Augusta County: Jedediah Hotchkiss to Sara A. Hotchkiss, May 26,
1862
Summary:
Hotchkiss gives a detailed account of the Confederate forces' retaking of Winchester and
their drive to push the Federal forces out of the Valley.
Sara A. Hotchkiss
Monday, May 26th 1862
My Dear Wife:
I wrote you a brief note, yesterday, telling you of our victories and that I was well, and
this evening I will write you more fully, after a day of enjoyment in which I wish you could
have participated & enjoyed some of the good things they left behind in their hasty
retreat -- delicacies of every kind, in getting up which the Yankee nation seems to have
surpassed itself -- But to begin, I will not say at the beginning for that would embrace thirty
days -- but after the battle of Kernstown, on the 23rd of March, and
briefly relate the movements by which we got Winchester and drove the haughty &
insolent foe back from our Valley -- From the 23rd of March to the 18th of April we slowly retired before the superior numbers of the enemy,
resisting his
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advance at every favorable spot, and only moving back when he came on
in force, and, finally, when we reached Harrisonburg, by leaving the main road and throwing
ourselves into a defensible mountain pass near to the forces of Gen. Ewell, we prevented the
advance of Banks upon Staunton & put ourselves in a position where our movements could
be concealed, we were there until the 30th of April, showing resistance
down the river, below us & also towards the enemy's front at Harrisonburg, completely
[unclear: puzzing] everyone in regard to our movements, on the 30th Gen. Ewell & his army moved up to Conrad's store and we moved off to Port
Republic, the force at Conrad's Store being still about the same, so Banks thought it was all
there still, then on the 3rd of May we crossed over the Blue Ridge, and Banks heard that we had
gone to Richmond, but the force still there i.e. at Conrad's [unclear: puzzed] him the
more
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then we rapidly crossed back to Staunton and on to North Mountain &
pushed back the forces of Milroy & fought the bloody battle of Bull Pasture Mountain
& drove Milroy, demoralized, back to Franklin & by leaving the Valley made
Banks think we had run away from him to carry on the war in Western Va, then he moved back to
New Market for fear we would fall on his flank, but let Shields go
away to Fredericksburg to join McDowell, supposing, no doubt, that Jackson was too far off to
get back soon to his front, but was completely deluded by the appearance of Cavalry all along
the Mt. coming to the conclusion that Jackson was at Brock's Gap, Jackson having, by the move
westward, divided Bank's forces, at once moved rapidly to New Market and making a demonstration
towards Wood-
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stock as if he intended to go that way, he suddenly sent the forces of
Gen. Ewell, which had been concealed by the movements of Cavalry, towards Front Royal, preceded
by a large body of Cavalry, which place they reached on Friday and by a sudden attack drove out
the forces of the enemy there, captured a large amount of valuable stores, about 1000
prisoners, two locomotives and trains of cars, the stores worth from one to two hundred
thousand dollars. The regiment that made the attack on our side was the First Maryland, and the
one that it attacked was the 1st Yankee Maryland, neighbor against
neighbor, ours took the flag of the other & then the Louisiana Tigers joined in the
pursuit and followed them so closely that they could not burn the bridge behind them though
they got it on fire, and when some attempted to escape on the train to Strasburg they found that Ashby had been sent across the country to our left and
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had after a hot engagement, in which Capts. Shotts, Fletcher & other gallant
men of ours were killed, drove away the force of the enemy at Buckton Station, between Front
Royal and Strasburg and torn up the track and cut the wire before the attack at Front Royal, so
when the train ran up that way it found the track up and came back to find us hotly pressing
behind, so there was no alternative but to flee towards Newtown, 14 miles distant, which began
at about 6 P.M. and then the splendid cavalry Regiments, two, some 1000 men under the command
of Gen. Steuart, charged after them like a whirlwind, capturing wagon after wagon, loaded with
valuable baggage ammunition, then horses that had been cut loose and
squad after squad & company after company of men, officers & all, until some
wearied out by the hot pursuit, halted behind a fence and build
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ings, and, in the
darkness, poured a deadly volley into our men, but, though some 10 or 12 were killed or badly
wounded, there was no halt, but with uplifted sabres our men rushed upon the ambuscaders, over
the fences, and scattered them to the four winds, causing many of them to bite the dust, and
inflicting horrible wounds upon others, there a perfect stampede of them occurred in every
direction, seeking to escape from the dreaded "horse & his rider", but in vain, and
hundreds of them were captured that night and the next morning they were brought in from all
sides by men women & even servants, (what few were left, for many preceded them in
their flight and we captured many of them.) The spoils were large embracing 2 pieces of
artillery and about 800 stand of arms -- all the field and staff officers were taken -- We
desisted from the pursuit and rested after
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midnight, but at an early hour the next
morning, the 24th, the forces were in motion, moving on the road as if
going to Newtown, but about 11 o'clock the Gen. started me on the
road towards Middletown and Strasburg to find where the enemy was, I soon started up a picket,
that fired into us, (some 20 Cavalry and myself), which I reported to the Gen. and he sent up
some infantry of the 8thLouisiana Regiment
to aid me, which we threw out as skirmishers and pushed on through the woods, and drove to the
enemy's picket, and found that they must have a force in that
direction, the Gen. then sent up Col. Ashby with cavalry and flying artillery and we moved them
up rapidly, reaching to near the McAdamized Road, when we discovered a body of Cavalry massed
before a church in Middletown, and saw their trains moving up the road, previously we were
informed by the Gen. that Gen. Ewell had gone to near Newtown with
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with a portion
of the army, thus protecting our right flank -- as soon as the shell fell away the Yankee
cavalry they began a stampede, and as there was a Regiment of some
700 hundred they filled the road for some distance, the companies of the 8 Louisiana moved promptly forward and just gained
the crest of a low ridge, along one side of which the road ran, as the cavalry passed, and
poured into them a deadly volley, and such a tumbling of men and horses, as the General
afterwards remarked, "it looked too bad to see so many of them disposed of at once", the
artillery was at once brought up and thundered on the retreating line and Ashby and his cavalry
dashed rapidly forward to a turn in the road and cut off those still going on, and captured the
train of several regiments, any number of sutler's wagons, loaded with every luxury, and
hundreds of men
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and [unclear: richly]
[illeg.] horses -- the pride of the Yankee army, its superbly
mounted Vermont, N.Y. & Pennsylvania Cavalry, that had
exultingly and insolently rode over our Valley, was melted like snow before the sun, and the
road, for miles, strewn with the choicest of viands & most valuable of goods. I am not
vindictive, but I really did not feel sorry to see the horse & his insolent rider laid
low, it seemed a just retribution for the evils they had inflicted on an innocent people.
