Reason of the evacuation.
the Richmond
Enquirer says:
We are now at liberty, on the best authority, to make public the true motives actuating
General Johnston in what the
Northern and some of the
Southern papers have called the “Evacuation of
Harper's Ferry.”
The general, like other military men of education, had long known that
Harper's Ferry,
in itself, is faulty and untenable, from the facility with which it can be turned.
It lies, as it were, in the small end of a “funnel,” the broader end of which could with great ease be occupied by the enemy.
The heads directing the operations of the
Yankee forces were well aware of this fact, but forgot that there were fully as astute heads on our side.
The minute and able investigations of
Major Whiting,
chief engineer to
General Johnston, had satisfied our leaders of the justness of these views.
General Scott's plan was to turn
Harper's Ferry by a column from
Pennsylvania under
General Patterson, effect a junction near
Winchester or
Strasburg with another column of
McClellan's army, passing through
Romney, and cut off
Beauregard's and
Johnston's armies from each other.
This plan was completely foiled, and the enemy checkmated at their own game, as we shall explain.
On or about Thursday, the 16th instant,
General Johnston having waited at
Harper's Ferry long enough to make the enemy believe that he intended to contest that position to the last, and learning that they were advancing on
Williamsport and
Romney, sent a portion of his force to
Winchester by rail.
On Friday he continued this movement, sent back his tent equipage and other heavy baggage, his sick, &c., set fire to and burned the railroad bridge, and such of the public buildings as could be burned without endangering private property, spiked such of the heavy guns at
Harper's Ferry as could not be removed, and on Saturday moved, with his whole army, marching on foot, in the direction of
Winchester, encamping about three and a half miles southwest of
Charlestown.
The enemy, taking this movement as it was intended they should take it, as a retreat, crossed a brigade of their advance division, commanded by
General Cadwalader, (who joined their forces on Saturday or Sunday morning,) which was moved forward towards
Martinsburg.
On Sunday morning, however,
General Johnston changed his line of march, at right angles, and moved square towards
Martinsburg, encamping at
Bunker's Hill, on the
Winchester
[
416]
and Martinsburg turnpike, twelve miles from
Martinsburg, to offer battle there, or advance an attack if necessary.
This movement placed the enemy in a predicament.
He had not crossed his whole force, and if the opposing forces had closed he must have been beaten in detail.
He therefore “acknowledged the corn,” turned tail and retreated, recrossed the river, and evacuated the valley, retiring beyond
Hagerstown.
A
lieutenant-colonel and another (member of the Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers) were taken prisoners during this retreat.
A day or two after this,
Col. Hill, Thirteenth Virginia regiment, in command of a part of the forces who had “retreated” from
Harper's Ferry, and who had been pushed forward towards
Romney, as our readers have learned from our Saturday's edition, sent forward towards
New Creek, on the
Potomac River, eighteen miles west of
Cumberland, four companies of
Tennessee and
Virginia troops, under
Col. Vaughan, of
Tennessee, who found the
Yankees posted on the
Maryland side of the
Potomac.
Our brave fellows, in the face of the enemy, forded the stream, waist-deep, drove them off in the utmost confusion, captured two pieces of
loaded artillery and a stand of colors, destroyed the railroad bridge at that point, and returned to
Romney, making the march of thirty-six miles and gaining a brilliant victory with — in twenty hours.
Our readers will thus see what
General Johnston's “retreat from
Harper's Ferry,” has done.
It has thoroughly broken up
General Scott's paper programme, destroyed his whole Western combination, and compelled him to remodel his whole plan.
If our “retreats” do thus much, we wait with confidence to see what our advance will do.
