ADVANCE BY THE PENINSULA DECIDED ON. command of all military departments but that of the Potomac; extending Gen. Halleck's department in the West so as to include all the Mississippi Valley northward of the Gulf States and west of a north and south line drawn through Knoxville, Tenn.; and creating a new 'Mountain Department,' consisting of the country between McClellan's and Halleck's, to be commanded by Gen. Fremont. Undoubtedly, this order indicated a diminution, if not absolute failure, of the President's confidence in his senior General; and, while it is very obvious that the commander of a great army operating from the Peninsula against Richmond could not properly and safely direct the movements of other armies, scattered all over the country, and with which his telegraphic communications would probably be often interrrupted, it is certain that all our movements should have been directed by a common head, responsible for the proper distribution and concentration of our forces. A Secretary of War, however able and fit, is perplexed by duties and anxieties too multifarious and distracting to permit of his serving to advantage as Generalissimo. 113 ington and Alexandria to move down the Potomac; and "3d. That a naval auxiliary force can be had to silence, or aid in silencing, the enemy's batteries on York river. "4th. That the forces to be left to cover Washington shall be such as to give an entire feeling of security for its safety from menace. (Unanimous.) "If the foregoing can not be, the army should then be moved against the enemy, behind the Rappahannock, at the for reconstructing bridges, repairing railearliest possible moment; and the means roads and stocking them with material sufficient for supplying the army, should at once be collected for both the Orange and Alexandria and Acquia and Richmond Railroads. (Unanimous.) "N. B. That with the forts on the right bank of the Potomac fully garrisoned, and those on the left bank occupied, a covering force in front of the Virginia line of 25,000 men would suffice. (Keyes, Heintzelman and McDowell.) A total of 40,000 men for the defense of the city would suffice. (Sumner.)" This decision, being communicated to the War Department, was promptly responded to as follows: "WAR DEPARTMENT, March 13, 1862. "To Maj.-Gen. GEO. B. MCCLELLAN : "The President, having considered the plan of operations agreed upon by yourself and the commanders of army corps, makes no objection to the same, but gives the fol lowing directions as to its execution: "1st. Leave such force at Manassas Junction as shall make it entirely certain that the enemy shall not repossess himself of that position and line of communication. "2d. Leave Washington entirely secure. "3d. Move the remainder of the force down the Potomac, choosing a new base at Fortress Monroe, or anywhere between bere and there; or, at all events, move such remainder of the army at once in pursuit of the enemy by some route. "EDWIN M. STANTON, แ "Secretary of War." Two days later, at a council of corps commanders at Fairfax Court House, it was decided-for reasons not given and not apparent-to debark our army at Old Point Comfort, between the York and James rivers, instead of Urbana or Mob Jack Bay -a most unfortunate decision, though materially qualified by the following provisos : "1st. That the enemy's vessel Merrimac there to intrench and rebuild the rail can be neutralized. "2d. That the means of transportation, sufficient for an immediate transfer of the force to its new base, can be ready at WashVOL. II.-8 Gen. McClellan hereupon ordered Gen. Banks, with his corps, to move both his divisions down from the Shenandoah Valley to Manassas ; roads and bridges, "occupy by grand' guards Warrenton Junction, or Warrenton itself, and also some little more advanced point on the Orange | Gen. Shields had 6,000 infantry, 750 16 cavalry, and 24 guns, well posted some three miles south of Winchester, and half a mile north of the little village of KERNSTOWN, covering the three principal roads which enter Winchester from the south-east, south, and south-west. 2,5 and Alexandria Railway," leaving but two regiments of cavalry to OCcupy Winchester and thoroughly scour the country south of the railway and up the Shenandoah Valley." Gen. Banks had already thrown across the Potomac, at Harper's Ferry, the 28th Pennsylvania, Col. Gen. Banks had remained with Geary, following himself," taking Shields until about 10 A. M.; when, possession of Bolivar and Loudon a careful reconnoissance having disHeights, Leesburg, Charlestown,' ,"covered no enemy in front but and Martinsburg," and pushing back Ashby's cavalry, he concluded that the Rebels to Winchester, which Jackson was too weak or too cautious Stonewall Jackson evacuated" with- to risk an attack, and departed for out a struggle. Gen. Shields, com- Washington via Harper's Ferry. Bemanding Lander's division," pursued fore noon, however, Shields was adJackson to Newmarket," where he vised by Col. Kimball, on his left, found him strongly posted and ready that a Rebel battery had opened on for action. He thereupon fell back his position, and appeared to be suprapidly to Winchester, pursued by ported by a considerable force of inJackson's cavalry, under Turner fantry. Thereupon, Sullivan's briAshby. Gen. Banks, having dis-gade was pushed forward to support patched one division toward Centerville," Jackson's spies assured him that Shields had but four regiments left, and might easily be captured or routed; so Ashby drove in our pickets and pressed hard upon Shields, who kept the larger part of his force concealed until Jackson was induced to advance in force and attack. In the slight skirmish which occurred," Gen. Shields was struck by a fragment of shell which broke his arm, and so injured his shoulder and side that he fought next day's battle in bed. Jackson had 10 regiments of infantry, all Virginians, but reports their aggregate strength at only 3,087 men, with 27 guns and 290 cavalry." 