448

BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN.

communication with the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg at al! hazards, and to that end he now made his movements conform. He could not determine, all day long, whether Jackson intended to strike Madison or Culpepper Court-House; so, as offering the greater safety to his communications, he drew his army still closer to the latter place, where he had his headquarters, and on the morning of the 9th he sent Banks forward to Cedar Run with his whole corps, consisting of about eight thousand men, to join Crawford' near Cedar or Slaughter's Mountain, eight miles southward, take command of all the forces there, attack the enemy as soon as he should appear, and rely upon re-enforcements from head-quarters. Sigel was ordered to advance from Sperryville at the same time, to the support of Banks.

Jackson had now gained the commanding heights of Cedar Mountain. From that eminence he could look down upon the National camps and estimate the strength of his foe. The vision satisfied him that he had but little to fear, so he sent Ewell forward with his division under the thick mask of the forest. Early's brigade of that division was thrown upon the Culpepper road, and the remainder took position along the western slope of the mountain, and planted batteries at an altitude of two hundred feet above the common level below, so as to sweep the open cultivated country. Four guns, meanwhile, had been advanced to the front, and these, with the more elevated ones, opened fire on Crawford's batteries, while a part of Jackson's corps, under General Charles S. Winder, was thrown out to the left under the covering of the woods. Hill's division came up soon afterward; and when, at five o'clock in the afternoon, the Confederates threw out skirmishers, with a heavy body behind them ready to take the initiative, they had about twenty thousand veteran soldiers in line of battle, very strongly posted.

Against these odds Banks moved at five o'clock across the open fields and up gentle slopes, in the face of a fearful storm from artillery and infantry, and fell almost simultaneously upon Early on Jackson's right, and upon his left, commanded by General Taliaferro. The attacking force was composed of the divisions of General Augur, the advance led by General Geary, and the division of General Williams, of which Crawford's gallant brigade was a part. The battle at once became general, and for an hour and a half a fierce

2

fare in which the citizens of that section of Virginia were almost universally engaged, known as “bushwhack. ing,” which was cowardly and murderous in all its effects. These orders were justified by the common usages of war among civilized nations; and yet the crafty and malignant chief conspirator, who seems to have been ready at all times to entertain propositions to assassinate, by the hand of secret murder, the officers of Government at Washington,* issued an order for the purpose of “ firing the Southern heart," declaring that the National authorities had "determined to violate all the rules and usages of war, and to convert the hostilities hitherto waged against armed forces into a campaign of robbery and murder against unarmed citizens and tillers of the soil." He ordered that Generals Pope and Steinwehr, and all commissioned officers under their respective commands, should not be considered as soldiers, but as out-laws; and in the event of their capture, to be held as hostages for the lives of bushwhackers or spies, one of cach to be hung for every man executed

under the orders above mentioned.

1 Crawford's brigade was composed of the Forty-sixth Pennsylvania, Tenth Maine, Fifth Connecticut, and

Twenty-eighth New York, with Best's battery of Regulars.

2 Geary's brigade was composed of the Fifth, Seventh, and Twenty-ninth Ohio, and Twenty-eighth Penn.

sylvania, with Snapp's battery.

See page 523, volume I. At about the time we are now considering, a Georgian named Burnham wrote to Jefferson Davis, propt. sing to organize a corps of five hundred assassins, to be distributed over the North, and sworn to murder President Lincoln, mera bers of bir cabinet, and leading Republican Senators, and other supporters of the Government. This proposition was made in writing, and wat regularly filed in the "Confederate War Department," indorsed, "Respectfully referred to the Secretary of War, by order of the President," and signed "J. C. Ives." Other communications of similar tenor, "respectfully referred" by Jefferson Davis, were placed

on file in that "War Department."

THE BELLIGERENTS RE-ENFORCED.

