PREPARATIONS TO ATTACK NORFOLK.

387

In the mean time a most important movement had been made in McClellan's rear by the Confederates at Norfolk, and by General Wool at Fortress Monroe. Wool, who saw the eminent advantage of the James River as a highway for the supplies of an army on the Peninsula, had, ever since McClellan decided to take that route to Richmond, urged the Government to allow him to attempt the capture of Norfolk, and thus make the breaking up of the blockade of the James an easy matter. But it was not until after the evacuation of Yorktown, when President Lincoln and Secretaries Chase and Stanton visited Fortress Monroe, that his suggestions were favorably considered. He then renewed his recommendations; and when, on the 8th," he received positive information that Huger (who, with Burn- May, 1862. side in his rear and McClellan on his flank, saw that his position

was untenable) was preparing to evacuate that post, orders were given for an immediate attempt to seize Sewell's Point, and march on Norfolk. Arrangements were

made with Commodore Goldsborough to co-operate; and a large number of troops were embarked on transports then lying in Hampton Roads. Goldsborough attacked the Confederate batteries on the point, which replied with spirit. The Merrimack came out to assist

them, when the National vessels withdrew, and the troops were disembarked. The enterprise was abandoned for the time; but information that reached head-quarters a few hours later revived it.

On the following day General Wool, with Colonel T. J. Cram (his Inspector-general, and an accomplished topographical engineer) and Secretary Chase, made a reconnoissance toward Willoughby's Point, and along the coast toward the sea, when it was decided to land five thousand troops at a summer watering-place called Ocean View, by which the works on Sewell's Point could be taken in reverse, and a direct route to Norfolk be opened. The troops were again embarked, and a bombardment was opened on Sewell's Point from Fort Wool, in the Rip Raps,' to deceive the Confederates with the appearance of a design to renew the attempt to land there.

At a little past midnight, the troops, artillery, infantry, and cavalry,' under the immediate command of Brigadier-general Max Weber, were in readiness for debarkation at Ocean View, and early in the morn

1 An unfinished fortification that commanded the entrance to Hampton Roads, in front of Fortress Monroe. It was at first called Fort Calhoun. Its name was changed to Wool, in honor of the veteran General.

2 The troops composing the expedition consisted of the Tenth, Twentieth, and Ninety-ninth New York; Sixteenth Massachusetts; First Delaware; Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania; one hundred mounted riflemen; Follet's battery of light artillery, and Howard's battery.

388

1862.

CAPTURE OF NORFOLK.

ing a landing was effected unopposed, under the direction of Colonel Cram. The water was so shallow that the troops were compelled to pass May 10, ashore on platforms laid on old canal barges. The entire movement was successful; and at eight o'clock in the morning General Wool, accompanied by the President and the two Secretaries, and Generals Mansfield and Viele, took command in person. The infantry were immediately pushed forward to secure the bridge over Tanner's Creek.' They found it on fire, and received shot from cannon on the opposite side of the stream. Supposing this to indicate intended opposition, the artillery was hurried forward, but on its arrival the foe had disappeared. The troops pushed forward, and at five o'clock in the afternoon reached the lines of the strongly intrenched camp of the Confederates, where they found twenty

nine mounted cannon, but no troops. Onward they marched, and just before reaching the city they were met by a flag of truce, heralding the approach of the Mayor with a proposition to surrender the town. Huger had been instructed not to attempt to hold the city against any demonstration of National troops; and when he was informed that Wool had landed at Ocean View, he turned over Norfolk to the keeping of Mayor Lamb, and with his troops fled towards Richmond. Norfolk was formally surrendered to General Wool; and from the City Hall he issued an order announcing the fact, appointing General Viele Military Governor, and directing that all the rights and privileges of peaceable citizens should be carefully protected. The venerable commander then rode back to Ocean View (thus making a journey on horseback that day of thirty-five miles), and reached Fortress Monroe at near midnight with the pleasing intelligence of his success, for the anxious President and Secretary of War. On the following morning he

1 By reference to the map on page 399, volume I., the reader will have an idea of the direction of the movement. Ocean View was on Willoughby's beach, about at the edge of the map, and the outward road was the one followed by the troops.

EVENTS IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.

