently with General Lee, occupy- ing a post on the hill whence the enemy's movements could be seen. We know the result. Burnside had to retire after fear- ful slaughter; and once more the Confederate army, for a few months, rested in peace. In February, 1863, General Longstreet, with two divisions of his corps, was detached for service, south of the James river. General Roger A. Pryor had, on the 30th of January, fought a battle at a place called the Deserted House, eight miles from Suffolk, Southeast Virginia — General Michael Cor- coran, of the Federal army, being opposed to him. Victory was, as usual, claimed on both sides; but preparations were immediately made by the enemy to operate in that quarter more strongly. General Peck, under the vigorous control of Major-General Dix — then in command at Fortress Monroe— LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 323 personally came upon the field ; whereupon Long-street was sent to oppose him, and take the chief direction of affairs in that quarter. At this time he was made Lieutenant-general. lie passed through Richmond with some 15,000 troops, about February 22d, and took np his headquarters at Petersburg, having for his military district South Virginia, and all between him and General Lee. In April he invested Suffolk, and stopped the navigation of the Nansemond river so as to pre- vent the Federals communicating with Norfolk. On the 14th he was within two miles of Suffolk, and firing commenced that evening. The next day, General Peck's right was attacked, but Longstreet's advance was gallantly met by General Fosters light troops. The fighting continued on the following days, until, on Sunday night, April 19th, a battery of five pieces, and some prisoners, were captured from the Confederates. On Mon- day the fighting was renewed, and then it relaxed for a few days ; afrerwards, on the 1st of May, commencing again, when the enemy attacked the rifle-pits formed along the banks of the river. This led to a sharp engagement during the day, the Federals being compelled to retire within their defences. But, at this time, the advance of General Hooker on Chancellors- ville, called for a concentration of all the forces under Lee, and an order — intercepted, however, by 'the enemy — was sent to Longstreet, as also one to D. H. Hill, in North Carolina, to join the main army in North Virginia without delay. Accord- ingly, on the 4th of May, the siege of Suffolk was abandoned, and Longstreet, leaving a small force behind to hold the fortifi- cations on the Blackwater, and keep the enemy in check, pro- ceeded to join General Lee. This was done rapidly ; and a short time afterwards, June 3d, the great movement for an in- vasion of Maryland began. On the 8th, General Longstreet's forces, with those of Ewell, arrived at Culpepper ; the Confed- erate army, under Lee, having, a! this time, been reorganized, and made to consist of three large corps, commanded by Lieu- tenant-generals Longstreet, Ewell, and A. P. Hill. Ewell was sent on from Culpepper, in advance, by the Shenandoah Val- ley, and suddenly came upon the Northern General Milroy, at Winchester, driving him out of that place and Martin sburg with considerable loss. Lono-street followed fast in Ewell's rear, to prevent any movement of the enemy upon it, and Hill 324 SOUTHERN GENERALS. came swift upon Longstreet. On the 26th of June, Longstreet, accompanying General Lee, crossed the Potomac at Williams- port, and proceeded on to Hagerstown. Thence, next day, he went to Chambersburg; and, on the 1st of July, the famous buttle of Gettysburg began. Fur an account of this battle we must refer to our sketch of General Lee, and will merely ob- serve that, on the 1st day, Longstreet did not reach the field until 4.30 p. m., too late to join in the fight. He therefore re- turned to his headquarters, at Oashtown, for the night. Speak- ing of him at this time, Colonel Fremantle says: " At supper that evening, he expressed himself to the effect that he con- sidered the enemy's position very formidable, and he thought they would intrench themselves very strongly during the night. Neither Longstreet nor Lee intended the tight to come off that day. . . Next morning, at seven o'clock, I rode over part of the ground with him, and saw him disposing of McLaws' di- vision for to-day's fight. . . . Ewell had the Confederate left, A. P. Hill the centre, and Longstreet was on the right. . . At 4.45 p. m. (July 2d), Longstreet suddenly commenced a heavy cannonading on the right; Ewell took it up on the left ; and thus the battle of the second day was begun. At dark it ceased, and, for that night, Longstreet bivouacked on the field. Next morning, at an early hour, he was up, and reconnoiter- ing. By noon all his dispositions were made ; his troops for attack were deployed into line, and lying down in the woods ; and his batteries were ready to open. He then dismounted from his horse, and went to rest for a short time." Probably for an hour he thus slept, for at 2 p. m. he was at his post, while the roar of battle sounded in his ear, and shells carried destruction around him. Seated on the top of a fence, at the edge of the wood, and looking perfectly calm, he was accosted by Colonel Fremantle, who said to him, in reference to the grand yet fearful scene before them, " I wouldn't have missed this for anything!" Longstreet replied, laughing, "The devil you wouldn't! I would like to have missed it very much; we've attacked and been repulsed: look there!" The Con- federates were slowly and sulkily returning towards his posi- tion in small broken parties, under a heavy fire of artillery. " I could now," says Fremantle, " thoroughly appreciate the term bull-dog, which I had heard applied to him by his LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 325 soldiers. Difficulties seemed to make no other ir lpression upon him than to make him a little more savage." He im- mediately set about making the best arrangements in his power to resist the Federal advance, by pushing forward some artil- lery, rallying stragglers, etc. One of his generals came up to him, and reported that he was unable to bring his men up again. Longstreet turned upon him and replied, " Yery well, never mind, then, General; just let them remain where they are ; the enemy's going to advance, and will spare you the trouble." Many of his wounded soldiers hearing a report that he was killed, anxiously inquired after him, and expressed very great pleasure on learning the safety of their chief. " On the next day," says Colonel Fremantle, " a flag of truce came over from the enemy, and its bearer announced, among other things, ' that General Longstreet was wounded, and a prisoner, but would be taken care of.' General Longstreet sent word back that he was extremely grateful, but, being neither wounded nor a prisoner, he was quite able to take care of himself." The same writer observes : u The iron endurance of General Longstreet is most extraordinary ; he seems to re- quire neither food nor sleep. Most of his staff now fall fast asleep directly they get off their horses, they are so exhausted from the last three days' work." Longstreet, in talking of the battle, said : " The mistake they had made was in not concentrating the army more, and mak- ing the attack on the 3d with 30,000 men instead of 15,000." That night, amid torrents of rain, the Confederate army re- treated to the Potomac, and thence into the Shenandoah Valley again. On the way to the Potomac, Longstreet's bivouac for the night was near a large tavern, and he had sent to order some supper there for himself and staff; but when he went in to devour it, General McLaws and his officers were found rapidly finishing the whole, apparently in ignorance who it was for, and too hungry to inquire. More, however, was soon procured, and the General sat down to a good meal. During supper, Borne women of the house came rushing in, exclaiming, " Oh, good heavens, they're killing our fat hogs. Which is the General? Which is the great officer? Our milch cows are now going." Longstreet at once replied to them, shaking his 326 SOUTHERN GENERALS. head in a melancholy manner, "Yes, madam, it's very sad-- very sad, and this sort of thing has been going on in Virginia more than two years — very sad !" That night he, with his officers and men, slept on the open ground beneath a heavy, pouring rain, yet so wearied as to be almost unconscious of their uncomfortable position. Next day there was a laughable spectacle in the afternoon. A negro dressed in the full uniform of a Northern soldier, with a rifle at full cock, was seen leading along a barefooted white man, with whom he had evidently changed clothes. General Longstreet stopped the pair, and asked the black man what it meant. He replied, " The two soldiers in charge of this here Yank have got drunk, so for fear he should escape I have took care of him, and brought him through that little town." For the next two months nothing, except a splendid review of the whole army, occurred, of importance, connected with General Longstreet ; but, in the beginning of September, it was found necessary to send reinforcements to Bragg's army in Tennessee and North Georgia, and he was detached from Lee to proceed thither. General Burnside had been appointed by the North in command of East Tennessee, and Cumberland Gap was surrendered to him on the 9th of September, by a Confederate force stationed there. On the same day, Chatta- nooga was occupied by Rosecrans, and Bragg's army fell back to Chickamauga. Thus it was important that Longstreet should bring his reinforcements into the field as speedily as possible, for the Confederates in that quarter were pressed sorely, and unanimity did not seem to pervade all their councils. Accordingly he pushed forward, by the way of Richmond and through Georgia, his advance arriving at the scene of operations just prior to the battle of the 19th of September. The part Longstreet bore in this battle, which ended in the defeat of the Federals, after an heroic resistance under the gallant Thomas, is known to have contributed much to the fortunes of the day, and he strongly urged that advantage should be immediately taken by a forward movement of the whole army. But General Bragg deemed it advisable not to do so, much to the mortification of all his officers and troops. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 327 The following- particulars derived from the IZicJimf.nd En- quirer of October 31st, will serve better to explain what occurred : " When Longstreet took command of the left wing of the army on Sunday morning, the 20th, he found it helter skelter, with gaps a mile long between the brigades, and everything in confusion generally. The positiou chosen for the fight by General Bragg was most unfavorable in case of a repulse, and altogether in favor of the enemy. The order was for the right to begin the attack at dawn, but it was eleven o'clock before it opened, and then it rolled along until the left took it up. In a very short time, to use General Bragg's own words, " the right was disastrously repulsed, and had no fight in it," and Longstreet had to meet the enemy entirely alone. After some hours of hard fighting he drove him, in the wildest confusion, from every position, took from thirty to forty pieces of artil- lery, thousands of prisoners, and converted their army into a terrified, flying mob. It was then that he saw that by a for- ward movement of the whole army Itosecrans' whole force could be captured in twentj 7 hours, and that no obstacle waa between us and the Ohio, and perhaps peace. He therefore sent word to Wheeler, who was on his left, to dash forward between Chattanooga and the enemy, and cut him to pieces; but just as Wheeler was about to execute this movement he received an order from General Bragg directing him to pick up arms and stragglers. Longstreet had not heard from Bragg but once during the day, and then it was to say that he was beaten on the right. He now sent to beg him to advance, but the general-in-chief declined doing so." On the 19th of October, General Grant arrived at Chatta- nooga and relieved General Rosecrans. The Confederates, at this time, occupied the south side of the Tennessee river, above Chattanooga to near Bridgeport below, and taking in the valley, Missionary ridge, and Lookout mountain. General Grant quickly determined to drive them from these positions, by uniting his forces, and, on the 26th, commenced operations by a series of excellent movements under Hooker, with the personal superintendence of General " Baldy" Smith, of the Engineer corps. During Monday night the enemy crossed the Tennessee in 328 SOUTHERN GENERALS. rear of Chattanooga, passed over the narrow peak known aa the Moccasin, again crossed the river, and intrenched them- selves on the heights which align its margin. The movement was designed to pave the way for the advance of a column from Bridgeport, up the valley towards and, if necessary, into Chattanooga. The latter must have commenced nearly simul taneously with the one first mentioned, for on the night of Tuesday our commanders learned of its approach in this direction. During Wednesday morning, the head of the column was espied in the distance from Lookout Peak, and by dusk it had effected a junction with the forces in the neighborhood of Brown's Ferry. Subsequent developments showed that the Eleventh and Twelfth corps of Meade's army — the former under command of Howard, and the latter under command of Slocum, and the whole under Joe Hooker — had taken this method of reaching the Union army of Tennessee. " On Lookout peak," says a writer, vividly describing the affair, " gazing down upon the singular spectacle — a coup cPmil, which embraced, in curious contrasts, the beauties of nature and the achievements of art, the blessings of peace and the horrors of war — were Generals Bragg, Longstreet, and others, to whom this bold venture of the enemy opened at once new vistas of thought and action. Infantry, artillery, and cavalry, all glided silently by, like a procession of fantoccini in a panorama, until among all the sundown's sumptuous pic- tures, which glowed around, there was not one like that of the great, fresh, bustling camp, suddenly grown into view, with its thousand twinkling lights, its groups of men and animals, and its lines of white-topped wagons now strung, like a neck- lace of pearls, around the bosom of the hills. The Federals had succeeded in effecting a junction with their army of Chattanooga." An attempt on the part of the Confederates, to check this movement, it is said, would have been impracticable, without bringing on a general engagement, since an interposition of their forces across the valley would have necessitated a fight on both front and rear, and on both sides the enemy had the ad- vantage of flanks protected. The first corps having passed, and a portion of it gone into camp, there was still visible be- LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 329 low a considerable number of wagons, guarded, apparently, by an escort of from fifteen hundred to two thousand men. Hoping to capture these, General Longstreet determined, dur- ing the night, to make an attack, and accordingly ordered Gen- eral Jenkins, commanding Hood's division, to take position for the purpose. "The enemy occupied a line of hills parallel with the river in the neighborhood of Brown's Ferry ; Law and Robertson the same line of hills, but nearer to Lookout Mountain, to prevent an attack on Bratton's rear, and Benning a position on the left of the two last named, being intended as a support to Colonel Bratton. These three brigades, as it were, covered the bridges across Lookout creek, over which they had marched, and threatened the line of the enemy at Brown's Ferry. Colonel Bratton, with Jenkins' brigade, now moved over to the left a mile or more up the valley, to attack the supposed rear-guard, and capture the wagon-train. "Skirmishers being thrown cut, the Federal pickets were soon encountered. These falling back, the enemy were found in line of battle, and, instead of being surprised, received our troops with a heavy volley. It was not long before it was discovered, that instead of a paltry body of men, who would yield as soon as discovered, we were fighting a whole division, belonging to the Twelfth corps, General Sloeum, who had closely followed in the rear of the preceding column, and encamped after night. Nothing was to be done but to fight it boldly out, and make up in pluck and obstinacy what was lacking in numbers. On our part we had but six regiments — the First, Colonel Kilpatrick ; Second Rifles, Colonel Thompson ; Fifth, Colonel Coward ; Sixth, Colonel Bratton ; Palmetto Sharpshooters, Colonel Walker, and Hamptom Legion, Colonel Gary. Steadily as on a parade, these filed into position, and in a few moments artil- lery and musketry were playing with terrible effect through our ranks. " The enemy in the neighborhood of Brown's Ferry discover- ing a battle in progress, had already thrown forward two col- umns, one of which advanced to attack the line occupied by Generals Law and Robertson, while the other moved steadily past that front, and aimed to penetrate the long interval be- tween Bratton and Benning ; in other words, to cut Jenkins 330 SOUTHERN GENERALS. brigade off from the bridges over Lookout creek. The first column met with little success, being checked by the sharp fire of the Alabamians and Texans ; but the second promised other results. The situation was a critical one ; but General Jenkins, quickly divining the object of the movement, met the issue by ordering Bratton to return to the bridges, and the remainder of the division to hold its position at every hazard, until the safety of the former was assured. Lieutenant-colonel Logan, of the Hampton Legion, with fourteen companies whom he had relieved from picket, having reached the field, was or- dered to the left of Benning, where, occupying a lull, he ex- tended our line, and naturally contributed to the check of the enemy. "Although we had not achieved a victory, we had, judging by results, been blessed with a providential success. The Fed- erals encountered by Jenkins' brigade, were undoubtedly on the eve of a disastrous defeat, as is shown by the facts already set forth, namely, the breaking of the lines, and falling back in front, and on the right and left flanks, until wagon-trains and prisoners were captured in the rear. On the other hand, the pressure of the Yankee columns from Brown's Ferry, where it was known there were, at least, two corps, not distant more than a mile and a half, so threatened the integrity of our po- sition, that it eventually became critical in the extreme. Probably from seven to ten thousand troops enveloped the line designed to protect Bratton from an attack upon his rear, and in a few moments they would have intersected the only road by which he could return. " Being unable to counteract a movement on so grand a scale, with the small force at his command, General Jenkins did the next best thing, which was to recall Colonel Bratton, and to compel him, at the moment of success, to abandon all the fruits of his struggle, which had been so gloriously wrested from the enemy. Instead of censure, therefore, praise belongs to every officer and man concerned in the expedition. On the part of General Longstreet, the design was just like himself — bold, daring, dashing; and had it not been for the circum- stances mentioned, it would have resulted in complete suc- cess." In the beginning of November, Longstreet was dispatched LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 331 by Bragg up the valley towards Knoxville, where Burnside was operating. Longstreet, however, was very ill provided for his troops, and had to subsist them as best he could. " At Lenoir station, he began by capturing a train of eighty-five wagons, many of them loaded with valuable medical stores. At Bean station, he captured thirty wagons, a quantity of forage, and some horses ; and in the Clinch valley forty other wagons, laden with sugar and coffee." Several guns and a number of prisoners were also captured; and at Loudon, he had encountered General Burnside, compelling him to fall back to Knoxviile, which Longstreet immediately besieged. This was on the 17th and 18th of November; and a constant fire was thenceforth maintained, until the evening of the 28th, when it was determined to make an assault upon one of the forts commanding the approaches to the town. This fort was on a hill near the Kingston road, and was called Fort Sanders. It was a very strong work, and in front of it were felled trees, with the tops turning in all directions, and making an almost impassable mass of brush and timber. A space around the fort was cleared, and the ditch in front was about ten feet deep, with the parapet nearly twenty feet high. At daylight of November 29, the assaulting column moved up the slope, and was met by a heavy artillery fire, which fearfully mowed down the advancing soldiers. Still onward they pushed, struggling through the network of fallen timber and other devices laid down to impede them. But, the intri- cate passage by which they had to mount, was too difficult for them easily to master. The foremost parties stumbled and fell over each other in confusion, at the same time the enemy's fire poured fiercer and fiercer on their heads. The embrasures of the fort, and the whole line of the parapet blazed forth at once. Nevertheless, tliis did not effectually stop the advance. Pushing on over every obstacle, they soon reached within pistol-shot of the fort; then, suddenly, the enemy's guns launched forth from every quarter, and the Confederate line was shattered. Some, however, managed to spring into the ditch, and clamber up the glacis, planting their flag almost side by side with the Federal colors. The Confederate officers boldly kept the lead, in front, to the very fort itself, but as each head appeared above the parapet, a spatter of blood and 332 SOUTHERN GENERALS. brains marked where the heroic assailants had met their doom. A Confederate captain succeeded in reaching one of the em- brasures, and, " pushing his body through till he actually faced the very muzzle of the cannon, demanded the surrender of the garrison. The answer to him was the discharge of the piece, when, rent limb from limb, his mangled corse, or what was left of it, was hurled outward into the air." The brave men, thus at the very walls, seeing themselves now alone, surren- dered and were hauled into the fort ; but not until the trench was filled with the dead and dying. The assault, therefore, had failed, and the Confederates retired. At this time, Burnside's forces within Knoxville were suffer- ing much from short rations, and provisions were so scarce that only half allowance of bread could be issued. What the result might have been we cannot say ; but General Sherman, m t 1io had been advancing from Chattanooga to Burnside's re- lief, arrived on the night of December 3d, and thus compelled Longstreet to raise the siege. He retreated at once towards Eutledge, up the valley, pursued next day by Burnside's (until relieved by Foster) and Sherman's forces combined. Long- street, however, still fell back without battle, until he had reached Bear station, on the Cumberland Gap road, where, being hard pressed, he turned and attacked the enemy's ad- vance, driving him back to Bussellville. This was on Decem- ber 13th, and next day, Longstreet firmly established himself for awhile, with his headquarters at Bodgersville, where he could carry on such operations, on either side, as circumstances might require. He had hoped to find his railroad communi- cations with Virginia open, but, about this time, General Averill, of the Federal army, cut them off by destroying the track at Salem, Southwest Virginia. This compelled Long- street to fall back upon his own resources ; and, by the ad- mirable arrangements he made, he succeeded in making his army self-subsisting in a tract of country where it was thought impossible for him to remain without external aid. At the end of December, 1S63, he was around Eutledge and Morristown, but unable to follow up advantages, in conse- quence of the large number of barefooted men in his com- mand, at a time, too, when the weather was bitterly cold, and the mountains covered with snow. This, however, was reme- LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 333 died soon afterwards by a supply of shoes and blankets sent tc his army in the early part January, while he was in winter- quarters at Morristown ; his cavalry, meanwhile, daily skirm- ishing with the enemy. Still, for both armies, the rigors of the season, in that mountain region, must have been very severe; and, we can hardly conceive what the soldiers must have endured. At this time, the following interesting correspondence passed between General Longstreet and Foster. "We insert it, as in- dicative of the character of him whose life we briefly sketch : LETTER FROM GENERAL LONGSTREET TO GENERAL FOSTER. Headquarters, Confederate Forces, ) East Tennessee, Jan. 3, 18G4. f To the Commanding General, United States Forces, East Tennessee Sik — I find the proclamation of President Lincoln, of the 8th of December last, in circulation in handbills among our soldiers. The immediate object of this circulation seems to be to induce our soldiers to quit our ranks and take the oath of allegiance to the United States government. I presume, how- ever, that the great object and end in view is to hasten the day of peace. I respectfully suggest, for your consideration, the propriety of communicating any views that your government may have upon this subject through me, rather than by hand- bills circulated amongst our soldiers. The few men who may desert under the promise held out in the proclamation, cannot be men of character or standing. If they desert their cause, they disgrace themselves in the eyes of God and of man. They can do your cause no good, nor can they injure ours. As a great nation, you can accept none but an honorable peace. As a noble people, you could have us accept nothing less. I submit, therefore, whether the mode that I suggest would not be more likely to lead to an honorable end than such a cir- culation of a partial promise of pardon. I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, J. LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-general commanding. 334: SOUTHEBN GENEEALS. GENERAL FOSTER'S REPLY. Headquarters, Department op the Ohio, ) Knoxville, East Tenn., Jan. 7, 1864. ) Lieutenant-general Commanding Confederate Forces in East Tenn. Sir — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of youi letter, dated January 3, 1864. You are correct in the supposition that the great object in view in the circulation of the President's proclamation is to induce those now in rebellion against the government to lay aside their arms and return to their allegiance as citizens of the United States, thus securing the reunion of States now arrayed in hostilit} r against one another, aud the restoration of peace. The immediate effect of the circulation may be to cause many men to leave your ranks to return home, or come within our lines, and, in view of this latter course, it has been thought proper to issue an order announcing the favorable terms on which deserters will be received. I accept, however, your suggestion that it would have been more courteous to have sent these documents to you for circu- lation, and I embrace, with pleasure, the opportunity thus afforded to enclose you twenty (20) copies of each of these documents, and rely upon your generosity and desire for peace to give publicity to the same among your officers and men. I have the honor to be, General, very respectfully, your obe- dient servant, J. G. FOSTER, Major-general Commanding. Headquarters, Department East Tennessee, ) Jan. 11, 1864. ) Sir — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th of January, with its inclosures, etc. The disingenuous manner in which you have misconstrued my letter of the 3d, has disappointed me. The suggestion you claim to have adopted, was in words, as follows : "I presume, however, that the great object and end in view was to hasten the day of peace. I respectfully suggest, foi your consideration, the propriety of communicating any viewa LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 335 that your government may have on this subject through me, rather than by hand-bills circulated among our soldiers." This sentence repudiates, in its own terms, the construction •which you have forced upon it. Let me remind you, too, that the spirit and tone of my letter were to meet honorable senti- ments. The absolute want of pretext for your construction of the letter, induces me to admonish you against trifling over the events of this great war. You cannot pretend to have an- swered my letter in the spirit of frankness due to a soldier, and yet it is hard to believe that an officer commanding an army of veteran soldiers, on whose shoulders rest, in no small part, the destiny of empires, could so far forget the height of this great argument at arms, and so betray the dignity of his high station, as to fall into a contest of jests and jibes. I have read your order announcing the favorable terms on which deserters will be received. Step by step you have gone on in violation of the laws of honorable warfare. Our farms have been destroyed, our women and children have been robbed, and our houses have been pillaged and burnt. You have laid your plans and worked diligently to produce whole- sale murder by servile insurrection. And now, the most igno- ble of all, you propose to degrade the human race by inducing soldiers to dishonor and forswear themselves. Soldiers who have met your own on so many honorable -fields, who have breasted the storm of battle in defence of their honor, their families, and their homes, for three long years, have a right to expect more of honor, even in their adversaries. I beg leave to return the copies of the proclamation, and your order. I have the honor to renew to you the assurance of great •espect, your obedient servant, J. LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-general Commanding. Major-general J. G. Foster, Commanding Department Ohio. Towards the end of January, 1864, Longstreet received large reinforcements, and early in February the lines of com- munication with Virginia were repaired. In March, sundry movements indicated a falling back up the valley, but, in real- 336 SOUTHERN GENERALS. ity, these were only to cover the real object, which was to unite again with General Lee, in Virginia. This was done by April ; and once more the hardy soldiers, under Longstreet, were on the old ground about Gordonsville. Here they rested a while, until, on the 4th of May, they were ordered forward to the battlefield of the Wilderness. "We have given particulars of these events in our sketch of Lee, and need only refer to Longstseet's share in them. On the 3d of May he was in position, thirteen miles south- west of the Rapidan. On the 4th he took up marching orders ; and on the night of the 5th, halted within twelve miles of the field of battle of that day. At midnight he was informed of the danger of Hill's corps, and immediately broke up his bivouac, commencing his march about two o'clock on the morning of the 6th. Directly his troops arrived on the