22

federate line at the latter point, Hunter turned off his main force to Port Republic. Resting but a night at the latter place he moved early on the morning of June 5 along the Staunton road, met the Confederate cavalry and drove the enemy some distance with a loss of 75 killed, wounded and missing.

At Piedmont, 7 miles southwest of Port Republic, Hunter found General W. E. Jones with a Confederate force of 6,000 men and 12 guns, his left resting on Middle River, a tributary of the Shenandoah. Hunter immediately formed line with Moor's brigade on the right, Thoburn's on the left and Wynkoop's cavalry in the rear of Moor. At 9 o'clock the Union artillery opened fire, after which Moor attacked the Confederate left but was repulsed with some loss. Meanwhile Thoburn, having crossed a ravine to gain the Confederate flank, soon came to close quarters. Moor and Wynkoop coöperated in the attack and finally drove the Confederates from the field, leaving Jones dead and taking over 1,000 prisoners, besides losing about 600 killed and wounded. The next day Hunter captured 400 sick and wounded, .his total loss in the engagement being only 420 killed and wounded. General Vaughn, who succeeded Jones in command, fled to Waynesboro and abandoned Staunton. Hunter marched to Staunton on the 6th and was joined by Generals Crook and Averell who had marched from West Virginia with 10,000 men, rais

*

ing his force to 18,000 men and 30 guns. The combined forces then began the work of destruction, thoroughly and completely broke the railroad several miles east and west, and then marched for Lynchburg. On the way the troops stopped at Lexington, burned the Virginia Military Institute at that place, and destroyed much property. Taking the route by Buchanan, Hunter struck the Tennessee Railroad at Liberty west of Lynchburg, the vicinity of which place he reached on June 16.†

Considering Lynchburg of vital importance to the Confederacy, Lee sent Jubal A. Early with heavy reinforcements to protect it and Hunter, whose supplies and ammunition were almost exhausted, found himself unable to carry the strong works by which it was surrounded or to fight the veteran army by which it was newly garrisoned.

He therefore resolved to retreat by way of the Kanawha instead of the Shenandoah, but by taking this course he left the broad valley open to the Confederates. Accordingly Lee detached Early to the protection of Lynchburg and gave him orders to strike Hunter in rear and if possible to destroy him and then to move down the valley, cross the Potomac, and threaten Washington. On June 23, after driving Hunter away from Lynchburg, Early began his return

* Official Records, vol. xxxviii.; Battles and Leaders, vol. iv., pp. 151, 485-486; Pond, The Shenandoah Valley, p. 22 et seq.

See Long, Life of Lee, p. 355 et seq.; Official Records, vol. xxvii., pt. i., p. 97.

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march and reached Staunton on the 27th.* He had been joined by General Breckinridge's division of infantry and McCausland's brigade of cavalry. On June 29 he sent the greater part of his cavalry to destroy the bridges of the Baltimore and Ohio and with his main body pushed down the valley turnpike, reaching Winchester on July 2. General Sigel was commanding the Union forces in and around Martinsburg. After Early arrived parties were sent north and west to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and on July 3 Bradley T. Johnson with a cavalry brigade was ordered to move through Smithfield and Lee Town across the railroad at Kearnysville east of Martinsburg and pushing north unite with McCausland at Hainesville, beyond Martinsburg. Johnson arrived at Lee Town early in the morning where he was met by Colonel J. A. Mulligan with about 2,000 men and a battery and after a hard fight was driven back on the divisions of Rodes and Ramseur, who were supporting him. Breckinridge's division which marched on the main road to Martinsburg drove before it Stahel's cavalry on outpost at Darkesville. Sigel, warned of approaching danger, now burned his stores, collected his command, and abandoned his position; on the night of July 3 he crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown and on the night of the 5th established himself on Mary

* Pond, The Shenandoah Valley, p. 35 et seq. † Ibid, p. 48.

land Heights with 6 regiments of infantry, 2,500 dismounted cavalry and 26 field guns, while General Stahel was in Pleasant Valley with 1,200 to 1,500 cavalry and 4 guns. Early followed Sigel across the river at Shepherdstown Ford, drove Stahel back and confined Sigel within his works. During the night of the 6th a heavy cannonade was kept up and the next day there was some sharp fighting, but making no impression and unable to move to manœuver Sigel out of his position, Early drew off, crossed South Mountain by Turner's and Crampton's Gaps, and concentrated his main body on the night of the 8th near Middletown with his cavalry in advance between Middletown and Frederick.*

Meanwhile Union forces had concentrated to oppose his march. On. July 6, General Lew Wallace, commanding the middle department with headquarters at Baltimore, collected a mixed force numbering about 2,700 men under General E. B. Tyler at Monocacy Junction near Frederick and disposed it to cover the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and its bridge and the Baltimore pike with its stone-pier bridge. Cavalry was sent out on the road beyond Frederick, but struck Bradley T. Johnson's cavalry and fell back. On the 8th Wallace was joined by a part of Ricketts' division of the 6th corps from the Army of the Potomac which was advanced to Frederick but during the night was withdrawn

*Pond, The Shenandoah Valley, p. 49 et seq.

