"The air seemed literally
to be full of whizzing bullets, which stirred up
currents of wind as if the atmosphere had suddenly
been filled with some invisible cooling
process."
"On Friday evening last we got conflicting
rumors of an attack upon our guard at Front Royal, a
small village about twelve miles east of Strasburg
where a considerable valley, parallel with the valley
in which Strasburg is, crosses the Shenandoah.
Through this valley is a stone pike, and there are
several mountain gaps through which good roads at
this season connect with the stone pike from
Strasburg to Staunton. As there is a good road from
Front Royal to Winchester, the Rebels with sufficient
force at Front Royal could easily intercept our line
of march and cut us off from our supplies, especially
as the occupation of Front Royal destroyed the
railroad line that connected us with Washington.
I think I have several times written you that I
regarded our position as very critical. It was in
reference to this very matter, all which has taken
place, almost exactly as I feared. Ewell's division,
estimated at from 10,000 to 15,000 troops, had been
joined in the valley below Front Royal by Jackson's
brigade of 8,000 to 12,000, and they moved with great
rapidity and secrecy upon and actually took by
surprise, the regiment (1st Maryland) doing guard
duty there. I do not think fifty men escaped, and the
few who did passed the night in the woods on their
route to Winchester. It was near midnight, therefore,
before we knew the extent of our disaster."
Jackson's
famed "foot cavalry" struck Front Royal which
was held by a single detached regiment, the 1st Maryland,
with surprise and overwhelming force. It was destroyed
quickly with the survivors fleeing for Winchester. In the
grim fratricidal irony that civil war brings about, the
leading rebel regiment was the Confederate 1st Maryland.
Williams force at Strasburg, its supply line facing
closure, hastily withdrew to Winchester.
He managed to arrive just ahead of the rebel onslaught
and set up defensive lines to allow the bulk of his
trains to escape north. Outnumbered, he gritted his teeth
and awaited the attack on May 25.
"As you have never seen, you cannot appreciate
the difficulties of moving these long mule trains or
the impediments they make to a rapid march,
especially in retreat, when hurry and confusion,
frightened teamsters and disordered teams,
break-downs and collisions and ten thousand nameless
things conspire to make up the turmoil and increase
the disorder."
"Wagoners are proverbially scary and on the
first alarm they cut traces, mount horses, and
decamp. This is often done when not an enemy is
within miles, and it is a singular fact that our
losses on this march were at a long distance from the
actual points of attack. Still, under all the
difficulties, we succeeded in bringing through our
long line of wagons with wonderful success, but the
labor to the men was very great and our rear guard
was engaged with the Rebel skirmishers till long
after midnight.
As we approached Winchester we were agreeably
surprised to find that the enemy was not before us,
and that the flag of our Union was still flying from
the public buildings. The regiments encamped on the
elevations just outside of town so as to cover the
two roads leading towards Front Royal and Strasburg.
I had been up all the night before, and what with the
excitement and responsibilities I was weary enough,
but the rumors of approaching forces were too
reliable and the probabilities of an unequal contest
the next day, as well as the hurrying and necessary
preparations for the events that were sure to open at
day light occupied my mind and time until
midnight."
"The General had information that we should be
attacked in the morning by a superior force, and the
question of our best position to defend our trains
and stores, as well as to keep ourselves from
annihilation, had to be discussed.
It was decided to make a fight as we were, in front
of the town. I had but 3,500 infantry and ten pairs
of Parrott guns with six useless brass pieces to
resist a force estimated by nobody at less than
15,000 and by most (prisoners and citizens) at 25,000
troops. The prospect was gloomy enough. That we
should all be prisoners of war I had little doubt,
but we could not get away without a show of
resistance, both to know the enemy's position and to
give our trains a chance to get to the rear."
The Rebel assault slammed into them and we hear again
Williams' fascination with his with the odd thrill of
battle.