battle- field, General Longstreet rushed forward, with his staff", to head the advance. Their faces glowing, the horses prancing, the cavalcade surrounding the Lieutenant-general had, however, not passed more than a hundred yards in advance of the column, when their mood was sobered into profound regret. One of the brigades of the flanking force, heated with the work of destruction that they had executed so splendidly, mis- took the glad group of horsemen that came prancing along the plank-road, for a party of the flying foe. It poured into them, at short range, a deadly fire ! General Jenkins fell instantly from his horse, with a bullet in his brain. Longstreet received a ball that entered his throat, and passed out through his right shoulder. Bleeding like an ox, he was helped from his horse, so prostrated, that fears were entertained of his immediate death. Major "Walton, a gallant Mississippian, on his staff, threw open his vest and shirt-collar, and found great relief in discovering that he was mistaken in supposing that the. ball had cut the carotid artery. Placed on a litter, the wounded general was removed from the field ; but, feeble though he was, from the loss of blood, he did not fail to lift his hat, from time to time, as he passed down the column, in acknowledgment of its cheers of applause and sympathy. General Longstreet was taken to his family, at Lynchburg, where he gradually recovered. On the 18th of May he wrote LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET. 337 to Judge Longstreet, that his wound was severe, but not dan- gerous. "It is," said he, "through the neck and shoulder; but I am improving." His corps, now under command of General R. H. Anderson, shared in all the after battles at Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, where it arrived on the 17th of June. It was, however, nearly six months before Longstreet could report for duty. After staying a while at Lynchburg, he was removed further South, for the benefit of his health, and re- turned in October, sufficiently recovered to take up his com- mand again. He then issued the following general order : Headquarters, First Army Corps, Oct. 19, 1864. The undersigned, with deep and grateful emotions, resumes command of his army corps. Although separated from it since the first action of the past eventful campaign, the history of your share in that cam- paign is not unknown to him. He has marked with pride and pleasure the success which has attended your heroic efforts under the accomplished com- mander who has so worthily led you. Soldiers, let us not go backward. Let the First corps be always true to itself. W n . have in the past a brilliant, an un- surpassed record. Let our future eclipse it in our eagerness for glory, our love of country, and our determination to beat the enemy. J. LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-general. From that date, though many reports were spread abroad of his being appointed to the Shenandoah Yalley, there is nothing important of his movements to relate, apart from what belongs to the army, as already mentioned in our sketch of General Lee. The following, concerning him, however, may be inter- esting. The Richmond correspondent of the London Times writes : " I am happy to report that General Longstreet is at present quite free from the nervous sensibility in his right arm, from which for some time he suffered. The nerves of motion are still entirely paralyzed, and the arm is almost useless ; but he is able slightly to move the fingers, and it is the opinion of 22 338 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. army surgeons, that he will regain plenary use of it in from eighteen months to two years, when the nervous tissue shall have time to repair itself. His general health and spirits are excellent, and his confidence in the ability of his soldiers to hold the Confederate line, and keep the enemy out of Richmond for an unlimited period, is unabated. It is a strong testimony to General Longstreet's value as a soldier, that each of the three great captains of Secessia — Lee, Beauregard, and Johns- ton — esteem him equally, and desires his presence by his side. Upon the 18th instant, Beauregard telegraphed from Jackson- ville, in Alabama, soliciting Longstreet's company in the West, but it was determined that he could not be spared from hia old army corps before Richmond." The events following this date, as connected with General Longstreet, are associated with those related under our sketch of General Lee, up to the period of the surrender of the Army of Virginia. We need not, therefore, again refer to them. Longstreet was among those paroled, and after visiting vari- ous places in the South, came to Washington in November, where he took the amnesty oath, and had an interview with President Johnson. CEN. BRAXTON BRACG. li slier. GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. His Birth and Early Services. — The Mexican "War. — The Battle of Buena Vista. — An Attempt to Assassinate him. — Engaged on the Utah Expedition. — Settles in Lou- isiana. — Joins the Confederate Service. — Appointed Brigadier-general. — Commands at Pensacola. — Lieutenant Slemmer. — Commander Worden. — Bragg's Position. — Fort Pickens and Colonel Brown. — Colonel Wilson and his Zouaves. — General K. H. An- derson. — Surprise on Santa Kosa Island. — Bombardment of Pensacola. — Bragg Pro- moted. — Joins A. S. Johnson. — Battle of Shiloh. — General Gladden. — Bragg made a full General. — His Movement into Kentucky. — Munfordsville. — Arrival at Frankfort. — Battle of Perryville. — Betreat from Kentucky — Visits Eichmond. — Eeturns to the Army. — Battle of Murfreesboro. — Generals Breckinridge and Hanson. — Eetreat to Tullahoma. — Battle of Chickamauga. — Battles of Missionary Eidge and Chattanooga. — Eetreat of Bragg. — Believed of Command. — New Appointment as Military Adviser. — In Command at Wilmington. — Conclusion. Few generals in America are more widely known in connec- tion with popular criticism upon their public life, than the subject of this sketch. " A little more grape, Captain Bragg,' is a saying that has become so hackneyed, from its repeated use in the mouths of all who refer to him, that we would fain omit it, but for the necessity of introducing a matter in his history that has been the subject of much comment. In our remarks, which must necessarily be very brief, we shall try to do justice to one who appears to have many strong and not always friendly opponents. Yet, whatever be the cause of this, it is certain that he has seen and done good service as a brave soldier in former times ; nor should his military worth in the present be at all lessened. Let us, then, try to place him before our readers, void of all party feeling, and strictly as we find things honestly recorded. Braxton Bragg was born in Warren county, North Carolina, in the year 1815, and is a brother of Senator Bragg, late a member of President Davis' cabinet. He entered West Pom as a cadet in 1833, and graduated on the 30th of June, 1837, receiving an appointment as Second-lieutenant of the Third Artillery. He was afterwards commissioned as Captain, and 21 340 SOUTHERN GENERALS. was actively engaged throughout the Seminole war in Florida, and in duty along the coast. In 183S he was at camp " Mis- sionary Hill," two miles from Chattanooga, while General Scott was engaged in removing the Cherokees to the West. In the fall of that year he went to Fort Cummins, where ho was for some time in command. In the Mexican war, Captain Bragg was under General Taylor, and accompanied him to Corpus Christi. He was at the battle of Palo Alto, and Resaca de la Palma, and, for his vigorous defence of Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, on the 9th of May, 1846, he was warmly commended to President Polk. At Monterey, Captain Bragg highly distinguished himself, as the following extracts from an account of the Mexican war will show. The writer says : " Captain Bragg's battery of light artillery having been sent for, the gallant captain came down the road at full gallop, exposed for nearly half a mile to the fire of the heavy guns of the citadel, and soon brought his battery into action in one of the narrow lanes on the outskirts of the city, directing his fire towards the bar- ricades, and then proceeded to Captain Garland's assistance. . . . . Finally, he had to withdraw his battery from the narrow position he occupied in the lane, and in doing so he had to unlimber the gun carriages and reverse them. Four of his horses were killed, and seven wounded. These had to be re- placed ; and, in retiring, he was again exposed to the same deadly cross-fire. In this movement he lost two men killed and four wounded." For his conduct in this engagement at Monterey, he was highly complimented by his superior officers. At Buena Yista he was likewise very conspicuous for his bravery, and it is reported of him that, in the final charge, when there was imminent danger of a defeat, he headed a gallant few, and sueceded in hurling back the enemy at a most critical moment. It was during the hottest part of this engagement that General Taylor rode up to Captain Bragg's battery, and, as is currently reported, used the words we have already quoted : " A little more grape, Captain Bragg." The correctness of this has been, however, denied in a letter published more than five yeara ago, and which may be found in the New York Herald oi August 7th, 1859. However, that is immaterial to our present GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 341 purpose. Captain Bragg undoubtodly bore himse.f most bravely throughout the war, and for his gallant conduct he was brevetted Lieutenant-colonel. " After the battle of Buena Yista," says a Southern paper, " two attempts were made to assassinate him." Of one of these he himself gives an account in a letter dated August 26th, 1847, from which the following is an extract: An attempt was made, about 2 a. m., night before last, to assassinate me in my bed. I have no clue to the perpetrator, and can suggest no reason for the act. My escape without injury is almost miraculous. As exaggerated, accounts may reach the press, the truth may interest you. A twelve-pound shell, heavily charged, was placed within two feet of my bed, just outside of my tent, and exploded by a slow match ; the fragments literally riddling my tent and bedding, pieces pass- ing above and below me, some through a blanket spread over me, and yet I was untouched. I was not aware that I had an enemy in the world, and at times feel disposed to believe now that it may have been intended as a practical joke by some fool ignorant of the effect of shells thus exploded. Be that as it may, my escape was almost miraculous, and I prefer not re- peating the joke." After the Mexican war, Lieutenant-colonel Bragg accom- panied Colonel Albert Sidney Johnson on his expedition to Utah. On the 3d of January, 1856, he resigned his commis- sion, leaving the United States military service, and devoted himself to a plantation he had in Louisiana. As appears by a letter made public at the time, he was a candidate for some local office in that State; but we hear little of him until the present war opened. He was then made commander-in- chief of the forces of Louisiana, by the legislature of that State ; but, shortly afterwards, President Davis appointed him a brigadier-general in the Confederate army, and placed him in command of the forces at Pensacola, the Congress at Montgomery confirming the same in the early part of March, 1861. General Bragg immediately went to his post, and fixed his headquarters at the Marine Hospital. He then issued a proc- lamation, forbidding all parties from furnishing supplies to the Federal war ships off Pensacola, and restricting communi- 342 SOUTHERN - GENERALS. cation of any kind between the people in the village and the vessels outside. The effect of this was severely felt by the crews afloat, for we find, from a letter dated March 18th, that " all the ships were out of provisions, and, only for the energy and enterprise of Captain Adams, of the Sabine, they would have been obliged to leave Florida altogether. The steamers could get no wood nor water, and a smuggler from Pensacola was actually selling water at four cents per gallon." At this especial time, it must be remembered that open war had not broken out between the North and South ; but the state of things at Pensacola was similar to that which Charles- ton presented, though the latter, as a great city, had the higher importance, and is more publicly known. At Pensacola, the line bay, and the splendid navy yard, forming the principal depot of the Gulf fleet, alone made the place of any note. The village itself was, otherwise, comparatively insignificant, but, in consequence of its nautical advantages, a small military force under Lieutenant Slemmer was, in the beginning of 1861, stationed there in charge of the forts. These forts were, Fort Mcliae, on the main land, with a lagoon behind it, and guarding one side of the harbor ; Fort Barancas, directly fa- cing the entrance of the harbor, and Fort Pickens on the other, or east side of the harbor entrance. This latter was on the ex- tremity of the long, low, sandy Santa Posa Island, which stretched away to the eastward, and formed an excellent breakwater to the bay. The Navy Yard was about a mile inside the bay, beyond Fort Barancas, and was thus in an admirably safe position. Now, when Florida and Alabama seceded, State troops were immediately sent to secure these places. This was early in January, 1861. Forts Barancas and McPae, with the navy yard, were at once surrendered by the naval commandant; but Lieutenant Slemmers, not approving such a course, secretly crossed over to Fort Pickens, as Major Anderson did from Moultrie to Sumter, and there heroically stationed himself and brave followers, to maintain the honor of his flag, until directed by his- government what to do. In this, no honest-minded Southerner could justly blame him, but on the contrary, he should award the praise such conduct so well deserved. Hi position, however, was extrmely critical, and the Federal Gov GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 343 eminent determined to relieve him by sending reinforcements, in a steam transport ; and the sloop-of-war Brooklyn was also dispatched for the purpose of affording protection. Meanwhile, a secret agent, Lieutenant, now, Commander Worden — well known as connected with his gallant little Monitor — bravely ventured to take dispatches to the garrison, announcing this reinforcement and supplies ; but in the at- tempt he was caught, and imprisoned. We have no space, however, to relate the many interesting incidents that followed, and must, therefore, hurriedly pass them over, confining ourselves merely to the doings of him whose life we briefly sketch. But, the preceding information w T ill give the reader an idea of the position of affairs when General Bragg took command. General Bragg was well known to be a strict disciplinarian, and a very determined man. Certainly his position was very peculiar, and to maintain it required great nerve and energy, with a powerful and clear mind. The fearful burst of war had not yet been heard, and it was hardly possible to foresee what a day might bring forth. At length the news of Sumter fallen, settled all doubts ; and blood was thenceforth to stream through the length and breath of the land. Bragg' s measures now be- came even more vigorous. Contraband information to the enem3 r , of any kind, was immediately punished. Newspaper correspondents were forbidden to promulgate news without permission ; and one was sent to Montgomery under arrest for infringing the order. Postmaster Lamberton was also im- prisoned for the same thing. Preparations were commenced for attacking Fort Pickens — now reinforced, and Lieutenant Slemmer relieved of his command by Colonel Harvey Brown ; but General Bragg was officially notified by Colonel Brown, through Lieutenant Slemmer, that he should act simply on the defensive. Permission was asked by the Federals to send a messenger to "Washington ; but this was refused. In the month of April the garrison of Fort Pickens was re- inforced, and now numbered over one thousand men ; and thus, through the early part of the summer, both parties re- mained looking at each other, but also strengthening their po- sition. On June 24th, Fort Pickens was additionally rein- forced by the arrival of Colonel William Wilson's Zouaves ; 344 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and these established themselves three quarters of a mile easl of the fort, to guard against Bragg's threatened landing on that part of Santa Rosa Island. July, August, and September passed, and, excepting a few minor occurrences, nothing of importance took place. At length, on the 8th of October, General Bragg sent a secret expedition by night, to break up Wilson's encampment. The force consisted of several companies of men, selected from regiments, for this 6pecial service, and were taken across in two steamers, a barge, and five or six launches, all under the command of General R. H. Anderson, of South Carolina, lately appointed under Bragg. They landed on the eastern part of the island — the night was very dark, and the enemy apparently wrapped in total security. Suddenly a wild cry of alarm from the outlying pickets is heard by the startled Federal Zouaves. Up from their couches they spring, in the garments of sleep, and rush out in amazement. Firing is heard, and before they can prepare for the attack, on come a host of foes, crushing in among them, slaying right and left ! It was a terrible sight — an awful moment ! For the instant appalled, the surprized Federals are powerless ; but their nat- ural courage is soon recovered, and with the mad ferocity of entrapped men, they enter into the fight ! The Confede- rates, however, are in a greater number than themselves, and drive them back to the very fort itself with fearful slaughter. Now, however, the tide of blood turns. The Federal com- mandant of Fort Pickens comes upon the scene ; and the Con- federates, having accomplished their main object, retreat to their boats, pursued by the enemy. Finally, General Ander- son's command return to the main land, with some loss, and he himself, wounded. Thus ended General Bragg's night-surprise of the Federals on Santa Rosa Island. A few weeks after this, in November, the bombardment of Pensacola was opened by the Federal fleet, and at night-time the scene was truly magnificent. This lasted, however, with variations, through the winter, but we can not here give space to its description. Bragg was now made a Major-general, and as symptoms of serious Federal operations had shown themselves at the mouth of the Mississippi, he was often at Mobile to watch what was GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 345 going on, and to see to its defences. In the latter part of De- cember he was thus away, when a little, unarmed propeller, employed between the Confederate forts and the village of Pensacola, was fired into from Fort Pickens, which led to a renewal of fire between the opposite parties holding possession at Barancas, and Santa Rosa. A spectator says : " Through almost the entire night our guns kept up, at regular intervals, their fire. The scene was grand beyond conception — the shells. in their screeching and screaming journey, resembling startled meteors coursing the heavens. About twelve o'clock several buildings in Warrington were fired, and flames, lighting up the yard, and the village, and forts, and batteries, presenting a scene grand as the bombardment which perpetuates the name of Anderson, and the birth-day of the new year. We have suffered no loss of life or limb, nor sustained any injury in guns. There is little likelihood of any more firing — no injury can be inflicted on the enemy, nor can he harm us." In the beginning of February, 1S62, General Bragg estab- lished his headquarters at Mobile ; and shortly afterwards was sent, with his Second division, to join the army of the Mississippi, then under command of General A. S. Johnson, with General Beauregard as commander-in-chief of the depart- ment. General Bragg's headquarters were now at Jackson, Ten- nessee ; and on March 5th, 1862, he issued a stringent order with regard to all persons travelling without authority, and de- tailing a guard of one commissioned officer, and five men, to accompany each passenger train on the Memphis and Charles- ton, and Mobile and Ohio railroads. He also prohibited the sale of intoxicating liquors within five miles of any station oc- cupied by the troops, or within one mile of any public high- way used as a military road. Martial law was, likewise, pro- claimed at Memphis ; and all prisoners were to be sent to Mobile, whence a proper guard from that place was to transfer them to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On the 6th of April occurred the battle of Shiloh, and here General Bragg commanded the centre of the army. In his official report, he says : " But few regiments of my command had ever had a day's march, and a very large proportion of the rank and file had never per- formed a day's labor. Our organization had been most hasty, 346 SOUTHERN GENERALS. with great deficiency in commanders, and was, therefore, verj imperfect. The equipment was lamentably defective for field service, and our transportation, hastily impressed in the country was deficient in quantity, and very inferior in quality. With all these drawbacks, the troops marched, late in the afternoon of the 3d of April — a day later than intended — in high spirits, and eager for the contest. . . . About 2 a. m., of the 5th, a drenching rain storm commenced, to which the troops were exposed, without tents, and continued until' daylight, rendering it so dark, and filling the creeks and ravines to such an extent, as to make it impracticable to move at night. . . . It was seven o'clock in the morning before the road was clear, so as to put my command in motion. ... At this juncture, the commanding general arrived at our position. My column moved on without delay, and, as promptly as could be, they were formed according to order of battle." General Bragg then gives details of the battle in that por- tion of it under his command, speaking of Major-general Polk as his " senior," and, therefore, resigning to him authority in certain parts of the field, and concludes by mentioning the names of those who had specially distinguished themselves. He adds, "Brigadier-general A. H. Gladden fell early in the action, mortally wounded, whilst gallantly leading his men in a successful charge. No better soldier lived — no truer man or nobler patriot ever shed his blood in a just cause." His report embraces a few remarks on the results of the battle, and the causes which produced a state of things different from what might have been expected. " But," says he, " no one cause, probably, contributed so greatly to our loss of time, which was the loss of success, as the fall of the commanding general, A. S. Johnson." The army fell back to Corinth-, and about that time Bragg was made a full general, dating from April 6th, 1862. "When it was expected another engagement would take place, he issued, on the 5th of May, a stirring address to his soldiers, and in allusion to the enemy said, " such a foe ought never to conquer freemen, battling upon their own soil." The evacua- tion of Corinth, however, and subsequent events, as already related, led to a change in the direction of affairs over the army, and General Bragg was appointed commander of tho GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 347 department instead of Beauregard, who had been obliged to resign from ill-health. Immediately afterwards, General Bragg began his move- ment from Tupelo, in Mississippi, through the states of Geor gia, and Alabama, to Chattanooga, with a view to active operations in East Tennessee, and Kentucky. The Confederate army was now divided into three corps, respectively com- manded by Major-generals Polk, Hardee, and Kirby Smith ; the latter being at Knoxville, ready to push forward when Bragg should reach Chattanooga. General Bragg's forces, however, having arrived in that vicinity and finding BuelFs army to the north of it, passed on a few miles higher up the Tennessee, and crossed at Harrison, on the 21st of August. Thence, Bragg proceeded by mountain roads to Dunlap — thus completely flanking General Buell on his left. From Dunlap he marched up the Sequatchie valley, and reached Pikeville on the 30th. From that place, Bragg sent a part of his forces to McMinnville, a place seventy-five miles southeast of Nash- ville, to attack some Federal cavalry thrown forward in ad- vance, and meanwhile he proceeded on towards Crossville, having ascended the Grassy Cave road. Here the force that had been sent to McMinville rejoined the main army. On the 5th of September, General Bragg entered Kentucky, and marched to the right of Bowling Green, sending an advance on to Munfordsville to demand its surrender. Munfordsville is a large town on the Louisville and Nashville railroad, and Bragg was now between it and Buell's army at Bowling Green. The Federal commander, however, succeeded in get- ting ahead of the Confederates in the principal object they had in view. This, through some captured dispatches, was ascer- tained to be Louisville in Kentucky, and, as Buell's army re- ceived its supplies from there, depots being formed at Bowling Green and Nashville, that general wisely did all in his power to guard the line of communication thither by rail. Mun- fordsville at first resisted, but, on the 17th of September, it was captured by General Bragg's forces, and next day he is- sued an address to the people of Kentucky, in which he tells them that he has not come to injure, but to avenge them, and aid them in obtaining freedom. He invites them to join him in the struggle. "If," says he, "yon prefer Federal rule 348 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. 6how it by your frowns, and we shall return whence we came If you choose rather to come within the folds of our brother- hood, then lend your willing hands to secure you in your her- itage of liberty." The Confederate force now moved to Bardstown,* and fur- ther towards the centre of the State, in many places, through- out the whole march, receiving kindly support. Detachments were sent out to scour the country, and watch the Federals, some of these detachments coming to within four miles of Louisville and creating great alarm. Bragg, however, pro- ceeded on to Frankfort, the State capital, and joined Kirby Smith's forces, on the 4th of October, General Buell arriving at Bardstown — evacuated by the Confederates — on the same day. At Frankfort, a Confederate provisional governor was elected on the day of Bragg 's arrival, but even before the cere- mony had well ended, intelligence of the enemy's approach induced the newly appointed governor to fly. The Federals, however, were not then intent so much upon Frankfort as upon the army of Bragg, the rear of which was at Perry ville, a few miles south of Frankfort. General Buell had been con- stantly pressing the Confederate rear, and had now advanced his three corps towards Perryville with the hope of surround- ing Bragg's forces there. But, General Crittenden's corps of the Federal army was somewhat delayed on a circuitous route, and the other two corps of McCook and Gilbert, first came up with the Confederates. The battle which followed is best told in General Bragg's official report. He says : Headquarters, Department No. 2,) Bryantsville, Ky., October 12. ) Sir: — Finding the enemy pressing heavily in his rear, near Perryville, Major-general Hardee, of Polk's command, was obliged to halt and check him at that point. Having arrived at Harrodsburg from Frankfort, I determined to give him bat- tle there, and accordingly concentrated three divisions of my old command — the army of the Mississippi, now under com- * At thin place, on September 26th, General Bragg issued another address •' To the People of the Northwest," but it is of too great a length even to give a fair abstract. GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 349 mand of Major-general Polk — Cheatham's, Buckner's, and Anderson's, and directed General Polk to take the command on the 7th, and attack the enemy the next morning. Withers' division had gone the day before to support Smith. Hearing, on the night of the 7th, that the force in front of Smith had rapidly retreated, I moved early next morning, to be present at the operations of Polk's command. The two armies were formed confronting each other, on op- posite sides of the town of Perry ville. After consulting the general and reconnoitering the ground and examining his dis- positions, I declined to assume the command, but suggested 6ome change and modifications of his arrangements, which he promptly adopted. The action opened at half-past 12 p. m., between the skirmishers and artillery on both sides. Finding the enemy indisposed to advance upon us, and knowing he was receiving heavy reinforcements, I deemed it best to assail him vigorously, and so directed. The engagement became general soon thereafter, and was continued furiously from that time to dark, our troops never faltering and never failing in their efforts. For the time engaged it was the severest and most desper- ately contested engagement within my knowledge. Fearfully outnumbered, our troops did not hesitate to engage at any odds, and, though checked at times, they eventually carried every position, and drove the enemy about two miles. Bnt for the intervention of night, we should have completed the work. "We had captured fifteen pieces of artillery by the most daring charges, killed one and wounded two brigadier-generals, and a very large number of inferior officers and men, estimated at no less than four thousand, and captured four hundred prisoners, including three staff-officers, with servants, carriage and bag- gage of Major-general McCook. The ground was literally covered with his dead and wounded. In such a contest our own loss was necessarily severe, probably not less than twenty-five hundred killed, wounded, and miss- ing. Included in the wounded are Brigadier-generals Wood, Cleburne, and Brown, gallant and noble soldiers, whose loss will be severely felt by their commands. To Major-general Polk, commanding the forces, Major general Hardee, com- manding the. left wing, two divisions, and Major-generals 350 SOUTHEEN GENERALS, Cheatham, Buckner, and Anderson, commanding divisions, are mainly due the brilliant achievements of this memorable field. Nobler troops were never more gallantly led. The country owes them a debt of gratitude which I am sure will be acknowledged. Ascertaining that the enemy was heavily reinforced during the night, I withdrew my force early the next morning to Harrodsburg, and thence to this point. Major-general Smith- arrived at Harrodsburg with most of his force and Withers' di- vision the next day, 10th, and yesterday I withdrew the whole to this point, the enemy following slowly but not pressing us. