AKMY OPERATIONS. 



87 



CHANCELLOBSVILLE, May 4th. 



To Lieutenant- Gen. T. J. Jackson : 



GENERAL : I have just received your note, inform- 

 ing me that you are wounded. 'I cannot express my 

 regret at the occurrence. 



Could I have directed events, I should have chosen 

 for the good of the country to have been disabled in 

 your stead. I congratulate you upon the victory which 

 is due to your skill and energy. 



Most truly yours, 



R. E. LEE, General. 



Gen. Jackson had gone some distance in 

 front of his line of skirmishers, on Saturday 

 evening, May 2d, and was returning about 

 eight o'clock, attended by his staff and part of 

 his couriers. The cavalcade, in the darkness 

 of the night, was supposed to be a body of 

 Federal cavalry, and fired upon by a regiment 

 of his own corps. He was struck by three 

 balls, one through the left arm, two inches 

 below the shoulder joint, shattering the bone 

 and severing the chief artery ; another ball 

 passed through the same arm between the 

 elbow and wrist, making its exit through the 

 palm of the hand ; a third ball entered the palm 

 of the right hand, about the middle, passed 

 through and broke two bones. He suffered 

 for a week, during which his wounds improved, 

 but sunk under an attack of pneumonia. The 

 following order was issued by Gen. Lee : 



General Order No. 61. 



HEADQUABTEBS ABMY OF NORTHERN VIBGINIA, ) 

 May Uth, 1863. \ 



With deep grief the Commanding General announ- 

 ces to the army the death of Lieut.-Gen. T. J. Jack- 

 son, who expired on the 10th instant, at 3.15 P. M. 



The daring, skill, and energy of this great and good 

 soldier, by the decree of an all-wise Providence are 

 now lost to us ; but while we mourn his death, we feel 

 that his spirit still lives, and will inspire the whole 

 army with his indomitable courage and unshaken con- 

 fidence in God as our hope and strength. 



Let his name be .a watchword to his corps, who 

 have followed him to victory on so many fields. Let 

 officers and soldiers emulate his invincible determina- 

 tion in defence of our beloved country. 



R. E. LEE, General. 



The armies confronting each other at Freder- 

 icksburg, now remained inactive for some time. 

 A movement of a small force of Confederate 

 cavalry near the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, 

 during the last week in April, was made, by 

 which some injury was done to that road, and 

 an alarm created on its borders. On the 1st of 

 June, the Federal force at West Point, on the 

 York river, under Brig. -Gen. Gordon, was with- 

 drawn, and a cavalry dash from Gloucester 

 was made by Col. Kilpatrick through the ad- 

 jacent counties, for the purpose of joining his 

 force with that of Gen. Stoneman. At this time, 

 also, some cavalry movements took place along 

 the Eapidan, and such changes were observed in 

 the appearance of the enemy's camp at Fred- 

 ericksburg as created an impression that some 

 of his force might have been withdrawn. This 

 induced Gen. Hooker to make a reconnoissance 

 in force on the 5th of June. The division of 

 Gen. Howe, of the sixth corps, was sent across 

 the river below Fredericksburg. Some skir- 

 mishing ensued, and the enemy developed so 



much strength as to create the impression that 

 the mass of his forces had not been removed. 



On Tuesday, the 9th of June, two brigades 

 of Gen. Pleasanton's cavalry, under command 

 of Gen. Buford, made a reconnoissance to Cul- 

 pepper. The force was supported by two bat- 

 teries of artillery, and two regiments of infan- 

 try, as a reserve. On Monday night, the force 

 bivouacked near Beverly ford, on the Eappa- 

 hannock. Beyond the ford was a semi-circular 

 belt of woods, with a range of rifle pits near 

 the edge; and a line of pickets guarded the 

 fords on the southern bank of the river. The 

 cavalry crossed at 4 A. M., the 10th New York 

 in advance, and drove the pickets back to the 

 rifle pits, and then charged upon the pits. The 

 combat was severe, but the enemy were driven 

 from their pits and tb.6 woods. Falling back 

 upon their artillery, they maintained their po- 

 sition until twelve o'clock, when Gen. Buford's 

 artillery reached the ground, and the action 

 was renewed. Gen-. Pleasanton took command 

 of the Union force before it was over. Gen. 

 Stuart also arrived on the Confederate side. 

 The Federal loss was about three hundred and 

 sixty. Among the killed was Col. B. F. Davis, 

 who led the cavalry force from Harper's Ferry 

 at the time of its surrender in 1862. The ene- 

 my's loss was somewhat larger. Th.e number of 

 the enemy taken prisoners was about two hun- 

 dred. In reply to a communication from Gen. 

 Pleasanton, relating to the men left in the 

 hands of Gen. Stuart, the latter subsequently 

 stated that the dead had been decently bur- 

 ied, the wounded humanely attended by his 

 surgeons, and the prisoners sent to Eichmond ; 

 but that no parties would be permitted to visit 

 the field by flag of truce, for the purpose of 

 procuring the remains of friends, and that all 

 future communications must be sent by the 

 flag-of-truce boat to City Point, Va. 



Positive information was obtained by this re- 

 connoissance that the Confederate forces were 

 preparing for a movement, either against Wash- 

 ington or into the State of Maryland. An ap- 

 prehension of an aggressive blow from the en- 

 emy now existed. Where, or in what manner 

 the attempt would be made to strike the blow, 

 no one could foretell. A threat had been made 

 to invade Maryland and Pennsylvania with a 

 considerable force, in retaliation for the raids 

 made by Col. Grierson in Mississippi and Cols. 

 Kilpatrick and Davis in Virginia. The cavalry 

 force of Gen. Pleasanton, on its return, brought 

 information that the enemy had been moving 

 in strong force westward, through the town of 

 Sperryville, toward Luray, in the Shenandoah 

 valley ; that the column so moving was three 

 hours and a half in passing the town, and was 

 composed of infantry and artillery. The move- 

 ment of Gen. Pleasanton also developed that 

 the enemy were massing their cavalry on the 

 Upper Eappahannock for some purpose. On 

 the llth of June, a force, consisting of two 

 hundred and fifty of the enemy's cavalry, 

 crossed the Potomac at Edwards's Ferry, and 



