ARMY OPERATIONS. 



town, and some prisoners taken ; Loudon 

 Heights were also occupied. On the 28th of 

 February Charlestown was occupied by a strong 

 force with the intention of holding it against 

 any attack. On the 3d of March Martinsburg was 

 occupied by the 13th Massachusetts, who left 

 camp at Williamsport on the previous afternoon. 

 This is an important town on the Baltimore 

 and Ohio railroad between Harpers Ferry and 

 Hancock. It is distant from the former fifteen 

 miles, and is twenty miles north of "Winchester, 

 with winch it is connected by a turnpike road. 

 All the iron of the double track of the railroad 

 had been removed excepting half a mile of 

 track made of compound rails. On the 2d, 

 Leesburg was occupied by Col. Geary. The 

 retreat of the Confederate army had now 

 commenced along its entire line from Aquia 

 Creek to the Shenandoah. This movement 

 threatening its left flank was undoubtedly 

 the cause of this abandonment of Manassas. 

 All their important positions were occupied 

 by the Federal troops .during the next ten 

 days, including the strong one at Centreville. 

 Winchester was evacuated by Gen. Jackson 

 on the night of the llth of March. Gen. 

 Shields, in command of Gen. Landers divi- 

 sion, soon followed up this retreat, and on 

 the 19th he discovered Gen. Jackson reen- 

 forced in a strong position near New Market, 

 and within supporting distance of the main 

 body of the Confederate army under Gen. 

 Johnston. In order to draw him from this 

 position Gen. Shields fell back rapidly to Win- 

 chester on the 20th, as if in retreat, having 

 marched his whole command thirty miles in 

 one day. On the next day the Confederate 

 cavalry under Gen. Ashby showed themselves 

 in sight of Winchester. On the 22d the entire 

 command of Gen. Banks, with the exception of 

 Gen. Shields's division, evacuated Winchester 

 and marched for Centreville. This movement, 

 and the masked position in which Gen. Shields 

 placed his division, led the enemy to believe 

 that the town was evacuated with the exception 

 of a few regiments to garrison it. That after- 

 noon at 5 o'clock Gen. Ashby attacked the 

 pickets of Gen. Shields and drove them in, but 

 was repulsed by a small force pushed forward 

 by Gen. Shields for that purpose, who now 

 made preparations for a contest in the morning. 

 Only a small Confederate force appearing in 

 the morning, Gen. Shields ordered a portion 

 of his artillery forward to open fire and un- 

 mask it. This had the desired effect, when a 

 battle ensued, during which Gen. Shields by an 

 attack upon the Confederate left flank forced that 

 wing back upon its centre and placed the enemy 

 in a position to be routed by a general attack, 

 which was made at five o'clock in the afternoon 

 with great success. The Confederates were 

 driven from the field. Two guns, four caissons, 

 three hundred prisoners, and a thousand stand of 

 small arms were captured. The force of Gen. 

 Shields was between seven and eight thousand 

 men. His loss in killed and wounded was be- 



tween three and four hundred. On the pre- 

 vious evening the arm of Gen. Shields was 

 broken above the elbow by the fragment of a 

 shell. The Confederate loss in killed and 

 wounded was large. Considerable numbers 

 were subsequently found in the houses of the 

 inhabitants as the force of Gen. Banks advanced. 

 The Confederate force was estimated at near 

 ten thousand men. The brigades of Gens. Jack- 

 son, Smith, Garnett, and Longstreet were en- 

 gaged, and prisoners were taken from the 2d, 

 4th, 5th, 21st, 23d, 27th, 28th, 33d, 37th, and 

 42d Virginia; 1st regiment of the Provisional 

 Army, and an Irish battalion. For these move- 

 ments Gen. Shields was complimented by the 

 War Department in the following despatch : 



WAR DEPARTMENT, March 26. 1S62. 

 To Brig. -Gen. Shiddt: 



Your two despatches relative to the brilliant achieve- 

 ment of the forces under your command have been 

 received. While rejoicing at the success of your gal- 

 lant troops, deep commiseration and sympathy are 

 felt for those who have been victims in the gallant and 

 victorious contest with treason and rebellion. 



Your efforts as well as your success proves that 

 Lander's brave division is still bravely led. and that 

 wherever its standard is displayed rebels will be rout- 

 ed and pursued. To you and to the officers and sol- 

 diers under your command the Department returns 

 thanks. EDWIX M. STANTOX, Secretary of War. 



The following was also received by Gen. 

 Shields : 



HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, (_ 

 SEMINARY, March 27, 1SG2. ) 

 To Brig.-Gm. Shield*: 



The Commanding General congratulates you and 

 the troops under your command upon the victory gain- 

 ed by your energy and activity and their bravery on 

 the 23d. He is pained to learn that the wound you 

 have received in the skirmish on the day before is 

 more serious than at first supposed. 

 By command of 



Maj.-Gen. GEO. B. McCLELLAX. 

 S. WILLIAMS, Assist. Adj.-Gen. 



The following congratulations and instruc- 

 tions were sent to Gen. Banks : 



FAIRFAX SEMINARY, March 27, 1862. 

 To Maj.-Gen. Ba> 



The General Commanding congratulates you and 

 the brave troops under your command on the "splendid 

 achievement commenced in your department, news of 

 which he has just received. He-desires you to follow up 

 rapidly the enemy's troops as far as Strasburg if pos- 

 sible. S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. 



This little affair at Winchester is said to have 

 caused orders to be issued which were attend- 

 ed with momentous consequences. They will 

 be stated hereafter. It occurred on the date 

 of March 23d. 



The evacuation by the Confederate army of 

 their positions before "Washington was conduct- 

 ed in a most successful manner. When the Union 

 troops entered their intrenchments, all were 

 gone. Their evacuation had been effected by 

 means of the railroad fromManassas to Gordons- 

 ville, while the state of the roads was such as 

 to prevent an immediate active campaign by 

 the Union army. Their retreat was arrested 

 at the Rappahannock river, and a new line 

 formed for the purpose of defence. It stretch- 