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, BRAXTON BRAGG, General commanding. To Adjutant-general, Richmond, "Va. After the battle of Perryville, General Bragg deemed it best to transfer the army back to Tennessee, giving up the plan of a longer campaign in Kentucky. What his reasons for this were, has been variously stated ; but we need not stay to can- vass them now. Suffice it that the retreat began, commencing on Sunday night, the 12th of October. It is said that when the Confederate troops abandoned Lexington, where the main part of the forces had been encamped, " the terror, dismay, and anguish of the inhabitants were extreme. The women ran through the streets crying and wringing their hands, while families hastily gathered their clothing, packed their trunks, and obtained wagons to depart, the greatest distress prevail- ing." The conduct of this retreat across Kentucky, and through Cumberland gap, was left to General Polk, and, fur the pre- sent, therefore, we need follow it no further. General Bragg, it appears, went to Richmond, where he arrived on the 27th October, and the next day had a conference with the Presi- dent and his cabinet, on the conduct of the campaign. From the result of this consultation it seems that the course General Bragg had pursued was satisfactory, for he soon returned to the west with undiminished power, though General J. E. Johnston was appointed Department Commander. Bragg's army returned into Tennessee by the middle of No GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 351 vemb&r, and was stationed at Lavergne, McMinvillu and Mur freesboro. General Rosecrans, now ir command of the North- ern army, vice Buell relieved, was at Nashville, concentrating reorganizing, and disciplining his troops, preparatory to a for- ward movement. Bragg's forces were now estimated at 45,000 to 50,000 effective men. These were reviewed by President Davis on the 13th of December, when he paid a visit to the army, and " His Excellency expressed his gratification at their fine appearance and discipline — congratulating the command- ers present upon the efficiency of their respective forces." President Davis returned to Chattanooga next day. A day or two afterwards, some correspondence took place between Generals Bragg and Rosecrans, respecting an alleged violation by the Confederates of a flag of truce. The following reply of General Bragg deserves insertion, as showing his readi- ness to make the amende honorable, when justly due. Headquarters Army op Tennessee j Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 16, 1862. f General: — I am in receipt of your communication of the 13th inst., in regard to the capture of three of your vedettes, under circumstances apparently implying disrespect to the flag sent by you. Prior to the receipt of your letter, I had ordered an investiga- tion of the case. From the report now before me, I am satis- fied, and desire to assure you, that the party effecting the cap- ture was wholly unaware that a " flag " had passed, and was acting under orders issued the day previous. It had left Lavergne at eight o'clock on the morning of the 13th, and pur- sued a circuitous route, coming upon the vedettes after the passage of the flag. I take pleasure in informing you that I have ordered the men to be returned to your lines, together with their equip- ments, arms, etc. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, BRAXTON BRAGG, General Commanding Major-geneial "W. S. Rosecrans, Commanding United States forces, Nashville, Tennessee. The month of December was now passing away, and it 352 SOUTHERN GENERALS. seems to have been expected that the Federals would not ad- vance for some time. Christmas day, therefore, was spent at Murfreesboro, and in the army with much festivity ; yet. in the midst of all the enjoyments of the hour, news came that Rosecrans was marching direct upon them ! General Bragg immediately prepared his forces, and issuing instructions to his army, the line of battle was thus formed : half of the army, left wing in front of Stone river ; right wing in rear of the river. Polk's corps to form left wing ; Hardee's on the right. Withers' division to form first line on Polk's corps ; Cheat- ham's the second ; Breckinridge's the first line in Hardee's corps, and Cleburne's the second. McCown was to be in re- serve in rear of Cheatham, and Jackson the same in rear ot Hardee. In a brief sketch like this, ft is impossible to give any thing like a minute account of the battle of Murfreesboro, or Stone river, that followed. No justice could properly be done to it, for the reports of both sides ought to be carefully examined for the purpose. But, in this sketch it is enough to bring for- ward that which belongs especially to him of whom we write. Therefore, the following independent account of the first day's fight is introduced. The enemy commenced the advance from Nashville on Friday, by several different routes of march, driving in our cavalry under Generals Wheeler and Wharton, who severally fell back, gallantly contesting every foot of the way. On Sunday our line of battle was formed about two miles from Murfreesboro, stretching trans versly across Stone river, from the Lebanon pike on the right to the Franklin road on the left. On Tuesday the enemy had deployed into line of battle upon the ridge, whereon stands the residence of Mr. Cowan, at a distance of something more than one thousand five hundred yards from our first line, and considerably over- lapping our left flank. During Monday they opened with artillery at long range, and on Tuesday heavy skirmishing ran up and down the line from the left to the centre, swelling almost into a battle at one period, when the enemy attempted two charges on Robin son's battery. On the night of Tuesday it had become evident that the attack in force, would be upon our left, and Cleburne's division GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 353 was detached from the right for the purpose of strengthening that point and extending our line, which gave to the left wing four divisions — Cheatham's, Withers', McCown's, and Cle burne's. On Wednesday the sun rose clear after several days of fu- neral gloom, drifting the mists which hung like silvery cur- tains o'er the field, dancing and glistening along the serried line of steel, which glittered in the morning light like the sparklings of countless diamonds, bathing the gay banners which floated in the front with a flood of refulgence, and drift- ing in golden showers through the emerald fringe of cedars which enclosed the field. Far as the eye could reach stood the two vast armies, silent and motionless; and it almost seemed instead of being drawn up for battle, to be some bril- liant holiday parade ; but at length a volley of musketry from the extreme left told too plainly that the work of death had in reality begun, and in an instant afterwards the strife had leaped from point to point, until the whole line, from left to center, was one unbroken blaze of fire. About 8 o'clock a. m. the divisions of McCown, Cleburne, and Cheatham were ordered to charge. The enemy was strongly planted in a dense thicket where the outcropping of the limestone rocks formed a natural fortification. Swiftly, but with a perfect line, our troops emerged from the skirt of timber in which they had been sheltered, and moved across the open plain which intervened. The battle now became terrific. Crash upon crash of musketry stunned the ear ; the ground trembled under the thunders of artillery ; the cedars rocked and quivered in the fiery blast, and the air was rent with the explosion of shells. The enemy seemed determined to stake the fortunes of the day upon holding the position which they occupied, and offered a most gallant resistance ; but nothing human could withstand the impetuosity of that charge. A spirit of fury seemed to possess our men, from the commanders down to the common soldier, and on they swept, shot and shell, canister, grape, and bullets, tearing through their ranks until the way could be traced by the dead and dying. Still on they went, overrunning infantry and artillery alike, driving the enemy like the hurricane scatters the leaves upon its course, capturing hundreds of prisoners and literally 23 354 SOUTHERN GENERALS. blackening the ground with dead. Such a charge was never before witnessed. For two miles, through fields and forests, over ditches, fences, and ravines, they swept. Brigade after brigade, battery after battery, were thrown forward to stay their onward march ; but another round of musketry, another gleaming of the bayonet, and, like their predecessors, they were crushed into one common ruin. Meantime the brave Withers was not idle. His line of battle ran diagonally across an extended field, and the enemy had been pouring a tremen- dous fire into his position, until, driven almost to the verge of madness by the distraction of his men, he threw his division forward upon the ridge occupied by the enemy. Here was, perhaps, the bloodiest struggle of the day. The enemy was stronger at this point than any where else upon the field, and long and fiercely contended the position. Directly in front was a wide area of cleared land, and across this it was neces- sary to advance under the sweeping fire of six batteries ; but with dauntless hearts and a step as proud as though on parade his men sprang forward at the word, and marched on into the face of death. Once they wavered as the enemy poured a perfect hail of iron through their ranks ; but at this moment Bragg dashed by, the battle fires burning in his eyes, and the fate of nations in his hand. Again they rushed upon the foe, shot down the gunners at their pieces, and drove the support- ing divisions far back to the rear. That night, both armies rested as best they could among the cedars, or on the open plain. It was intensely cold, freez- ing severely. Upon the battlefield lay thousands of dead and wounded frozen stiff, and presenting a ghastly spectacle. The scene was fearful though picturesque. A brilliant winter moon shed its lustre amid the foliage of the forest of ever- greens, and lighted up with silver sheen the ghastly battle- field. Dismounted cannon, scattered caissons, glittering and abandoned arms strewed the forest and field. The dead lay stark and stiff at every step, with clenched hands and con- tracted limbs in the wild attitudes in which they fell, con- gealed by the bitter cold. It was the eve of the new year. Moans of the neglected dying, mingled with the low peculiar shriek of the wounded artillery horses, chanted a miserere for the dying year. Amid the camp fires, feebly lighted to avoid GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 355 attracting the artillery of the enemy, groups of mutilated and shuddering wounded were huddled, and the kneeling forms of surgeons bending in the firelight over the mangled bodies of the dying, added to the solemnity of the night. Next day there was little done but skirmishing. The enemy had taken up a stronger position than before, and both armies drew breath, for awhile, till renewed strength was obtained for the fight. On January 2d, no movement took place till about 4 p. m. when orders were given to assault the enemy's stronghold on the bend of river. General Breckinridge was directed to this duty. Hanson's, Palmer's, Pillow's, Preston's, and Gibbon's brigades formed the division, and, when the signal gun was given, onward they went to what seemed almost certain destruction. Through the thinned woods — into the open fields, the gallant leaders and their brave followers rushed. Then came the thundering fire of the enemy's artil- lery, and, expecting it, the men were ordered to lie down till it passed. But, directly the storm of shot and shell went by, — " Up, my men, and charge !" was the ringing cry of Breck- inridge as he himself dashed on. With the impetuosity of a torrent they rushed forward. Wright's battery galloped up, and soon a fierce raid bloody contest ensued. But, in vain ! In less than half an hour over 2000 brave soldiers on the Confederate side had fallen ! The task, therefore, was seen to be hopeless, and General Breckinridge ordered his division to fall back, when it was nearly dark. In this attack, General Hanson fell mortally wounded, ex- claiming, " Forward — forward, my brave boys, to the charge !" and afterwards, when brought from the field, he said with his flickering breath, " I am willing to die with such a wound, received in so- glorious a cause." Captain Wright also fell at his guns mortally wounded. General Bragg had sent General Patton Anderson with his brigade to the support of Breckinridge, and nobly did they bear themselves, receiving a high meed of praise from the commander-in-chief for their conduct. The battle was over. General Bragg felt that prudence dictated a withdrawal ; and accordingly, on the following day, the Confederate army retreated towards Tullahoma. Before we close this too hurried account of the great battle 356 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. of Murfreesboro, let us mention the names most pron.inent/y brought forward in laudatory terms by General Bragg. He says : "Among the gallant dead the nation is called to mourn, none could have fallen more honored or regarded than Briga- dier-generals James E. Rains and R. M. Hanson. They yielded their lives in the heroic discharge of their duties, and leave their honored names as a rich legacy to their descend- ents. Brigadier-general J. R. Chalmers and D. W. Adams received disabling wounds on Monday — I am happy to say not serious, but which deprived us of their valuable services. Having been under my immediate command since the begin- ning of the war, I can bear evidence to their devotion and to the conspicuous gallantry which has marked their services on every field. " For the sacred names of the heroes and patriots of lower grades that gave their lives, illustrating the character of the Confederate soldiers on this bloody field, I must refer to the reports of subordinate commanders, and to the list which will be submitted. Our losses, it will be seen, exceeded ten thou- sand, nine thousand of whom were killed or wounded. " Lieutenant-generals L. Polk, and W. J. Hardee, command- ing corps, Major-generals J. M. Withers and P. R. Cleburne, commanding divisions, are specially commended to their gov- ernment for their valor, skill, and ability displayed throughout the engagement. " Brigadier-generals Joseph "Wheeler and John A. Wharton, commanding cavalry brigades, were pre-eminently distin- guished throughout the engagement, as they had been for a month previous in many successive conflicts with the enemy. Under their skilful and gallant lead, the reputation of our cav- alry has been justly enhanced. For the just commendation of the officers, many of whom were pre-eminently distinguished, I must refer to their more immediate commendation." On the 8th of January, General Bragg had his headquarters at Winchester, not far from the south border of Tennessee. He addressed the inhabitants of the district, calming their fears, and stating that he had fallen back to give his men repose. At the same time, he issued a, congratulatory and compliment- ary address to his army. / GENERAL BRAXTON BRAGG. 357 From this date, for several months, nothing more wae done by the main army, though detached commands were ever vigorously at work. The Confederates rested at Tullahoma and vicinity, while the Federals remained in the position they had moved to after the battle of Murfreesboro. As regards General Bragg himself, there was, at this time, a great deal of unpleasant discussion concerning him. Like all men of a stern, unbending mind, he was not very popular, and it would appear that there were many who thought if he were removed from his post it would be to the advantage of the cause. But let us bear in mind that there are few men placed in a prominent position that are not subject to similar attacks, whether justly deserved or not ; and, in General Bragg's case, it is certain that he was supported by the President and his cabinet ; therefore, must have been deemed well fitted for his post. A foreign officer of rank, calling upon him at this time, May 29th, 1863, says, after describing his appearance, " He has the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian, and shooting freely for insubordination. I understand he is unpopular on this account, and also by reason of his occasional acerbity of manner. He was extremely civil to me, and gave me permis- sion to visit the outposts, or any part of his army. He ex- pressed regret that a boil on his hand would prevent his accompanying me. Rosecrans' position, he said, extended about forty miles, and Murfreesboro twenty-five miles distant from Bragg's headquarters, at Shelbyville, was Rosecrans' headquarters. The Confederate cavalry inclosed him in a semicircle extending over a hundred miles of country. . . He talked to me a long time about the battle of Murfreesboro, and said he retained possession of the ground he had won for three days and a half, and only retired on account of the exhaustion of his troops, and after carrying off over 6,000 prisoners, much cannon, and other trophies. He allowed that Rosecrans had displayed much firmness. ... At 5 p. m., I was present at a great open-air preaching, at General Wood's camp. Bishop Elliott preached most admirably to a congregation of nearly 3,000 soldiers, who listened to him with the most profound at- tention. Generals Bragg, Polk, Hardee, Withers, Cleburne, and others were present. It is impossible to exaggerate the respect paid by all ranks of his army to Bishop Elliott ; and. 358 SOUTHERN GENERALS. although most of the officers are Episcopalians, the majority of the soldiers are Methodists, Baptists, etc. ... I got back to Shelbyville at 4.30 p. m. (June 2d), just in time to be present at an interesting ceremony peculiar to America. This was a baptism at the Episcopal church. The ceremony was per- formed in an impressive manner, by Bishop Elliott, and the person baptized no less than the commander-in-chief. The bishop took the general's hand in his own (the latter kneeling in front of the font), and said, ' Braxton, if thou hast not al- ready been baptized, I baptize thee,' etc. Immediately after wards he confirmed General Bragg, who then shook hands with General Polk, the officers of their respective staffs, and myself, who were the only spectators." We now turn again to the military operations under General Bragg's command. With the exception of the minor affairs at Liberty, and Hoover's gaps, nothing particular occurred until the beginning of June, when Kosecrans advanced with a very powerful and numerous army. On the 27th, General Bragg fell back to Chattanooga, and established his headquarters first at Bridge- port, and then in the town. Round this place the Confederate army was now encamped, Rosecrans advancing upon it across the mountains on one side, and Burnside commanding the Federal forces in East Tennessee, coming down the valley via Cumberland gap on the other. Chattanooga was placed in a good state of defence, and works thrown up across the river as far as Blythe's ferry. Rosecrans, however, succeeded in moving well up to Chattanooga without molestation, and, on the 8th of September, the Confederates evacuated the place — retiring to the Chickamauga. Here, having been reinforced by General Longstreet, Bragg fought the Federals on the 20th of September, driving them back to Chattanooga. We have already given an account of this battle, and to it we refer. Before this, President Davis had again visited Bragg's army, and, shortly afterwards, Longstreet had been detached to Knoxsville. Then followed the disastrous battle of Mis- sionary Ridge, Chattanooga, and the subsequent retreat to Dalton. On the 2d of December, General Bragg was relieved from hia command, and he took leave of the army in the following order GENERAL BRAXTOS BRAGG. 359 GENERAL ORDERS— NO. 214. Upon renewed application to the President, his consent haa been obtained for the relinquishment of the command of this army. It is accordingly transferred to Lieutenant-general Hardee. The announcement of this separation is made with unfeigned regret. An association of more than two years, which bind together a commander and his trusted troops, can- not be severed without deep emotion. For a common cause, dangers shared on many hard-fought fields have cemented bonds which time can never impair. The circumstances which render this step proper will be appreciated by every good soldier and true patriot. The last appeal the general has to make to the gallant army which has so long nobly sustained him is to give his successor that cordial and generous support essential to the success of your arms. In that successor you have a veteran whose brilliant reputation } 7 ou have aided to achieve. To the officers of my general staff, who have so long zealously and successfully struggled against serious difficulties to support the army and myself, is due, in a great degree, what little success and fame we have achieved. Bidding them and the army an affectionate farewell, they have the blessings and prayers of a grateful friend. BRAXTON BRAGG. Immediately after his retirement from the army, General Bragg repaired to the Warm Springs, in Georgia, to recruit his health, and on the 5th of January, 1864, visited Columbus. The care and incessant labor of the past two years, it was stated, had left their traces upon his person ; but he was still able for military duty, and, in February, received a new ap- pointment in accordance with the following order : Adjutant and Inspector-general's Office, ) Richmond, Va., February 24, 1864. ) General Braxton Bragg is assigned to duty at the seat of government, and, under the direction of the President, is charged with the conduct of military operations in the armiea of the Confederacy. By order. S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector-generaL In this position, the general frequently visited the several 360 SOUTHERN GENERALS. military posts and departments, often accompanied by tba President. At the funeral of General J. E. B. Stuart he was one of the pall bearers ; and in July and August he was at Colum- bus and Macon ; and, when the army of Virginia assembled once more around Richmond, he examined their intrenchments and fortifications, preparatory to certain movements. But the post he occupied was one that we do not well comprehend ; nor does it seem to have been rightly understood elsewhere. It was an anomalous one, and liable to much discordance of opinion in reference to it. However, towards the end of Octo- ber, he was assigned to another department, and, in Novem- ber, took command of the forces in North Carolina. In the beginning of December we find him at Augusta, sending in a report of Wheeler's operations ; but he was at Wilmington, as his headquarters, when the Porter-Butler attack on Fort Fisher was unsuccessful. He then issued a congratulatory order, dated December 29th, 1864, to his troops ; but, except the late achievements of the Federal arms, under General Terry, in that quarter, we have had little to record concerning him. General Bragg has been long married, and his accomplished lady frequently visited him in camp, occasionally in the depth of winter. Of his family, we have no information at present, but, whatever be the fate of the Confederacy, it is certain that his name will be remembered as one of the principal of those brave and unselfish spirits, whose soul animated the cause, and whose mind and body ever fought heroically for its support- General Bragg was blamed for the fall of Wilmington, though his friends attributed the loss of that place to the fact, that "he came into unpleasant collision with interests and persons, whose feelings conld not, in the nature of things, be other than inimical to him." He was not, however, much longer before the public eye, except as to the battle of Kin- ston, N. C. ; and when the Southern Confederacy ceased to exist, he quiotly retired to Mobile, and thence to New Orleans, where he arrived on the 27th of June. On the 9th of October he took the oath of allegiance, and thenceforth quietly settled down to cultivate his plantation in Lowndes County, Ala., admitting the march of events, and using free labor on his fields. L T GEN. R.S. EWELL. LIEUT.-GENERAL RICHARD STODDART EWELL Early Life. — The Mexican War. — New Mexico. Resigns his Commission and Joins the South. — Night Affair at Fairfax Court-house. — Interesting Episode. — Warrenton "Babies." — Bravery of New Troops. — John Quincy Marr. — Ewell at the Engage- ment of Blackburn's Ford and Battle of Bull Run. — Joins Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. — Battle of Winchester. — Battle of Crosskeys. — Battles around Kiehmond. — Cedar Run. — Manassas. — Ewell Wounded. — His Sickness. — Rejoins the Army. — In Command of Jackson's Corps. — Defeats Milroy at Winchester. — March into Maryland. — Chambersburg. — Gettysburg. — Return to Virginia. — Bristoe Station. — Kelly's Ford. — Retirement of Ewell on Sick Leave. — Again in Command. — Battle of the Wilderness. — Accident to Ewell. — Obliged to leave the Field. — Appointed in Command of the Defences around Richmond. The early life of Lieutenant-general Ewell is not so much known as that of those whose career we have already sketched. So far as information can yet be obtained, he was born about the year 1817, in Prince William county, Yirginia, though another account states his birth to have been in 1820, in the District of Columbia. In 1836 he entered the Military Academy at West Point, and graduated on the 30th of June, 1840, re- ceiving an appointment as brevet second-lieutenant of cavalry, on the 1st of July. On the 10th of September, 1845, he was made first-lieutenant, and with that rank went into the Mexi- can war, serving in Colonel Mason's dragoons. He won his promotion to captain in the field, having received it for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battles of Contreras and Cherubusco. In June, 1847, Captain Ewell was in New Mexico, greatly distinguishing himself against the Indians ; and during the year 1858 he took charge of and commanded the troops that garrisoned Fort Buchanan in that territory. He was, how- ever, suspended in 1859. 362 SOUTHERN GENERALS. When Virginia seceded, Captain Ewell resigned his com mis sion in the regular army, and took sides with the South.* The first time, as we believe, that Ewell came very pro mi nently forward in the present war, was at Fairfax Court-house on the night of May 31st. It must be remembered that Yir ginia was the last State to secede, and thus many of the places bordering the Northern States were but ill provided for de- fence. Among them was Fairfax Court-house, a village of some few hundred inhabitants, eighteen miles from Washing- ton. At the end of May, this place was guarded by the War- renton Rifles, a company of infantry belonging to the Seven- teenth Virginia, numbering, however, only eighty men (the rest being sick or absent), and commanded by Lieutenant or Captain John Quincy Marr. They had arrived there on the 30th of May, and the majority of the company were so young that their female relatives had given them, in fond sport, the name of the " Warrenton Babies," many of them being only sixteen or seventeen years of age, — one, indeed, had attained his sixteenth year only on the previous day. Two companies of cavalry, however (the Rappahannock, and the King Wil- liam counties cavalry), had previously arrived, under Colonel Ewell. What followed may be best told nearly in the words of a lady, the wife of Dr. M , who was present on the oc- casion. She says, that about two o'clock in the morning she was aroused by the tramp of horses and firing of muskets in the village. Alarmed at the confusion that assailed her ears, she awoke her husband. At the same moment their hostess rushed into the room, exclaiming, "The Federalists are coming in force ; they have driven in our pickets (the two cavalry companies) who are dashing through the town calling upon us to fly for our lives." " Where, then, are the Warrenton Rifles ?" said Mrs. Dr. M — " Scattering, in alarm," was the reply. In a moment, the lady's husband — the doctor — who was second-lieutenant of the company, apparelled and armed him- self, and rushed out of the house to the quarters of his men, * We find it stated in the New York Herald of May 18th, 1861, that a " President Ewell, of William and Mary College, — a distinguished graduate of West Point, and a classmate of General Lee — had been appointed a Colonel in the Virginia army. LIEUT.-GENERAL RICHARD STODDART EWELL. 363 calling out, as he proceeded, for Captain Marr. But Captain Marr could not be fouud ; and meanwhile the Federal cavalry was pursuing the alarmed outposts through the place. All was confusion and dismay, and no one appeared who was pre pared to take command of the few infantry still remaining there. Suddenly a figure, only partly dressed, dashed forward and, placing himself at the head of forty-three members of the Warrenton Rifles — no babies did they show themselves, how- ever — who were already drawn up to receive the enemy. Hav- ing deployed behind a fence, he advanced towards the Federals. These latter — company B, of the 3d cavalry, 1st brigade, com- manded by Lieutenant Tompkins — were galloping back, and firing right and left in the darkness. In a moment they were called upon to " Halt !" by the new leader of the Confederates, who was, in fact, none other than the present Lieutenant- general Ewell. He had rushed from his bed, without stopping to complete his attire ; but, in the blackness of the night his white shirt proved a sure mark ; and, a shot in the shoulder was the only reply he received. This, for the time, disabled him, and Colonel Smith (" Extra Billy") took the command, being accidentally in the place. A firing was kept up for about half an hour, and, finally, Lieutenant Tompkins finding himself outnumbered, retreated with " five prisoners and two horses," his own loss being " three men missing, three wounded, and six horses." We might have continued more of this interesting episode of the war, but our province here forbids. We must say, how- ever, that Captain Marr had not slunk away. Rallying his company, and placing them in position, he went forward to reconnoitre, but never returned ! At eight o'clock next morn- ing, his body was found lying in a field by the road-side. It appears that he must have hastily risen from his couch on the first sound of alarm and come out, for he had not given him- self time to buckle on his sword, both sword and belt being grasped tightly in the hand of death, — a death most truly honorable, as being in defence of his native Virginia soil, and, moreover, as also being " the first who had shed his blood" in defence upon that soil. He was a single man, about thirty years of age, leaving a mother and two sisters dependent on him for support. The whole town of Warrenton afterwards 364 SOUTHERN GENERALS. attended his funeral, and wept over his grave — a quiet im<.b» trusive grave, with a simple square marble slab to mark hia remains. In the above striking incident, connected with General Ewell's life, we have adhered literally, and almost verbally, to the account printed in an interesting work before us, and which is verified by reference to the occurrence, in a Richmond pe- riodical,* as also — in regard to Captain Marr being shot — borne out by the official report of the Federal commanding officer. That officer, could not then be aware who that other officer was contending with his party ; but probably, ere this, he has known it was the present Lieutenant-general Ewell of the Confederate army.f With the rank of colonel, we next find him in command of the camp of instruction for cavalry at Ashland, where his ser- vices were invaluable. His discipline was stern and rigid, but humane, and, out of raw mounted militia, he soon formed a most efficient body of troops. He was afterwards made a brig- adier-general ; and, at the battle of Blackburn's ford, July 18, 1861, was stationed on the extreme right, at Union Mills. In Beauregard's official report, he says : " Thanks are due to Brigadier-generals Bonham and Ewell for the ability shown in conducting and executing the retrograde movements on Bull Run, directed in my orders — movements on which hung the fortunes of the army." General E well's position at the principal battle of Bull Run, on the 21st of July, was in the same place at Union Mills, and he was to have advanced on the enemy's flank and rear at Centreville, but the orders for such a movement miscarried. In the afternoon, however, he was directed to bring up his brigade into the battle on the left flank, and this was promptly executed, though, on arrival, the day had been won. He was, therefore, sent back, with all speed, to resume his original position, in order to prevent the possibility of its seizure by any force of the enemy in that quarter. * Southern Illustrated News. f This volume is a biographical sketch of conspicuous Southern Generals. Captain Marr, it is true, was not a general ; but, may we not say, had he lived, he would assuredly have become one ? We think so ; and therefore hope to be excused for thus almost unavoidably bringing him forward. LIEUT.