449

struggle was carried on, in which uncommon deeds of valor were performed by the respective combatants. "I have witnessed many battles during this war," wrote a newspaper correspondent, "but I have seen none where the tenacious obstinacy of the American character was so fully displayed.” The Nationals, outnumbered by more than two to one, and failing to receive reenforcements in time,' were forced back by overwhelming weight, after incurring and inflicting a terrible loss of human life. At dusk, Ricketts' division of McDowell's corps arrived on the field, and took position to relieve Banks and check the pursuit of the Confederates, and artillery-firing was kept up until midnight. Late in the evening Sigel's corps began to arrive." So ended the BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN, or of Cedar Run, as the Confederates call it. None was more desperately fought during the war. A part of the sanguinary struggle was hand to hand, under the dark pall of smoke that obscured the moon.

" Aug., 1862.

These re-enforcements kept Jackson in check, who held fast to his mountain position until the night of the 11th," when, informed of the approach of National troops from the Rappahannock, and alarmed for the safety of his communications with Richmond, he fled precipitately across the Rapid Anna, leaving a part of his dead unburied. He was pursued as far as that stream by Buford, with cavalry and artillery, and in the course of a day or two heavy rains placed almost impassable waters between the belligerents. Pope made his head-quarters at the house of Robert Hudson, the proprietor of the Rose Hill estate, on which, and that of Mrs. Crittenden, nearer the foot of Cedar Mountain, the principal part of the battle was fought. On the verge of the battle-field, where both parties claimed to have achieved a victory, the wearied troops rested on their arms the night succeeding the day of conflict-a night remarkable for its brilliancy, the moon being at its full.

Generals Pope and Jackson were both re-enforced soon after the Battle of Cedar Mountain. The latter retired to Gordonsville, where he was joined by the van of Lee's army, composed of the divisions of Longstreet, two

1 New York Herald, August 10, 1862.

2 The battle was somewhat unexpected to Pope. The cannonading that opened late in the afternoon was so desultory, that Banks reported he did not expect an attack, and supposed that no great infantry force had come forward. The mask of the forest had completely concealed them, and the large number of the Confederates in his front was unsuspected by Banks. When, towards evening, the sounds of a heavy battle reached his ears, Pope ordered McDowell to send forward Ricketts' division, directed Sigel to bring his men upon the ground as quickly as possible, and then hastened to the front, where he arrived before the close of the action.

3 The dead bodies of both parties were found mingled in masses over the whole ground of the conflict. The National loss was about two thousand men killed and wounded, and that of the Confederates was about the same. General Crawford's brigade came out of that terrible fight a mere remnant. Some regiments, like those of the One Hundred and Ninth Pennsylvania and One Hundred and Second New York lost half of their number, dead or wounded. General Geary, with one Pennsylvania and five Ohio regiments, made one of the most desperate charges during the battle, and was severely wounded, with most of his officers. General Auger was also badly wounded; and General Prince, while passing from one part of his command to another, in the dark, was made prisoner. Lee, in his report (Reports of the Army of Northern Virginia, page 18), says he captured “400 prisoners, including a brigadier-general, 5,300 stand of small arms, one piece of artillery, several caissons, and three colors." Among Lee's officers who were slain was General C. S. Winder.

4 Lee says that Jackson made preparations to push on and “enter Culpepper Court-House before morning," but was detained by the knowledge of Banks's re-enforcements.

• On receiving orders to move, Sigel sent to inquire which route he should take, and while waiting for an answer, the precious hours that might have taken him to the front and secured a victory were lost.

• Reports of Generals Pope and Lee, and of their subordinates. Pope specially commended the brave conduct of General Banks in the fight, who, he said, "was in the front, and exposed as much as any man in his command." He also made special mention of the gallantry of Generals Augur, Geary, Williams, Gordon, Craw ford, Prince, Green, and Roberts.

VOL. II-67

450

POPE COMPELLED TO RETREAT.

brigades under Hood, and Stuart's cavalry. Pope was joined by eight thousand of Burnside's soldiers under General Reno, and other troops under General King; and ten regiments under General Stevens, that had just come

up from the South Carolina coast, had moved from Fredericksburg, and were within supporting distance. Pope was also authorized to call on General Cox for the greater portion of his troops in Western Virginia. Thus strengthened, he moved forward and formed a line with his right under Sigel, on Robertson's River, his left under Reno, at Raccoon Ford, and his center

under McDowell, occupying the flanks of Cedar Mountain.