We had by this move cut off the rear guard, two regiments, of the enemy at Strasburg, and we
turned towards them, when they set the bridge on fire, across Cedar Creek, set fire to their
stores in Strasburg, and then commenced throwing shells at us, but we soon stopped them and
they started in flight, but we could not cross to pursue them, so we could only drive the from
their
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baggage a distance, and then start, at about 5 P.M. with our whole force,
save one Regiment, towards Winchester, and lustily did the Regiments from that part of the
state cheer when they were ordered towards their homes, then commenced one of the movements in
which Gen. Jackson shows forth his iron will, he wished to reach Winchester, on the hills West
of it, before the next morning, and he was now 12 miles off, after a march of 12 miles, and it
soon became evident that the foe intended to dispute his progress, for they began, soon, a
heavy fire of artillery at our advance, from every hill top, made a stand near Newtown and drew
up in line of battle trying to turn our flank, but we drove them from that at about dark,
capturing many more wagons, then they began to burn up their train, loads of every thing, rice,
sugar, bacon &c, and 6 long boats intended for
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a pontoon bridge and, by
the light of these, they fought us with desperation for miles ambuscaded and fired upon our men
from behind walls and from thickets, but still Jackson's iron will was bent on attaining a
certain point and he rooted them from every strong hold, resting not through the long and weary night, driving them across the bloody field of Kernstown and, early on
the morning of the 25th he drove them from the hills before Winchester,
and aided by Ewell on his right, who had moved along in that position, he poured a deadly fire
into them, and when Banks attempted to retake the hills he met such a storm of leaden hail from
the "Stonewall Brigade and our other gallant troops that, though he fought well, and we even
ordered up reinforcements, at that moment the intrepid leader, in front, amid the roar of
musketry and artillery, devoutly raised his hands
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to heaven, as if for Divine aid,
when the enemy's line wavered, fell back, and fled, "now" says the General, "swinging his plain
grey cap, Let's shout, and at his shout up went that of the host with him and all dashed
forward in pursuit, the day was won, and through the streets of Winchester we pursued the foe
that had gloried in its pride and power but two short days before, amid the huzzas, shouts,
tears, thanks, looks of unutterable delight, waving of Confederate flags &
handkerchiefs of its whole liberated population and by the crackling
of the flames where the vandal foe had set on fire the very center of the town where his stores
were, piles of shells that would have blown the town to atoms, it was a proud entry, and
through we went, the sons of Winchester in the lead dealing death to
the foe at every corner and when we reached the other
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side of the town, the
General, now thoroughly aroused, turned and said "Order the whole army to press on to the
Potomac," and on it came, and on sped the foe and after them we hurled shot, shell and iron
hail, for miles, until the General ordered our men to halt, and the cavalry to be brought up to
pursue, he then turned to go back to meet the cavalry, passing along through our 3 united
armies, who had had eagerly sought the ordered rest after 40 hours of exertion, but they felt not the labors they had endured for all even the dullest, now was the consummation of the long marches, the short rations,
the sleepless nights, interdicted furloughs -- victory had come from them, and as the hero of
it turned back there was one shout of triumph, one spring up, one waving of hats from one end
of the long line to the other, all murmurs were hushed, and "Old Jack" was the greatest of
warriors to them and the idol of the hour's affections
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We pursued the enemy with
Cavalry 22 miles beyond Winchester and have captured in all over 2000, over 200 wagons with
horses & harness, a vast store of medicines & hospital supplies, more I suppose
than we had in the whole Confederacy, a large amount of valuable ammunition &c
&c and sent Banks and his proud army in confusion and dismay across the Potomac and
where we go now will be for our own choosing We destroyed the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Martinsburg and captured
more stores there than here, large stocks of provisions &c.
I have not time to write more, let the friends & neighbors all read this if they desire. Love to all.
Your Affectionate husband,
Jed. Hotchkiss
An extra for you alone J.H.
