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AKMY OPERATIONS. 



for two years, and some for nine months, and 

 whose term of service had now expired. No 

 aid to him could be expected from the West. 

 The Confederate authorities had declared that 

 Gen. Johnston should be strengthened suffi- 

 ciently to attack Gen. Grant in the rear and 

 raise the siege of Vicksburg. This declaration, 

 on their part, had caused the Federal Govern- 

 ment to make every exertion to defeat it. All the 

 troops which could be spared in the West were 

 sent to Gen. Grant. The force of Gen. Burnside, 

 in the Department of Ohio, was included. This 

 not only compelled the latter to remain inactive, 

 but actually exposed Ohio and Western Virginia. 

 The entire levy of nine-months' men would 

 go home in June, and the Federal Government 

 had made no call for others in their place, and 

 had not in reality succeeded in obtaining by en- 

 listment any number of troops except the free 

 and slave blacks it had been successful in or- 

 ganizing. There were also reasons why the 

 army of Gen. Lee should take the field. It was 

 now well known to the Confederate Govern- 

 ment that it would be unable to reenforce Gen. 

 Johnston, so that the siege of Vicksburg could 

 be raised ; a counteracting effort was therefore 

 necessary in some quarter. The supplies which 

 might be obtained by an invasion of the North 

 were also greatly needed. 



It was the purpose of Gen. Lee, if possible, 

 to strike a most decisive blow. For this ob- 

 ject an army of nearly one hundred thousand 

 men had been collected in the field. It was first 

 contemplated by Gen. Lee to enter Pennsyl- 

 vania, and keep the army of Gen. Hooker fully 

 occupied. Meantime, a body of chosen troops 

 were to be detached from the forces of Gen. 

 Beauregard, at Charleston, and Gen. Bragg, in 

 Tennessee, and concentrate at Culpepper, for 

 the purpose of making an attack on Washing- 

 ton. It was thought that the Federal Govern- 

 ment, thus divided between a fear of leaving 

 Pennsylvania defenceless, and the necessity of 

 protecting the seat of government, would be 

 obliged to fail signally in one quarter or the 

 other. Either Washington would fall, or the 

 chief towns of Pennsylvania and all the rich 

 regions surrounding them would come into the 

 possession of Gen. Lee's army. 



Gen. Hooker penetrated the object of Gen. 

 Lee in concentrating upon the Upper Rappa- 

 hannock before it was too late. As early as 

 the 12th of June he began to send his sick and 

 wounded to Washington, and to remove his 

 stores. A most formidable invasion by Gen. 

 Lee was soon developed. 



On Friday, the 12th of June, it was ascer- 

 tained at Winchester that a large body of the 

 enemy were moving up the Shenandoah valley. 

 On Saturday an attack was made by the advance 

 of the enemy, under Gen. Rhodes, upon Berry- 

 ville, which was held by Gen. McReynolds as an 

 outpost of Winchester. The force of Gen. Mc- 

 Reynolds was about three thousand men, and 

 the position was midway between Winchester 

 and Snicker's Gap, through which the enemy 



advanced. The attack was repelled with vigor 

 a_nd firmness for some time, when, in conse- 

 quence of overwhelming numbers, a retreat 

 upon Winchester was commenced. The 6th 

 Maryland, Col. Home, with Capt. Alexander's 

 1st Maryland battery covered the retreat, 

 and maintained their ground until, the enemy 

 closing around them, they were compelled to 

 abandon their guns. A large part of the regi- 

 ment were made prisoners, but were not dis- 

 armed, and, in the confusion which ensued dur- 

 ing the darkness of the evening, withdrew un- 

 observed, being familiar t with the roads, and 

 escaped. 



On the same day, early in the morning, the 

 pickets of Maj.-Gen. Milroy, at Winchester, 

 were driven in by the advance of Gen. Ewell, 

 with the divisions of Gens. Early and John- 

 son. A detachment was sent out to feel their 

 strength, and an artillery fire was kept up for 

 some time. Gen. Milroy, then in command at 

 Winchester, had a force of seven thousand men, 

 with three batteries of field artillery, and six 

 siege pieces, in a fort. As the forces of the 

 enemy increased during the day, the advanced 

 regiments of Gen. Milroy were compelled to 

 fall back to the cover of the town. Some guns, 

 posted in the outskirts, prevented the enemy 

 from crossing Mill creek that day ; but all the 

 country southward from the creek was free to 

 them. During the morning of Sunday, and, in 

 fact, all day, skirmishing took place between 

 the 18th Connecticut and 87th Pennsylvania 

 regiments and the skirmishers of the enemy's 

 force, who were posted in the woods, a mile 

 east of Winchester, on the Berryville road, and 

 extending across to the Front Royal road on 

 the southeast. The Federal troops kept close 

 in upon the town, while the enemy came up to 

 the eastern side of the public cemetery, across 

 which the principal firing took place. About 

 half past four p. M. the skirmishers of the ene- 

 my charged up the Berryville and Front Royal 

 roads to the edge of the town, but by a well- 

 directed fire were repulsed in confusion. A 

 charge was now ordered by Gen. Milroy to be 

 made by these two regiments, but the enemy 

 w r ere found to be so well supported in the dis- 

 tant woods that the regiments were compelled 

 to get back as soon as they could. 



About five o'clock p. M. the enemy appeared 

 in strong force, with two eight-gun batteries, 

 directly west of the main fort north of the 

 Romney road, which runs directly west from 

 the town, and about fifteen hundred yards from 

 the outworks. These were held by the 110th 

 Ohio, and company L, 5th regiment artillery. 

 After getting his batteries into position and 

 opening fire, Gen. Ewell massed his infantry, and 

 charged across the fields to the very muzzles of 

 the Federal guns, although the latter were fired 

 vigorously. Without a pause, the enemy cross- 

 ed the ditch, came over the breastworks, and 

 planted their colors on the embankment. The 

 Ohio regiment was driven from, the works at 

 the point of the bayonet. Some escaped back 



