AEMY OPERATIONS. 



Ill 



was taken to Winchester, where he subsequently died. 

 The three battle flags captured on this occasion and 

 sent to Washington, belonged to the 40th, 47th, and 

 55th Virginia regiments of infantry. 



Gen. Lee will surely acknowledge these were not 

 left in the hands of stragglers asleep in barns. 



(Signed) GEO. G. MEADE, 



Major-General Commanding. 



HEADQUARTERS THIRD DIVISION CAVALRY CORPS, ) 

 WARKENTON JUNCTION, VA., Avgust 1th. ) 

 To Colonel A. J. Alexander, Chief of Staff of Cavalry 

 Corps : 



COLONEL : In compliance with a letter just received 

 from the headquarters of the cavalry corps of the 

 Army of the Potomac, directing me to give the facts 

 connected with the fight at Falling Waters, I have 

 the honor to state that, at 3 A. M. of the 14th ult., I 

 learned that the enemy's pickets were retiring in my 

 front. Having been previously ordered to attack at 

 7 A. M., I was ready to move at once. 



At daylight I had reached the crest of hills occupied 

 by the enemy an hour before, and, a few minutes be- 

 fore 6, Gen. Costar drove the rear guard of the enemy 

 into the river at Williamsport. Learning from citi- 

 zens that a portion of the enemy had retreated in the 

 direction of Falling Waters, I at once moved rapidly for 

 that point, and came up with this rear guard of the 

 enemy at 7.30 A. M., at a point two miles distant from 

 Falling Waters. We pressed on, driving them before 

 us, capturing many prisoners and one gun. When 

 within a mile and a half of Falling Waters, the enemy 

 was found in large force, drawn up in line of battle 

 on the crest of a hill, commanding the road on which 

 I was advancing. His left was protected by earth- 

 works, and his right extended to the woods on our left. 



The enemy was, when first seen, in two lines of bat- 

 tle, with arms stacked, within less than 1,000 yards 

 of the large force. A second piece of artillery, with 

 its support, consisting of infantry, was captured while 

 attempting to get into position. The gun was taken 

 to the rear. A portion of the 6th Michigan cavalry, 

 seeing only that portion of the enemy behind the earth- 

 works, charged. This charge was led by Major Web- 

 ber, and was the most gallant ever made. At a trot 

 he passed up the hill, received the fire from the whole 

 line, and the next moment rode through and over the 

 earthworks, and passed to the right, sabring the reb- 

 els along the entire line, and returned with a loss of 

 thirty killed, wounded, and missing, including the gal- 

 lant Major Webber, killed. 



I directed Gen. Costar to send forward one regiment 

 as skirmishers. They were repulsed before support 

 could be sent them, and driven back, closely followed 

 by the rebels, until checked by the 1st Michigan and 

 a squadron of the 8th New York. The 2d brigade 

 having come up, it was quickly thrown into position, 

 and, after a fight of two hours and thirty minutes, 

 routed the enemy at all points and drove him toward 

 the river. 



When within a short distance of the bridge, Gen. 

 Buford's command came up and took the advance. 

 We lost twenty-nine killed, thirty-six wounded, and 

 forty missing. We found upon the field 125 dead reb- 

 els, and brought away upward of fifty wounded. A 

 large number of the enemy's wounded were left upon 

 the field in charge of their own surgeons. We cap- 

 tured two guns, three battle flags, and upward of fif- 

 teen hundred prisoners. 



To Gen. Costar and his brigade, Lieut. Pennington 

 and his battery, and one squadron of the 8th New 

 York cavalry of Gen. Buford's command, all praise is 

 due. Very respectfully, your ob't servant, 



J. KILPAT'RICK, Brigadier-General. 



On the fall of July, despatches were re- 

 ceived at Washington announcing the surren- 

 der of Vickshurg, and, on the 14th, further 

 despatches announcing the surrender of Port 

 Hudson. The news of the surrender of Vicks- 



burg was welcomed with salutes of artillery 

 in a large number of the principal cities in the 

 Northern States. 



On the 15th, the President issued the follow- 

 ing proclamation : 



By the President of the United States of America : 



A PROCLAMATION. 



It has pleased Almighty God to hearken to the sup- 

 plications and prayers of an afflicted people, and to 

 vouchsafe to the army and the navy of the United 

 States, victories on the land and on the sea so signal 

 and so effective, as to furnish reasonable ground for 

 augmented confidence that the Union of these States 

 will be maintained, their Constitution preserved, and 

 their peace and prosperity permanently restored. But 

 these victories have been accorded not without sacri- 

 rifices of life, limb, health, and liberty, incurred by 

 brave, loyal, and patriotic citizens. Domestic afflic- 

 tion, in every part of the country, follows in the train 

 of these fearful bereavements. It is meet and right 

 to recognize and confess the presence of the Almighty 

 Father, and the power of His Hand, equally in these 

 triumphs and in these sorrows. 



Now, therefore, be it known that I do set apart 

 Thursday, the 6th day of August next, to be observed 

 as a day for National Thanksgiving, Praise, and Pray- 

 er, and I invite the people of the United States to as- 

 semble on that occasion in their customary places of 

 worship, and, in the forms approved by their own con- 

 sciences, render the homage due to the Divine Majesty 

 for the wonderful things He has done in the nation's 

 behalf, and invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit to 

 subdue the anger which has produced and so long sus- 

 tained a needless and cruel rebellion, to change the 

 hearts of the insurgents, to guide the counsels of the 

 Government with wisdom adequate to so great a na- 

 tional emergency, and to visit with tender care and 

 consolation throughout the length and breadth of our 

 land all those who, through the vicissitudes of march- 

 es, voyages, battles, and sieges, have been brought to 

 suffer in mind, body, or estate, and finally to lead the 

 whole nation through the paths of repentance and 

 submission to the Divine Will back to the perfect 

 enjoyment of union and fraternal peace. 



In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand 

 and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. 



Done at the City of Washington, this fifteenth day 



of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight 



hundred and sixty-three, and of the Indepen- 



[L. s.] dence of the United States of America the 



eighty- eighth. 



By the President : ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 



The movements of Gen. Meade in pursuit of 

 Gen. Lee were in detail as follows : 



On the 18th, his headquarters were moved 

 across the Potomac ; on the 19th, they were at 

 Lovettsville ; on the 20th and 21st, at Union; 

 on the 22d, at Upperville ; on the 23d, at Mark- 

 ham Station ; on the 24th, at Salem ; and on 

 the 25th, at Warrenton, with the army occu- 

 pying the same line which it did two months 

 previous. Active operations now closed, and 

 on the 30th, Gen. Meade issued the following 

 proclamation to the inhabitants : 



HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, ) 

 July 30/A, 1863. J 



The numerous depredations committed by citizens, 

 or rebel soldiers in disguise, harbored or concealed by 

 citizens, along the Orange and Alexandria railroad, 

 within our lines, call for prompt and exemplary pun- 

 ishment. 



Under the instruction of the Government, therefore, 

 every citizen against whom there is sufficient evidence 

 of his having engaged in these practices, will be ar- 