-GEJSTERAL RICHARD STODDART EWELL. 365 Until April, 1862,* no movements of any importance brought General Ewell prominently forward, but in that month, he was directed to join " Stonewall" Jackson in the Shenandoah valley ; and then commenced the brilliant career that has since marked his name. He left the vicinity of Gor- donsville, and on the 30th, arrived with his division on the west of the Blue Ridge, marching directly forward to the posi- tion occupied by Jackson in Elk Eun valley. Receiving orders there how to proceed, he went on to Newmarket, and then accompanied Jackson towards Front Royal. It was on the 22d of May, that the army moved on, General Ewell in the advance. The next day Front Royal was cap- tured, and Ewell proceeded on to Winchester, bearing a con- spicuous part in the defeat of the enemy at that place. He then followed the retreating forces, under Banks, to the Po- tomac, and, on the return of Jackson's army from the pursuit, he was ordered to hold Fremont in check at Strasburg. This was successfully done, till Jackson, with the main body of his forces, had left Strasburg, on the evening of the 1st of June. Next day, General Ewell made a stand at Fisher's Hill, and impeded the progress of General Milroy. He then gradually retired towards Harrisonburg, forming the rearguard of the Confederate army. Passing to Cross Keys, on the road to Port Republic, he there had an engagement with General Fremont's forces, which he defeated, and next morning, June 9th, he marched to join General Tackson at Port Republic, * When the Confederates evacuated Manassas in 1862, some interesting doc- uments were found by the Federals, amongst others, the following, which explains itself: October 18, 1861. General G. T. Beauregard : Sib — The bearer, Charles Dillon, of the Twelfth Mississippi, has just brought some late papers, which may be interesting to you. He has a proposition to make in reference to watching the enemy, which I thought might be of im- portance to bring to your notice. They (he and three comrades) have been scouting around and about Springfield, and I have always found them reliable. He proposes now to go into Alexandria, and I advised him to see you, in order, if you wish him to do so, that his exertions may be properly directed. Respectfully, R. S. EWELL. [Sequel — Charles Dillon was caught and killed as a spy. — March 19, 1863^ 366 SOUTHERN GENERALS. leaving a small force behind to keep the enemy in check. The battle here, between Jackson and Shields, was already raging hotly, but his arrival promptly arrested an advance of the Federals on General Winder, though he was soon after- wards driven back with some loss. His command, however, speedily rallied, and materially aided in the defeat of the enemy. The movements of Jackson's army after this are well known, and have already been related. General Ewell accompanied it, w r ith his command, to the battlefields around Richmond, and shared in the heaviest of the engagements. On the way to Cold harbor, June 26th, Ewell was in front of Jackson's forces, and drove the enemy before him, sur- mounting every obstacle which they had placed upon the roads to bar his progress, and reaching Cold harbor about 5 p. m. In the battle that now followed, on June 27th, General Ew r ell was in the advanced centre of Jackson's corps, and maintained a hard fight with the enemy, " charging through the swamp, up the hill, in face of a terrible fire, and fighting with that daring which had so often excited the admiration of his commander." He continued the struggle until after dusk, when his ammunition being completely exhausted, he fell back. On the morning of the 28th, General Ewell was sent forward to Dispatch station, on the York river railroad, General Stuart being in advance, with his cavalry. Here Ewell tore up the track, and having ascertained that the enemy had not retreated, as was deemed possible, in the direction of the White-house and Pamunkey, he proceeded towards Bottom bridge, and thence, on the next day, rejoined the main corps. That even- ing, in company with D. H. Hill, and Whiting, all under the personal command of Jackson, he crossed the Chickahominy by the Grapevine bridge, and followed the enemy on their track, by the Williamsburg road, and Savage station. At White-oak swamp they were encountered, and driven back again. At Frazer's farm Jackson's corps was assigned to the front, and promptly followed the Federals to Malvern Hill, where, in that battle, General Ewell also bore a conspicuous part. After the series of battles around Richmond had freed the capital from danger, it was found necessary to dispatch Jack LIEUT.-GENERAL RICHARD STODDART EWELL. 367 son's corps to arrest the movements of General Pope, then ad- vancing in Northern Virginia. General EwelFs division was, therefore, forwarded thither within a fortnight after the en- gagement at Malvern Hill; and he arrived at Gordonsville on July 19th. On the 7th of August he led the advance, when Jackson moved forward ; and on the 9th, when near Cedar Run, was directed to diverge to the right, and pass along the slope of Slaughter's Mountain — the enemy, at that time, being posted in heavy force in the front. Ewell, with his command, reached the northwest termination of the mountain, and, upon an elevated spot, about two hundred feet above the valley be- low, planted a battery of guns, which opened with marked ef- fect upon the foe. For some two hours, a rapid and continuous fire of artillery was kept up on both sides of the main armies, but Ewell was unable to advance as far as he desired, owing to the Confederate batteries in the valley sweeping his only approach to the enemy's left. At length, an opportunity pre- senting, he pushed on, under a heavy fire, and vigorously as- sisted in driving the Federals back. The march towards Manassas then followed, by the circu- itous route of the Thoroughfare gap, which we have already mentioned in our sketch of General Jackson ; and we need now only refer to the attack upon Bristoe station, made by General Ewell, on August 27th. Here General Hooker com- manded the Federal army ; and, after an obstinate struggle, Ewell retreated, in accordance with previous orders, to join the main body of the Confederate forces, at Manassas. Jackson and Ewell then fell back to the old battlefield of Bull Run, where, on the 29th, before the whole army had reinforced them, Ewell's corps was stationed behind the embankment of the intended line of railroad, passing from near Sudley Springs to beyond Groveton. In the afternoon, it was seen that the enemy was advancing in front, and after carefully reconnoiter- ing, General Jackson gave Ewell orders to advance. General Ewell immediately threw forward his own division and Jackson's, and attacked the enemy, then coming along the Warrenton turnpike. A fierce engagement ensued, lasting during the remaining two hours of daylight. Finally, the Federals gave way, and at nightfall were entirely repulsed. In this engagement General Ewell was badly wounded in 368 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. the knee, and his valuable services were, therefore, lost in the momentous battle that took place next day. His division fell under the command of Brigadier-general Lawton — who ably sustained its reputation. The wound he had received was from a minie ball ; and the bones were so shattered, that, in the opinion of his surgeons, at the time, amputation was deemed necessary ; and he was accordingly removed, in a litter, to the hospital, near Aldie, where the operation was performed. He was, ultimately, taken to Charlottesville, to the house of Cap- tain T. L. Farish, where he was carefully attended. For several months afterwards, General Ewell was unfit for any active duty in the field. At length, on the 29th of May, 1863, he was able to rejoin his old corps, who were drawn up at Hamilton's crossing, near Fredericksburg, ready to receive him, his arrival being greeted with enthusiastic cheers. He had been made a lieutenant-general, and had now command of one of the three large corps (Jackson's old corps incorporated with his) into which the army under General Lee had been di- vided, — Generals Longstreet and A. P. Hill having command of the other two. General Ewell, owing to the loss of his leg, had now to be always strapped on his horse, when on the field ; . and, when walking, moved with great difficulty on crutches. It w r as said of him, that his spirit was like the blast of that " wild horn on Fontarabian echoes borne," and would, as we find it did, act npon the veterans of Jackson's old corps, almost like a visita- tion of the dead warrior to his former comrades, from the realm of spirits. It was at this time General Lee's plans began to be put in execution for invading Maryland, as we have already stated. General Ewell's corps was dispatched to Culpepper, reaching there on the 8th of June ; and soon afterwards, in accordance with the orders received, he marched forward to attack Gen- eral Milroy at Winchester, in the Shenandoah Yalley. He rapidly passed through the gorges of the Blue Ridge Moun- tains, and then, by way of Front Royal, came upon Milroy on Sunday, the 14th of June, at 5 p. m. Getting his batteries swiftly into position, he massed his infantry, and then "charged across the field, to the very muzzles of the Federal guns, al- though the latter were fired vigorously. "Without a pause, the LIEUT.-GENERAL RICHARD STODDART EWELL. 309 Confederates crossed the ditch, leaped over the breastworks, and planted their colors on the embankment. The Ohio regi- ment was driven from the works at the point of the bayonet. Some escaped back to the main fort, and the remainder were captured, or killed." Thus the fight continued until night — ■ General Ewell fiercely assaulting the Federals, on the east, south, and west of the town. At one o'clock, General Milroy abandoned "Winchester, and retreated to Harper's Ferry, leaving behind him an immense booty, in guns, ammunition, horses, commissariat stores, etc., to Ewell and his victorious troops. General Ewell moved promptly up the valley — Martinsburg naving been taken about the same time by General Rhodes, while Jenkins, in the advance, with his cavalry, was crossing the Potomac, at Williamsport — and then marched on to Cham- bersburg, where he arrived on Tuesday evening, June 16th. The whole army of General Lee was now rapidly marching into Maryland — General Ewell's corps in the advance. After crossing the Potomac it passed from Williamsport to Hagers- town, and at noon on the 22d of June, entered Greencastle, Pennsylvania. On the 23d, Ewell occupied Chambersburg, and next day he issued the following order : " The sale of intoxicating liquors to this command, without written permission from a major-general, is strictly prohibited. " Persons having liquor in their possession, are required to report the fact to the provost marshal, or the nearest general officer, stating the amount and kind, that a guard may be placed over it, and the men prevented from getting it. "Any violation of part one of these orders, or failure to comply with part second, will be punished by the immediate confiscation of all liquors in the possession of the offending parties, besides rendering their other property liable to seizure. " Citizens of the country through which the army may pass, who are not in the military service, are admonished to abstain from all acts of hostility, upon the penalty of being dealt with in a summary manner. ■ A ready acquiescence to the demands of the military authorities will serve to lessen the rigors ol war." The same day a detachment from Ewell's corps was sent towards Carlisle, which was occupied by the Confederates on the 27th. Here, the limits of advance had been reached. 24 370 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Meade, having relieved Hooker, on the 28th, marched tho Federal army forward to meet the forces under Lee, and on the 1st of July the two armies met at Gettysburg. Ewell's corps had been ordered to fall back on Gettysburg, and arrived there about an hour after the battle commenced. He took up his position on the left of the Confederate army, and immediately attacked the enemy with great vigor, so that, by night, Meade's right wing had fallen back, and the town of Gettysburg was in possession of General Ewell, — having been obtained by the divisions of Early, and Ehodes. The following day, and succeeding one, the battle was renewed, with what success has already been told. The Confederates retreated towards Virginia again, and on the 4th of July, Ewell, with the immense train of booty he had captured dur- ing the past few days, moved as rapidly as possible towards Hagerstown, and thence, crossing the Potomac, to "Win- chester. The next movement of any importance was not until Octo- ber, after the army had rested for some time on the Eapidan — General Ewell having the extreme left. On the 8th of Oc- tober General Lee began operations anew, and General Ewell's corps marched towards and beyond Culpepper, which had been held by the Federals, but vacated on the approach of the Confederates. On the 13th, a skirmish took place be- tween Ewell's advance and a body of Meade's troops at Bristow station, the latter falling back, but, on the next day, returning and giving battle to General A. P. Hill, who had arrived there. The result proved disastrous to the Confeder- ates, and thus terminated the advance of General Lee's army. The Southern forces fell back to the Eappahannock, and was disposed on both sides of the Orange and Alexandria railroad, General Ewell's corps being on the right, and General Hill's on the left. On the 7th of November, General Meade advanced again on the position of General Ewell, near Kelly's ford, and to the bridge over the river. This bridge was defended by a portion of Ewell's corps, and, at night, these were attacked by the enemy. A severe struggle ensued, resulting in the Confed- erates being defeated with the loss of four guns, eight battle- flags, and a number of men. LIEUT. -GENERAL RICHARD STODDART EWELL. 371 A few days afterwards General Ewell was obliged to absent himself on sick leave, in consequence of renewed trouble from his dismembered limb. He retired to Charlottesville, and we do not again find him on active duty until the following April, 1864, when he rejoined the army, then preparing for the vig- orous campaign that ensued. Here, however, we must again say that to enter upon details of battles and engagements, connected with each of the gen- erals whose public life we sketch, would be so great a repeti- tion as to become tedious and irksome to the reader. At the same time we wish to do justice to the brave men we write of; and, therefore, to meet the difficulty, we have given more full accounts in the history of the principal commanding officer on the field, to which all minor particulars are referred. On the 4th of May, Ewell's corps having been encamped on Lee's right, moved easterly, a few of his brigades remaining behind for a day, guarding some of the fords across the Rapi- dan. Johnson's division, having the advance, followed the turnpike, and encamped for the night within three miles of Wilderness Run. Rodes, next in the order of march, lay in his rear along the same route ; and Early, who had moved from Ewell's left at Summerville ford, encamped for the night a little behind Locust Grove. Next day, Johnson moved with his division at the head of Ewell's corps, throwing out skir- mishers as he advanced. These were driven in by the enemy, and the battle began. We have already given details of this battle, and need only say that General Ewell was constantly engaged in directing and superintending the movements of his corps. On the evening of the first day's fight, assisted by General Smith, of the Engi- neers, he reviewed his position, and proceeded at once to cover his front with a line of field-works and an abattis of felled trees. Next morning, the 6th of May, the enemy attacked him with a heavy force, but, being repulsed, determined to make a movement on his flank. Ewell, however, " with the true instincts of military genius" was prepared at all points, and by a bold charge of Major Osborne upon the advancing column of Burnside's division, defeated the attempt so suc- cessfully that it was not again repeated. Finally, Ewell, giv- ing directions to Early on the left of his corps, allowed General 372 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Gordon, at his earnest request, to make a particular movement on the enemy's flank. The sun was now about to set, but Gordon's men, supported by R. D. Johnston's brigade of North Carolinians, moved briskly out of their works, and, rushing forward, drove everything before them. " A brilliant stroke thus closed, on E well's front, the second day of the battle of the Wilderness, in a crowning triumph." To give some idea of the fearful nature of the slaughter in this battle we may add that, in front of Ewell's line, alone, were 1,125 Federal dead lying to the left of the turnpike. On Saturday, May 7th, and the following day, Lee retreated towards Spottsylvania, to take up a new position, Ewell's corps in the rear. On Sunday, the engagement was renewed near Todd's tavern, and, Eweli having come up to the support of Anderson, the fighting was very heavy. The result was satis- factory in checking the enemy's advance, and Spottsylvania Court-house was successfully occupied by the Confederates before the Federals could arrive. Ewell held the town and heights on the north side, and kept the enemy at bay in every attempt made to take possession. On Tuesday, May 10th, the battle was again commenced, — Ewell's corps being strongly posted in the centre, — and for three days' heavy fighting continued, resulting in the discom- fiture of one of his divisions, under General E. Johnson and Brigadier-general G. H. Stewart, both of whom, with their men, were captured. The next few days various movements took place, and on Thursday, the 19th, Ewell, with part of his corps, proceeded to make a reconnoissance in force on the enemy's right flank. The country through which he had to move is very diversified by woods and fields, and so much of forest, that it was quite possible to escape the observation of the enemy. General Ewell moved by a circuitous route, and struck the enemy's line of skirmishers at a point a little north and west of the road leading from Fredericksburg to Spottsylvania, and about eight miles from the former place. About 5 p. m. a sharp engage- ment ensued, and lasted till nine o'clock, when the fighting ceased, and the Confederates retired to their original posi- tion. During the action, General Ewell's horse was shot under LIEUT.-GENERAL RICHARD STODDAET EWELL. 373 him, and he received a severe fall. He tried, on the next day, to sgain mount the saddle ; but soon was obliged to relinquish the command of his corps to General Early, and retire. He slowly recovered, and, in July, assumed command of the De- partment of Henrico, and finally, of the immediate defences of Richmond. During the period of his command in this department, the following is related concerning him. General Singleton, in January, 1865, was at Richmond, on a semi-official errand from Washington as to the question of peace. On his return, President Lincoln asked him if he had seen General Ewell, and how he looked. Singleton replied that, " while walking in Richmond, one day, he saw a general officer, driving a very poor-looking horse attached to a dilapidated sulky. The horse bolted across the sidewalk, and General Singleton seeing the officer was a cripple, carrying a crutch, took the animal by the head and turned him into the street. This was the only time he had seen Ewell.* When Richmond was evacuated and a great portion of the city burnt, Ewell was accused of setting fire to it, but in a letter since published he indignantly denies the charge. On the 6th of April, while on the retreat with Lee's army, he was captured at Burkesville, and ultimately sent as a pris- oner of war to Fort Warren. There he remained until released in August, when he left, with his wife, for their home in Nashville, Tenn. GET. 5T UA RT MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. Ilis Appearance. — Birth, Parentage, and Education. — Service in New Mexico. — Aid to Lee at the John Brown Affair. — Resigns his Commission and Joins the South. — His Family Connections. — At Harper's Ferry and the Upper Potomac. — Battle oi Bull Run. — Made Brigadier-general. — His Exploits. — Battles on the Peninsula. — His Expedition round McClellan's Army. — Promoted. — Interview with Federal Officers. —Old Acquaintances. — Surprise of Pope's Headquarters. — His Doings in Maryland.— Anecdote. — Fredericksburg. — His After Movements. — Chancellors ville. — Cavalry Battle at Brandy Station. — Gettysburg. — Mosby's Exploits. — Campaign of 1864. — General Sheridan's Kaid. — Engagement at Yellow Tavern. — Stuart Mortally Wounded. —His Last Moments. — Death and Burial. At the battle of Williamsburg, in 1862, while the enemy were advancing on the redoubts from the Yorktown road, a horseman dashed through the streets, and rode up to the head- quarters of General Johnston, to report. He appeared much fatigued and overworked, and would have served admirably for a picture of Dick Turpin, when chased by officers on the road to York. His horse was a splendid black, with heavy reins and bit, cavalry saddle, and holsters : foam stood in a lather upon him, and he was mud-splashed from head to hoof. The rider, himself, bore no insignia of command : a common black felt hat, turned down in front, and up behind : a heavy, black overcoat, tightly buttoned: elegant riding-boots cover- ing the thigh ; a handsome sabre, carelessly slung by his side, and a heavy pair of Mexican spurs, that jingled and rattled on the pavement as he dismounted, were all that could be noticed, at a distance. A nearer view, however, showed a thick-set, full-faced, ruddy-complexioned man, with close-cut hair, and apparently some thirty years old. His eyes were bright, beam- ing, and, when lighted up, piercing, and full of deep expres- sion. A stranger, unaccustomed to the war, would at first have taken him to be a daring chief of some wild predatory band ; and yet, a moment more would cause a change of opin- 376 SOUTHERN GENERALS. ion, especially on hearing him speak, and noticing the high- toned, gentlemanly bearing he displayed. As the horseman communicated with General Johnston, and mentioned something, both smiled, and presently it was known that he had been chased by " old Emory," of the Fifth United States Dragoons, whose light artillery could be heard blazing away, south of the town. In a moment more, he rode back again to the fight. This horseman, whom we have thus described to introduce him, was James E. B. Stuart, then commanding the cavalry rear-guard of the Confederate forces at Williamsburg. Born about the year 1833, in Patrick county, Virginia, he very early displayed evidences of a quick and active turn of mind. His father, the late Archibald Stuart, formerly member of Con- gress, gave him a good academic education, and got him en- tered at West Point Academy in 1850. There, at the same time, were to be found A. P. Hill, Henry Heth, G. H. Stewart, K G. Evans, J. H. Holmes, R H. Eobertson, S. M. Barton, and T. S. Khett, all, of late, belonging to the Confederate army; and among his immediate classmates, were J. Pegram, G. W. Custis Lee, and J. B. Yillepigue, also now fighting for the South. Of those in the academy with him, and now on the side of the North, were Burnside, Viele, Wilcox, Cogswell, O. Howard, and Lieutenant Greble of the artillery, who was killed at Great Bethel, in 1861. Stuart graduated on the 30th of June, 1854, and next day received his appointment as brevet second lieutenant of the regiment of mounted rifles. On the 3d of March, 1855, he was transferred, with full rank, to the First Regular Cavalry, then having for its colonel, the late General Sumner, of the Union army, and for lieutenant-colonel, the present General J. E. Johnston, of the Confederate service. In July of the same year, he was made regimental quartermaster; and, the following December, received his appointment as first-lieu- tenant. His regiment having been ordered to the wilds of New Mexico, he soon had an opportunity for indulging the bent of his inclination in riding and fighting with the boldest and fiercest among all the brave spirits that were there. Could we find space to narrate them, many stirring pictures might MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 377 be given of his roving, dashing, adventurous life in that re- gion, — warring with the Indians, and bounding over the mighty plains. But we must pass over such scenes, and con- fine ourselves to a simple outline of his spirited career. One incident, alone, has to be related of this period. On the 29th of July, 1857, Colonel Sumner encountered a force of -three hundred Indians of the Cheyenne tribe. They were strongly posted on the Solomon fork of the Kansas river, and after a sharp struggle, they were defeated and put to flight in great disorder. In this engagement Lieutenant Stuart was wounded, we believe, very severely. Two years afterwards, Lieutenant Stuart was acting as aid to Colonel R. E. Lee, in the John Brown affair, at Harper's Ferry, — an account of which we have already given ; and when the present war broke out, he resigned his commission on May 14th, 1861, and offered his sword to his native State. He immediately raised a company of cavalry, was soon after- wards elected colonel, and then acted as brigadier-general. At this time, he had a family, and many ties of kindred that might have influenced him, in the course he took. His wife was a daughter of Philip St. George Cooke, then colonel of the Second Dragoons (since a general) in the U. S. A., who was also a Virginian by birth, and a brother of the late J. R. Cooke, of Richmond. His mother, too, was alive in his native State; and several other associations bound him to her fortunes. There may have been, also, something in connection with his descent, which it is said was from David Stuart, of Inverness in Scotland, who claimed affinity with Queen Mary. This David Stuart was a follower of the elder " Pretender" to the British crown, and, in the rebellion of 1715, he was so impli- cated as to be obliged to fly. He emigrated to Virginia, and became tutor in the family of Mr. Brent, of Richland, Prince William county. The wife of Mr. Brent was a sister of Sir John Gibbons, Member of Parliament for Middlesex, and an- other sister being on a visit to Virginia at this time, ultimately became the wife of Stuart. Thus, all the connections of Colo- nel -J. E. B. Stuart were Virginians, and combined with the inclination he had for a new and dashing life, no doubt led him to side with the South, independent of whatever patriotio feelings in that quarter he may have had. 378 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. Colonel Stuart was first stationed at Harper's Ferry, in com mand of the cavalry attached to Jackson's array, and his well- known bravery made him already conspicuous. It is said of him, at this time, by one who was competent to judge : " Stuart is characterized by untiring energy, clear judgment, and extra- ordinary powers of moulding and infusing his own brave spirit into the hearts of his men." General Johnston, who had as- sumed command of the army, also spoke of him as " the inde- fatigable Stuart ;" and truly, this appellation seems deserved. While in the vicinity of the upper Potomac, he was on the alert, watching the enemy, riding from place to place with his men, and giving information to the general. From Point of Rocks to beyond Williamsport, he was constantly to and fro on duty ; and, on the 15th of July, reported the advance of General Patterson. That general's movements he now inces- santly watched "with lynx-eyed vigilance;" and, on one occa- sion, surprised a whole company, who were so much startled by his sudden command to throw down their arms, that they instantly submitted. When General Johnston marched to unite with Beauregard at Manassas, Colonel Stuart, with his cavalry, covered the movement most effectually. Posting a cordon of pickets from Smithfield along by Summit Point and Rippon to the Shen- andoah, he completely concealed the change of base, and thus enabled the army to wend its way without molestation. In the battle of Bull Run, at the commencement, Stuart's cavalry, some 300 men, guarded the level ground extending along the stream from near Mitchell's ford to the Stone bridge, ready for employment as might be required, and during the day his impetuous spirit was permitted to have full vent. A dashing charge was made by him upon a regiment of Fire Zouaves, scattering them and riding them down against all op- position ; and readers at all acquainted with the history of this battle, may remember how his daring horsemen startled the Federals in front of them, as they came, like a whirlwind, rushing forward. But, it was still more so in the disastrous panic that ensued among the Federal troops on the termination of the battle. Like the Black Hunstmen of the German forests in other times, or the wild horsemen of the Wolga, Stuart, with his men, dashed after the terror-stricken enemy. Over MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 379 the Stone bridge — across the fords — up the road — in and out of the woods where a passage could be found; on, on, slaugh- tering and cutting down, till they arrived near Centreville, did the Confederate cavalry pursue their way. But the rout was soon over. The foe had gone ; hundreds of prisoners had