20, 1862.

It was intended to hold this position until the Army of the Potomac should join the Army of Virginia, but before that was accomplished Pope found it necessary to fall back. Some Confederate cavalry were surprised and captured at Louisa Court-House, and from them positive information was obtained that Lee was about to throw his whole army with crushing force upon Pope, and to seize his communications with Fredericksburg and the capital. Pope was immediately ordered to retire behind the North Fork of the Rappahannock, which he did in good order and Aug. 18, 19, without loss, taking position so that his left rested at Kelly's Ford and his right at Rappahannock Station, where the Orange and Alexandria railway crosses the North Fork. The Confederate cavalry had closely pursued, and on the 20th and 21st, Lee's army, in heavy force, reached the river, Longstreet, with Fitz-Hugh Lee's cavalry taking position opposite Pope's left, and Jackson, with Stuart's cavalry, posting themselves at Beverly Ford, above Rappahannock Station. There had been some brisk skirmishing between the cavalry of Bayard and Stuart all the way from Cedar Mountain, but no very severe fighting excepting 8 August 20. Brandy Station,' where the Nationals were worsted and driven across the Rappahannock.

They

1 This was the appearance of Mr. Hudson's house on Rose Hill when the writer visited and sketched it, in October, 1866. Mr. Hudson and his family were living there. He was then seventy-five years of age. remained in the house during the battle. Several of Banks's cannon were planted near it, and several soldiers were killed in the yard in front and at the side of the house. Cedar Mountain, which is about a mile distant

from Hudson's, is seen, in the sketch, between the two locust-trees on the right.

2 Stuart was with the party, and narrowly escaped capture. His adjutant was not so fortunate.

On his

person was found an autograph letter from General Lee, dated the 15th, in which the intended movement was

mentioned.-See Lee's Report accompanying the Reports of the Army of Northern Virginia, page 19.

3 A few miles above Fredericksburg the Rappahannock forks, the more southern branch being the Rapid

Anna, and the other the North Fork.

MOVEMENTS ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK.

451

During the 20th and 21st there was an artillery conflict along the Rappahannock for seven or eight miles, the Confederates trying to force a passage of that stream in front of the Nationals, while the latter, well posted, continually repulsed them. On the second day it was clear to Lee and his officers that they could not succeed, so they began the more formidable movement of a march up the stream, to cross it above and flank Pope's army. This movement was masked by leaving a strong force at Beverly Ford under Longstreet. Pope had expected and dreaded this; for, being still under strict orders to keep up a communication with Fredericksburg, he was too weak in numbers to extend his right any farther up the stream. He telegraphed to Washington that he must either be re-enforced or retreat, and was assured that if he could hold on two days longer he would be so strengthened by troops expected from the Peninsula that he would be able to resume the offensive. But on the morning of the 25th, the designated time, only seven thousand troops of that army had reached him.'

a August 21, 1862.

In the mean time Pope had determined to paralyze the dangerous flank movement, if possible, by the perilous one to himself of throwing his whole force across the Rappahannock, and falling furiously upon the flank and rear of the Confederates. He saw clearly that he must either do this or abandon the line of the Rappahannock and retire to Warrenton Junction, or retire to Fredericksburg and abandon the Orange and Alexandria railway, and thus leave open the direct approaches to Washington. Arrangements for the bold movement were made, when a heavy rain-storm set in and frustrated it. The river was raised several feet before morning, and the bridges were destroyed, and all the fords were drowned. At the same time Stuart was making a raid on Pope's

and guarded by about fifteen hundred infantry and five companies of cavalry. Stuart fired a portion of the trains, but did not succeed in doing much damage, on account of the rain. He captured Pope's field quartermaster with

1 These were 2,500 Pennsylvania Reserves, under General Reynolds, and the division of General Kearney, 4,500 strong, which on that day was at Warrenton Junction.