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By

9 o'clock in the morning 4 heavy batteries and 16 guns crowning the heights near the river opened fire upon the Union lines opposite. noon the Confederate cavalry had forded the river and, dismounting, attacked Ricketts' left, but resultlessly. Gordon then sent across his infantry to reinforce the cavalry, but Ricketts, holding on to the bridge with his right to check Ramseur, changed front to the left and engaged Gordon and the cavalry. The enfilading fire of the guns across the river and the continued attacks of Gordon on the front, right and left, however, caused Wallace at 4 o'clock in the afternoon to withdraw Ricketts toward the Baltimore pike, after first burning the wooden bridge and the block house at its farther end. Tyler had continued to hold his position against Rodes in a part west of the river covering the stone bridge on the Baltimore pike but Gordon's troops, following up the east side of the stream on Ricketts' heels, struck the pike before the bridge guard could get away and captured several hundred prisoners, Tyler himself narrowly escaping. Wallace then fell back by the Baltimore road in the direction of Ellicott's Mills, Early following a short distance behind. Early then levied and collected $200,000 from the citizens of Frederick, seized a good supply of bacon and flour, and on the morning of the 10th resumed his march on the direct road to Washington, halting at night within four miles of Rockville. The Union

Balt

UNION..... CONFEDERATE

pike, Ramseur in the centre along the Washington road and Gordon following McCausland's cavalry to the right to reach the fords a mile below Wallace's left. Rodes and Ramseur pressed back the Union skirmishers to the banks of the river; Ramseur drove those in his front beyond it; and at

loss at Monocacy was 123 killed, 603 wounded and 568 missing, more than 1,000 of whom were from Ricketts' division. Early reports his loss as about 700 killed and wounded, though it must have been larger, as Gordon alone lost 698.†

On July 10 Early marched on the direct road to Washington and at night bivouaced four miles north of Rockville. McCausland's cavalry brigade, which had preceded him, drove out of Rockville about 600 Union cavalry and then engaged with the other cavalry in gathering up horses, sheep, hogs and cattle of all kinds, grain, bacon and subsistence of every nature, and shoes and clothing. Bradley T. Johnson's cavalry moving from Frederick toward Baltimore, occupied several towns on the way, and destroyed the Northern Central Railroad at Cockeysville. Another cavalry detachment stopped a train of cars at Magnolia Station on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and burned the train and Gunpowder River bridge. Wires were cut, communication with the North severed, and the excitement and alarm became great. At dawn of July 11 Early marched through Rockville, but at 9 o'clock McCaus'land, who, with the advance, had taken

* See Wallace's report in Official Records, vol. xxvii., pt. i., p. 191.

Pond, The Shenandoah Valley, pp. 53-60; Early, Last Year of the War for Independence; Grant, Personal Memoirs, vol. ii.; Battles and Leaders, vol. iv., pp. 493–499; A. S. Roe, Recollections of Monocacy (1885); Confederate Military History, vol. iii, pp. 480-482; vol. iv., pp. 255-256; vol. vi., p. 293.

25

Mean

the Georgetown road, was stopped by Colonel Lowell with a small cavalry force in advance of Fort Reno. while the main force preceded by Imboden's cavalry brigade marched for the Seventh Street road running past Silver Spring while Jackson's cavalry brigade moved on the left flank. A small Union cavalry force was driven by Imboden into the works on the Seventh Street road and by noon Early had arrived in front of Fort Stevens, which works were feebly manned.*

The Northern defences of Washington consisted of a series of detached works at intervals of 800 to 1,000 yards, generally connected by riflepits and mounting 400 heavy guns. West of the Seventh Street road in Early's front was Fort Stevens with Fort DeRussy on its left. A deep ravine separated the two. On the right was Fort Slocum. Fort Stevens had a powerful armament, an extensive bombproof well protected by embrasures and traverses. The defences of the city were manned by some heavy artillerymen and a miscellaneous force of militia, marines and sailors, convalescents and invalids, department clerks and other employés of the Government, in all numbering about 8,000 men under command of General A. McD. McCook. The line immediately north of the city was garrisoned chiefly by the 150th and 151st Ohio regiments

*Pond, The Shenandoah Valley, pp. 61-64. Ibid., p. 64.