been taken ; many more human beings had been killed, and the victory was completely won. In the official report of Beauregard, he thus mentions Stuart : " Colonel J. E. B. Stuart likewise deserves mention for his enterprise and ability as a cavalry commander. Through his judicious reconnoissance of the country on our left flank, he acquired information, both of topographical features, and the positions of the enemy, of the utmost importance in the subse- quent and closing movements of the day on that flank, and his services in the pursuit were highly effective." Fairfax Court-house was occupied by Colone 1 Stuart the next day, and shortly afterwards he received a ^tter from Colonel McCunn, of the Federal army, on the subject of Colonel Cameron's body, left on the battlefield. This letter spoke in appealing terms on behalf of Cameron's wife and family, and alluded to Stuart's " kindness of heart, and high soldierly qualities ;" but, of course, he could do no other than refer it to his commanding general, though he sent back a courteous reply. A few weeks later, September 11th, Colonel Stuart success- fully attacked and routed a party of Federals at Lewinsville, some six or seven miles from "Washington. The affair was of no great importance, but it was the means of his being promo- ted to a brigadier-generalship, and this gave him more oppor- tunity for the performance of several daring exploits. They are, however, so varied and numerous throughout his truly brilliant career, that we can only refer to minor ones, and give a little more space to those of most importance. In the month of December, there was a fight between General Stuart's forces and the Federal troops at Dranesville, Ya., in which the Confederates were defeated. Then followed a period of mere skirmishing, occasionally, between the de- tached parties of both armies ; and, finally, in March, the Con- federate forces moved southward to meet McClellan on the 380 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Peninsula. The evacuation of Yorktown took place in tl e beginning of May, 1862, and the battle of Williamsburg occur- red on the 4th. Here, as we have seen, General Stuart com- manded the cavalry rear guard, and proved of great service in the after movements of the army on its way to Richmond. But the affair which, more than anything else, first made his name so famous, was the bold reconnoissance conducted by him, through and around McClellan's army, in the middle part of June. This exploit borders so much upon the romantic, in its dash and gallant character, that it is almost impossible to compress it into a few lines of sober truth. It was one of those achievements that make men's blood warm up, even at the mere recital of it, more especially so to those who were participators in the stirring scene. With a force of 1,200 cavalry, and a section of the Stuart horse-artillery — having Colonel Fitz Lee, Colonel W. H. Fitzhugh Lee, Colonel W. T. Martin, and Lieutenant J. Breathed accompanying him in command — he first quietly rendezvoused beyond the Chicka- hominy, near Kilby's station on the Northern railroad, and then, without any one else knowing where they were bound, moved along the left of that road, scouts on the right, vedettes in advance, guards in the rear, and every precaution against surprise, or allowing the enemy to conceive their in- tention. Twenty-two miles of ground from Richmond did the bold raiders cover that day, and then silently bivouacked in the woods, near the South Anna bridge. A few hours' rest, and again, at sunrise, without flag or bugle-sound, they remount, and, turning sharply to the southeast, dash along the roads towards Old Church. This was held by the enemy ; but Colonel Fitz Lee quickly made a detour, got behind their force, and induced them, under a false idea of numbers, to move rapidly away. Cleared from this, on went the horse- men to Howe's store, hastily captured some Federals stationed there, pushed forward to the Tolopotamy, crossed it without delay, and then, with Lieutenant Robins in the advance, skirted fields, leaped fences and ditches, rushed through woods, and suddenly came upon a party of the enemy's dragoons, re- inforced, near Old Church. Instantly sabres were drawn; two squadrons went ahead at a gallop ; a hand-to-hand con- flict ensued ; the Federals were quickly routed, though at a MAJOR-GEXERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 381 cost to the Confederates of the brave Captain Latune, — and away went Stuart and his men as briskly as ever. Then went forward Colonel Fitz Lee, burning to have a brush with the enemy, now again collected near the home of his family. The country people cheered him on ; they gave him information : "Hurry on, boys ; hurry on ; they're only a mile ahead," said one. " Four of them are prisoners here in the house," said another — a young girl with a gun in her hand. "Go in, boys; go into them," said a third ; and thus it was the whole way. At the White House, Lee's squadron charged the foe ; ho dashed into their camp, took possession of horses, arms, stores of every kind which they burnt, captured prisoners, looked around for more, then halted for the rest of the band to join them. Now came the limits of their raid. Turn they must, and turn they did, but, not back by the way they came. No; they would try to pierce the enemy's lines, swim the Chicka- hominy, if need be, and so make the complete circuit back to their own camp. Briefly, Stuart mentioned this to his officers. Cheerfully they agreed ; and then, once more, at a gallop along the road, now towards Tunstall station, did the daring horsemen go. Did they heed the danger ? Did a man hesi- tate or complain? No; in good truth, not so. The gallant Stuart led them on ; it was enough ! Sublime in unshaken trust and confidence, the brave rank and file, not once nor for a moment faltered, though a huge army of well-trained sol- diers and skilful officers, under McClellan himself, was before them! Seemingly straight into the very jaws of the enemy, this heroic band dashed forward. But now the foe has be- come alarmed ; still greater caution is needed ; Colonel Martin is placed to guard the rear, but, instead of being attacked, a small outpost party voluntarily surrendered to him. On and on, however, Stuart and his followers urge their way. Tun- stairs station is reached ; telegraph wires cut ; the depot secured ; five companies of cavalry escorting wagon trains, fly, and leave the stores ; an infantry guard is captured ; de- struction of the railroad is begun, when, lo! a heavy train of cars with troops aboard, comes thundering down from the Federal army ! It is attacked, but the obstructions on the track are insufficient. Some loss, the troops in that train re- ceive, and away it rushed to the Pamunkey depot. Night 382 SOUTHERN GENERALS. now comes on ; the burning stores illume the country around; the work is done ; and once more Stuart and his brave com- mand gallop forward. Moonlight helps them ; but after a time they halt to close up their column. Then again at mid- night the march is resumed. Day dawns : the Chickahominy is reached ; the stream is found unfordable ; axes are used, trees felled ; a foot-bridge improvised under Lieutenant Red- mond Burke's skilful hands; a friendly voice from some stranger gives good information ; an old bridge is mended, and cavalry, artillery, horses and men cross rapidly, and then, another dash along the Charles City road, and a mile or two more brings them near their main encampment. Faint, famished, worn out, utterly exhausted, the enemy now in full pursuit, this gallant band arrives within the Confederate lines, and draw rein, almost for the first time, except as mentioned, for more than sixty hours. We may now only add that for this daring achievment Stuart was promoted to be a major-general of cavalry, and none of his officers or men failed to receive reward. The damage to the enemy was great, and perhaps more through the circumstance itself, than on account of stores and prop- erty destroyed. A few days afterwards, General Stuart rode from camp into town, and was paying his respects to the authorities in a quiet way, at the executive mansion, when, as it became known to the large crowd of strollers in the Capitol square, that he was near by, the building was immediately surrounded by an en- thusiastic multitude vociferating for Stuart. The gallant general in a few minutes made his appearance upon the por- tico and acknowledged the compliment paid him in a few remarks full of spirit and good cheer. Among other things he said he had been to the Chickahominy to visit some of his old friends of the United States army, but they, very uncivilly, turned their backs upon him. Seeing a manifest desire on the part of the people to make for him an ovation, the general then mounted his charger and galloped off amid the shouts ot the crowd, which, by this time, had increased to more than a thousand persons. The preceding illustration of one of Stuart's exploits will 6erve in a measure for the whole. After the same fashion did MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 3S3 he and his men traverse the whole region of the principal battlefields of Virginia, except the Shenandoah Yalley, and, conld we find space, many a stirring incident might be re- lated. At the time " Stonewall " Jackson was marching towards Pope's army, General Stuart arrived on a tour of inspection. He took command of the cavalry, and proceeded to recon- noitre, rendering most important service. After the battle of Cedar Run, during the short truce which followed for burying the dead, many officers of both armies met and conversed upon the field. Stuart was among them, and it was then that the following interesting incident occurred, as related by an eye witness : " On a fallen gum-tree — the slain stretched around them — sat the officers of the parley ; upon one side the Confederate cavalry leader, Stuart, and General Early ; upon the other, Generals Hartsuff and Roberts. Stuart was lithe, gray-eyed, and tall ; of an intense countenance, nervous, impulsive man- ner ; and clad in gray, with a soft black hat. • He wore, curiously enough, United States buttons, and his sword, which he exhibited, was made in Philadelphia. Early was a quiet, severe North Carolinian, who wore a home-spun civil suit, with a brigadier's star on his shoulder-bar. General Hartsuff was burly and good-humored ; Roberts silent and sage, with white beard and distrustful eye. The former had been a class- mate of the cavalry man, and he said, ' Stuart, old boy, how d'ye do?' 'God bless my soul, Hartsuff,' replied the other, 1 it warms my heart to see you ! ' and they took a turn together, arm in arm." Shortly afterwards, Stuart, at the head of his cavalry, made another of those bold dashes, which so characterized him. General Pope then had his headquarters at Catlett's station, and, on a sudden, one night in the midst of a storm, Stuart got in the enemy's rear, and rushed upon Pope's quarters. That general escaped just in time, but with the loss of his coat and hat, besides many important documents, plans, maps, esti- mates, and returns of forces. In addition, there was much clothing found, including new full-dress suits for General Pope and his staff, also a quantity of private baggage, wines, liquors, etc. Some of the Union rifles had been stationed near the 384 SOUTHERN GENERALS. headquarters, but they were quickly dispersed, and when Stuart's daring horsemen found that General Pope had es- caped, they were so vexed that, instantly dividing into small parties, they galloped down every road with the hope of over- taking him, but in vain. In the succeeding movements of the Confederate army, Gen- eral Stuart was constantly engaged with a perfect net-work of scouting parties, and a cordon of pickets between Pope and Jackson. At Bristoe station he attacked a train of the enemy, and afterwards dashed upon Manassas, capturing a battery of New York artillery, and destroying an immense quantity of stores deposited there. He then galloped on to meet, and, if need be, assist Longstreet at Thoroughfare gap, capturing a par- ty of Federals on the way, and engaging the Federal cavalry. Hearing the sound of a battle at or near Stone bridge, on Au- gust 29th, he hastily returned, and gallantly shared in the en- gagement going on ; as also in the great light of the next day. But hardly had the smoke of that second Bull Run victory to the South died away, than Stuart was off with his cavalry into Maryland — swimming fords — dashing through woods and fields — fighting where they could find an enemy — peaceably moving where there was a friend or non-combatant. The in- vasion of that State, and the events that occurred have already been told ; but the following incident may be related. On the retreat, a few of Stuart's cavalry were, on the morn- ing of September 12th, at Frederick ready to depart. Some recruits had joined the bold legion under Stuart's command, and these were bidding tender adieus to some loved friends, when up rode a few squadrons of Federal cavalry, commanded by a Dutch major, with immense moustache. Halting before the city hall, he exclaimed, " Yere ish de Got tarn repels ? Yere ish de Got fur-tam Stuart — vere ish he mit his cavalrie? Let me shee him, unt I show him some tings! " A lady pres- ent, told him that a few of Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry had just left. " Goot ! young voomans," said Meinheer, and immedi- ately started in pursuit, saying, "Ye show de repels some tings." The major and his command had fairly got into the main street, when a company of Confederate cavalry met them, and both parties rushed together in strife. The upshot was, that the major's command was routed, and he himself, MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 3S5 shortly afterwards, pulled out of a cottage with a table-cloth bound round a slight wound in his head, and sent to the Con- federate rear as a prisoner. The retreat of the Confederate army into Virginia kept Stuart's force ever actively employed, and when other troops rested he found work elsewhere. After a sharp affair at Shep- erdstowu with the Federal cavalry, he again started, on Oc- tober 10th, upon another daring raid. While the North were congratulating themselves that all the "rebels" had been driven away, General Stuart, with a force of some 1,300 troop- ers, under Hampton, W. H. F. Lee, and Jones, suddenly ap- peared before Chambersburg, in Pennsylvania, " took posses- sion of the town, captured and destroyed much public property, mounted themselves anew on good horses, passed around the entire Federal army, and safely returned to their own camp, in Virginia, to recount their triumphs, without loss, or more than a few wounds received in skirmishes."* Two or three skirmishes and minor engagements followed, between Stuart's cavalry and the enemy's under Pleasanton and others, but we must pass them over with this mere allu- sion to them. Nothing that could be said in a brief space would do full justice to these rapid and remarkable exploits of Stuart, Hampton, the two Lees, and the brave officers and men under their command. At the battle of Fredericksburg, in the following December, Stuart was on the right of Jackson's corps, and directed the batteries, fighting them with unyielding obstinacy, himself being everywhere in the thickest of the fight — " the target of artillery and sharpshooters alike." His horse-artillery — includ- ing Captain Henry's, and the lamented heroic Pelham's — made sad havoc with Franklin's left flank ; and " well did Stuart re- deem his grim dispatch — that he was ' going to crowd them with artillery.' The ceremony was too rough for them to stand, and when the voice of the general, in the darkness, ordered the last advance, the combat had terminated in the silence of the foe." The battle of Fredericksburg was wholly concluded on De- cember 15th, 1862, and immediately afterwards, away went * Northern accounts, and see Stuart's official report. 25 386 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Stuart and his men again, dashing about the country where 7ei an enemy was found. The scare occasioned in the North at this time, by his bold raids, is well remembered ; but the fol- lowing summary of what was done will be enough description. Starting suddenly to the northward, around the Federal army, he alarmed the whole district between Manassas and Washing- ton by his rapid and successive attacks, and the captures he made. A large force, in parties, was sent in vain to catch him ; but he was too sharp and keen for his pursuers. His ob- ject was to gain information of the position and movements of the enemy, and the results were considered very important. The only thing to be regretted was the loss of Captain John "W. Bullock, of the Fifth cavalry, one of the best and bravest officers in the service. He was wounded at Dumfries, while in command of the sharpshooters and gallantly charging a regi- ment of Federal infantry. While his friends were bearing him from the field he was again hit in two places and mortally wounded. After scattering the enemy at Dumfries, General Stuart went on to the Occoquan ; but word having been sent, out of his approach, he found all the fords guarded. He determined, ' however, to cross at Selectmen's ford, in the face of the enemy. The advance was led by Colonel T. L. Eosser, of the Fifth cavalry, who dashed into the stream, followed by Colonel Drake, of the First, and some fifteen or twenty men. The enemy had dismounted, and were drawn up in line of battle. Colonel Rosser, placing himself at the head of the few men near him, led the charge up in the face of a heavy fire, by file, over a narrow and rocky ford. The Federals broke and were pursued, several being captured. General Stuart said he re- garded this as the most gallant thing done hy the cavalry since the war commenced. Colonel Iiosser afterwards charged into their camp and captured nine sutler wagons, loaded with the best of liquor, clothing, boots, and luxuries of various kinds, and burned their tents and army stores. General Stuart then went towards Aldie, accomplishing many of his characteristic feats. At Aldie, Colonel Rosser was sent on a scout into the valley of Virginia to ascertain the state of things there. Taking with him only fifteen men, he succeeded in going around the most of Milroy's army, and passed nearly MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 387 ninety miles in front of General Jones. Although the country was full of bands trying to capture him, Colonel Eosser eluded them all, and after remaining inside of the enemy's lines as long as he pleased, started to return. At the Shenandoah he encountered the pickets of the enemy posted to catch him, but by a peculiar stratagem he captured them all, passed by their army at night, and returned safely to camp, bringing along with him all the Federal sentinels on the route. This hurried sketch of what was done, would be incomplete if we did not mention that at one place he captured a tele- graph station, and set the wires to work to deceive the enemy. The following letter from him refers to it. Headquarters, Jan. 6, 1863. Dr. W. S. Morris, President Southern Telegraph Company, Richmond. Sir — I have the honor to send, through the courtesy of Major John Pelham, my chief of artillery, an instrument cap- tured at Burke's station, Ohio and Alexandria railroad, during my late expedition. I beg that you will accept it as a token of regard appropriate to your position. We surprised the op- erator, and my operator, Shepperd, took his place. I sat in the office some time while Shepperd read the wild alarms flashing over the wires about our operations, and ascertained the steps taken and the means at hand of resisting me, and then shaped my course accordingly. Yery respectfully your obedient servant, J. E. B. STUART, Major-general of Cavalry. Later in the month of January, a detachment of Stuart's cavalry drove in the Federal pickets at Chantilly, but Colonel "Wyndham afterwards routed them, and took prisoner, among others, the Rev. Mr. Landstreet, chaplain to General Stuart's force. But we must now again pass on. In the history of the war, yet to be written by some impartial pen, many pages will have to be filled with exploits of the cavalry on both sides, and it needs a volume by itself to give, in any sort of detail, those performed by Stuart and his companions. Speaking of the Southern Generals, an able writer says, "Each has his warm admirers, gained by such opportunities of intercourse as 3S3 SOUTHERN GENERALS. have brought individuals within the said general's orbit Each has attached to him the prestige of entire absence of tailure. II n'y a rien qui reussit autaut que le succes. "But while in the Shenandoah valley the achievements of General Jackson aroused towards him a generous feeling of gratitude for danger averted and prosperity preserved, it is doubtful whether east of the Blue Ridge the twenty-nine years of General Stuart, added to that indefatigable energy which teaches him, after he has ridden fifty miles during the day, to regard it as his highest happiness to ride a dozen more miles at night ' to tread but one measure' in a Yirginian country house, do not incline the scale, especially if the balance be ad- justed by fair hands, in favor of the younger general. There have been many English officers, particularly in the East Indian service, whose endurance in the saddle has been re- garded as unequalled ; but I doubt whether any Englishman ever exhibited such superiority to bodily fatigue as is almost nightly evinced by the gay cavalier who knows every hospita- ble roof within a dozen miles of his headquarters (and what roof is not hospitable ?) and, accompanied by his banjo player, visits them by turns, night after night, returning usually to his hard-earned rest long after the midnight hour has flown. With the earliest dawn of morning, the first voice, calling gaily for breakfast, is that of the midnight merrymaker, who rises the picture of health, good humor, and strength. It may be noticed en passant that to the circumstance that he has never touched tobacco in any form, or any wine, or other liquor, General Stuart attributes much of his health and vigor. Certainly so jovial and merry a company as is assembled at General Stuart's headquarters it has never been my fortune to see here." Another account speaks of Stuart as being of a " free, socia- ble, agreeable, and lively turn of mind," and as " a gentleman of high-toned accomplishments, and rare genius ;" " of more than ordinary size, very handsome, fair complexion, with bright beaming eyes, quick perception and deep expression." He had with him, on his staff, "several odd and fantastic characters. His cook was a Frenchman from one of the Cafe houses in Paris, a ventriloquist and comical genius; the prin- cipal business man in his office was a Prussian, a man of dis- MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 389 tinction, education and wit; and in the musical department he had Sweeny, Jr., son of old Joe." In the month of April, 1863, General Stuart was in com mand of the forces, respectively under Fitz Lee, and W. H. F. Lee, that successfully resisted the enemy's attempt to establish himself on the south side of the Rappahannock. On the 29th he reported to General Lee the movements of Hooker's army, and this enabled the Confederates to prepare for the coming battle. Stuart did all he could to impede the enemy, and was ably seconded by the Lees. He crossed the Rapidan, hung upon Hooker's flanks, attacked his right at the Wilderness tavern, then marched by Todd's tavern to Spottsylvania Court- house, to put himself in communication with the main army. In the movement of Jackson to the Wilderness, he was effect- ually covered by Fitz Lee's cavalry, commanded by General Stuart in person. At dark, finding nothing else for him, as a cavalry leader, to do, he proposed to Jackson that the road to Ely's ford, in rear of the enemy, should be seized. Jackson approving, he went forward to this task, and had gained the heights when a messenger came with news of both Jackson and A. P. Hill being wounded, and urging him to come back and take com- mand. He did so, and next morning vigorously pushed for- ward the corps now under his orders. The result is known ; and we need only add to what we have before said, that he was very highly complimented in General Lee's official report, for " the energy, promptness, distinguished capacity, and vigor, added to his own personal example of coolness, and daring displayed." In the grand movement of the Confederate army towards Pennsylvania, that followed upon the battle of Chancellors- ville, General Stuart concentrated his forces at Culpepper, on the 8th of June, and next day was attacked by the enemy's cavalry and some infantry, at Brandy station. General Fitz Hugh Lee commanded the Confederates, and Generals Buford and Gregg the Federals. The battle commenced at 5 a. m., and lasted till 3 p. m., both parties fighting almost entirely with sabres. The result was claimed as a victory on both sides, but the enemy had to recross the Rappahannock, and 390 SOUTHERN GENERALS. leave several prisoners, with some artillery, and colors in the hands of Stuart's command. Of the march to Pennsylvania, and the succeeding campaign with the battle of Gettysburg, we have already given an ac count. General Stuart had his full share of that peril and ad venture for which his temperament was so well adapted. As an eye witness well observes, " He roamed over the country almost at his own discretion, and always giving a good account of himself, turning up at the right moment, and never getting himself into any serious trouble." The subsequent operations of General Stuart were now mostly those connected with the main army, as related in our sketch of General Lee. The flank movement of the Confeder- ates, in October, gave Stuart ample work to perform ; and, in December another raid was successfully undertaken upon the Orange and Alexandria railroad. In the month of January, 1864, General Stuart was again at work on the Potomac, about Leesburg, and the Point of Rocks; and, with occasional visits to Richmond and his family, thus fully occupied his time. On the 28th of February, he was encamped at Orange Court-house, and sent to Richmond a highly complimentary report of Colonel Mosby's daring exploit near Drainesville ; and, in the early part of March occurred the affair already mentioned, between the Federals under General Custer, and the Confederate cavalry near Rio Mills. The spring campaign then followed ; the battle of the Wil- derness had been fought, and, at last, the day came when the bold cavalry chief — the dashing raider — the kind and genial companion, as well as the skilful soldier — General Stuart — would be no more. General Sheridan, of the Federal cavalry, had made a bold dash around Lee's flank, towards Richmond, and a portion of his command, under Generals Custer and Merrill, arrived at Ashland station, on the 10th of May, just before Stuart with his force reached there after them. The next day they were followed to a place called Yellow-tavern, where an engage- ment took place. Here, in a desperate charge, at the head of a column, the gallant Stuart fell, terribly wounded. He was immediately taken to Richmond, and every effort made to MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 391 save his life, but in vain. On the 11th he died, and the fol- lowing account of his last moments, as related by those around him, may be interesting : " About noon, President Davis visited his bedside and spent some time with the dying chief. In reply to the question put by the President, " General, how do you feel ?" he replied, " Easy, but willing to die, if God and my country think I have fulfilled my destiny, and done my duty. " During the day, occasional delirium attacked him, and, in his moments of mental wandering, his faculties were busy with the past. His campaigns on the Peninsula, his raid into Pennsylvania, his doings on the Papidan, and his several en- gagements, were subjects that quickly chased themselves through his brain. Fresh orders were given as if still on the battlefield and injunctions to his couriers to "make haste." Then he would wander to his wife and children, one of whom, his eldest boy, had died a year previous, while fighting on the Rappahannock, and in relation to whom he had said, when re- ceiving a telegram that the boy was dying, " I must leave my child in the hands of God ; my country needs me here ; I can- not come." Then his mind would again carry him on to the battlefield ; and so it continued throughout the day. Occa- sionally his intellect was clear, and he was then calm and resigned, though at times suffering the most acute agony. He would even, with his own hand, apply the ice that was in- tended to relieve the pain of his wound. " As evening wore on, mortification set in rapidly. In an- swer to his inquiry, he was told that death was fast approach- ing. He then said, ' I am resigned, if it be God's will, but I would like to see my wife. But, God's will be done.' Sev- eral times he roused up, and asked if she had come. Unfortu- nately, she was in the country at the time, and did not arrive until too late. *' As the last moments approached, the dying man, with a mind perfectly clear and possessed, then made a disposition of his effects. To Mrs. General R. E. Lee, he directed that the golden spurs be given as a dying memento of his love and esteem for her husband. To his staff officers he gave his horses ; and other mementoes he disposed of in a similar manner. To his young son, he left his sword. He then 302 SOUTHERN GENERALS. turned to the Reverend Dr. Peterkin, of the Episcopal church, of which he was a strict member, and asked him to sing the hymn commencing : Rock of ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee. "In this he joined with all the strength of voice his failing powers permitted. He then prayed with the minister and friends around him; and, with the words, 'I am going ftist now. I am resigned ; God's will be done,' yielded his fleeting spirit to Him who gave it." " The funeral of this much lamented and brave general took place on the 13th, at live o'clock, from St. James's church, corner of Marshall and Fifth streets. " At the appointed hour the cortege appeared in front of the church, and the metallic coffin, containing the remains of the noble soldier, whose now silent voice had so often startled the enemy with his stirring battlecry, was carried down the cen- tre aisle and placed before the altar. Wreaths, and a cross of evergreen, interwoven with delicate lilies of the valley, laurel and other flowers of purest white, decked the coffin. "The pallbearers were General Bragg, Major-general Mc- Cown, General Chilton, Brigadier-general Lawton, Commo- dore Forrest, Captain Lee, of the Navy, and General George W. Randolph, formerly Secretary of War. "The scene was sad and impressive. President Davis sat near the front, with a look of grief upon his careworn face ; his cabinet officers were gathered around, while on either side were the senators and representatives of the Confederate Con- gress. Scattered through the church were a number of gen- erals and other officers of less rank, among the former, General Ransom, commanding the department of Richmond. Hun- dreds of sad faces witnessed the scene ; but the brave Fitz Lee and other war-wearied and war-worn men, whom the dead Stuart had so often led where the red battle was flercest, and who would have given their lives for his, were away in the tight, doubtless striking with a double courage as they thought of their fallen general. " The short service was read by Rev. Dr. Peterkin, a funeral anthem sung, and the remains were carried out and placed in MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES E. B. STUART. 