452

his

TARDINESS OF RE-ENFORCEMENTS.

papers, burned a few wagons, and carried off about two hundred prisoners, taken from the hospitals. The disgrace inflicted, it was thought, was more serious than the damage.' Stuart recrossed the Rappahannock at Warrenton Springs, after a little skirmishing.

The National capital was now in imminent danger, and slowly the Army of the Potomac was coming up to its relief. Still it was coming, and Pope was made to believe that almost immediately he would be re-enforced by forty thousand or fifty thousand fresh troops, who had been resting for more than a month.3 His own force had become much weakened by fighting and marching, and at this time its effective men did not exceed forty thousand in number. But with the hope of immediate support, he massed his army in the neighborhood of Rappahannock Station," for the purpose • August 23, of falling upon the portion of the Confederates that had crossed 1802. the river above him, and was then supposed to be stretched between Waterloo Bridge, the Sulphur Springs, and Warrenton. He looked to the swollen river as a sufficient barrier to any attempt of the Confederates on its right bank to get between himself and Fredericksburg.

Sigel was directed to march his whole corps upon Sulphur Springs, sup ported by Banks and Reno, and McDowell (joined by the Pennsylvania Reserves, under Reynolds) was ordered, at the same time, to march directly upon Warrenton, that he might join with Sigel in pushing the Confederates back to Waterloo Bridge. General Halleck was requested to send Franklin's corps (which had arrived at Alexandria from the Peninsula) to Gainsville, on the Manassas Gap railway, eight miles west of the Junction. Sturgis, at Alexandria, had been ordered to post strong guards along the railway between Manassas Junction and Catlett Station; and directions had been given to the commander at Manassas Junction, for 1 Pope in his report says, the raid was attended with but little damage,” but “was most disgraceful to the

August 22.

force which had been left in charge of the trains."

2 General Halleck had repeatedly urged General McClellan to hasten the departure of his army from the Peninsula. On the 9th, he informed him of the perils with which Pope's army and the capital were threatened, and said, "Considering the amount of transportation (an immense number of vessels in the James and at Harrap ton Roads) at your disposal, your delay is not satisfactory. You must move with all celerity." On the follow ing day Halleck informed McClellan of the battle between Pope and Jackson, at Cedar Mountain, and said, "There must be no further delay in your movements; that which has already occurred was entirely unex pected, and must be satisfactorily explained." To these electrographs McClellan replied, that a lack of tran portation was the cause of delay; and he assured the General-in-Chief that he was doing all in his power to carry

out his orders. See McClellan's Report, pages 159-160.

3 After the first few days succeeding the retreat to Harrison's Landing, Lee's army having fallen back to Richmond, with the exception of a brigade of cavalry left to watch the movements of the Army of the Potomac there was very little service, excepting camp duty, for that army to perform. Immediately on its arrival upon the little peninsula formed by the James and Herring Creek, between Harrison's Point and Westover, the It soon became evident that troops were gathering on the south side On the 30th of July, McClellan was informed from Washington that they were moving, when Hooker was ordered to advance with his division and Pleasanton's

approaches to it were strongly fortified.

of the James, in the neighborhood of Petersburg.

captured 100 of them, and pushed cavalry under Averill as far as White Oak Swamp Bridge, where they capfollow up this movement with any considerable number of troops, Richmond might have been taken with ease. McClellan had received a peremptory order to transfer his army to Acquia Creek, and it could not be done. Meanwhile General French, with a considerable Confederate force and 43 guns, had gone down the south side

of the Jaines to assail McClellan's camp. He appeared suddenly at Coggin's Point, before daylight

on

the

morning of the first of August, and opened fire on the camp and vessels. So soon as McClellan's guns were brought to bear on him, he ceased firing and withdrew. McClellan sent a force across the James that drove the

Confederates back to Petersburg, and strongly fortified Coggin's Point.

4 Sigel's corps had become reduced to about 9,000 effectives; Banks's to 5,000; McDowells's, including Reynolds's division that had come from the Peninsula, was only 15,000; Reno's was 7,000; and the cavalry,

greatly reduced in its equipment of horses and arms, did not exceed 4,000.