strength and position of troops remaining north of the Rappahannock. General McDowell said he would be ready to move on Saturday afternoon, the 24th of May; the Presi dent, however, was averse to commencing a campaign on Sunday, and suggested that the command should move early on Monday morning. The President left McDowell's headquarters on Saturday night, and almost immediately after his departure, a despatch was received by General McDowell, announcing the raid of the rebel General Jackson down the Shenandoah valley, This diversion of the enemy wholly changed the plans of McDowell's campaign. By order of the President, Bayard's brigade was withcalled, and followed by three divisions, commanded by Generals Shields, King, and Ord, was sent with all possible haste to intercept Jackson's retreat up the valley.

The regiment of cavalry and company C, commanded by Captain Leander W. Gifford; company G, Captain Hugh McDonald; company H, Captain Charles F. Taylor, and company I, Captain William F. Blanchard, of the Bucktail regiment, were the only troops from the Reserve Corps that joined in this expedition. McCall was ordered to hold Fredericksburg, until the return of the three divisions of the First corps from the Shenandoah. The troops marched by the Catlett's Station road through Thoroughfare Gap to Front Royal, where they arrived on Sunday the 1st of June, and after taking an hour's rest pushed forward to Strasburg, coming up to the rear guard of Jackson's retreating army, General Bayard ordered his cavalry to halt until reinforcements would arrive.

On Monday morning he pushed forward, driving the enemy through the town, and was almost immediately joined by the advance guard of General Fremont's army, marching from the west to intercept Jackson. Bayard's brigade was ordered to press forward as rapidly as possible on the rear of the flying enemy. A light brigade and flying artillery from Fremont's army joined General Bayard's troops. The morning was clear and refreshing, after a

heavy rain, and the pursuit had every element of interest and excitement. At intervals, the sound of artillery, rapidly served, was heard rolling over the hills, indicating to the marching column that the enemy's rear guard had made a stand, in the hope of checking the pursuit. On Monday evening, near Woodstock, General Ewell, who commanded the rear guard of the rebel army, made a stand in a strong position, hoping to delay, for at least a few hours, the vigorous pursuit; he turned his guns against the First New Jersey cavalry, which was in the advance, but reinforcements coming up promptly, the rebels were outflanked and forced to retire in hot haste through Woodstock. The pursuit continued with almost hourly skirmishes until the 6th of June, when Jackson's rear guard again attempted to make a stand at Harrisonsburgh, and a running fight occurred, lasting from two o'clock in the afternoon until dark. The enemy was driven from the town early in the afternoon by Bayard's brigade, and the men were resting and preparing coffee, when a scout came in, bringing a report that three hundred rebel cavalry were checked in their retreat by the breaking down of a bridge, which was being repaired. Colonel Wyndham, of the First New Jersey cavalry, was sent forward to reconnoitre the position of the enemy. The report of the scout proved to be false, and Colonel Wyndham's regiment was drawn into an ambuscade of infantry, and lost severely in officers and men. As soon as the disaster to the New Jersey cavalry was reported at headquarters, General Fremont sent forward General Bayard, with the four companies of Bucktails and the First Pennsylvania cavalry, commanded by Colonel Owen Jones, and Colonel Cluseret's brigade, to defend the southern approaches to the town. Colonel Cluseret drove the enemy on the left, captured his camps, and held the crest of woods on which the rebels had been posted. Lieutenant-Colonel Kane pushed forward through a wood on the right, and suddenly found himself opposed by four regiments of infantry, supported by cavalry and artillery.

The first regiment broke under the impetuous charge of the gallant Bucktails, and retreated behind the other regiments, posted beyond the crest of the hill. When Kane's men gained the crest and discovered the force of the enemy, Martin Kelley, a private in one of the companies, called out to Lieutenant-Colonel Kane: "Colonel, shall I draw their fire?" and immediately rushing forward, received the full volley of three regiments and fell dead, pierced in every part of the body. Relying on supports, the band of Bucktails held the enemy in check for more than an hour, doing terrible execution with their rifles; but finally discovering the insignificance of the number of the opposing force, the enemy closed in on them, and forced them to retire with heavy loss. At one time during this spirited engagement, a rebel officer appeared in front of the enemy's line, urging the men to charge; almost immediately, Fred Holmes, one of the Bucktail riflemen, raised to his cheek the unerring rifle, and fired; the officer leaped from the ground and fell dead. It was General Ashby, whose death was a host lost to the enemy. Lieutenant-Colonel Kane was wounded in the leg early in the engagement, but refused to allow himself to be carried from the field. Captain Charles F. Taylor assumed the active command, and after having withdrawn the remnant of the battalion from the woods, under the protection of Bayard's cavalry, Captain Taylor, finding that his commanding officer had been left on the field, turned back to recover his body, if dead, or to assist him away, if wounded; both, however, fell into the hands of the enemy, and were sent prisoners to Richmond.

General Bayard's brigade now became part of Fremont's army, and acted with it until its union with the Army of the Potomac, under General Pope, at Bull Run. On the 8th of June, in the battle of Cross Keys, both the Bucktail battalion and the cavalry regiment were actively engaged and suffered severely. The battle commenced at half past eight o'clock in the morning, and until four o'clock in the afternoon, Fremont struggled with all his force to over

whelm and capture Jackson's army, and would, doubtlessly, have succeeded, but for the withdrawal of a brigade on the left, whose commander, misunderstanding an order to relieve the troops in his front, ordered them to fall back in good order. The battle ceased; and during the night the wily rebel withdrew his army in safety beyond the Shenandoah river, at Port Republic, and destroying the bridge, to prevent pursuit, escaped to Richmond, thus ending the Jackson raid, and the campaign of Banks, McDowell and Fremont in the Shenandoah valley.

CHAPTER VI.

PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN-MECHANICSVILLE-GAINES' MILL.

The Reserves in camp at Fredericksburg—Condition of brigadesGeneral Reynolds military governor—General Ord, promotion, his military services—McClellan calls for reinforcements—Destruction of bridges at Fredericksburg—McCall's division ordered to the Peninsula -Embarkation—Sailing to the White House—Disembarkation—March to Despatch station—Pursuit of enemy at Tunstall's station—Stuart's raid—Arrival of Third brigade—The Reserves save McClellan's line of communication—Concentration of the division at Despatch stationStrength of the division—March to new bridge—Spirit of the men— McCall and his troops assigned the post of honor—March to Mechanicsville—The appearance of the troops—Position on Beaver Dam creekOccupation of Mechanicsville—Picket lines—Powerful armies face to face—Delay of the attack—The situation; in Richmond; in the armies -McClellan in doubt—Resolves to give battle—Position of the armyAdvance of the left wing—Position of the right wing—Jackson's movement—Advance of the Rebel army—Battle of Mechanicsville—Night after the battle—Withdrawal to a new line—Position at Gaines' MillBattle of Gaines' Mill- Desperate fighting by regiments - Official reports—Results.

The departure of two divisions of the First corps for the Shenandoah valley, left McCall with the Reserve Corps at Fredericksburg to hold the position, until General McDowell should return with the other divisions of his command. General McCall moved his division from the rear of Falmouth, to the position vacated by General King's division, opposite Fredericksburg, and established his headquarters in the Phillips House, situated on a hill half a mile northeast from the Lacy House, which it surpassed in architectural beauty and elegance of finish. The Phillips House was, in December, 1862, made the headquarters of General Burnside during the battle of Fredericksburg, and afterwards the headquarters of General Sumner; in the spring of 1863, it was accidently destroyed by fire.