393 the hearse, which proceeded to Hollywood Cemetery, followed by a long train of carriages. "No military escort accompanied the procession, but the hero was laid in his last resting-place on the hillside, while the earth trembled with the roar of artillery and the noise of the deadly strife of armies — the one bent upon desecrating and devastating his native land, and the other, proudly and defiantly standing in the path and invoking the blessing of Heaven upon their cause, to fight in better cheer for the mem ory of such as Stonewall Jackson and J. E. B. Stuart." / GEN. A. P. H I LL. C B.Kii : GENERAL AMBROSE POWELL HILL His Birth and Education. — Joins the Confederate Service. — Expedition to Eomney. — Promoted. — Gallant Services around Eichmond. — Meehanicsville. — Cold Harbor.— McCall. — Accompanies Jackson to Manassas. — Capture of Harper's Ferry. — Antie- tam. — Fredericksburg. — Chancellorsville. — Gettysburg. — Campaign of 1864. — Con- clusion. A New York paper, in speaking of the Confederate leaders, says : " In all the battles of the war east of the mountains from Bull Run to Antietam creek, five names have been conspicu- ous — Jackson, Ewell, Longstreet, A. P. Hill, and D. H. Hill. All these men commanded brigades or divisions at the first Ball Run contest. In all the fights in front of "Washington, last summer and fall, in all the terrible conflicts in the Penin- sula, and before Richmond, in the recent bloody tontests with Pope along the Rapidan, and around Manassas, and in the sanguinary engagements at South Mountain, and upon the heights that overhang Sharpsburg, these five men have been the leaders of the Confederates — with the single exception, that Ewell, having been wounded in the battle near Centreville, was unable to take part in those of Western Maryland. Many of our readers have no doubt often inquired who are these men, and whence came they ? Beyond all doubt, they are good generals, and have fought in a manner worthy of a better cause." Of the generals here named, we have already given a short sketch of three, and now propose to furnish an account of the fourth. 396 SOUTHERN GENERALS. Ambrose Powell Hill was a son of Virginia. He was born about the year 1824, in the county of Culpepper, where hia father, Major Hill, was, for many years, a leading politician, and merchant. In the year 1843 he entered West Point as a cadet, and graduated on the 3d of June, 1847, in the same class with General Burnside. On the 1st of July he was brevetted second-lieutenant of the First Artillery ; and on the 22d of August was made full second-lieutenant. On the 4th of September, 1851, he was promoted first-lieutenant of the First Artillery, and afterwards to a captaincy. In November, 1855, he was appointed an assistant on the United States Coast Survey. On the 1st of March, 1861, he resigned his position in the regular army, and when his native State seceded, received an appointment from the Governor, as Colonel of the Thirteenth regiment of Virginia Volunteers. At the commencement of the war, Colonel A. P. Hill was stationed at Harper's Ferry, with the Confederate army as- sembled there. On the morning of the 13th of June, General Johnston having received information from Winchester, that Romney was occupied by two thousand Federal troops, sup- posed to be the van-guard of McClellan's army, dispatched Colonel Hill thither, with his own and Colonel Gibbon's (Tenth) Virginia regiments. He was directed to take the best position, and adopt the best measures in his power to check the advance of the enemy. But, immediately afterwards, it was ascertained, that McClellan was moving southward from Grafton, and therefore, Colonel Hill was withdrawn from Rorn- ney, leaving Colonel McDonald's regiment of cavalry to de- fend that region of country. At the battle of Manassas, Colonel Hill arrived with his regiment, among those of General Johnston's command, who had been detained so long as only to come in time to share the last portion of the fight. But we find no mention of his name until, as a Brigadier-general, he fought at Williamsburg with 6uch spirit and determination as to be especially noticed, on the field. He was then made a Major-general ; and, on the 25th of June, 1862, formed one of the council-of-war, held in Rich- mond, at which were present Generals Lee, Jackson, Long- street, D. H. Hill, Magruder, and others of high note in the Confederate army. At this time his division was on the GENERAL AMBROSE POWELL HILL. 391 Meadow-bridge road, to tlie left of Longstreet, who was on the Mechanicsville road, close to the river Chickahominy. Hill, by this position, now united with, and became the right of Jackson's army that had just arrived. Next day the fight began. Hugging the north bank of the river, Ambrose Hill maintained an unbroken line, and boldly held his position against the enemy, ultimately driving them from the bridge, which they had occupied, and thus cleared a way for Longstreet and D. H. Hill, to advance. He then re- formed his troops, and commenced an attack upon Mechanics- ville itself, which brought on a terrific fight. This place had been strongly fortified by General Fitz John Porter, of the Federal army ; and it is probable that, had not Ambrose Hill known that Jackson and Longstreet were near, he would have felt himself too weak to attempt its capture. Artillery on both sides now opened with a terrible roar, and, as evening fell, the flash of guns, and long lines of musketry could be seen, in bright relief, against the blue and cloudless sky. A half hour of this deafening cannonade passed, with shells screaming through the air, and bursting upon the troops on either side, when the direct assault was ordered to be made. Then the enemy's artillery opened again, with great rapidity, upon the advancing men, "until it seemed as if every tree in the forest was cracking and shivering to pieces." The men un- der Hill's command, however, rushed on through this fearful fire, and swarmed into the breastworks. " In a little while the Federal guns were silent : a loud noise of many voices was heard ; and then a long, wild, piercing yell, as of ten thousand demons, and the place was won !" During the battle General Hill was ever in the front, regard- less of danger; and although his coat was torn in several places, miraculously escaped. The next day's work, General Ambrose Hill was in the centre of the army, bearing towards Cold Harbor, and proceeding with Longstreet, along the edge of the Chickahominy. When near Hogan's plantation, he halted a while to await the arrival of Jackson at Cold Harbor, and directly this was ascertained, he marched forward, in accordance with instructions from Gen- eral Lee. His position was the centre of the whole army, but on the left of that portion of it which now advanced tc 39S SOUTHERN GENERALS. unite with Jackson. On arriving in front of the enemy ha vigorously pushed their centre ; but his division, thoroughly ex- hausted by hard marching and previous fighting, was unequal to the task, and was withdrawn in favor of Whiting's division of Texans, Alabamians, and Mississippians. Hill marched to the rear, and rested awhile. Here, when the enemy had been driven back to the right, he suddenly rose up before them, and attacked so severely, that, coupled with the assault of Jackson, and the rest, they had to retreat most hastily. For several days following, the pursuit of the Federals was continued, Ambrose Hill's division being one of the foremost in advance, on their left flank. The wretched, swampy country through which both armies had to move, we have already described, and it was with difficulty the troops could proceed. Nevertheless, " onward" was the word, and amidst a scene of carnage and destruction, Hill, with his heroic fol- lowers, "rushed forward to contend with the fresh and un- touched divisions of the enemy. Now driven back, new troops poured in to take their place, and General Hill continually found himself opposed to several reliefs ere other regiments of the Confederate army could come up." The fighting was most determined and heroic on both sides ; and at length the posi- tion of General Hill became precarious in the extreme. For- tunately, he collected some of the broken divisions of other commands, and, together, he once more dashed towards the foe, who thereupon retired ; fortunately, perhaps, for him, as he could hardly have withstood them longer, with his few torn and wearied brigades. Gathering the remnants of his gallant division, almost decimated by continual hard fought engagements, he moved to the rear to recruit and reform. In this engagement, General McCall, of the Federal army, was captured. It has been said, by a participant in this battle, that " had not Hill's division been made of steel, rather than flesh and blood, they could not have withstood the many hardships of these trying days ; for, after fighting desperately at Mechan- icsville on Thursday, they marched to Gaines's Mills and fought five hours on Friday ; rested part of Saturday ; trav- elled a circuitous route, and a terrible road of many miles, o Sunday and Monday, achieving another brilliant victory GENERAL AMBROSE POWELL HILL. 399 against great odds. Hill, however, is a military genius, and had it not been for the scientific handling of his men, few would have rested uninjured on the torn and bloody field of Monday night. All were prostrated with fatigue, and lay on the ground without fires, covering, or food, too weary to think of any thing but rest." The pursuit of the enemy to Malvern Hill, and the engage- ment there, fell upon other portions of the army, and General Hill afterwards retired to the intrenchments around Rich- mond. ISTot long afterwards, however, he was sent to reinforce Stonewall Jackson, who had been dispatched to check the advance of Pope in North Virginia. At the battle of Cedar Run, General Hill gallantly maintained the prestige he had already gained, his division strongly supporting Ewell's posi- tion, and vigorously maintaining the fight. In the subsequent operations, as previously narrated, he bore a conspicuous part, marching with Jackson on his flank movement towards the Rappahannock and Manassas. His especial part in the work, after surprising the latter place, was to deceive the enemy by drawing their attention to his own movements, while Jackson proceeded to the old battlefield of Bull Run. Hill's division, with some cavalry, marched to Centreville, and thence sud- denly turned back by the Warrenton road to the famous Stone bridge. Near this point, he rejoined Jackson, after being hotly pursued by the Federalists. The battle that followed has already been told, with the part General A. P. Hill so ably played therein ; but we may add, that his division fought so bravely, and fired so fast, that, having shot away all their cartridges, they set about collecting more from the bodies of fallen friends and foes, and thus con- tinued the engagement. When the cartridges, so obtained, gave out, they then charged forward with a fierce yell, and the cold steel of the bayonet. The next morning, August 30th, General Hill's corps held the ridge of hills on the battle- ground, with Longstreet on the right, at an obtuse angle, so that if the enemy attacked the centre, they would have their flank exposed to Longstreet, and if they forced him back, their flank would be open to Hill. We need not repeat what fol- lowed. The second battle of Bull Run was fought, and the enemy again defeated. General Hill went forward in pursuit, 400 SOUTHERN GENERALS. and on the 1st of September, he encountered a large body of the Federals of Gerraantown, a small village near the main road from Centreville to Fairfax Court-house. General Hill immediately ordered the attack, and after a brief, but hotly- contested fight, the enemy withdrew. The Confederate army then marched into Maryland ; and General Hill accompanied that part of it under command of Jackson. On the 6th of September, Hill's division, with Ewell's, occupied a position near the railroad bridge, on the Monocacy, guarding the approaches from Washington ; but when it was ordered to move on Harper's Ferry, he rapidly proceeded there by the road from William sport to Martins- burg, recrossing the Potomac, and taking the advance. Mar- tinsburg was evacuated on his approach, and General Hill pursued his way unmolested, coming in sight of the enemy drawn up in force at Bolivar Heights, about 11 a. m. on Sep- tember 13th. He then encamped near Hallstown, about two miles from the enemy's position. In the afternoon of the next day, General Hill was ordered to move along the left bank of the Shenandoah, turn the enemy's left, and enter Harper's Ferry. General Lawton, commanding the division of Ewell (absent on account of his wounded leg), was directed to move along the turnpike for the purpose of supporting General Hill, and otherwise operating against the enemy to his left. In execution of these orders, General Hill moved obliquely to the right, until he struck the Shenandoah river. Observing an eminence, crowning the extreme left of the enemy's line, occu- pied by infantry, but without artillery, and protected only by an abattis of fallen timber, Pender, Archer, and Brocken- brough, were directed to gain its crest, while Branch and Gregg marched along the river, and, during the night, to take advantage of the ravines, cutting the precipitous banks of the river, and establish themselves on the plains to the left and rear of the enemy's works. Thomas followed as a reserve. All this was effectively accomplished, Lieutenant-colonel Walk- er, chief of Hill's artillery, bringing up the batteries of Cap- tains Pegram, Mcintosh, Davidson, Braxton, and Crenshaw. On the 15th, at an early hour, the attack on the enemy began, and shortly afterwards General Hill, according to orders, ceased firing, as a signal for storming the works. The white GENERAL AMBROSE POWELL HILL. 401 flag was, however, soon displayed, and the garrison capitulated. General Hill was left to receive the surrender of the Federal troops, etc., while Jackson moved forward to the main army under Lee. „ General Hill having accomplished this, then proceeded to Antietam, where the battle was raging, and reached there at 4 p. m., on the 17th of September, taking his position on the Con- federate right. His timely arrival materially aided in the for- tunes of the day, and enabled General Lee to maintain his ground, though, as. we have elsewhere shown, neither party left in a condition to renew the conflict. The following night, September 18th, the army fell back to Virginia, recrossing the Potomac early on the morning of the 19th. General Hill, with General Early, had gone on, in the advance, towards Martinsburg, but a force of the enemy came over the river, and General Hill faced about to charge them. " His division," says Jackson, in the official report, " advanced with great gallantry against the infantry, in the face ot a con- tinual discharge of shot and shell from their batteries. . . The enemy were driven into the river, followed by an appalling scene of the destruction of human life." An eye-witness says, " With no stop or hesitation, using no artillery, sending his men in steadily, General A. P. Hill drove the enemy into and across the river, taking 300 prisoners, and making the river Hue with their dead." The army now recuperated awhile, and generals, officers, and soldiers obtained that rest they so much needed. Again they took up the march, and crossed North Virginia to Fredericks- burg. There, as we have before related, another great battle was fought, and General Hill was again conspicuous. His part in that battle we mentioned in the words of his gallant commander, General Lee ; but we may add that the fighting was terribly severe at his position on the right, and nothing but the most determined bravery and endurance could have prevented his division from being annihilated by the impetu- ous charge of Franklin and Hooker. From this date there is little to record of General Hill that has not already been stated in previous sketches. His in- dividuality is merged in the glorious deeds of the army wherein he bore so high and important a position. To relate, in de- 26 4:02 SOUTHERN" GENERALS. detail, what was done by this brave and skilful officer at Chancellorsville, and again in Maryland and Pennsylvania, would involve useless repetition, and the reader must be 'referred to the preceding more extended accounts of this period. In the spring of 1863, the Confederate army was in winter- quarters at Fredericksburg, when, on the 28th of April, at midnight, General Hill, in accordance with orders received that evening, took up his march towards Chancellorsville. In the battle that followed, his division formed the ceutre of Jack- son's corps, on the old turnpike road, near the Wilderness. General lihodes was in front, and when Hill moved forward, after lihodes had gallantly charged, he had to form his men in and on each side of the road leading through the thick wood. It was at that time Jackson met his death wound, and his last order was to his staff, '• Go back and tell A. P. Hill to press right cii !" The command of the corps now, however, de- volved upon General Hill, as the senior officer, but while rushing forward to the assault he himself was wounded, and had to retire from the held. For his gallantry in this battle, Hill was soon after made a lieutenant-general, and had the command of one of the three grand corps into which the army waa then divided. Fortunately his wound did not detain him long from the saddle. On the 8th of June he was commanding his corps, again on the march to new scenes of glory. Up the Shenandoah, into Maryland, and at Gettysburg, his name prominently appears with the other brave generals who figured there. On the first day's light (July 1st), at Gettysburg, the corps of General Hill was mostly engaged, two of his divisions driving the enemy back, and capturing a great many pris- oners, some cannon and colors. In speaking to one looking on at this engagement, he said, " The Yankees have fought with a determination unusual to them ;" and he pointed out a railway cutting in which they had made a good stand. He also showed a held, in the centre of which he had seen a man plant the regimental colors, round which the regiment had fought for some time with much obstinacy, and when, at length, it was obliged to retreat, the color-bearer retired last of all, turning round every now and then to shake his list at the advancing Confederates. The poor fellow, however, sacrificed GENERAL AMBROSE POWELL HILL. 403 his life to his fearlessness, and General Hill said he felt truly sorry when he saw him fall. On the following day, General Hill occupied the centre oi the Confederate army, and was seated, with General Lee, just below a tree, watching through his glass the progress of the fight. Two of his brigades gave way, and night closed upon the scene. Next day a portion only of his corps was engaged, with what result the reader already knows. The next important movement of the army, after the retreat from Gettysburg, was in October, 1863, when General Hill was sent forward to Bristoe station in pursuit of Meade's army, which had fallen back from its advanced position on the Rap- pahannock. Hill had but two brigades in front, and these were repulsed with considerable loss in killed and wounded, besides five pieces of artillery. General Hill then returned to the Rappahannock, whither Meade followed, and routed a small force stationed there to guard the bridge over the river. We must now pass on to the momentous campaign of the year 1864, in every battle of which General Hill bore a part. During the period of rest, from the preceding November until May, nothing occurred of importance to relate in this connec tion. Encamped with the army on the Rapidan, it was not till the 4th of that month he had again an opportunity to signalize himself, but this was conspicuously done when he marched rapidly from his quarters to the Wilderness, and shared in that hard-fought battle. Hill's corps behaved, on this occasion, with the most remarkable bravery, and the general himself was everywhere present, pressing on and en- couraging his men. Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and every fight around Richmond, all bear witness to the heroism and determination of the Confederate generals and their officers and men. We have already told the tale, as fully as space would permit, in our sketch of General Lee, to which we refer. In all reports of those engagements, to the present time, a well-deserved tribute is paid to the skill and valor of Lieutenant-General A. P. Hill. On the 1st of April, 1865, during the attack of the Union forces on the works around Petersburg, General Hill, in trying to rally his troops, fell, pierced by three bullets, and his body was buried, next day, in the city He was a brave soldier and good officer. t CEN. HOOD. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. Concerning the subject of our present sketch, but very little, specially interesting, can be gathered bearing date prior to the opening of hostilities between the North and South. Of his family connections we are unable to obtain any information. But we find he was born a Kentuckian, at OwensvUle, Bath county, on the 29th of June, 1831. He was educated at Mount Sterling, entered West Point Military Academy in 1849, and, graduating at the end of the usual term, he joined the 4th regiment of infantry, in 1853. With this regiment he served nearly two y r s in California, and then was trans* ferred, in July, 1855, to the 2d cavalry, already mentioned more than once, as that to which Albert S. Johnson and General Lee belonged, in the resp. Ai 've commands of colonel and lieut xiant-colonel. With this regiment he did duty on the western frontier of Texas, and in July, 1856, was wounded in a fight with the Indians. No doubt it was here, in the wild service of the Texan west, that, in common with others we have to note, he derived that boldness and dash so conspicuous in him during the past four years of war. This is apparent from the fact that, some time before the civil strife began, he was ordered from Texas to report for duty as instructor of cavalry at West 7"*oint ; but, afterwards, at his own request, was returned to his regiment, then at San Antonio. It has been stated that he foresaw the present difficulties, and returned to Texas with a view of joining the South ; but that statement is opposed to another account, from one who was with him on the battlefield at the Chickahominy. The latter specifies that Hood gave up his connection with the old army, and followed the legal profession in his native State, prior to 406 SOUTHERN GENERALS. ■Joining the Southern Confederacy. Be this as it may, we find him resigning his commission on the 16th of April, 1861, and entering the new army of the South with the rank of first- lieutenant, with the order to report to General Lee early in May, 1861. He was then appointed captain of cavalry, and sent to Magruder, then in command on the Peninsula. Several skirmishes and engagements occurred, of no particular note, however, except the fight at Great Bethel, wherein the cavalry figured ; but we find no particular mention of Captain Hood's name until, on September 30, 1861, he was ordered to Rich- mond, and received the rank of colonel of infantry. There was, at the time, a regiment of Texas volunteers in camp near the city, and an attempt had been made to organize them by appointing Colonel Allen, of Texas, to the command ; but, from some cause of dissatisfaction with him, this appointment ■was withdrawn, and Colonel Hood assigned to the post. At this period Hood was in all the manly vigor of good health, and presented a fine, commanding appearance, with a powerful melodious voice, and a kindly though piercing eye ; consequently his manners and look soon won upon his soldiers, and very speedily he obtained their cordial good-will. The men found him able and ready to give all the necessary in- struction, not only in drilling them, but also in other minor technicalities of the field. Thus he succeeded in forming a somewhat rough, but hardy and daring set of recruits, into a fine and most effective regiment. At the beginning of November, 1861, Hood and his men were ordered to Dumfries, in Virginia, and there, with another regiment, organized into a brigade under Senator Wigfall, who had been appointed a brigadier-general. "When, however, Senator Wigfall had to take his seat in the Confederate Con- gress, on March 3d, 1862, Colonel Hood was assigned to his post, with a brigadier's rank. In this month the grand army of Virginia evacuated Manassas, and marched south. Hood's brigade then accompanied it to the Peninsula, and appears to have been attached to Longstreet's corps at Yorktown and Williamsburg, and when the army retreated to Richmond, he brought up the rear of the main force, though Longstreet was further behind him. On the 7th of May, the Union forces, under General Franklin, landed at West Point, on the York LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 407 river, and then Hood came prominently forward in attacking him. Posting his Texans in an advantageous position among the swampy woods, he suddenly fell upon the Federals as they advanced, and gave them battle. The fight was wild and con fused for hours. The enemy then hurriedly fell back to the shelter of the gunboats, and General Hood followed the main army towards Richmond. Particulars of the several battles around Richmond have already been related, but we may mention that the battle of Gaines's Mill was the first great fight in which Hood's brigade had participated. Previously they had been held in reserve, and placed where skirmishing or outpost work was carried on. ]STow, however, they were called upon to show of what stuff they were made, and a desperate part was assigned them. The Federal batteries had to be charged, and when the proper moment came, the word was given. Hood himself, on foot, led them forward, and, with a wild shout, at a run, they rushed on right into the redoubts and among the guns. A hand-to- hand conflict ensued ; their ranks were broken for a moment, but, rapidly closing, the Texans fought like fiends. The result is known. The enemy retired before the tremendous charge of Hood's brigade, while he, by his gallantry on this occasion, obtained promotion as a major-general. From this time the movements of General Hood were so bound up with the grand army under Lee, that to relate them in detail, would only be repeating what we have already nar- rated, and, therefore, a few illustrations of the part he sus- tained in the several battles is all that need be given. At the battles of Groveton and Bull Run, on August 29th and 30th, 1862, he was especially conspicuous for daring and skill in his movements. On the first day, it is related that " General Lee, seeing the moment had arrived for a demonstra- tion on the enemy's left, about nightfall this was undertaken. Hood's division was ordered forward, and no sooner had these splendid troops thrown themselves with ardor into the contest, than the whole appearance of the field suddenly changed. Up to that moment the conflict had been obstinate, but the firing upon both sides had perceptibly decreased in intensity. It was just at that moment Hood's division advanced; and the quick tongues of flame leaped from the muzzles of his muskets, 408 SOUTHERN - GENERALS. lighting up the gathering gloom with their crirascn light. . . , Then, with one long roar of musketry, and a maze of quick flashes everywhere, Hood's men charged forward, with wild cheers, driving the enemy before them into the depths of the forest." In the next day's conflict, his division took the advance of Longstreet's corps, and, pressing forward, " never yielded an inch." Hood himself, equally with other generals, shared the dangers of his men ; and when the fight was won, could claim a full share of the high praise bestowed by Lee upon all. It is a singular coincidence, that the troops actually opposed to Hood's division, at this battle, were the same he encountered at Gaines' Mill ; and, as there, after a gallant contest, they had to retire before him. The first invasion of Maryland, in September, again brought General Hood prominently forward at Boonesboro, where, in conjunction with D. H. Hill, he held the mountain pass against McClellan until Lee came up. What occurred has already been told, and we pass rapidly on, with Hood still accompany- ing the army, to the battle of Fredericksburg. Here Hood held the right of Longstreet's corps, and was, consequently, on the left of Jackson. The enemy had taken possession of a small copse in front of Hood, but he quickly dispossessed them of it, and drove them off with great loss. In the month of February, 1863, Longstreet, with two of his divisions, proceeded south, to the siege of Suffolk, in South- east Virginia ; and, as General Hood does not appear to have participated in the battle of Chancellorsville, it is to be infer- red that he accompanied his corps-commander, though very little is to be found relating to this expedition. However, in the month of June, we find both of them in Maryland again, at the second invasion of that State by General Lee. Hood was severely wounded in the arm, at Gettysburg ; and, on the retreat, he was borne in a carriage, suffering very much from such a conveyance. It was, at first, thought his arm could not be saved, but proper care and attention preserved it, though ever afterwards it was shrivelled, and nearly useless. Still, he did not absolutely forsake his command. Resting awhile to recover from his wound, he was able to accompany Long- street, at the end of August, into East Tennessee, and on to LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 409 reinforce Bragg, then preparing for the battle of Chicka- mauga. In this battle, previously described, Major-general Hood, with his division, was on the left, hotly engaged, and ultimately drove the enemy from the front of him. In the engagement of the second day, Sunday, September 20th, 1863, he was again wounded, making amputation of his leg needful, it being terribly shattered. For his valuable services in this and other engagements, Hood was afterwards made a lieutenant-general ; but six months elapsed before he could again take the field. In the beginning of March, however, he was at Richmond, and about the middle of the month proceeded to take command of his corps in North Georgia, under General Johnston. On the way to Dalton, an accident occurred to the train he was in, arising from a collision, and General Hood suffered in con- sequence, but was not prevented from continuing his jour- ney. Soon after taking command, he issued a very excellent order with regard to troops attacking, when in line of battle. He said, "They must not be moved at the