Summary:
In late April and early May, 1862, Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson feigned
a withdrawal from the Shenandoah Valley, only to launch a surprise offensive,
beginning at McDowell, Virginia. In this letter, Union General Robert Milroy
stationed at McDowell reports to his commanding officer, General John C.
Fremont, on the apparent Confederate preparations to move east. He discusses a
scouting party sent to Staunton that discovered Confederate General Johnson
stripping the countryside of militia, stores, and forage and sending it out of
the Valley. He also discusses some guerrilla actions.
Gen. FREMONT, Wheeling:
McDOWELL,
May 1, 1862.
The extent of late attack by guerrillas was 20 wagons and about 80 horses lost. Am compelling neighborhood to furnish horses for another train. Have now several parties out after the guerrillas of Highland and Pendleton.
Information received from scouts, deserters, and refugees is that Johnson's force is at Westview, 6 miles west of Staunton, ready to retreat upon any advance by us, and rapidly gathering all the militia, subsistence, forage, and transportation he can and sending it east. The greatest excitement is said to have existed in Staunton and in Johnson's camp upon the occasion of a reconnaissance by a company of our cavalry with six infantry companies last week, and Johnson had everything packed to leave, but seeing it was only a reconnoitering party, he remained and redoubled his efforts in stripping the country of subsistence and forage. He should be driven out immediately. My aide has just returned from Schenck. Will keep my communication open with him.
Capt. Lowry is here.
R.H. MILROY,
Brig.-Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 12, Serial No. 18, Pages 123, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
