Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 4.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[334] them back. The Fourteenth Indiana's left rallied promptly to our support, and I gave the command to “Forward — charge bayonets!” Here it was that the two remnants of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Indiana regiments went in with a yell and drove from the field a whole brigade, which proved to be Loring's celebrated Irish brigade of the provisional army, and completely routed them. We should have captured their colors had it not been that night was coming on, and for fear of firing into our own men I ordered a halt. It was so dark that we could pursue them no further.

After gathering up the wounded on our own and on the rebel side, we slept on our arms until daylight, when I proceeded to join you on the advance toward Strasburg in pursuit of the enemy, and have arrived at this camp, after sharing the honors of being in the advance with your brigade, and driving the enemy beyond this place a distance of twenty-two miles.

Before closing this report, I must refer to the officers and men of the Thirteenth regiment. All alike acted nobly and fought bravely, adding new laurels to those already won in Western Virginia. Lest I should be thought to prefer one above another, I forbear making any personal mention, as they, all, both officers and men, fought with a coolness and desperation that proved them not inferior to our brave Hoosiers who are battling in other localities for our holy cause.

The medical staff, and more particularly of our own Assistant Surgeon, require of me a mention. Dr. Gall, principal, having been detailed during the early part of the action to take charge of the wounded, who were being sent to Winchester, left Dr. W. C. Foster alone on the field, and he was in the thickest and hottest of the fight, with the members of the Thirteenth's band, carrying off the killed and wounded as they fell on the field, and but for him our list of dead would have been greater than it is.

We captured a number of commissioned officers, some of whom are wounded. Among them are a major and an aid to the rebel Gen. Jackson, a number of lieutenants and privates, and a quantity of small arms, all of which I will report to you as soon as I can ascertain the exact number of each.

Our loss is about forty or fifty killed and wounded. Among the wounded are Major Dodds and Capt. Sales, of company G. Circumstances and orders to move forward prevent me from giving you a more detailed account at this time. Enclosed find a list of killed and wounded.

I am respectfully, your obedient servant,

General: I beg respectfully to report to you that after having received, on Sunday last, the twenty-third of March, at nine o'clock A. M., an order to report for duty as Aid-de-Camp on your staff, I left headquarters for Kernstown, and assisted Colonels Kimball, Tyler, and Sullivan in their efforts as commanders of brigades, fighting the enemy under Gen. Jackson, and to insure an unity of action of their three respective commands.

I reported at half-past 9 A. M., to Col. Kimball, Acting Brigadier, and senior officer on the field, who was stationed on a hill almost one half mile west of Kernstown, which latter place is intersected by the turnpike leading to Strasburgh. There I informed myself as to the events which had transpired previous to my arrival, and understood that the enemy who, in endeavoring to drive in our pickets the day before, had been repulsed, had opened with his artillery about eight o'clock A. M., upon our forces again; and that since the time we were engaged responding to his battery of four guns, which he then had in play, and in endeavoring to repel his small but harassing attacks of cavalry upon our chain of sentinels.

Reconnoitring the ground surrounding me, I found that between the hill upon which I now stood with Col. Kimball and the hill opposite us, upon which the enemy's battery was posted, about half a mile distant, a ravine was lying, running from east to west, which is entirely free of wood; when about half a mile to the east a forest connected both hills, through the centre of which passes a mud road, and is bounded on its extreme right by another mud road leading to Cedar Creek. The country to the left (west) of the turnpike is flat and comparatively little wooded.

We placed in position a six-gun battery, com-commanded by Captain Jenks' First Virginia artillery, to oppose the enemy's four guns, which latter were soon reinforced by a whole battery, whereupon Capt. Clark's regular battery was put in prolongation of the former named. Both batteries were fought by Col. Daum, Chief of artillery of Gen. Shields' division, in person. Our fire from the two batteries became too hot for the enemy, and they brought a third battery in the direction of their right wing, in such position upon our two batteries on the hill, that they enfiladed them, but with this manoeuvre exposed their battery to a raking fire of one of the Ohio batteries placed near Kernstown to defend the pike, and they were necessitated to limber to the rear with all their batteries, but continued their fire.

In the mean time the infantry regiments were moving up to the support of our batteries, and formed into line of battle about a thousand yards to the rear of our batteries, when at once the enemy's heavier battery moved to the front, and threw, in rapid succession, a number of well-aimed shell into our batteries and the cavalry and infantry stationed upon the interior slope of the battery-hill, and the necessity to storm and take their guns became evident.

In conjunction with Colonels Kimball and Tyler, the following infantry regiments were drawn up in mass, parallel with each other: The right, resting upon the mud road passing through the forest, was held by the Seventh Ohio, the Sixty-seventh