389

received publicly expressed thanks for his achievement.' At dawn the same morning a bright light was seen in the direction of Norfolk, and then an explosion was heard. The fleeing Confederates had set the Merrimack, other vessels, and the Navy Yard on fire, and by a slow match communicating with her magazine, the monster ram was blown into fragments. Sewell's Point and Craney Island, both strongly fortified, were abandoned. The Confederate gun-boats in the James River fled toward Richmond, and the navigation of that stream was opened to the National vessels. The Confederates destroyed all they could by fire before they departed, but left about two hundred cannon in fair condition, to become spoils of victory. Two unfinished armored vessels were among those destroyed.

While the stirring events we have just considered were occurring in Southeastern Virginia, important military movements were seen in the Shenandoah Valley and the adjacent region on both sides of the Blue Ridge. There were three distinct Union armies in that region, acting independently of, but in co-operation with, the Army of the Potomac. One was in the Mountain Department, under Fremont; another in the Department of the Shenandoah, under Banks; and a third in the newly created Department of the Rappahannock, under McDowell. At about the time of the siege of Yorktown, early in April, General Fremont was at Franklin, in Pendleton County, over the mountains west of Harrisonburg, with fifteen thousand men; General Banks was at Strasburg, in the Valley, with about sixteen thousand; and General McDowell was at Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannock, with thirty thousand.

When the appearance of McClellan on the Peninsula drew Johnston's main body from the Rapid Anna to the defense of Richmond, Washington was relieved, and McDowell's corps was ordered forward to co-operate with the Army of the Potomac; and for this purpose Shields's division was detached from Banks's command and given to McDowell, making the force of the latter about forty-one thousand men and one hundred guns. Such was the disposition of the National forces in Virginia at the close of April, when "Stonewall Jackson," who, as we have observed, was driven up the Shenandoah Valley after his defeat by Shields at Kernstown, again commenced offensive operations.

Jackson remained a few days at Mount Jackson, after his flight from Winchester, and then took a position between the South Fork of the Shenan

2 "The skillful and gallant movements of Major-general John E. Wool, and the forces under his command," said Secretary Stanton, in an order issued by direction of the President, on the 11th, which resulted in the surrender of Norfolk, and the evacuation of strong batteries erected by the rebels on Sewell's Point and Craney Island, and the destruction of the rebel iron-clad steamer Merrimack, are regarded by the President as among the most important successes of the present war; he therefore orders that his thanks, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, be communicated by the War Department to Major-general John E. Wool, and the officers and soldiers of his command, for their gallantry and good conduct in the brilliant operations mentioned.”

The Merrimack, then in command of Commodore Tatnall, was at Craney Island, for the two-fold purpose of protecting Norfolk and guarding the mouth of the James River. The land troops had fled without informing Tatnall of the movement, and the unfortunate, old man, seeing the Navy Yard in flames, and all the works abandoned, could do nothing better than to destroy his ship and fly, for with his best efforts he could not get her into the James River.

Craney Island was much more strongly fortified now for the defense of Norfolk than it was in 1813. See Lossing's Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812. Captain Case, of the Navy, was the first man to land on the abandoned Island, and to pull down the ensign of rebellion and place the National flag there.

4 Reports of Colonel T. J. Cram and Flag-officer Goldsborough; Narrative of Henry J. Raymond; Letter of General Wool to the author, May 23, 1862.

390

• April 30,

1862.

BATTLE AT MCDOWELL.

doah and Swift Run Gap, eastward of Harrisonburg, in Rockingham County. There he was joined by the division of General R. S. Ewell, from Gordonsville, and also two brigades under Edward S. Johnson, who had an independent command in Southwestern Virginia. Jackson's entire force was now about fifteen thousand men, while General Banks was lying at Harrisonburg, not far away, his force reduced to about five thousand men by the withdrawal of Shields's division.

