By order of the
commanding General, the Third Corps was to move at dark on July 4th, and the First Corps to follow with the prisoners — mine being the rear-guard.
Next day, the 3d, was to take the rear, etc. At 10 A. M. on the 5th, the other corps were not all in the road, and consequently mine did not take up the march till near noon, and only reach
Fairfield at 4 P. M. Here the enemy, who had been threatening our rear, and occasionally opening a fire of artillery on the rear-guard (
Gordon's brigade of
Early's division), showed more boldness in attacking, throwing out a line of skirmishers over a mile in length.
They were repulsed, and a battery which was shelling our column driven off. We encamped for the night on a hill one and a half miles west of
Fairfield; and next day, July 6th, the Third Corps moving by
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another road, we were still in the rear;
Rodes's division acting as rear-guard and repelling another attack of the enemy.
The Forty-Fifth North Carolina of
Daniel's brigade being summoned to surrender, attacked the troops making the summons, and drove them out of a wood in which they were posted.
The enemy did not follow much beyond
Fairfield.
The road was again blocked till noon.
That night we encamped near Waynesboroa, and reached
Hagerstown about noon of the 7th of July.
On the 11th we were moved into line between
Hagerstown and
Williamsport, our right joining the left of the Third Corps, and began fortifying; and in a short time my men were well protected.
Their spirits were never better than at this time, and the wish was universal that the enemy would attack.
On the night of the 14th I was ordered with my infantry and artillery to ford at
Williamsport, the ammunition chests going in the ferry-boat.
I could find no ferry-boat nor any one in charge — it was dark and raining — the entrance to the river would have been impracticable for artillery in daylight; and as well as I could ascertain, the exit was worse.
Everything was in confusion.
Colonel Corley,
Chief Quartermaster Army of Northern Virginia, who had charge of the arrangements, recommended
Colonel Brown, my chief of artillery, to cross by the pontoons, and sent to the same point my reserve train of ambulances with wounded, originally intended to cross by the ferry-boats.
Just before midnight my advance (
Rodes's division) commenced crossing.
The men had directions to sling their cartridge-boxes over their shoulders, but many rounds of ammunition were necessarily lost, as the water was up to their armpits the whole way cross, sometimes deeper.
By 8 o'clock my whole corps was over, all fording except
Hays's brigade, which was sent with the artillery to the pontoons.
While in camp near
Darksville, the enemy under
Kelly were reported between
Martinsburg and
Hedgesville, protecting the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and occasionally skirmishing with
Johnston's division, which was destroying the track.
General Lee directed on the 21st an effort to be made to capture this force, said to be 6,000 strong.
Sending
Early's division to get in the rear through Mill's Gap and down
North Creek, I joined
Rodes to
Johnson and marched against their front.
Though these movements were made in the night of the 21st, the enemy heard of them through spies, and early on the 22d had retreated out of reach.
The other corps had already marched towards the
Blue Ridge, and accordingly we followed and bivouacked near
Winchester, and next
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day, on reaching Manassas Gap, found
Wright's brigade of
Anderson's division deployed to repel a large force of the enemy, who were advancing upon it through the
Gap.
The insignia of two corps could be seen in the
Gap and a third was marching up. Over ten thousand men were in sight.
The enemy were so close to
Wright's brigade that the line of battle had to be chosen some distance in the rear, and accordingly some two hundred and fifty sharpshooters of
Rodes's division, under
Major Blackford, were added to
Wright's brigade to hold the enemy in check while the line was formed.
Rodes's brigade (
Colonel O'Neil), deployed as skirmishers, formed the first line, and the remainder of
Rodes's division with
Carter's battalion of artillery, the second line.
These dispositions were made by
General Rodes, with his usual promptness, skill and judgment.
The enemy were held in check for some time by the line of
Wright's brigade and the skirmishers under
Major Blackford, which they at last drove back, with considerable loss to themselves, by flanking it.
These troops, in our full view, showed great gallantry, and though in very weak line and intended merely to make a show, held the enemy back so long and inflicted such loss that they were satisfied not to come within reach of
O'Neil, but remained at a safe distance, where they were leisurely shelled by
Carter's artillery.
Johnson's division was ordered to take position near the river, to prevent the enemy's cutting us off from the ford at
Front Royal, and though not required in action, was promptly in place.
Early's division, much jaded, was fifteen miles off near
Winchester, and could not possibly reach me before the afternoon of the next day.
I had reason to believe that
Meade's whole army was in our front, and having but two divisions to oppose him I decided to send
Early up the
Valley to
Strasburg and
New Market, while I marched the other two divisions up the
Page valley to
Luray, the route pursued by
Jackson in 1862 in his campaign against
Banks.
Johnson's and
Rodes's divisions moved back two to four miles and encamped near
Front Royal — the rear-guard, under
Colonel Bradley T. Johnson, of
Johnson's division, leaving
Front Royal after 10 o'clock next day — the enemy making only a slight advance, which was driven back by a few rounds of artillery.
Rodes's division, the only troops of my corps that I saw during this affair, showed great eagerness and alacrity to meet the enemy, and had he advanced, would have given him a severe lesson.
I was indebted for correct and valuable information regarding the strength and movements
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of the enemy at this point, to
Captain W. Randolph, commanding cavalry escort attached to my headquarters, and to
Captain Wilbourn, of the Signal Corps.