16 Feb. 26. 17 Feb. 28. 19 March 11. 15 Feb. 24. 18 March 3. 20 Gen. F. W. Lander, one of the bravest and best of our early commanders, had died March 2d, of congestion of the brain, caused by hardship, exposure, and anxiety. Kimball, and our artillery opened simultaneously with one or two more Rebel batteries; but at such distance as to do little harm. Soon, a still larger force of all arms was developed by Jackson on his right, and an effort made to turn our left, which was gallantly resisted and foiled by Sullivan's brigade, supporting Jenks's artillery. Jackson then rëenforced heavily his left, sending two additional batteries and his reserve to support the movement; when Shields ordered up Tyler's brigade of 4 regiments to the support of Col. Kimball, commanding that wing, whereby the Rebels were outnumbered and hurled back upon their main body, FIGHT AT KERNSTOWN. THE MERRIMAC. 115 strongly posted behind a high and | heavy rëenforcements for Jackson solid stone wall, crossing a hill, were at hand, immediately sent an where a desperate stand was made express after Williams's division-by by Jackson's famous 'Stonewall Bri- this time well on its way to Harper's gade,' and others, whose fire was for Ferry-desiring its immediate return; a few minutes rapid and deadly; but but Gen. Banks, hearing of the battheir position was soon flanked and tle by telegraph from Winchester, carried by our eager, determined ad- had already stopped at Harper's Fervance, and they retreated in disor- ry and anticipated this order; himder, leaving 2 guns, 4 caissons, and self rejoining Shields early next day, many small arms. Night now fell, and resuming command. He purand saved them, doubtless, from a sued Jackson vigorously up the Valheavier loss. Our men secured their ley to Woodstock, but was unable to prisoners, cared for their wounded- bring him to bay. those of the Rebels having mostly been carried off by them prior to their retreat and sank down to rest on the battle-field. The Rebels retreated a few miles, rapidly but in good order, ere they, too, rested for the night. Jackson attributes his defeat in part to Gen. R. B. Garnett's error of judgment in repeatedly ordering his men to retreat, when he should have held on and fought. It seems clear, however, that the capital mistake was his own in fighting at all, when his total force, according to his own estimate, was less than 5,000 men, and he estimates our infantry on the field at over 11,000. He makes his loss 80 killed, 342 wounded, and 269 missing, mainly prisoners; total, 691; while Shields claims 300 prisoners, and estimates the Rebel loss in killed and wounded at 1,000 to 1,500. Our own loss in this engagement was 103 killed, including Col. Murray, of the 84th Pennsylvania; 441 wounded, and 24 missing. 26 Gen. Shields, well aware that 26 Shields's official report says: "The enemy's loss is more difficult to ascertain than our own. Two hundred and seventy were found dead on the battle-field; 40 were buried by the inhabitants of the adjacent vil We have seen that Gen. McClellan's council of corps commanders decided, on the 13th of March, to abandon his original plan of debarking at Urbana, on the Rappahannock, and advancing thence on Richmond by West Point, at the head of York river, making this a secondary base. This most unfortunate decision is rendered unaccountable by a destructive if not disastrous naval collision which had just occurred in Hampton Roads, and of which the results were well known to the council. Of our naval officers' most calamitous, cowardly, disgraceful desertion of and flight from the Norfolk Navy Yard and Arsenal at the beginning of the struggle, the revolting particulars have already been given." Among the vessels there abandoned to the Rebels, after being fired, was the first-class 40-gun steam-frigate Merrimac, which, by Capt. McCauley's orders, had been scuttled and partly sunk, so that only her rig lage; and, by a calculation made by the num- ging and upper works were burned; | March 8th, a strange craft was deher hull being saved by a speedy scried from our vessels off Newport submersion. Having thus fallen News, coming down the Elizabeth an easy prey to the Rebels, she was adopted by them as the basis of an iron-clad, whereof Lieut. John M. Brooke furnished the original plan, which Chief Engineer Williamson and Naval Constructor Porter, together with Lt. Brooke, ultimately fashioned into the terrible engine of destruction known to us as the Merrimac, but designated by her rebuilders the Virginia. Messrs. Brooke, Williamson, and Porter, were all graduates from our navy, as was Commodore Franklin Buchanan, who became her commander. In preparing her for her new service, the hull of the Merrimac was cut down nearly to the water's edge, after she had been plugged, pumped out, and raised; when a sloping roof of heavy timber, strongly and thoroughly plated with railroad