double-quick step, or be in any way unnecessarily fatigued, before engaging the enemy, that they may be in the best possible condition for pressing him, and improving any advantages which may be gained." Of the subsequent operations connected with Sherman's ad- vance in Georgia, and Johnston's retreat, we have already spoken. At the battle of Resaca, Hood commauded the right, and as the army fell back, he was very effective in stubbornly disputing the enemy's progress. On the 18th of July, Genera] Johnston having been relieved, Hood was appointed in his place, and assumed command in the following address : Headquarters Army op Tennessee, July 18, 1864. Soldiers — In obedience to orders from the War Depart- ment, I assume command of this army and department. J feel the weight of the responsibility so suddenly and unexpect- edly devolved upon me by this position, and shall bend all my energies and employ all my skill to meet its requirements. I look with confidence to your patriotism to stand by me, and rely upon your prowess to wrest your country from the grasp 410 SOUTHERN GENERALS. of the invader, entitling yourselves to the proud distinction of being called the deliverers of an oppressed people. J. B. HOOD, General The Confederate army was now before and in Atlanta, Sherman vigorously at work around it. On the 20th Hood at- tacked the enemy's right, on Peach-tree creek, near the Chatta- hoochee, driving him from his works, and capturing colors and prisoners. The day following, at night, the army shifted its position fronting on Peach-tree creek, and Stewart's aud Cheatham's corps formed in line of battle around the city. Hardee's corps made a night march, and attacked the enemy's extreme left on the 22d, at one o'clock, and drove him from his works, capturing sixteen pieces of artillery and five stands of colors. Cheatham attacked the enemy at four o'clock, p. m., with a portion of his command, and drove the enemy, captur- ing six pieces of artillery. During the engagement the Con- federates captured about two thousand prisoners. Such is the account, in General Hood's hurried report of what was, in reality, a severe engagement, with great loss on both sides ; and we cannot pass it over without mentioning the death of the gallant, and now justly lamented, General McPherson, whose brilliant career in the Federal army is so well known. On the 2Sth of July, Hood made another attack on Sherman, who was extending his line more to the right, and was thus compelled to fall back before the fierce assault of the Confed- erates. At length, after various sharp encounters between the con- tending parties, Atlanta was evacuated, and General Hood sent the following report explaining the cause. Headquarters, September 3, 1864. On the evening of the 30th of August the enemy made a lodgement across Flint river, near Jonesboro. We attacked them there on the evening of the 31st with two corps, bu'u failed to dislodge them. This made it necessary to abandon Atlanta, which was done on. the night of the 1st of September. Our loss on the evening of the 31st was small. LIEUTENANT- GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 411 On the evening of the 1st of September, General Hardee's corps, in position at Jonesboro, was assaulted by a superior force of the enemy, and being outflanked, was compelled to withdraw during the night, with the loss of eight guns. The enemy's prisoners report their loss very severe. J. B. HOOD, General. The above dispatch of the fall of such an important city as Atlanta, is, however, so brief, that we think it may be interest- ing to give some details, as related by a correspondent. The writer says : " The position of the Federal troops on the 30th of April was as follows : General Howard's army of the Tennessee, which had the right of the line, having crossed the West Point rail- road nearest to Fairburn, had pushed forward in an oblique direction, and was therefore near Jonesboro, twenty-two miles south of Atlanta, while his communicating force — the army of the Ohio, under General Schofield — passing over the railroad nearer to Red Oak, crossed the country in a more di- rect line, and found itself near to Rough and Ready, and on the extreme left of the Union army. Both of these places are stations of the Macon railroad, but about eleven miles apart. It was therefore necessary that the gap between those wings should be filled, and the army of the Cumberland, under Gen- eral Thomas, and which had marched along the route in two columns, behind the armies of the Tennessee and Ohio, now came forward to the front and formed the centre of the main army. Sherman's line was therefore eleven miles in extent, and ranged along the Macon railroad from Rough and Ready to Jonesboro, with its centre at Couch's. " The Confederate forces had, at this time, been divided into two main armies, separated by an interval of twenty-two miles. " One part of the army was intrenched at Atlanta, and the other at Jonesboro, under General Hardee, and was also in- trenched. The cause of this separation of the forces arose from the fact that Hood had found out by Kilpatrick's raid that it was necessary he should protect his communications at that point by a large force, to prevent a repetition of such a catas- trophe as had taken place at that part of the line on the 20th instant. He certainly had not expected so speedy a move 412 SOUTHERN GENERALS. raent of Sherman's whole army in the same direction. Sher- man's army was, therefore, between the enemy's forces, and had, as was announced from the War Department, literally di- vided the Confederates in two. " When General Howard found the enemy in force at Jones- boro, he at once intrenched his command, locating the salient or projecting angle within half a mile of the railroad. This the enemy did not approve of, and an attempt was made to drive off the Federal troops from the position, doubtless suppos- ing the force to be merely a raiding party. The Confederates attacked General Howard's works at about three o'clock on the afternoon of the 30th of August, and were repulsed. Meeting with so unexpected a force, they fell back into their works at Jonesboro, leaving their dead and wounded in front of General Howard's lines. " General Sherman soon perceived the advantages of his posi- tion, and determined to profit by Hood's mistake. Having the Confederate forces separated, the principal object was to keep them so, and thus conquer them in detail. He therefore or- dered the advance of the left (Schofield) and centre (Thomas) rapidly to the railroad, where they made a good lodgment, and during the 31st of August, nearly the whole distance be- tween Rough and Ready and Jonesboro was despoiled of its railroad track, ties, and other material. These two armies were also brought nearer to the intrenched positions at Jonesboro, and to the left of Howard's command. By this plan of opera- tion, Sherman had interposed his whole army between Atlanta and Jonesboro. " Having placed his troops in the desired position, Sherman, on the 1st of September, ordered a general attack on the ene- my at Jonesboro. The movement was made with great gal- lantry, and after an amount of skirmishing and artillery fire, an assault of the works was ordered. The Fourteenth corps, under the command of Brevet Major-general Jefferson C. Davis, was selected to make the assault, and gallantly they charged upon the works amid a storm of grape and canister from the enemy's artillery. Nothing daunted, the brave boy a who had held their own throughout the Georgia campaign, rushed upon the intrenchments and carried them handsomely, capturing about a thousand prisoners and ten pieces of artil- LIEUTENANT-GENEKAL JOHN B. HOOD. 413 levy. General Sherman speaks highly of the conduct of the men of the gallant Fourteenth, and officially awards to Gen- eral Jefferson C. Davis the honor he has so bravely won. " During the night the enemy, finding it impossible to hold Jonesboro, retreated along the Macon railroad in a southerly direction, and took up a position at Lovejoy's station, seven miles distant, and twenty-nine miles from Atlanta. Here they threw up hasty intrenchments to prevent the further pursuit of our cavalry, which had followed them to this point, inflicting damage on their rear, and causing confusion during the retreat. " While Sherman was busily engaged in his attack upon Jonesboro, Hood, who had still remained in Atlanta, finding that he was outflanked, his line of supply cut off, and the Federal troops between him and a large portion of his army, be- came speedily convinced that his position was untenable. In order to save that portion of his command then with him, he determined to evacuate the fortified city, and on the night of September 1st he blew up his magazines, destroyed all his sup- plies that he could not remove, consisting of seven locomotives and eighty-one cars loaded with ammunition, small-arms, and stores, and left the place by the turnpike roads. " General Slocum, who held command of the army of obser- vation, soon discovered the position of affairs in Atlanta, and on the morning of September 2d moved his forces from the Chattahoochee river and occupied the place. He captured in Atlanta fourteen pieces of artillery, many of them in first-rate condition, and a large number of small-arms." Various comments, as usual, were made upon this evacua- tion of Atlanta by Hood ; but it was generally concluded that the evil, though great, was not so bad as might be inferred from the loss of such a city. It was said, by one reviewer of Hood's operations, during the period, that " the final loss ot Atlanta was not by any means a test of his ability or capacity to command, for the holding of that city depended upon many contingencies that could not be controlled by him or anybody else;" and remarks were added concerning the various causes that had produced the course he took. Upon the evacuation of Atlanta, a truce of ten days was agreed to, and at the expiration of that time, Hood, on the 19th of September, shifted his position to the West Point rail- 414 SOUTHEKN GENERALS. road, with a view of getting in Sherman's rear. Just previous, on Sunday, the 18th of September, President Davis arrived at General Hood's headquarters, and, the following day, reviewed the whole army. In the evening, the President addressed the soldiers in hopeful and encouraging tones. Turning to Cheat- ham's division of Tennesseans, he said : " Be of good cheer, for within a short while your faces will be turned homeward, and your feet pressing Tennessee soil." President Davis was followed by General Howell Cobb, who, in a few remarks, made many happy hits, and convulsed the audience with langhter. General Hood was enthusiastically called for. Slowly rising from his chair, and dashing his hat down like a blushing school-boy, the general said : " Soldiers, it is not my province to make speeches : I was not born for such work ; that I leave to other men. Within a few days I expect to give the command l forward,' and I believe you are, like myself, willing to go forward, even if we live on parched corn and beef. I am ready to give the command 'forward' this very night. Good-night." In reflecting upon the fall of Atlanta, and the want of sue cess attending Hood's army at this time, we should not forget the bodily infirmities of the general in command, consequen upon the severe wounds he had received at Gettysburg and Chickamauga. But the spirit within was as powerful to will and to do as ever. He was evidently one of those whom no disasters or physical ailments — not even the partial dismem- berment of his body — nor any amount of external trouble, annoyance, or ill-will can crush ; and though his career was not so conspicuous at the beginning of the war, as that of some generals, yet he well and bravely bore his share throughout. His was no longer the fine commanding presence of earlier days, in the outset of his military life, — nearly four years of hard service having reduced his frame, and robbed him of much of his physical ability, leaving the vigor of his powerful mind alone unbroken. An eye-witness says of him, at this time : x General Hood appears to be in as cheerful a flow of spirits as his brave and patriotic veterans. I saw him to-day, sur- rounded by a group of major-generals and brigadiers, in social converse under an oak-tree. Where the next campaign will be, is scarcely even discussed. At present there are no evi- LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 415 dences of a movement. But I have reason to predict that be- fore many moons have waned, the Federals will hear of Hood and his army, through quite a novel and unexpected chan- nel." Towards the end of the month, Hood got well in the rear ot Sherman at Atlanta. He began his march on the 29th of Sep- tember, and next day encamped for the night near the old battle-ground of New Hope church. Heie he concentrated his forces, bringing up the corps of S. D. Lee, and "Wheeler's cavalry. Forrest was then at work on the left, and Wheeler was now sent to the right, and to Marietta. At a defile in the Allatoona mountains, the Federals, under General Corse, at- tacked the advance of Lee's corps under S. G. French, and the Federal general was there slightly wounded. Hood, however, went on, pursued by a part of Sherman's forces to Resaca, where he arrived on October 12th, the enemy having retired to Atlanta. Leaving Wheeler in charge at Resaca, Hood marched rapidly forward to Dalton, took possession, and then went on to the gap, at Ringgold, with his right flank at La- fayette. From here to Gadsden and Jacksonville, Ala. (the latter place Beauregard's headquarters at the time — he having become department commander), the army occupied the whole ground by the 22d of October, in good condition, and ready for the next grand movement. On the 25th of October, Hood's forces were at Tuscumbia and Florence, and on the 2d of No- vember some of the enemy in Decatur were driven out, and the place captured by the Confederates. Resting his forces awhile, Hood then crossed the Tennessee at Florence, on No- vember 13th, General Thomas, with the Federal army, falling back towards Nashville. At first, the Confederate advance in. Tennessee seemed highly prosperous. Pulaski was evacuated by the Federal forces under General R. W. Johnston, on the 23d, and Hood marched on to Columbia. Here, by a flank movement, on the night of the 25th, he compelled Thomas's forces to withdraw. At Spring Hill, there was a slight en- gagement, but on the 30th of November, a battle was fought at Franklin, Tennessee. The following account of it is from General Hood's dispatch : 416 SOUTEEBN GENEKALS. Headquarters, Army of Tennessee, near Nashville > Dec. 8, via Mobile, Dec. 9, 1864. ) To Hon. J. A. Seddon : About four o'clock p. m., November 30th, we attacked the enemy at Franklin, and drove them from their centre line of temporary works into the inner lines, which they evacuated during the night, leaving their dead and wounded in our pos- session, and retired to Nashville, closely followed by our caval- ry. We captured several stands of colors and about one thou- sand prisoners. Our troops fought with great gallantry. We have to lament the loss of many gallant officers and men. Major-general Cleburne and Brigadier-generals John Williams, Adams, Gist, Strahl, and Granberry were killed. Major-gen- eral John Brown, and Brigadier-generals S. Carter, Manigault, Quarles, Cockerill, and Scott were wounded. Brigadier-gen- eral Gordon was captured. J. B. HOOD, General. A subsequent telegram from General Hood says : " Our loss of officers was excessively large in proportion to the loss of men." Hood now advanced upon Nashville, and laid siege to it, on the 2d of December, closely investing it for a fortnight. At the end of that time, the Federal forces attacked the Confeder- ates, and the battle of Nashville was fought, ending in the defeat of Hood's army, and his retreat to the Tennessee river, pursued by the victorious Federals. The following dispatch, from General Beauregard, gives a brief account of the affair : Macon, Jan. 7, 1865. To General S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector General : General Hood reports from Spring Hill, December 27, 1864, that on the morning of the 15th instant, in front of Nashville, the enemy attacked both flanks of his army. They were re- pulsed on the right with heavy loss, but towards evening they drove in his infantry outposts on the left flank. Early on the 16th, the enemy made a general attack on his entire line. All their assaults were handsomely repulsed with heavy loss until half-past six p. m., when a portion of our line to the left of the centre suddenly gave way, causing our lines to give way at all points, our troops retreating rapidly. Fifty LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 417 pieces of artillery and several ordnance wagons were lost by us on that day. Our loss in killed and wounded heretofore smill — in prisoners, not ascertained. Major-general Edward Jackson, and Brigadier-generals T. B. Smith, and H. R. Jack , son are captured. G. T. BEAUREGARD, General. General Hood recrossed the Tennessee at Florence, General Forrest covering his retreat, and was at Tupelo on the 6th of January, 1S65, where, on the '23d, he took leave of the army in the following order : Headquarters, Army of the Tennessee,) Tupelo, Miss., Jan. 23, 1865. ) Soldiers — At my request, I have this day been relieved from the command of the army. In taking leave of you, ac- cept my thanks for the patience with which you have endured your hardships during the recent campaign. I am alone responsible for its conception, and strove hard to do my duty in its execution. I urge upon you the importance of giving your entire support to the distinguished soldier who now as- sumes command, and shall look with deep interest on all your future operations, and rejoice at your success. J. B. HOOD. After General Hood was relieved, he visited Augusta, on the 3d of February, and made a speech at a serenade there given him. He then published his official report of the Atlanta campaign — in which he somewhat differs from General John- ston — and afterwards proceeded to his home at San Antonio, in Texas. There he quietly remained, until, on the 25th of September, he departed for the purpose of learning how his case was disposed of by the authorities at "Washington. A gentleman who had an opportunity of talking with him on board the steamer from Galveston, says that General Hood stated to him it had been his advice, to every one with whom he had any influence, to quietly accept the new order of things ; and his intention now was to write, in the form of his memoirs, some account of the operations in the late war. 27 GENERAL ALBERT SYDNEY JOHNSTON. The short career of this gallant officer, in the Confederate army, prevents the same extended notice of his life, that others of his rank have been considered entitled to, and which their services have demanded. He was born in the year 1803, in Macon county, Kentucky, and received his early education at the Transylvania University, in that State, under President Holley. At the age of nineteen, he entered "West Point Academy as a cadet, and graduated on the 30th of June, 1826, standing num- ber eight in his class. He was then brevetted second-lieutenant of the Second infantry, but was subsequently transferred, in 1827, to the Sixth infantry, and served as Adjutant to his regiment from 1828 to 1832. From the 8th of May to the year 1833, he was Aid to Brigadier-general Atkinson : and during a part of that time he was acting as Assistant Adju- tant-general of Illinois Volunteers, in the Black Hawk War. With these forces, President, then Captain Lincoln, also served. On May 31st, 1834, he resigned his commission in the regu- lar army, and went to reside in Missouri. In 1836 he emi- grated to Texas, arriving there shortly after the battle of San Jacinto. There, alone, and perfectly unknown, he determined to begin a new career. We may not stop to inquire what were the motives which induced him to leave the United States' ser- vice. In all ages, and throughout all forms of government, merit and perseverance, even when acknowledged, do not al- ways find a reward. It is wise, therefore, in a world so wide, for a brave soul to rise above disappointment, and try new fields, where pent-up energies may have full play. There was, it ia true, plenty of room even in his native State, for action ; but 420 SOUTH EKN GENEEALS. the lands of Texas, aud its peculiarly romantic charms — its wild and daring life — probably presented greater inducement to a nature like Johnston's, which felt itself, perhaps, too cramped under the military control of a more settled govern- ment. At the time when Johnston entered Texas, an intestine war was raging ; and, without hesitation, he entered the Republican army, in General Rusk's division, as a private soldier. The general speedily discovered his abilities, and made him Adju- tant-general of his command. Subsequently, he was made senior Brigadier-general of the Texan army, and was ap- pointed to succeed General Felix Houston, in the chief com- mand. This led to a duel between them, in which Johnston was wounded. In 1838, he was chosen Secretar} 7 of War of the new Republic, under President Lamar ; and, the follow- ing year, he organized an expedition against the Cherokees, seven hundred strong, who were defeated at a battle on the Neuches. In 1840 he retired from the service, and settled on a planta- tion, in Brazonia county, near Galveston. Here he remained quietly, attending to his new home, for two or three years, and during that time always advocating the annexation of Texas to the United States. At length, when the Mexican war broke out, he once more, in 1846, and, at the request of General Taylor, allowed his daring spirit to find its vent on the battlefield. He arrived in Mexico shortly after the battles of Resaca and Palo- Alto, and was elected Colonel of the First Texas regiment, serving as such from June 18th, to August 24th, 1846. After that regiment was discharged, he was ap- pointed Aid, and Inspector-general to General Butler. In that capacity he was at the famous battle of Monterey, and, during the fight, his horse was three times shot under him. For his' conduct on that day, he was recommended by General Taylor, for the appointment of Brigadier-general ; but the position was bestowed upon Caleb Cushing. After this he retired to his plantation, cultivating the earth with his own hands, in the truly honest and noble occupation of a farmer, on his own land. His circumstances, however, were not good ; and when Taylor was made President, that gallant old general forgot not Johnston, but, on October 31st, GENERAL ALBERT SYDNEY JOHNSTON". 421 1849, bestowed upon him the appointment of Paymaster of the regular army, with the rank of major. When the army was increased by four new regiments, the Texas Legislature asked that he should be appointed one of the colonels, and, accordingly, Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of "War, gave him command of the Second Cavalry, with his headquarters at San Antonio, Texas. There he still further displayed his military talents, and won the confidence of the country, by the vigorous and successful warfare he initiated against the wild tribes of Indians, who were constantly en- gaged in marauding forays upon the early settlers. In the latter part of 1857 he was appointed, by President Buchanan, to the command of the Utah Expedition, sent to quell the Mormons, who had shown much disturbance. It was in September that he started upon this expedition, and the perils which he and his followers encountered are well known. On the 6th of November, being in the Rocky Mountains, they were overtaken by a snow-storm of such fury, that it "racked the bones of his men, and starved the oxen, horses, and mules." The snow was from two to four feet deep, and the thermometer from sixteen to eighteen degrees below zero for ninety days af- wards. But they pursued the march, making only thirty- five miles in fifteen days, and when they went into camp, sub- sisted on mules, without bread or salt, until provisions were sent by Government, in the following spring. The troops suffered from cold and hunger to a great extent ; but the Col- onel fared no better than his men during that period. In the spring of 1858, he crossed the plains, and arrived at Salt Lake City, where the ability, zeal, and energy he dis- played, caused him to be brevetted Brigadier-general (dating from November, 1847), and full commander of the military district of Utah. When the Mormon troubles were ended, General Johnston was sent to California ; and, on the death of General Clarke, assumed command of the department of the Pacific. There he remained until, hearing that his adopted State, Texas — where his home and his farm belonged — had passed the Ordinance of Secession, he resigned his position in the United States army, and at once prepared to remove South, to assist in repelling the threatened invasion by the North. 422 SOUTHERN GENERALS. It is stated, that " on the inception of the war, General Scott, fully aware of the great military genius of Albert Syd« ney Johnston, made a vigorous, but ineffectual effort, to secure his services for the Federal Government, tendering him the chief command, to which his seniority and rank, according to army regulations, entitled him. But Johnston nobly rejected the offer : he would not sell his birthright and his home." Measures were, therefore, taken to have him arrested before he could join the South. Yessels, with officials on board, were directed to intercept his passage by sea ; but this coming to his knowledge, he took the overland route, and thus avoided an arrest. Perhaps one secret reason for attempting to seize him was, from the fact of his being a kinsman of Mr. Floyd, who, it is said, had some influence in getting him placed in the command at California. General Sumner had already been dispatched to supersede him, on the first signs of strife ; but Johnston, with three or four companions, increased afterwards to one hundred, on mules, proceeded by way of Arizona. He left, Los Angelos the 2d of July, 1861, passed through Texas, and arrived at New Orleans in safety. This was in August, 1861, and immediately proceeding, via Memphis, to Richmond, he was assigned to the command of the department of Kentucky and Tennessee, with the rank of General. He being a native of Kentucky, and his thorough knowledge of the Western coun- try, coupled with his great ability, rendered his appointment to this position specially appropriate. General Johnston at once proceeded to his command ; and, as Kentucky, though before professedly neutral, had now as- sembled troops to threaten the borders of Tennessee, he felt no hesitation in making his headquarters at Bowling Green, al- ready taken possession of by General Buckner, for the South. The arrival of General Johnston in the west, gave great pleasure to the upholders of the Confederate cause, and many high expectations were formed of him. But his own anticipa- tions of success were far less sanguine. As an experienced military man, he well knew the immense advantages the North possessed in resources and men, besides the long established organization of army drill. "With him there was all to do, and little to do it with. Everything was new, and had to ba fashioned into shape, wh^e in the field there were skilled cap- GENERAL ALBERT SYDNEY JOHNSTON. ' 423 tains on the side of the North, fully equal to those arrayed against them in behalf of the South. Buell was not far off, in a position of immense strength, with an army said to be 50,000 strong. In his rear was the Cumberland river, liable to rise at any moment, and to admit the largest class steamers as high as Nashville. Then there was the Tennessee, travers- ing the entire State, and capable of passing gunboats to Ala- bama ; while, at the mouth of both these rivers — at Paducah and Smithfield — the enemy was collecting an enormous force, both naval and military. Thus there was much cause for anything but the exultant hope others appeared to entertain upon his arrival : his own failure to sympathize in this feeling being attributable, in great measure, to his peculiarly unpre- tending character. Immediately upon assuming his command, General John- ston issued the following proclamation : " "Whereas, the armed occupation of a part of Kentucky by the United States, and the preparations which manifest the in- tention of their government to invade the Confederate States through that territory, have imposed it on these last, as a ne- cessity of self-defence, to enter that State and meet the invasion upon the best line for military operations ; and, whereas, it is proper that the motives of the government of the Confederate States in taking this step should be fully known to the world ; row, therefore, I, Albert S. Johnston, general and commander o e the Western Department of the Army of the Confederate S.ates of America, do proclaim that these States have thus mirched their troops into Kentucky with no hostile intention tovards its people, nor do they desire or seek to control their choice in regard to their union with either of the confeder- acies, or to subjugate their State or hold its soil against their wishes. On the contrary, they deem it to be the right of the peoale of Kentucky to determine their own position in regard to tie belligerents. It is for them to say whether they will join either the confederacy, or maintain a separate existence aa independent sovereign State. The armed occupation of their soil, both as to its extent and duration, will, therefore, be strictly limited to the exigencies of self-defence on the part of the Donfederate States. These States intend to conform to all the requirements of public law and international amity as be- 4c2i SOUTHERN GENERALS. tween themselves and Kentucky, and, accordingly, I hereby command all who are subject to my orders to pay entire re- spect to the rights of property and the legal authorities within that State, so far as the same may be compatible with the ne- cessities of self-defence. If it be the desire of the people of Kentucky to maintain a strict and impartial neutrality, then the effort to drive out the lawless intruders, who seek to make their State the theatre of war, will aid. them in the attainment of their wishes. If, as it may not be unreasonable to suppose, these people desire to unite their fortunes with the Confederate States, to whom they are already bound by so many ties of in-, terest, then the appearance and aid of Confederate troops will assist them to make an opportunity for the free and unbiased expression of their will upon the subject. But if it be true, which is not to be presumed, that a majority of those people desire to adhere to the United States, and become parties to the war, then none can doubt the right of the other belliger- ent to meet that war whenever and wherever it may be waged. But, harboring no such suspicion, I now declare, in the name of the government which I serve, that its army will be with- drawn from Kentucky so soon as there shall be satisfactory evidence of the existence and execution of a like intention on the part of the United States. By order of the President of the Confederate States of America. A. S. JOHNSTON, General, commanding the Western Department of the Army of the Confeder ate States of America." The work of General Johnston, for the remainder of the yea', was to strengthen his position and ascertain the intentions (>f the enemy. His own forces had been considerably magnified, not only to deceive his foe, but to inspire hope among friencs; but he constantly kept the war department at Richmond well informed of the truth. Had that truth really been known to the enemy, at the time, it is very probable that Buell coild have easily ovewhelmed Johnston's army ; but, it was so dis- guised that the Federal commander determined to try jnd take him on the rear, and, accordingly, measures were adopted to capture Fort Donelson. At this period, General Beaire- gard arrived in the west, and a conference was immediately held GENEEAL ALBEET SYDNEY JOHNSTON". 