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| Place of Jackson's attack on Howard.4 |
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tempest of war.1 These mute messengers were followed by the sounds of bugles; then by a few shots from approaching skirmishers; then by a tremendous yell from a thousand throats, and a murderous fire from a strong battle line.2 Jackson, in heavy force, was upon the Eleventh Corps3 at the moment when the men were preparing for supper and repose, without a suspicion of danger near.
Devens's divisions, on the extreme right, received the first, blow, and almost instantly the surprised troops, panic-stricken, fled toward the rear, along the line of the corps, communicating their emotions of alarm to the other divisions.
In vain the officers tried to restrain them, and restore order.5 The high and commanding position at Talley's, with five guns and many prisoners, was soon in the hands of General R. E. Rodes, who was closed followed by Generals R. E. Colston and A. P. Hill. General Devens was severly wounded, and one-third of his division, including every general and colonel, was either disabled or captured.
In the wildest confusion the fugitives rushed along the road toward Chancellorsville, upon the position of General Carl Schurz, whose division had already retreated, in anticipation of the onset, and the turbulent tide of frightened men rolled back upon General A. Von Steinwehr, utterly regardless of the exertions of the commander of the corps and his subordinate officers to check their flight.
Only a few regiments, less demoralized than the others, made resistance, and these were
1 See Chancellorsville, by Hotchkiss and Allan, page 48.
2 Jackson formed his force in three lines of battle perpendicular to the turnpike, and extending about a mile on each side of it. Rodes occupied the front; Colston the next line, two hundred yards in the rear of Rodes, and back of this was A. P. Hill. Two pieces of Stuart's horse-artillery moved with the first line.
3 Howard's corps (Eleventh), as we have observed, occupied the right of the army, and was composed of the divisions of Generals to Devens, Carl Schurz, and Steinwehr. Devens was on the right, Schurz in the center and Steinwehr on the left. Works for the protection of the corps were thrown up parallel to the plank road and the turnpike, facing southward. At the left of these was Steinwehr's divisions, joining Sickles. Devens, on the extreme right, was west of the intersection of the two roads mentioned, near Talley's house. The mass of his force occupied the works at that place. A portion of the brigades on the extreme right was thrown across the turnpike facing the west, and protected by slight breastworks and an abatis. Two pieces of artillery were on the plank road.
4 this was the appearance of the spot when the writer sketched it, in June, 1866. the view is in a little intervals in the Wilderness, through which courses a small tributary of Lewis's Creek, and here crosses the road.
5 This was General Sigel's old corps, composed of 11,500 men, of whom 4,500 were Germans. Howard had recently taken command of the corps. He was censured at the time, and by General Hooker afterward in his testimony before the Committee on the Conduct of the War, for being so illy prepared for an attack in force. This censure seems to be unjust, for the Commander-in-Chief, and General Sickles who had commenced a pursuit of Jackson's column, appear to have been under the impression that the Confederates were retreating toward Richmond. On that afternoon, a short time before the attack, General Hooker wrote to Sedgwick, saying: “We know the enemy is flying — trying to save his trains. Two of Sickles's divisions are among them.” --See Swinton's Campaigns of the Army of the, Potomac, note, page 284. There appears no evidence of any lack of vigilance or skill on the part of Howard, either before or after the attack. No one seems to have suspected the bold and seeming reckless movement of Jackson until the moment when he burst upon Devens with almost the suddenness of a thunderbolt.
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