division?" he asked, and the day before, he had demanded from Frémont, his commanding general, "Answer me where you are, and with what force." Frémont, indeed, should have been in supporting distance, but he was fifty or sixty miles away.

Jackson had secured a hill overlooking the village of McDowell, whence could be seen the position of the Federals, and to some extent their strength. Milroy obtained permission to make a reconnaissance: the reconnaissance became a sharp engagement and a Union defeat. "God blessed our arms with victory at McDowell yesterday," was the despatch of Jackson to Richmond. Schenck retreated that night, and was pursued by the Confederates to Franklin, where on May 14 he was joined by Frémont.1 Jackson, however, anticipating Joseph E. Johnston's orders received later,2 had begun the day before to retrace his steps with the design of co-operating with Ewell in an attack on Banks in the Shenandoah valley. This same plan had at the same time occurred independently to Johnston and to Lee. Jackson was a true Puritan soldier; it grieved him to march or to fight on the Sabbath. In his pursuit of Schenck, military considerations compelled him to press forward on Sunday, May 11, but having a chance for rest he dedicated half of the following day to "thanksgivings to Almighty God."4 Two days later at McDowell, part of one of the regiments of the Stonewall brigade mutinied. The men had volunteered for twelve months, their time had expired, and they now maintained that to apply to their case the Conscription Act passed only thirty

1 My authorities for this account are the correspondence in O. R., vol. xii. part iii.; Jackson's, Schenck's, Milroy's, and Frémont's reports with despatches, ibid., part i.; Century War Book, vol. ii. p. 285 et seq.; Dabney's Life of Jackson.

2 Dabney (p. 353) says Jackson received from Lee an order of May 11 to return, but no such despatch or letter is printed in the Official Records.

3 Johnston to Ewell, May 13, Taylor to Lee, May 14, Lee to Jackson, May 16, O. R., vol. xii. part iii. pp. 888, 889, 892.

+ Life of Jackson by his wife, p. 258; Dabney, p. 353.

days before was a breach of faith: they laid down their arms and demanded their discharge. Their colonel called upon Jackson for instructions. "What is this but mutiny?" he thundered. "Why does Colonel Grigsby refer to me to know what to do with a mutiny? He should shoot them where they stand." Jackson at once gave orders appropriate to this outburst of wrath, and the mutineers promptly returned to their duty. Continuing his rapid march, he rested the whole of Friday, May 16, to observe the national day of prayer appointed by President Davis. Pressing on through Harrisonburg, he united with Ewell near Newmarket, and with an army now 17,000 strong2 began a series of brilliant movements in which his undoubted genius had free scope, owing to the mistakes of Banks and of the War Department at Washington.

Stanton failed utterly to divine the situation. May 9 he repeated a former order to Banks to fall back upon Strasburg and to send Shields's division to General McDowell at Fredericksburg if the enemy was not in force in his front. Stanton was possessed with the fear of a direct attack on the Federal capital. "The probabilities at present point to a possible attempt upon Washington while the Shenandoah army is amused with demonstrations," he said in his despatch. Washington is the only object now worth a desperate throw." Therefore Shields must march with all possible speed to support McDowell. Banks deprecated the detachment of this force, presaging his misfortune, and if he had been a soldier he would have protested with satisfying reasons against it, as Stonewall Jackson objected a week later when Johnston proposed to withdraw Ewell from his command.5

66

1 Dabney, pp. 353, 354.

2 I cannot account entirely for the reduction of Jackson's force since the first part of May. I feel certain, however, of the correctness of both of my statements.

3 To Banks, May 9, O. R., vol. xii. part iii. p. 150.

4 In a letter to Geary, May 9, ibid., p. 154.

5 See correspondence, ibid., p. 894 et seq.; Dabney, p. 359.

The possibility that Jackson would make a raid down the Shenandoah valley does not seem to have entered the mind of Stanton, for he further weakened Banks by ordering him to detach two of his regiments to relieve other men who had been guarding the railroad from Strasburg to Front Royal. Banks instantly complied, but telegraphed, "This will reduce my force greatly, which is already too small to defend Strasburg if attacked." The War Department had warning enough. J. W. Garrett, President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, telegraphed, May 18, that the condition of affairs in the valley threatened disaster: the enterprising and vigorous Jackson, reinforced by Ewell, had begun a march northward with a view of destroying his railway, and he asked whether it would not "be most judicious to order back Shields to co-operate with Banks."2 Shields was not so far along on his march toward General McDowell that he could not have been brought back in time to frustrate the Confederate plan; but his orders were not changed. May 20 Frémont telegraphed Banks that Jackson had passed the Shenandoah mountain and was reported to be moving towards his front: this despatch must have been transmitted to Washington. Moreover, on the 21st, Banks understood the situation, reported it with substantial correctness to Stanton, estimating with practical accuracy Jackson's and Ewell's united force at 16,000; to oppose this he had 6000 men, besides artillery, at Strasburg, and 2800 guarding the railroad between Strasburg and Manassas. Still Shields was permitted to keep on. May 22 he joined McDowell. The next day, Friday, the President and the Secretary of War paid General McDowell a visit for the purpose of making the final arrangements for his march towards Richmond. The General said that he could move the following Sunday. Do not start on Sunday,

3

1 From Strasburg, May 16, O. R., vol. xii. part i. p. 522; see, also, part iii. p. 161.

2 Ibid., part iii. p. 202.

Ibid., p. 208.

