WILSON'S CREEK. 



WINCHESTER. 



755 



eral Jackson. The crossing was suspected, but 

 not at so early an hour, and the Federal troops 

 were close upon the Confederates before they 

 were seen by the latter. The first stand was 

 made at Porterfield's farm, on the turnpike and 

 near Hainesville, where it was necessary to 

 destroy a barn and carriage-house in order to 

 make a charge upon the Confederates. Here 

 was a sharp skirmish the Confederates held 

 their ground for a time, but eventually re- 

 treated. Knapsacks and canteens were thrown 

 aside as incumbrances to a backward march. 

 They left behind them a number of blankets 

 and other articles of value, indicating a hasty 

 retreat. The loss of the Federal troops was 

 reported by General Patterson, at three killed 

 and ten wounded. This was called the skirmish 

 at Falling Water. The troops moved thence 

 to Martinsburg. 



WILSON'S CREEK, BATTLE OF. This was 

 the severest engagement of the year, except the 

 battle of Bull Run. General Lyon, (see LYON,) 

 who had arrived on the 5th of August at Spring- 

 field, Missouri, learning that General Price, of 

 the Confederate army, (Missouri State Guards,) 

 had effected a junction with General Ben. Mc- 

 Culloch, and that the consolidated force, about 

 23,000 strong, was within ten or twelve miles 

 of Springfield, resolved, though aware of the 

 hazard of the movement, as a last resource, to 

 attack the Confederates at their camp on Wil- 

 son's Creek, nine miles from Springfield. His 

 entire force amounted to 5,200 men, of whom 

 one regiment, the Fifth Missouri, were three- 

 months men, whose time had expired nine days 

 before the battle, but who had been retained 

 by the urgency of Colonel Siegel. There were 

 in all less than 500 cavalry, while the Confed- 

 erates had over 6,000, according to General 

 Ben. McCulloch's report. He had also three 

 batteries, comprising in all sixteen guns, all 

 of light calibre. This force marched from 

 Springfield at eight p. M. on the 9th of August, 

 intending to commence the attack at daybreak 

 the next morning. They were in two columns, 

 the larger consisting of three small brigades 

 and not quite 4,000 men, under the command 

 of General Lyon himself, the brigades being 

 severally commanded by Major Sturgis, Lieu- 

 tenant-Colonel Andrews, and Colonel Deitzler ; 

 the smaller column, of about 1,300 men and 

 one battery of six pieces, was commanded by 

 Colonel (now Major-General) Siegel. The 

 Confederate camp was situated along Wilson's 

 Creek for a distance of five or six miles, and in 

 the ravines, and on the heights west of the 

 creek ; and General Lyon's plan of attack was 

 to march his main column, which he divided 

 into two, giving the command of one to Major 

 Sturgis, in front and to the left flank of the ene- 

 my, so as to enfilade their position on the 

 creek ; while Col. Siegel with his column, taking 

 another road from Springfield, and crossing 

 the creek, which here assumes the form of an 

 inverted U, lower down, should endeavor to turn 

 their right flank. Siegel's column fell into an 



ambuscade, and suffered severely, losing five 

 of his six cannon, and was thus unable to ren- 

 der as efficient service as had been intended. 

 The fight was continued in front, and on the 

 enemy's left with terrible effect for over six 

 hours ; the Confederates twice, in the course 

 of the battle, coming up to the Federal lines 

 with the Union flag flying, and thus deceiving 

 the Federal troops till they could get so close 

 as to pour a most destructive fire upon them, 

 but themselves falling back in confusion, when 

 the artillery, which was served by officers and 

 men of the regular army, was brought to bear 

 upon them. General Lyon, who was thrice 

 wounded early in the engagement, and had had 

 his horse killed under him, mounting another 

 horse, led the Second Kansas Regiment, which 

 had lost its colonel, for a charge upon the ene- 

 my ; but was killed instantly by a rifle ball, 

 which struck him in the breast. His death did 

 not, however, throw the Federal troops into 

 confusion, and the battle, in which Major Stur- 

 gis now commanded, was continued for nearly 

 three hours longer, when the Confederate 

 troops were driven from their camp and the 

 field. Finding his force too much reduced to 

 hold the position, Major Sturgis gave the order 

 to fall back on Springfield, and there resigned 

 the command to Colonel Siegel, who made a 

 masterly retreat with the remnant of his army, 

 his baggage trains, and $250,000 in specie, to 

 Rolla. The loss of the Federal force in this 

 battle was 223 killed, 721 wounded, 292 miss- 

 ing, mostly prisoners. The Confederate loss, 

 according to their own account, was 517 killed, 

 about 800 wounded, and 30 missing. Three of 

 their generals were wounded, two of them 

 mortally. 



WINCHESTER is the capital of Frederick 

 County, Virginia, one hundred and fifty miles 

 north-northwest of Richmond, and seventy-one 

 miles west by north of Washington. Excepting 

 Wheeling, it is the largest town in the State 

 west of the Blue Ridge, which is twenty miles 

 distant. It is the terminus of the Winchester 

 and Potomac Railroad, thirty miles long, which 

 connects with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 

 at Harper's Ferry. The Confederate forces, on 

 their retreat from Harper's Ferry in the middle 

 of June, halted here. The place was thence- 

 forth occupied by them through the year. It 

 was the head-quarters of a wing of the great 

 army of the Confederates, whose centre was at 

 Manassas Junction. The number of troops was 

 greater or less as circumstances might require. 

 The fortifications surrounding the town, except 

 to the southward on the high ground, were very 

 heavy. The works were made with logs and 

 barre'ls filled with earth. In front of the breast- 

 works deep trenches were dug, communicating 

 below with the inside of the works. The guns 

 were masked by artificial thickets of ever- 

 greens, extended in some cases, to be used as 

 ambuscades for riflemen and sharpshooters. 

 The fortifications extended two and a half 

 miles, and the trees were felled between Bunker 