iron, rose from two feet below the water-line to about ten feet above: the ends and sides being alike and thoroughly shielded. A light bulwark, or false bow, was added, designed to divide the water, and serve as a tank to regulate the vessel's draft; and beyond this projected a strong iron beak. Being thus rendered thoroughly shotproof, she was armed with 10 heavy and most effective guns; and so, having been largely refitted from the spoils of the deserted Navy Yard, became at once the cheapest and most formidable naval engine of destruction that the world had ever seen. Whether she had or had not the ability to live in an open, turbulent sea, was left undecided by her brief but memorable career. A little before noon, on Saturday, river from Norfolk, past Craney Island, attended by two unremarkable steam gunboats. Two other Rebel gunboats, which had, evidently by preconcert, dropped down the James from Richmond, had been discovered at anchor off Smithfield Point, some 12 miles distant, about three hours before. The nondescript and her tenders gradually approached our war-ships awaiting her, and, passing across the bow of the Congress frigate, bore down on the Cumberland, in utter disdain of her rapid and well aimed but utterly ineffective shots, which glanced as harmless from the iron shield of the foe as though they had been peas. Not a gun was fired by the mysterious and terrible stranger until she struck the Cumberland with full force under her starboard fore-channels, at the same moment delivering a most destructive fire; while her blow had opened such a chasm in the bow of the Cumberland that her forward magazine was drowned in 30 minutes. Still, her fire was kept up until, at 3:35 P. M., the water had risen to the main hatchway, and the ship canted to port; when, giving a parting fire, Lt. Morris ordered every man to jump overboard and save himself if possible. The dead, and sick, and severely wounded, were unavoidably left in her bay and on her decks, to the number of at least 100; and she sank to the bottom in 54-feet water, with her flag still flying from her topmast. Meanwhile, the Congress-which had exchanged broadsides with the Merrimac as she passed-was attacked THE ROANOKE GOES IN. 117 white flag flying to intimate her surrender. Having fired several shells into her, the Merrimac left her to engage the Minnesota, giving opportunity for her crew to escape to the shore in small boats, with their wounded. About dark, the Merrimac returned and poured hot shot into the deserted hulk, until she was set on fire and utterly destroyed, her guns going off as they became heated -a shell from one of them striking a sloop at anchor at Newport News, and blowing her up. At midnight, containing five tuns of powder, and she blew up with a tremendous explosion. Of her crew of 434 men, 218 answered to their names at rollcall at Newport News next morning. by the Rebel gunboats, and was battling them to the best of her ability, until, seeing the fate of the Cumberland, she set her jib and topsail, and, with the assistance of the gunboat Zouave, ran aground not far from our batteries at Newport News, where she was soon again assailed by the Merrimac, which, taking position about 150 yards from her stern, raked her fore and aft with shell, while one of the smaller steamers from Norfolk kept up a fire on her starboard quarter; while the Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson-Rebel the fire had reached her magazines, steamers from up the James-likewise poured in their broadsides with precision and effect. The hapless Congress could only reply from her two stern guns, whereof one was soon dismounted and the other had its muzzle knocked off. Her commander, Lt. Joseph B. Smith, ActingMaster Thomas Moore, and Pilot William Rhodes, with nearly half her crew, having been killed or wounded, the ship on fire in several places, without a gun that could be brought to bear on her destroyers, Lt. Pendergrast, on whom the command had devolved, at 4:30 P. M. hauled down our flag. She was soon boarded by an officer from the Merrimac, who took her in charge, but left shortly afterward; when a small Rebel tug came alongside and demanded that her crew should get out of the ship, as her captors intended to burn her immediately. But our soldiers on shore, who had not surrendered, and who regarded the Congress as now a Rebel vessel, opened so brisk a fire upon her that the tug and her crew suddenly departed; when the Merrimac again opened on the luckless craft, though she had a Capt. John Marston, of the steamship Roanoke, whereof the machinery was disabled, being off Fortress Monroe, was in command of our fleet, when, at 1 P. M., one of his look-out vessels reported by signal that the enemy was coming. Signaling the steam-frigate Minnesota to get under way, and slipping his cable, he had the Roanoke taken in tow by two tugs, and started for the scene of action; but, before he reached it, he had the mortification of seeing the Minnesota hard aground. Continuing on his course, but unable to make tolerable headway, he came in sight of the Cumberland, only to find her virtually destroyed; having soon after the further mortification of seeing the Congress haul down her flag. Continuing to stand on, he was soon himself aground astern, in 33 fathoms, and was obliged to be hauled off by one of his tugs; when he decided to come to the relief of the stranded Minnesota, hoping with assistance to |