550 



JACKSON, THOMAS JONATHAN. 



For several weeks he remained at Gordons- 

 ville. But learning on Aug. 7th that Pope's 

 advance was at Oulpepper Court House, he 

 marched rapidly in that direction with his 

 whole force, hoping to cut it off before the 

 arrival of reinforcements. On the 9th was 

 fought the severely contested battle of Cedar 

 Mountain, between Jackson and Banks, in 

 which the latter was forced back about a mile 

 toward his supports. But Jackson almost im- 

 mediately retired across the Eapidan toward 

 Orange Court House, to await the arrival of the 

 main body of the Confederates, which was 

 pressing forward under Lee to the invasion of 

 Maryland. McClellan was also by this time in 

 motion down the peninsula, and it became an 

 object of paramount importance with Lee to 

 overwhelm the small force under Pope before 

 any portion of the army of the Potomac could 

 join it. About the 18th Lee effected a junction 

 with Jackson, and on the next day the united 

 Confederate army moved toward the Eapidan, 

 Jackson keeping to the left with a view of 

 flanking Pope. On the 20th the Eapidan was 

 crossed, and for several days the Confederates 

 harassed Pope by frequent attempts to cross 

 the Eappahannock, which, it subsequently 

 appeared, were intended to mask a flanking 

 movement under Jackson toward Thoroughfare 

 Gap in the Bull Eun mountains, and thence to 

 Manassas in the Federal rear. 



On the 24th and 25th Jackson made rapid 

 progress northward, moving by unfrequented 

 roads, taking no unnecessary baggage or rations, 

 and subsisting his men on roasted corn and 

 whatever else the country might produce. On 

 the 26th he passed safely through Thorough- 

 fare Gap, and fell suddenly upon the small 

 Union force at Manassas, capturing prisoners, 

 cannon, and a large amount of stores. Learning 

 this, Pope moved with his whole force to the 

 rear, and stationed McDowell at Thoroughfare 

 Gap to prevent the arrival of reinforcements 

 for Jackson. The situation of the latter becom- 

 ing somewhat critical, he evacuated Manassas 

 on the 28th, and moved through Centreville 

 toward Gainesville, to be in the neighborhood 

 of his supports. Here, on the succeeding day, 

 he was brought to bay by the united Federal 

 forces, and had there been a proper concert of 

 action between Pope and his generals, it seems 

 impossible but that he should have been crushed 

 before the arrival of Lee. As it was, he was 

 pushed back toward the Bull Eun mountains, 

 with fearful loss, but unbroken and defiant, 

 and the golden opportunity was lost to the 

 Federals. Longstreet had meanwhile forced 

 his way through Thoroughfare Gap, followed, 

 on the night of the 29th, by Lee, and on the 

 30th the Confederates confronted their foe 

 with a united army and in greatly superior 

 numbers. Jackson had a full share in the 

 bloody battle of that day, and after the retreat 

 of Pope across Bull Eun, led his corps to 

 the north of Centreville, with a view of turning 

 the Federal right and severing their connec- 



tions with "Washington. Pope anticipated this 

 movement by falling back a few miles to Ger- 

 mantown, where, on the evening of Sept. 1st, 

 a sharp action was fought, resulting in the re- 

 pulse of the Confederates. 



Lee was now ready for the invasion of Mary- 

 land, and Jackson was again pushed forward, 

 as he had been during the whole campaign, to 

 be the pioneer of the movement. On the 4th 

 of September he occupied Leesburg, on the oth 

 he crossed the Potomac near the Point of Eocks, 

 and on the morning of the 6th his advance 

 entered Frederick, where, with a view of win- 

 ning over the inhabitants to the Confederate 

 cause, a proclamation was issued, promising 

 them relief from the tyranny by which they 

 were oppressed, and similar benefits. As a 

 further means of conciliation, strict measures 

 were taken to protect private property, and on 

 Sunday, the Yth, Jackson, true to his devotional 

 habits, publicly attended Divine service at the 

 Presbyterian and German Eeformed churches. 

 The expected sympathy of the Marylanders, 

 however, proved a delusion ; recruiting for the 

 Confederate army made little or no progress, 

 and the approach of the Federal army under 

 McClellan rendered it necessary for Lee, whose 

 whole force was now concentrated at Frederic, 

 to move in the direction of the upper fords of 

 the Potomac, by which, in case of defeat, he 

 might retire into Virginia. 



One of the prime objects of the campaign was 

 the capture of Harper's Ferry, then garrisoned 

 by a considerable force of Federals, and con- 

 taining large amounts of artillery and munitions 

 of war. Accordingly detachments were sent 

 to occupy Maryland Heights, in Maryland, and 

 Loudon Heights, on the right bank of the She- 

 nandoah, both of which command the place, 

 while Jackson marched up the Potomac to 

 Williamsport, and, crossing thence into Virginia, 

 moved down to the rear of Bolivar Heights, the 

 only point of Harper's Ferry which the Fed- 

 erals had fortified. The latter, though thus 

 invested on three sides, might easily have main- 

 tained the post but for the unaccountable 

 abandonment, by Colonel Ford, of Maryland 

 Heights, the occupation of which by the Con- 

 federates on the 13th and 14th decided the fate 

 of the garrison. A furious cannonade from 

 Maryland and Loudon Heights was opened on 

 the 14th, while Jackson pressed the garrison 

 in the rear. The attack was renewed on the 

 morning of the 15th, and resulted, in a few 

 hours, in the unconditional surrender of tlie 

 place, with 11,000 troops and all the material 

 of war. 



Meanwhile the battle of South Monntain had 

 been fought, and Lee, retreating before McClel- 

 lan, was taking position behind Antietam Creek. 

 Foiled by the vigor and celerity of Jackson in 

 his effort to relieve Harper's Ferry, the Federal 

 general concentrated his forces to give battle to 

 Lee and drive him out of Maryland. No time, 

 therefore, was to be lost by Jackson in forming 

 a junction with his commander; and leaving 



