92 



AEMY OPERATIONS. 



to the main fort, and the remainder were cap- 

 tured or killed. 



Gen. Milroy, finding that the enemy were on 

 the east, south, and west of him, and were 

 moving toward the Martinsburg road, which 

 runs north from the town, ordered all the troops 

 and artillery from the south and east into the 

 line of earthworks encircling the main works, 

 when the contest between the Federal artillery 

 and that of the enemy continued until night. 

 At that time the second brigade, under Col. 

 Ely, occupied the to\yn and the space to the 

 main fort on the northwest ; the first brigade, 

 under Gen. Elliott, occupied the main fort, and 

 the third, under Col. McReynolds, was posted 

 in the Star fort, north of the main fort. Soon 

 after dark the enemy charged across the ravine 

 between their new position and the main fort, 

 but met such a fire as quickly repulsed them. 

 Quiet then prevailed. 



At one o'clock, on Monday morning, Gen. 

 Milroy called a council of brigade commanders, 

 and it was decided to abandon the position, 

 and retreat to Harper's Ferry. The troops were 

 then quickly put in motion, taking nothing ex- 

 cept what they had upon their persons. They 

 marched on the road to Martinsburg about four 

 miles, when they encountered a strong force of 

 the enemy, upon whom an advance was made 

 and repulsed. The 18th Connecticut and 5th 

 Maryland regiments, being on the left of the 

 line, were captured almost entire. Of the re- 

 mainder, about 1,600 reached Maryland Heights ; 

 about 400 Hancock and Cumberland, and about 

 1,700 Bloody Run. Three full batteries of 

 field artillery, and all the siege guns in the 

 Star fort and the main fort, were taken by 

 the enemy ; also the quartermaster's and com- 

 missary's stores, the ammunition of all kinds, 

 6,000 muskets, 200 wagons with horses and 

 mules, and all the private baggage of officers 

 and men. The dead and wounded were left 

 on the field and along the roadside as they 

 fell. On Tuesday a large train of wagons, which 

 had left Gen. Milroy early on Sunday, arrived 

 at Harrisburg. It had not been molested. 



Maj.-Gen. Milroy had previously rendered 

 himself very obnoxious to the enemy, in con- 

 sequence of rigorous measures adopted by him 

 in Western Virginia. Their hatred to him was 

 so bitter that a reward of ten thousand dollars 

 was offered for his head. 



Subsequently a court of inquiry was ordered, 

 preliminary to a court martial, upon the con- 

 duct of Gen. Milroy at Winchester. The re- 

 port of the Judge Advocate-General, with the 

 evidence elicited, was laid before the President, 

 who rendered the following decision : 



In June last a division was substantially lost at and 

 near Winchester, Va. At the time it was under Gen. 

 Milroy, as immediate commander in the field, Gen. 

 Schenck, as department commander at Baltimore, and 

 Gen. Ilalleck, as.commander-in-chief at Washington. 

 Gen. Milroy, as immediate commander, was put under 

 arrest, and subsequently a court of inquiry examined 

 chiefly with reference to disobedience of orders, and 

 reported the evidence. 



The foregoing is a synoptical statement of the evi- 

 dence, together with the Judge Advocate-General's 

 conclusions. The disaster, when it came, was a sur- 

 prise to all. It was well known to Gen. Schenck and 

 Gen. Milroy for some time before that Gen. Halleck 

 thought that the division was in general danger of a 

 surprise at Winchester; that it was of no service there 

 commensurate with the risk it incurred, and that it 

 oughti to be withdrawn. But, although he more than 

 once advised its withdrawal, he never positively order- 

 ed it. 



Gen. Schenck, on the contrary, believed the service of 

 the force at Winchester was worth the hazard, and so 

 did not positively order its withdrawal until it was so 

 late that the enemy cut the wire and prevented the 

 order reaching Gen. Milroy. Gen. Milroy seems to 

 have concurred with Gen. Schenck in the opinion that 

 the forces should be kept at Winchester, at least until 

 the approach of danger ; but he disobeyed no order 

 upon the subject. 



Some question can be made whether some of Gen. 

 Halleck's despatches to Gen. Schenck should not have 

 been construed to be orders to withdraw the force and 

 obeyed accordingly ; but no such question can be made 

 against Gen. Milroy. In fact, the last order he received 

 was to be prepared to withdraw, but not actually to 

 withdraw till further order which further order never 

 reached him. 



Serious blame is not necessarily due to every serious 

 disaster, and I cannot say that in this case either of 

 these officers is deserving of serious blame. No court 

 martial is deemed necessary or proper in the case. 



A. LINCOLN. 



Maj.-Gen. Halleck, in his annual report, 

 dated Nov. 15th, says : 



Winchester and Martinsburg were at this time oc- 

 cupied by us simply as outposts. Neither place was 

 susceptible of a good defence. Directions were there- 

 fore given on the llth of June to withdraw those gar- 

 risons to Harper's Ferry; but these orders were not 

 obeyed, and on the 13th Winchester was attacked and 

 its armament and a part of the garrison captured. 



On Sunday, the 14th, about 4 p. M., Gen. 

 Rhodes, who had been instructed, after dis- 

 lodging the force at Berryville, to cut off the 

 communications between Winchester and the 

 Potomac, appeared before Martinsburg, north 

 of Winchester, and demanded its surrender of 

 Gen. Tyler, who was in command. This was 

 refused, and an attack was made, which Gen. 

 Tyler resisted until dark. He then prepared to 

 evacuate the position. This movement being 

 discovered by the enemy, the attack was re- 

 newed, and a bloody contest followed, which 

 was kept up until he reached the Potomac river. 

 He then crossed at Shepherdstown, and subse- 

 quently moved to Harper's Ferry with his forces. 



The following is Gen. Lee's report of the 

 taking of Martinsburg : 



CULPEPPER COUET HOUSE, June ISM, 1863. 

 Gen. S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector- General ; 



GENERAL : On the afternoon of the 14th, Gen. 

 Rhodes took possession of Martinsburg, capturing 

 several pieces of artillery, more than two hundred 

 prisoners, and a supply of ammunition and grain. 



Our loss was one killed and two wounded. 



R. E. LEE, General. 



Gen. Lee subsequently reported that more 

 than four thousand prisoners, twenty-nine 

 pieces of artillery, two hundred and seventy 

 wagons and ambulances, with four hundred 

 horses, were captured in these operations, be- 

 sides a large amount of military stores. 



