JACKSON, THOMAS JONATHAN. 



549 



Thus in less than three weeks Jackson had 

 not only baffled the efforts of Fremont and 

 Banks to capture him, but had driven the latter 

 completely out of Virginia. A more important 

 advantage gained by him for the Confederate 

 cause was the diversion of McDowell's corps, 

 then preparing to march upon Richmond, from 

 its contemplated junction with McClellan, 

 which in the opinion of the latter general 

 would have sealed the fate of the Confederate 

 capital. Jackson remained in the vicinity of 

 the Potomac, between Williamsport and Harp- 

 er's Ferry, until the 30th of May, when pru- 

 dential motives counselled him to move south- 

 ward. The excitement which his dashing raid 

 created throughout the Northern States had 

 caused a considerable accumulation of troops at 

 Harper's Ferry, while Fremont on one flank 

 and McDowell on the other were in motion to 

 cut off his retreat. Accordingly, on the night 

 of the 30th, after a fruitless attempt to carry 

 the Federal position at Harper's Ferry, he hur- 

 ried off toward Winchester, whence on the suc- 

 ceeding day his retreat was continued up the 

 valley. On the afternoon of the 31st, Fre- 

 mont's advance, which had hastened by forced 

 marches over difficult mountain roads from 

 Franklin, encountered the rear guard of Jack- 

 son near Strasburg, and a smart skirmish en- 

 sued, which was terminated by darkness with- 

 out material advantage to either side. 



Jackson's retreat now equalled in rapidity 

 that of Banks a week previous. He had how- 

 ever the advantage of having got his main body 

 and train well forward, and his rear guard, 

 covered by Ashby's cavalry, by delaying the 

 march of Fremont, enabled the Confederates to 

 pass safely through Strasburg. Part of the 

 division of Shields, sent westward by McDow- 

 ell to intercept Jackson, reached Front Eoyal, 

 12 miles from Strasburg, about the same time, 

 so that the escape of the latter between both 

 parties of his pursuers seemed almost miracu- 

 lous. On the afternoon of June 1st, Fremont 

 entered Strasburg only to find Jackson far in 

 advance of him. Shields's advance guard now 

 joined Fremont's force, while his main army 

 passed up the valley along the south fork of the 

 Shenandoah, Jackson and Fremont being on 

 the north fork. It was thus the object of Jack- 

 son, though in superior force to Fremont, to 

 avoid fighting a pitched battle, as the delay 

 which would thereby be caused in his move- 

 ments, might enable Shields to flank him on 

 the east. For seven days the pursuit was 

 pressed with vigor by Fremont, Jackson having 

 in some instances barely time to burn the 

 bridges behind him, and being obliged to leave 

 by the way much of his plunder and material ; 

 and on the 8th the two armies came into col- 

 lision at Cross Keys, 7 miles beyond Harrison- 

 burg. A severe but indecisive engagement 

 followed, terminating at nightfall, and under 

 cover of the darkness Jackson pressed forward 

 to secure the passage of the Shenandoah at 



(rt Republic. 

 . 



Shields had meanwhile made a parallel 

 march with the retreating and pursuing armies, 

 and his advance under Col. Carroll reached 

 Port Republic on the 8th, while Jackson was 

 fighting the battle of Cross Keys. Had the 

 bridge over the Shenandoah been destroyed at 

 this juncture, and had Carroll then pressed on 

 to Waynesboro and rendered the Virginia Cen- 

 tral railroad impassable at that point, the posi- 

 tion of Jackson would have been critical. But 

 the latter, well aware of this plan to intercept 

 him, again baffled his enemies by the celerity 

 of his movements, and before Carroll had made 

 preparations to destroy the bridge, drove him 

 back toward his supports. The Confederate 

 army then pushed silently and swiftly across 

 the river, upon the banks of which Fremont 

 arrived on the morning of the 9th, only to find 

 the bridge in flames and his prey again snatch- 

 ed from his grasp. Gen. Tyler meanwhile 

 came up to the assistance of Carroll, but being 

 in insignificant force, was soon put to rout by 

 Jackson, who proceeded by easy marches to 

 Richmond. Pursuit was impossible by the 

 Federal troops, and Jackson was needed for 

 more important duties in the army of Lee. 

 Thenceforth he held no independent command, 

 but his management of the brief but exciting 

 campaign of the Shenandoah had sufficed to 

 make his name famous both in Europe and 

 America; and his admirers claim that in no 

 subsequent campaigns, when acting under the 

 directions of a superior, did he exhibit such 

 energy, decisiveness and command of resources. 

 His raid was of great benefit to the Confeder- 

 ate cause, and in no remote degree produced a 

 series of disasters to the Federal arms, which 

 for a time turned the scale against them. 



On June 25th Jackson arrived at Ashland, 

 about 16 miles north of Richmond, whence, in 

 accordance with Lee's plan of a flank movement 

 on McClellan's right wing, he was directed to 

 move to Cold Harbor and attack the rear of 

 Fitz John Porter's corps, which alone occupied 

 the left bank of the Chickahominy. During 

 the 26th and 27^ he was occupied with getting 

 into position, and late on the afternoon of the 

 latter day, his troops falling with irresistible 

 fury on the exhausted forces of Porter, who 

 had been contending for hours against superior 

 numbers at Gaines's Mill, drove them toward 

 the Chickahominy and gave the victory to the 

 Confederates. On the 29th he moved across 

 the Chickahominy, engaged McClellan's rear 

 guard on the succeeding day at Frazier's farm, 

 and on July 1st shared in the signal defeat of 

 the Confederates at Malvern Hills, where his 

 corps lost several thousand in killed and 

 wounded. A pause then ensued in the mili- 

 tary operations before Richmond, both sides 

 being too shattered to desire to renew the con- 

 test immediately. But about the middle of July 

 the movements of the army of Virginia under 

 Gen. Pope induced Lee to send a force to cover 

 Gordonsville, and Jackson with his old corps, 

 and Swell's division, were selected for this duty. 