"The Rebel guns opened fire at the earliest dawn
and the banging to and fro became incessant. I rode
to the center of the brigade on the right, which
occupied a series of knobs, on the highest of which
one of our batteries was playing away manfully. The
whiz of the Parrott shells going and coming kept the
air quite vocal and, strange to say, had an exciting
effect upon my unstrung nerves. I felt rather
exhilarated than depressed. There is a singular
fascination and excitement about the banging of guns
and rattling of musketry with the pomp and
circumstance of war.
I rode to the left where three regiments of my old
brigade were posted. They had already been warmly
engaged with the infantry and had gallantly repulsed
them, almost annihilating a North Carolina regiment.
Their dead and wounded lay thickly scattered along
the front of one of our regiments. Some of our
officers went out and talked with them. They all
expressed regret that they had been fighting against
the Union. I was rejoiced to find my old brigade
doing so well. Every man seemed as cool and cheerful
as if preparing for a review. They lay in order of
battle behind the crests of hills ready for another
attack.
This small triumph proved short lived for on his left the
more numerous column was rolling the Union position. And
soon his position was under heavy pressure and threatened
to give way.
I stopped a few moments to confer with Gen. Banks,
and pushing on had hardly reached the valley which
intervened between the two wings when a furious
fusillade began on the right. Their cannons opened
with tremendous vigor and apparently from a dozen new
batteries. As I was obliged to ride across the line
of fire of most of them, it seemed to me that I had
become a target for the whole Rebel artillery.
Several shells passed in most unpleasant proximity to
my head with a peculiar whizzing sound that made one
involuntarily bob his head.
I dashed on as fast as my horse could carry me, but
before I could reach the front I saw our artillery
were limbering up and that a regiment on the right
(the 27th Indiana) was getting into confusion and
many men running back. I dashed at them with such of
my staff as were with me and made all sorts of
appeals to rally them. The men would stop for a
while, but before I could get them in line a new
batch of fugitives would break all my efforts.
Presently the whole regiment came pouring back in a
confused mass.
As we reached the brow of the hill a most terrific
fire of infantry was opened upon us from a long line
which extended beyond my extreme right. The air
seemed literally to be full of whizzing bullets,
which stirred up currents of wind as if the
atmosphere had suddenly been filled with some
invisible cooling process."
The Union position collapsing, Williams suddenly found
himself in danger of capture and barely escapes when Plug
Ugly carries him to safety.
"I stopped just long enough to know that I could
see nothing of value through the smoke in front, and
looking to the left I saw the whole line of the
brigade retiring in order and yet rapidly to the
rear. I put spurs to my horse, descended partly down
the hill and was beginning to think I should spend a
time in Richmond if I did not hurry, especially as I
was penned in by a heavy stone wall. I dashed my
horse at a point where two or three stones appeared
to have been knocked off the top and although he is a
pretty heavy beast (not my favorite gift horse) I
think he appreciated the occasion for he cleared the
wall most gallantly and carried me safely over into a
narrow lane.
As this lane was well under cover I thought it my
duty to make a second effort to get a look at the
enemy and consequently turned up the hill again but
had not got far before the colors of the Rebels,
infantry and cavalry, appearing on the top warned me
I had no time to lose to withdraw the two brigades. I
therefore sent word to Col. Donnelly, the 1st
Brigade, to retire by the east of the town and Col.
Gordon, 5th Brigade, to pass his regiments through
the town to the pike to Martinsburg. It was hurrying
times, as you can well imagine, with the very large
force that was pressing us on all sides."
Thoroughly routed a headlong retreat toward the Potomac
at Williamsport began. Williams, ever observant, has a
nice description of the comic panic of the situation.
"There is a strange sympathy in courage and in
fear, and masses seem to partake of one or the other
feeling from the slightest causes. For instance, on
reaching the first woods, with several other mounted
officers, I succeeded in getting quite a line of
fugitives established and ready to make a stand. Just
at this time, down came a company of Michigan
cavalry, running their horses at full bent. My line
of brave fellows broke at once and went off in double
quick. On the other hand, but a few moments afterward
two companies of other cavalry came from toward
Martinsburg riding toward the enemy and shouting with
drawn sabers. Our fugitives received them with cheers
and seemed at once to recover from their alarm."
It now seemed possible that the entire column would
be annihilated in its flight.
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