George H. Gordon, From Brook Farm to Cedar Mountain

[250] And on the 25th, after two hours rest, my brigade maintained its unequal contest for three hours against almost the whole of Jackson's army. In this, the principal share of the fighting in the infantry fell to the Second Massachusetts. It was entirely due to this regiment that Jackson was unable to, or at any rate did not, seize the crest of the hill from which he had driven our pickets, and render untenable the heights from which we at last fell back into the town. After its three hours fight, my brigade marched thirty-six miles in about twelve hours.

In Jackson's report, he admits that the Federal forces, in falling back into the town of Winchester, “preserved their organization remarkably well;” but affirms that “in passing through its streets they were thrown into confusion, and shortly after debouching upon the plain and turnpike to Martinsburg, and after being fired upon by our artillery, they presented the aspect of a mass of disordered fugitives.” “Never have I seen,” he adds, “an opportunity when it was in the power of cavalry to reap a richer harvest of the fruits of victory.”

Hoping that the cavalry would come up, Jackson pursued the Federals for two hours with artillery followed by infantry, and then as nothing was heard of the cavalry halted his troops,--his infantry being exhausted,--and went into camp. It appears that the cavalry failed Jackson because those of Ashby's command had not yet been collected since they scattered for pillage and plunder of Banks's wagons the day before; and those under Steuart (the Second and Sixth Virginia cavalry regiments) were held inactive, while their commander wasted valuable time on a point of military etiquette before he yielded to an urgent order of Lieutenant Pendleton of Jackson's staff to follow the enemy, which afforded the Federal army time to make such headway that it was “beyond,” as Jackson