425 between the two generals. Beauregard expressed surprise at the small number of Johnston's forces, and fully agreed with him in the plans he had formed. These were to try and secuie Nashville by fighting at Fort Donelson, and Johnston sent the larger part of his army thither for the purpose, retain- ing only about 14,000 men, to cover his front, and of those, 3,000 were so enfeebled by recent sickness that they were un- able to march. General Pillow, and afterwards General Floyd, were placed in command of the fort, and General Buckner in the field. The details of the fall of Fort Donelson do not belong to this sketch, but we may give the following extracts concerning it from the official reports of Generals Floyd and Pillow. General Grant was in command of the assailants, and, previous to Floyd's arrival, General Pillow had made various prepara- tions to resist Grant. The reports then mention the occurren- ces of the three days' fighting that ensued, and go on to say : " We had now only about 12,000 troops, all told. Of these a large proportion we had lost in the three battles. The com- mand had been in the trenches night and day for five days, exposed to the snow, sleet, mud and ice-water, without shelter, and without adequate covering, and without sleep. " In this condition the general officers held a consultation to determine what he should do. General Buckner held it as his decided opinion that he could not hold his position one half an hour against an assault of the enemy, and said the enemy would attack him next morning at daylight. The proposition was then made by the undersigned to again fight through the enemy's line and cut our way out. General Buckner said his command was so worn out, and cut to pieces, and demoralized, that he could not make another fight.; that it would cost the command three-quarters of its present numbers to cut its way through, and it was wrong to sacrifice three-quarters of a command to save one-quarter ; that no officer had a right to cause such a sacrifice. General Floyd and Major Gilmer I understood to concur in this opinion. " I then expressed the opinion that we could hold out another day, and in that time we could get steamboats and set the com- mand over the river, and probably save a large portion of it. To this General Buckner replied that the enemy would cer- 426 SOUTHERN GENERALS. tainly attack him at daylight, and that he could not hold his position half an hour. The alternative of the propositions was a surrender of their position and command. General Floyd said that he would neither surrender the command nor would he surrender himself a prisoner. I had taken the same posi- tion. General Buckner said he was satisfied nothing else could be done, and that, therefore he would surrender if placed in command. General Floyd said he would turn over the command to him if he could be allowed to withdraw his command. To this General Buckner consented. Thereupon, General Floyd turned the command over to me, I passing it instantly to General Buckner, saying I would neither surren- der the command nor myself a prisoner. I directed Colonel Forrest to cut his way out. Under these circumstances, General Buckner accepted the command and sent a flag of truce to the enemy for an armistice of six hours to negotiate for terms of capitulation. Before this flag and communication was delivered I retired from the garrison." The fall of Fort Donelson made the evacuation of Bowling Green imperative on General Johnston. He had waited the result, opposite Nashville, and, on the 15th of February, at midnight, he received news of a great victory, — at dawn intel- ligence of a defeat ! Thus situated, he determined to unite his forces with those under General Beauregard, and, as he con- ceived Nashville was incapable of defence under the circum- stances, he left a rearguard under General Floyd, and fell back to Murfreesboro. There he managed to collect an army able to offer battle ; but the weather was so inclement, and the floods in the river such as to wash the bridges away, that nothing effective could be accomplished. He, therefore, marched on, and crossed the Tennessee, at Decatur, in Ala- bama, early in March, and soon afterwards a portion of his army joined the forces of Beauregard under Bragg's command. In regard to Fort Donelson, it is but just to General John- ston to give place to a few words from himself, inasmuch as some severe remarks were made respecting him at the time. In a letter written to Mr. Barksdale, member of the Confed- erate Congress, from Mississippi, he says, after mentioning previous occurrences : GENERAL ALBERT SYDNEY JOHNSTON. 427 " I have given this sketch, so that you may appreciate the embarrassments which surrounded me in my attempts to avert or remedy the disaster of Fort Donelson. " The blow is most disastrous, and almost without remedy. I, therefore, in my first report, remained silent. This silence you were kind enough to attribute to my generosity. I will not lay claim to the motive to excuse my course. I observed silence, as it seemed to me the best way to serve the brave and the country. The facts were not fully known — discontent pre- vailed, and criticism or condemnation were more likely to augment than to cure the evil. I refrained, well knowing that heavy censures would fall upon me, but convinced that it was better to endure them for the present, and defer to a more propitious time, an investigation of the conduct of the generals, for, in the mean time, their services are required and their influences useful. For these reasons, Generals Floyd and Pillow were assigned to duty, for I still felt confidence in their gallantry, their energy, and their devotion to the Confederacy. " The test of merit, in my profession, with the people, is suc- cess. It is a hard rule, but I think it right. If I join this corps to the forces of General Beauregard (I confess a hazard- ous experiment), then those who are now disclaiming against me will be without an argument. Your friend, "A. S. JOHNSTON." General Beauregard had concentrated his men at and around Corinth, and the united forces were prepared, early in April, to strike a heavy blow at the enemy, which was attempted on the field of Shiloh. The battle of Shiloh has already been mentioned, and we need now only allude to the manner of General Johnston's death. On the 6th of April, the army marched on the enemy. The ground was broken and undulating, and covered, in a great measure, by lofty trees, without any undergrowth. Mile after mile, the Confederates rushed on, sweeping the camps of the enemy before them. General Johnston was in the advance, before the troops of Breckinridge and Bo wen. He had ad- dressed them in a few brief words, and given the order to " Charge !" when at two o'clock, a minie ball cut the artery of his leg. Still he rode on xntil from loss of blood, he fell, 4:28 SOUTHERN GENERALS. exhausted, iuto the arms of Governor Harris, who carefully bore him a short distance from the field, into a ravine, and reclined him in his lap. The general's staff had been mingled with others, but now rode up to seek for him. Stimulants were speedily administered, but in vain. The last words he uttered were, just after he was shot, "Governor, I believe I am seriously wounded !" Now, he was totally unconscious. A member of his staff, Colonel ¥m. Preston, in an agony of grief, threw his arms around him, and called aloud to see if he would respond, or know who were around. But no sign, or reply came, and in a moment or two more, he quietly breathed his last, at half past two p. m. April 6th, 1862. His body was borne from the field by his staff officers, and intrusted to Colonel Preston, by General Beauregard, to be taken to New Orleans, until directions should be received from his family. The fact of his death, however, was for some time concealed from the army ; and a mistake arose on the part of the enemy in supposing that his body was found on the field. There was one General Geo. "W. Johnston — the provisional governor of Kentucky — in the battle, and he also fell mortally wounded. This gentleman was met in his dying moments by General McCook, of the Federal army, as the latter was ad- vancing, and, taking him up in his arms with that kindly feeling which few brave soldiers ever fail to show towards friend or foe at such a time, asked his name. The answer, probably, led to the mistake about General Johnston. As soon as it was deemed expedient to publish his death, the following general order was issued from headquarters, at Corinth, by General Beauregard : Headquarters, Army op Mississippi, ) Corinth, Miss., April 10, 1862. i" Soldiers — Your late Commander-in-chief, General A. So Johnston, is dead ; a fearless soldier, a sagacious captain, a re- proachless man, has fallen. One who, in his devotion to our cause, shrank from no sacrifice ; one who, animated by a sense of duty, and sustained by a sublime courage, challenged dan- ger, and perished gallantly for his country, while leading for- ward his brave columns to victory. His signal example of heroism and patriotism, if imitated, would make his army invincible. GENERAL ALBEET SYDNEY JOHNSTON. 429 A grateful country will mourn his loss, revere his name, and cherish his many virtues. P. G. T. BEAUREGARD, General Commanding. At Richmond, on arrival of the news, President Davis sent into Congress a special message concerning the battle, and particularly referring to General Johnston's death. He says : " But an all- wise Creator has been pleased, while vouchsafing to us His countenance in battle, to afflict us with a severe dis- pensation, to which we must bow in humble submission. The last long, lingering hope has disappeared, and it is but too true, that General Albert Sydney Johnston is no more. " My long and close friendship with this departed chieftain and patriot, forbid me to trust myself in giving vent to the feelings which this intelligence has evoked. Without doing injustice to the living, it may safely be said that our loss is irreparable. Among the shining hosts of the great and good who now cluster around the banner of our country, there exists no purer spirit, no more heroic soul, than that of the illustrious man whose death I join you in lamenting. " In his death he has illustrated the character for which, through life, he was conspicuous — that of singleness of purpose and devotion to duty with his whole energies. Bent on ob- taining the victory which he deemed essential to his country's cause, he rode on to the accomplishment of his object, forget- ful of self, while his very life-blood was fast ebbing away. His last breath cheered his comrades on to victory. The last sound he heard was their shout of victory. His last thought was his country, and long and deeply will his country mourn his loss. "JEFFERSON DAVIS." When the remains of General Johnston reached New Orleans, then in possession of the Confederate forces, they were escorted to the City Hall by the military, attended by the governor of Louisiana, General Lovell, their staffs, and other prominent officers and gentlemen. The body was laid in state in the mayor's parlor, and the public admitted. Silence, and deep- 430 SOUTHERN GENERALS. felt, unaffected grief marked the occasion. Ladies brought magnolias and other flowers with which they encircled his coffin simply, but beautifully. And thus, while gentle hands and weeping eyes moved softly around him, — his sheathed sword still by his side — the dead warrior — the hardy cam- paigner — the industrious farmer — the adventurous explorer — and the great commander, was borne to his final and eternal rest. * * * * The appearance of General Johnston was well suited to his military character — in height, over six feet, and with a large, sinewy frame, his whole appearance was commanding, while his manners were, occasionally, very silent and reserved, and often abstracted. He was married, and had a son, who, in 1863, was on the staff of President Davis. His brother, Jo- siah Stoddard Johnston, a man of the most eminent abilities, was, by the Confederate cause looked upon as a great ally. He, however, met a violent death in the blowing up of a steamboat on the Red river, La. This brother had a son, J. S. Johnston, who resided near Georgetown, Kentucky, but was obliged to fly to Mobile, in August, 1862, on account of his sympathies with the Confederacy. Thus the fortunes of the whole family, like that of so many others, seem to have been interwoven with the cause of their native South. L T GE N. PO LK. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK. The father of Leonidas Polk was Colonel "William Polk, a highly distinguished soldier in the revolutionary war, and a near relative of Thomas Polk, who was one of the few that issued the famous Mecklenburg declaration of indepen- dence. Young Polk was born about the year 1806, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and, after receiving the first rudiments of edu- cation in his native State, was admitted to West Point as a cadet in the year 1823. It was at his father's wish he com- menced life in the military profession, though it would seem his own inclinations led him subsequently into a different call- ing. On the 30th of June, 1827, he graduated, standing No. 8 in his class. It is said that while going through his term at the academy, he was induced to turn from the military profes- sion to that of the church / at the instigation of Bishop Mcll vaine, of Ohio, who was chaplain of that institution at the time. Certain it is, however, that, though he was appointed a brevet second-lieutenant of artillery, and remained in the army a few months, he resigned, and commenced studying for the ministry, on the 1st December, 1827. After the usual ex- amination, he was admitted to holy orders in the Protestant Episcopal church, and, in 1838, received an appointment as Missionary Bishop in Arkansas and part of the Indian terri- tory, with a provisional charge of the diocese of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Republic of Texas. His movements during this time we would fain record, did our space permit. The wilds of the frontier regions of the West embrace many scenes, giving to such a man as the travelling bishop, or itinerant Methodist preacher, abundant 432 SOUTHEKN GENERALS. material of interest and adventure, and Bishop Polk must hare often gone through all the numerous and exciting incidents consequent upon the life of a Western missionary. In 1S41, however, he was ordained regular Bishop of Louisiana, and held that post for twenty years.* The events that occurred during this period are matters of general history. The Mexican war, the wars with the Indians, and the several changes made by the progress of civilization in the "West, belong to that time; and no doubt Bishop Polk par- ticipated largely in much of what took place, for a mind like his could hardly have remained passive under such stirring events. At length the note of war was heard in his own land. The deadly strife between North and South commenced, and a Southern Confederacy was formed. President Davis applied to Bishop Polk to know if he would rejoin the army, and, it is said first offered him the appointment of a brigadier-general, which was refused. Ultimately, however, he accepted a major-generalship, and laying aside the bishop's robe, donned the garments of a soldier. His reasons for this have been given as follows : Bishop Meade, on hearing of what he had done, told him that he already had a commission in a very different army to which he should still hold allegiance ; but Polk replied, that while he accepted the major-generalship he did not intend to resign his right to the bishopric. " When," said he, " I accept a commission in the Confederate arm} 7 , I not only perform the duties of a good citizen, but contend foi the principles which lie at the foundation of our social, politi- cal, and religious polity." In June, 1861, the new major-general, Bishop Polk, visited Richmond, and had a long conference with President Davis. He then returned to the West, and took up his command, which extended from the mouth of the Arkansas river, on both sides of the Mississippi, to the northernmost limits of the Con- federate States, and took in the encampment at Corinth. His headquarters were at Memphis, and thence he issued his first * We are not aware when Bishop Polk was married, hut his wife was a MisB Devereux, of Raleigh, and possibly he was united to her before leaving for the West. LIEUTENANT-GENEKAL LEONIDAS POLK. 43V. general order, dated July 13th, 1S61, in which he gives some lengthy reasons for taking upon himself such a " grave rnsnon sibility." In commenting upon Bishop Polk's appointment, the Mem- phis Appeal remarks, " This is the first instance in the coun- try's history of the appointment of a high church dignitary to a position of so much responsibility in the military service ;' and, we may add, that it was an appointment far from being, wise, where great military talent and experience were so much needed. At this time, General Polk presented the appearance of a tall, well-built, good-looking man, bearing in every word and glance the impress of a soldier more than the divine. His hair was slightly gray, and his whiskers completely so. The eyes were gray, deep set, keen, and penetrating ; nose, rather of the Roman order; his mouth sunken, with lips in general tightly compressed. Affable in manner; agreeable in con- versation ; yet determination expressed upon his countenance, such was the military bishop, General Polk. One of the first events that occurred in his department, af- ter taking command, was the capture, at Columbus, in Ken tucky, of the steam packet Cheney. She had been conveying Federal troops up the river, and this becoming known, she was seized, and conveyed to Memphis, as a prize. A few days later, hearing that General Pillow, then at New Madrid, was likely to be in danger from the operations of large Federal forces, under Lyon and Fremont, General Polk immediately directed seven riverboats to be used for the purpose of con- veying him and his troops away. This was promptly done ; and the whole command of five thousand men, safely brought to Randolph, near headquarters, at Memphis. But, the first event here mentioned, was denied, by General Polk, as being under his authority. Columbus being in Kentucky, and that State not yet having openly espoused the cause of the North, this was made one of the subjects of correspondence between a committee of the Kentucky Senate, and General Polk. He had, however, now marched on to Columbus, and taken pos- session of the place, which still further increased the difficulty. The reasons he gave for so doing were, that it was a military necessity, arising from the fact, that Kentucky had herself dis- 28 434 SOUTHERN GENERALS. regarded neutrality, by permitting Federal troops to organize companies, establish depots and camps, and erect military works. This was put forth in a proclamation he issued on the 4th of September, and also in a letter to Governor Magoffin, at the same time assuring him that he would withdraw the Confederate forces from Kentucky, if she would agree to make the Federals do the same. He also stated, that his proceed- ings were approved by President Davis. A lengthy corres- pondence followed, which produced no satisfactory result, and which we need not transcribe. Polk placed Columbus in a good state of defence, General Grant, at that time, being with his forces, at Cairo, a little higher up the river. Not long after General Grant came down the river in force, with a design of attacking the Confederates, stationed at Bloom- field and New Madrid, under General Thompson. At 3 a. m., of November 7th, General Polk was informed, by a courier, that the enemy had landed on the Missouri shore, five or six miles above the small village of Belmont. This led him to ex- pect that the attack would become general, and he immedi- ately disjoatched instructions to division officers. Colonel Tap pan was in command of the small force at Belmont, and Gen- eral Pillow was sent by Polk to his relief, across the river General Polk then examined other portions of his command, and found that General Cown, on his left flank, was already well prepared, and General Cheatham also in good position. This care was necessary, lest the Federals should attack him in the rear ; but it was likewise needful to send more reinforce- ments to Belmont ; and this was done under some difficulty. The fight, however, had now begun at Belmont, and, after a well-contested engagement, ended in a victory to the South, though this was denied by the North. General A. S. Johnston, who had then assumed entire command of the department, and was at Bowling Green, said officially, "This was no ordinary shock of arms: it was a long, and trying contest, in which our troops fought by detachments, and always against superior numbers. The 7th of November will fill a bright page in our military annals, and be remembered with gratitude by the sons and daughters of the South." Polk's official dispatch to Richmond, and the answer re- ceived from President Davis are as follows : LIE UTEN ANT-GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK. 435 Headquarters, Ftbst Division "Western Department,) Columbus, Kt., November 7, 1861. ) To General Headquarters, through General A. S. Johnson : The enemy came down on the opposite side of the river, Belmont, to-day, about seven thousand strong, landed, under cover of gunboats, attacked Colonel Tappan's camp. I sent over three regiments, under General Pillow, to his relief; then, at intervals, three others ; then General Cheatham. I then took over two others in person, to support a flank movement which I had directed. It was a hard- fought battle, lasting from 10.30 a. m., to 5 p. m. They took Beltzhoover's battery, four pieces of which were recaptured. The enemy were thoroughly routed. We pursued them to their boats seven miles, then drove their boats before us. The road was strewn with their dead and wounded, guns, ammunition, and equipments. Our loss considerable ; theirs heavy. [Signed,] L. POLK, Major-general commanding. Richmond, November 8, 1861. To Major-general Polk : Your telegraph received. Accept for yourself, and the offi- cers and men under your command, my sincere thanks for the glorious contribution you have just made to our common cause. Our countrymen must long remember gratefully to read the activity and skill, courage and devotion, of the army at Bel- mont. [Signed,] J. DAVIS. A few days after this, a serious accident occurred, which was nearly terminating with fatal results to General Polk. A large Dahlgren gun had been loaded during the above-men- tioned battle, but not fired. It was discharged on the 11th, when it exploded, caught the magazine of the piece which was immediately below it, and killed eight men, besides seriously wounding five others. Among these latter was General Polk, who was knocked down senseless by the concussion, and had his clothes literally torn off him. Fortunately, he soon re- covered, and without other injury. Through the remaining part of the year 1861, nothing more 436 SOUTHERN GENERALS. of importance connected with General Polk occurred. Jan uary passed away in like manner ; but, in February, Forts Henry and Donelson fell, while General Polk was still at Co- lumbus, compelled to remain and guard that post as long as he could. But his situation soon became very critical. The Fed- erals were collecting immense forces in Kentucky and Missouri, and it was clearly seen by General Polk — General JohnsoD having already commenced retreating south — that to hold Co- lumbus any longer was hardly possible. Accordingly, " hav- ing received instructions from the War Department, through General Beauregard, to evacuate the place, and select a defen- sive position lower down," it was done. On the 1st of March the troops moved, General Stuart's brigade going by steamer, to New Madrid, and the remainder marching by land, to Union City, under General Cheatham. General Polk remained until the next day, to supervise the completion of the work, and then, at 3 p. m., himself and staff followed the rear column. He retreated' by the way of Humbolt, towards Corinth, where the principal portion of the armies of the "West, under Generals Beauregard, Johnson, and himself, were to unite. This was accomplished by the beginning of April ; and General Polk was placed in command of one of the three grand corps oVarmee into which the forces were divided. The battle of Shiloh followed, on the 6th of April. It has already been described in previous sketches, and all we need say now is, that the commander-in-chief, General Beauregard, very highly complimented "Major-general Polk for the zeal, intelligence, and energy with which all orders were executed, and for the foresight and military ability displayed, as well as for his fearless deportment, in personally leading his command against the adversary." The army now retreated to Corinth, and, when that place was evacuated, the 30th of May, Polk's corps proceeded, in accordance with orders, to Baldwin and Tupelo. General Bragg was now appointed in command of the department, and Polk's forces accompanied the army in its movements through Tennessee, and into Kentucky, as pre- viously described in our sketch of General Bragg. The march was long, rough, and weary, but not without its charms, for it was amidst some of the wildest and most magnificent scenery to be found. Passing Chattanooga — crossing the Tennessee LIEUTENANT-GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK. 437 at Harrison — on through the mountain passes of the North, — the army finally reached Frankfort, in the beginning of Octo- ber. At the same time the Federal forces arrived to attack the rear of Bragg's army, stationed at Perryville ; and on the 8th of October a battle took place. Polk's forces, under Cheatham and Withers, formed the Confederate right winccasioned by the late War, such as, it is believed, will happily vindicate he taste and talent of the Southern people. The collection has been made >y an author whose reputation is general throughout all the States. He has bus enjoyed the greatest advantages in making the collection ; contributions laving been freely sent him from all parts of the late Confederacy. Che various pieces will be found to represent all classes of people; all ispects of popular feeling ; the enthusiasm which glows with triumph ; the Lispondency which mourns over defeat ; the pride which exults in the hero ; ,nd the despair which sees ruin in his fall. Here is the lyric which times the aarch to battle ; the slogan which inspires the charge ; the rally which re- aspires after reverse ; and the elegy which recites the virtues of the beloved ne ; — the subdued sorrow of the palace, and the unmeasured wail of the cot- age. Every home in the South, every affection, feeling and sympathy here bids its illustrative record in melodious verse. In every home this volume will rove a family book, to be fondly pored over, with various recollections, and andly and frequently referred to, as embodying a record precious to the grow- ig generations. It is a grateful, though melancholy record, and although it alls of defeat and overthrow, and the forfeiture of confident hopes, and of roud anticipations, it is still a monument of pride, as it tells of heroic struggle 3 the last, and of a sublime resignation, even after the defeat of every hope, lany of these poems are from pens already well known and honored in the Lterature of the nation. Others from less known and humbler sources are yet tot unworthy of their association. The whole constitutes a memorial at nee to the patriotism and the genius of the Southern people. It would be avidious were we to refer to particular names, and to invite attention to par- icular pieces, for the whole will be read with respect and a great portion with iighest admiration. There will be found, we trust, no small number of these ieces quite worthy of a place in any collection of American and patriotic 'oetry. The volume well merits to become A FAMILY BOOK IN EVERY SOUTHERN HOME. Agents will find this admirable and interesting book received with enthusi- tsm everywhere, and its sale universal. RICHARDSON & CO., Publishers, 540 Broadway, New Yorft .A CHARMING NOVELTY IN Gr -A. M ID S . "XWjSLFL - CXXE21 OB TUB GAME OF BATTLE The subscriber lias the pleasure of presenting to the public a new and beautiful Game, invented doting the war by Col. Charles Richardson, of the Artillery of General Lee's Army, and pronounced by distinguished military critics and chess-players, one of the most attractive and ingenious Games of strategy yet offered to the public It is a game of the highest interest and merit. War-Chess, or the Game of Battle, is played by two persons with figures representing Soldiers (Cavalry, Artillery, and Infantry), forming two antagonistic armies, operating on a board — as seen above. The board represents a comparatively level country traversed by a river, passable at three points only, viz. : the bridge and two fords. On one side of the river there is a figure representing a City which is to be defended, and if captured, the player of that side loses the game. On the other side is a figure representing a Wagon — " the supply train" of that Army — which must be carefully guarded, as its loss is the defeat of the player of the side to which it belongs. The figures (representing the different arms of the military service) have different powers and capacities, as in actual warfare, and the game is thus made to resemble and illustrate a real conflict. A book of explanations accompanies each copy of the Game, giving its composition, rules for playing, suggestions to players, remarks illustrating the power of the figures as compared with that of the troops represented ; plates illustrating certaSj moves, &c,, and indeed ex- plicitly sho wing how the game is to be played. Price $5.00. The figures silvered and bronzed, and the beard very tastefully lithographed. We prepare a finer edition, also, the figures full length (as in cut), silvered and brcuzed, the board covered with fine morocco, and every detad finished in the most elegant manner. Price $20.00. This set makes an elegant parlor ornament. Carefully packed and sent by express, upon receipt of price. The Trade supplied upon liberal terms. C. B. RICHARDSON, Publisher, 5iO Broadway, ]V«W York. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 010 732 811 7 ■ •v./-;. ■ ''.VV ■ Si ■ . ■ IS EH fin l /v^ .'> M^fl . ■•aVv, V- ,, ■ •'V,.V ■ ■ ^EyRI (Mb ^D y:.v. I ■