4 Ibid., part i. p. 523.

Lincoln by indirection said. Get a "good ready" and start on Monday. Thus it was arranged.1

The gratification of the President and his War Secretary at the condition of McDowell's army and their anticipation of its successful and imposing advance was followed by bitter disappointment at the news which awaited them on their return to Washington. Jackson had swooped upon a small Federal force at Front Royal and routed it. Fearing that his retreat would be cut off, Banks had abandoned Strasburg, and, fighting on the way, "ran a race" with Jackson to Winchester. Despatch after despatch that came from the theatre of operations to the War Department piled alarm on alarm. Reinforcements were ordered to Banks from Baltimore; Harper's Ferry sent him part of its garrison. At four o'clock. on this 24th day of May, the President-it is he who now sends the most important despatches directed Frémont to move from Franklin to Harrisonburg with the purpose of operating against the enemy for the relief of Banks. Between Strasburg and Winchester the Federal column was pierced. Receiving reports of this fighting, Lincoln at five o'clock suspended the order which had been given McDowell to unite with McClellan, and instructed him to send 20,000 men to the Shenandoah valley with the view of capturing Jackson's forces. To expedite these movements the Secretary of the Treasury went to Fredericksburg. At daybreak on Sunday, May 25, Jackson routed Banks at Winchester and, with hot pursuit of the "mass of disordered fugitives" and on the very point of destroying the entire force, drove them across the Potomac River. "There were never more grateful hearts

1 O. R., vol. xii. part iii. p. 213; ibid., vol. xi. part i. p. 30; Warden's Chase, p. 435; McDowell's testimony, Report of the Joint Committee on Conduct of the War (this will hereafter be referred to as C. W.), part i. p. 263. "I called their attention to the fact," testifies McDowell, "that once before I had moved on Sunday and had been very much condemned for it all over the country. But I said I was ready to do so again." Reference is made to Bull Run. See vol. iii. of this work, p. 455.

2 May 23.

3 May 24. Lincoln's expression.

in the same number of men," wrote Banks, "than when at midday of the 26th we stood on the opposite shore."1

The despatches sent to Washington on Sunday, which were largely from panic-stricken men,2 alarmed the President and the Secretary of War. Their paramount object, which on Saturday was the capture of Jackson's army, now became mixed with fear for the safety of the capital. "Intelligence from various quarters leaves no doubt that the enemy in great force are marching on Washington," telegraphed Stanton to the several governors of the Northern States. "You will please organize and forward immediately all the militia and volunteer force in your State." This despatch and the response to it, reflecting the alarm at the capital, caused wild excitement at the North; it was afterwards spoken of in Massachusetts as "the great scare." The militia and home guards of many of the States were called out; regiments, among them the New York Seventh, were hurried to Baltimore and to Harper's Ferry. The President took military possession of all the railroads in the country. "I think the time is near," said Lincoln in a despatch to McClellan, "when you must either attack Richmond or give up the job and come to the defence of Washington." 5 Part of

1 Banks's report, O. R., vol. xii. part i. p. 551; see Jackson's report, ibid., p. 703; Correspondence, ibid., p. 643, part iii. pp. 219, 222; Warden's Chase, p. 435. Banks himself, however, had no lack of physical courage. 2 This may be said of only one despatch of Banks.

3 MS. War Department archives. In Stanton's handwriting.

4 MS. War Department; Moore's Rebellion Record, vol. v., Diary, p. 17; Schouler's Massachusetts in the Civil War, p. 334; O. R., vol. xii. part iii. p. 297; Clark's History of the N. Y. Seventh, vol. ii. p. 56; Lincoln's Complete Works, vol. ii. p. 161; Appleton's Ann. Enc. 1882, p. 107. The order taking possession of the railroads is in Stanton's handwriting, although signed by Meigs.

5 O. R., vol. xi. part i. p. 32. After getting this, McClellan wrote his wife: "I have this moment received a despatch from the President, who is terribly scared about Washington, and talks about the necessity of my returning in order to save it. Heaven save a country governed by such counsels!... Banks has been soundly thrashed, and they are terribly alarmed in Washington. A scare will do them good, and may bring them to their senses." May 26 he wrote: "I feared last night that I would be ordered back for the defence of Washington."— Own Story, pp. 396, 397.