"I
had not gone 100 yards through the woods before we
met the celebrated Stonewall Brigade, utterly routed
and fleeing as fast as they could run." --
Confederate Gen. L. O'B Branch
The attack of
Crawford's Brigade (Williams' original brigade)
crossed a wheat field into a forest where it
shattered the Stonewall Brigade and nearly won the
battle. Left unreinforced it was struck by a march
larger force and suffered 50% casualties.
When Jackson's
leading troops contacted the Federals, it was his forces
that were strung out. Banks, unaware that the force
advancing upon him were more than twice his size, ordered
Williams to attack.
"The battle was opened by
artillery about 3 o'clock. At 5, I had placed my
brigade in the woods and orders were sent to push
through and if possible take a battery which was
doing great mischief to our left (Augur's division).
It was in this effort to pass the open ground, which
was successfully accomplished, and in the woods
beyond where they had concealed their reserves, that
we suffered so severely. For two hours the volleys of
infantry were incessant and the roar of artillery
seemed hushed in the din of small arms. "
It turned out that
Crawford's Brigade overlapped the Confederate left and
the shock of their attack rolled up the Confederate lines
sending the vaunted Stonewall Brigade flying in a rout to
the rear.
Unfortunately for
Williams, he discovered there was no followup force
behind him, that he was low on ammunition, and that he
was advancing toward a vastly superior force. When A.P.
Hill's command arrived to save the day for Jackson the
command became engaged in a battle for survival as it was
driven from all the ground it had gained and beyond..
"By the aid of the 2nd
(Gordon's) Brigade we held on till dark, though it
was every moment apparent that we were greatly
outnumbered and exposed to flank movements. We then
slowly withdrew to our old position, wondering what
had become of the 12 or 15,000 of our troops
(Rickett's and part of Sigel's corps) which we had
passed in the morning on our way out, not over four
miles from the battlefield. If they had arrived an
hour before sundown we should have thrashed Jackson
badly and taken a host of his artillery. As it was,
they came up some time after dark and took up a
position that greatly relieved us."
Night and well
positioned Federal artillery combined to stem the Rebel
tide in the chaos of night warfare.
"We had, however, several
instances of tremendous cannonading and the Rebels
tried once seriously to force our lines. I came very
near being caught in it. I was riding towards a road
in front of which I had been directed to mass my
division, or what was left of it. When but a few rods
off, a spirited fire of infantry was opened upon us.
Just in front of me was Gen. Gordon and an escort of
cavalry. Fortunately we were in a small hollow and
the balls passed over us. There was, however, a
general stampede of officers and dragoons. Just
behind us Gens. Pope and Banks were sitting
dismounted with a good many staff officers and
escorts. This was a hurrying time with them and
altogether the skedaddle became laughable in spite of
its danger."
"It was a grand sight,
especially as our batteries were well served and
knocked the Rebels to pieces rapidly. Finding the
Rebel shells passed far over me, I stood on a little
knoll and enjoyed the sight vastly. It was a flaming
pyrotechnic display. In the morning, I counted over
twenty dead Rebel horses, and they left one
lieutenant and several men killed on the position of
their battery. They didn't stay long after our guns
got the range and quiet reigned the rest of the
night."
"...I picked up
a bundle of wheat or rye straw, took my horse to a
fence near the front, unbridled him, tied the halter
about my arm, and went to sleep while he munched
straw."
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