Jackson was watching Banks closely, with orders to hold him, while General Lee, with a strong column, should push beyond the Rappahannock to cut off the communication between Winchester and Alexandria,' when he was startled by the information that one of Fremont's brigades, under General Milroy, was approaching from the direction of Monterey, either to join Banks or to fall upon Staunton. He perceived that such a junction, or the occupation of Staunton, might give to the Nationals the possession of the Shenandoah Valley, and he took immediate measures to prevent the catastrophe. Leaving Ewell to watch Banks, he moved rapidly upon Staunton, and from that point sent Johnson, with five brigades, to attack Milroy. The latter, greatly outnumbered, fell back to the Bull Pasture Mountains and took post at McDowell, thirty-six miles west of Staunton, whither Schenck hastened with a part of his brigade to assist him. Jackson had also hurried from Staunton to assist Johnson, and on the 8th he appeared with a large force on a ridge overlooking the National camp, and commenced planting a battery there. Milroy led a force to dislodge him, and for about five hours a battle, varying in intensity, was fought with great gallantry on both sides. Darkness put an end to the conflict. Schenck (who ranked Milroy) saw that the position of the Nationals was untenable, and by his direction the whole force retreated during the night to Franklin, having lost two hundred and fifty-six men, of whom one hundred and forty-five were only slightly wounded. Jackson reported a loss of four hundred and sixty-one, of whom three hundred and ninety were wounded. Among the latter was General Johnson. It was a fairly drawn fight, and yet Jackson, whose troops largely outnumbered the Nationals, and had every advantage of position, sent a trumpet-toned note to Ewell the next morning, saying, "Yesterday God gave us the victory at McDowell."

2

Jackson pursued the Nationals to Franklin, where he heard from Ewell that Banks was evidently preparing to fly from Harrisonburg. So he hastened back to McDowell, recrossed the Shenandoah mountains to Lebanon Sulphur Springs, rested a little, and then pressed forward to fall upon Banks. The latter had fled to Strasburg pursued by Ewell, and Jackson pushed on, joining the latter at New Market. Then he led the united forces into the Luray Valley, between the Massanutten Mountain and the Blue Ridge, and hastened toward Front Royal, to cut off Banks's retreat in that direction,

1 On the 5th of May Lee wrote to Ewell that he had ordered North Carolina troops to report to him at Gordonsville, and said: "I desire that those troops shall not be drawn to Swift Run Gap unless your necessities require it, the object being to form a strong column for the purpose of moving beyond the Rappahannock, to cut off the enemy's communication between Winchester and Alexandria."-Autograph letter of Robert E. Lee. This was precisely such a movement as the Government anticipated, and which might have resulted in the capture of Washington, had not the corps of McDowell been left for its defense.

2 These consisted of the Twenty-fifth, Thirty-second, Seventy-fifth, and Eighty-second Ohio and Third Virginia, with a 6-pounder of the Twelfth Ohio battery, under Lieutenant Bowen,

AFFAIR AT FRONT ROYAL.

391 if he should attempt to join McDowell by way of the Manassas Gap railroad.

a May 23, 1862.

Ashby's cavalry so perfectly masked this movement that Banks was not aware of it, and almost without a warning Ewell fell with crushing force on the little garrison of Front Royal, of about a thousand men, under Colonel Kenly.' That gallant Marylander' made a spirited resistance against the overwhelming force, ten times his own in

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FAC-SIMILE OF JACKSON'S NOTE TO EWELLS

number, but he was driven from the town. He made a stand on a ridge a mile distant, from which he was soon pushed across the river. He attempted to burn the bridge behind him over the Shenandoah, but failed. His pursuers put out the flames, and he was soon overtaken by the cavalry of Ashby and Flournoy, when he again gave battle. In that encounter he was severely

1 These were composed of two companies each of the Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania and Fifth New York cavalry, one company of Captain Mapes's Pioneers, and a section of Knapp's battery. Kenly was charged with the protection of the road and bridges between Front Royal and Strasburg. One company each of the Second Massachusetts, Third Wisconsin, and Twenty-seventh Indiana were posted along that road.

When the writer was at Nashville, early in May, 1866, he was permitted by General Ewell, then residing there, to peruse and make extracts from the manuscript records of his brigade, kept by his young adjutant. In it was the statement, that when Ewell's force was near Front Royal, a young woman was seen running toward them. She had made a circuit to avoid the Yankees," and she sent word to General Jackson, by officers who went to meet her, "to push on--only one regiment in the town, and that might be completely surprised; if we pressed on we might get the whole." This "young lady" was the afterward notorious rebel spy, Belle Boyd, "who was to my eye," recorded the adjutant, "pleasant and lady-like in appearance, and certainly had neither freckled face, red hair and large mouth,' as the New York Herald said she had. She seemed embarrassed by the novelty of her position, and very anxious that we should push on."

2 See page 553, volume I.

This is an exact fac-simile of Jackson's entire note to Ewell, with all its blots, carefully copied from the original, kindly placed in the hands of the author by the late Frank Henry