80 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



little more extended operations along the rail- 

 roads by Gen. Mitchell. 



Subsequently he advanced upon Chatta- 

 nooga, which compelled the Confederate forces 

 in. eastern Tennessee to make a backward 

 movement. Only a single stem of railroad 

 connects Chattanooga with Atlanta, and thence 

 connects with other parts of Georgia, Alabama, 

 and South Carolina, and its loss would com- 

 pel evacuation above, as in the case of Bowling 

 Green. Several expeditions were sent out by 

 Gen. Mitchell during the month of May against 

 small bands of cavalry upon the same side of the 

 river. One or two skirmishes of considerable 

 spirit, and with respectable numbers, also took 

 place. On the 6th of June, Gen. Negley, from 

 the opposite side of the river, made an attack 

 with his artillery upon Chattanooga. This 

 was replied to from some earthworks. On the 

 next day a considerable force under Gen. E. 

 K. Smith opened fire upon Gen. Negley, but 

 were compelled to retire. Chattanooga was 

 finally abandoned by the Federal force in con- 

 sequence of the difficulty of procuring supplies. 



On the advance of Gen. Buell, this division 

 of his army under Gen. Mitchell was placed 

 under the command of Gen. Rosseau, and Gen. 

 Mitchell was ordered to the command at Port 

 Royal, South Carolina. 



The result of the military operations that 

 have been thus far described, was at this time 

 of the year such as to leave in the hands of the 

 Confederate Government a large military force, 

 which it could use without additional hazard 

 wherever it pleased, while the Federal Govern- 

 ment, struck with panic from other causes, was 

 actually calling upon the governors of the loyal 

 States to hurry forward to its protection even 

 three months' volunteers. The acquisition of 

 territory, however, was all on the side of the 

 Federal Government, which had got its hands 

 BO full in proportion to its military preparations, 

 that it must either relinquish some portion of 

 it or submit to defeat somewhere, if its antag- 

 onist was active, skilful, and dexterous. This 

 state of affairs culminated in the midst of the 

 Virginia campaign, and it was decisive not only 

 of that campaign, but it presented to the world 

 magnificent displays of the skill and power of 

 the respective antagonists. 



It has been said that the Confederate Govern- 

 ment had a large military force with which it 

 was free to act, without additional hazard. 

 This force consisted of part of the levies of the 

 previous year, some of the levies raised by the 

 governors of the States, under a call from Pres- 

 ident Davis in February of this year, and some 

 of the troops beginning to come up under the 

 conscription act passed by the Confederate 

 Congress early i n April . In Mi ssouri the success 

 of Gen. Curtis had been such as to drive out all 

 the regular Confederate troops, and he had es- 

 tablished himself just within the borders of Ar- 

 kansas. But the requisition upon him to send 

 ten regiments to the assistance of Gen. Halleck, 

 so limited his ability for offensive operations, 



that the troops of Arkansas were to a consider- 

 able extent free to act wherever the Confeder- 

 ate Government needed. Kentucky and mid- 

 dle and western Tennessee had been evacuated 

 by the Confederate forces, which held them at 

 the beginning of the year. These forces con- 

 gregated at Corinth, and upon its evacuation, 

 the vast army was not in a condition, at that 

 hot season of the year, to follow the fugitives 

 any considerable distance, or to push forward 

 its offensive operations, as has been before ob- 

 served. A limited Confederate force was there- 

 fore kept in the field, to observe the operations 

 of Gen. Halleck. The cessation of military op- 

 erations against Charleston and Savannah, and 

 also in North Carolina, by the Federal Govern- 

 ment, caused the Confederate Government to 

 keep no more than a force of observation in the 

 field, and left it at liberty to concentrate its 

 other troops wherever their presence might 

 be most needed. These troops were therefore 

 sent to Virginia, to engage in the campaign 

 going on in that State. 



The position and number of the Federal 

 troops in Virginia, at the beginning of the year 

 have already been stated (see page 24). The 

 distinct bodies of men were those under Gen. 

 "Wool at Fortress Monroe and Newport News ; 

 those under Gen. Hooker south of Washing- 

 ton; those tinder Gen. McClellan southwest 

 of Washington ; those under Gens. Keyes 

 and Casey in and around Washington ; those 

 under Gen. Stone at and near Poolesville, and 

 those under Gen. Banks near Darnestown with 

 detachments on the Potomac to Williamsport. 

 Cumberland was the headquarters of Gen. 

 Kelly, and Grafton in western Virginia, on the 

 line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the 

 headquarters of Gen. Rosecrans, while Gen. Cox 

 was up the Kanawha valley. 



On the 5th of January Gen. Lander arrived at 

 Hancock, on his way to Cumberland to relieve 

 Gen. Kelly, who was sick. He found the enemy 

 under Gen. Jackson, on the other side of the Po- 

 tomac, in considerable strength. It had been 

 designed for two months that Gen. Jackson 

 should move northwest toward Romney ; but he 

 was delayed by the impression of the Confed- 

 erate Government that the Federal army would 

 make a general advance, and risk a battle during 

 the winter. On the 3d or 4th of January he 

 left Winchester and moved northward toward 

 Hancock, a distance of forty miles, and attacked 

 four companies of Federal troops stationed at 

 Bath, driving them to Hancock, where, having 

 been reenforced by Gen. Lander, they made a 

 stand. Here Gen. Jackson made a feint attack 

 by throwing some shells across the Potomac, 

 which did only slight damage. He then moved 

 westward with the intention of coming into 

 Romney, on the Union left, by way of Spring- 

 field, and thus cut off the supplies from Cum- 

 berland and the railroad. The relative positions 

 of Winchester, Hancock, and Romney are at 

 the points of an equilateral triangle : Hancock 

 north of Winchester, and Romney northwest. 



