The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-04-01
BATTLE OF NVINCHESTERlF
PARTIGUIa AR g -

/ The correspondent of the New York
Herald writes from Winchester on the 25th: /:
The ball of the campaign on the Potomac
| was at length brilliantly opened at VIM
| chester on Sunday last, aud the rebels have
suffered a dreadful reverse in The first ens
counter of the season in this department
The object of the reconnaissance made
| by General Shields to Strasharg may now
| be stated. 1t was to throw the enemy into
the trap which has SO fatally sprung npon
| the rebellion. Discovering the number and
| position of the rebels, Gen. Shields retired
| hastily, posted his men about two miles
nerth of Winchester, in a few tents, as
| though the force was unable TO attempt
| pursuing Jackson's force, and there, after
| the withdrawal of General Williams divis-
| ion, awaited the effect of bis movement
| upon the enemy. The result showed that
the scheme entirely succeeded. As soon as
the rebel General Jackson heard that the
division of General Williams had moved
| toward Centeryllle, he immediately took
up his march to Winchester. Ia the mean
| time he had received re-enforcements, and
| Generals Longstreet and Smith, of the reb-
el army, had their commands united to
| that of the boaste1 Stone Wall Jackson.
So prompt and unexpected was the attack
Of the enemy, that it took our Generals
entirely by surprise, but everything was
ready for the emergency. -tf
On Saturday afternoon, at about quar-
ter past two O'clock, our advanced pickets
on the Strassburg road discovered the rebel
cavalry under the madcap Ashby abont
half a mile beyond them, accommodating
the woods on both sides of the turnpike,
and steadily advancing. Our pickets con-
sisted of a few men of the 14th Indiana
infantry at that point, add they fell back
half a mile to the hamlet of KernstOwn,
four miles from Winchester. The rebels,
observing our pickets fell back, were con-
firmed in the belief that our forces here
did not exceed five thousand men. They
then gave chase. Coming mp with our men,
Ashby cried at the top of his voice, "There
they are, boys; now give them hell"
Steadily did the troopers advance as our
men wheeled to aim and fire. The fire sent
many of them reeIing from their saddles,
aud threw the rest into such confusion that
before they could again be rallied for a
charge, our gallant little band of infantry
was beyond The reach of their power, with
out having lost man killed or wounded
Meanwhile skirmishing progressed on other
points along our advance line, and our
piekets were everywh here raliying to our re-
serves. Gen. Shields hearing of the adj
vance of the rebel cavalry, sVpposed it to
be a manueuver of Ashby, more for the pHr-
pose of watching our movements. AS they
were approaching so boldly and SO closely,
however, he ordered four advanced COM
panies of infantry, engaged in protecting
the supply train, to rally to the support of
the more advanced pickets and try to hold
the rebels in check till he could move down
the division. These four companies were
Il tha
one from the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania,
one from the Forty-sixth Pennsylvania, and
one from the Twenty-eighth New York. |
Their regiments had already marched un-
der General Williams. A battery Of artit- |
lery (Capt. Huntington's First Ohio,) and
Col Kimball's Brigade, were also ordered |
forward, and General Shields, after order |
ing out the division, rode to the front, ac-
companied by his staff. While engaged |
directing the fire of the artillery and the |
defense generally, shell from the rebel |
battery of four guns, which now began to |
play on us, burst near him, and q splinter |
from it struck him in the left arm, just |
above the elbow, fracturing the bone and |
creating painful wound. His Adjutant- |
General, Major Armstrong, who was stand |
ing near, remarked, " General, you are |
wounded in the arm" "Yes," replied the |
gallant Shields, "but say nothing about it."
He then gave fresh order TO the artillery, |
and continued on the field till he satisfied |
himself that all was right. A man belong |
ing to Capt Rebinson's company of Ohio |
artillery and a horse were killed on this |
day by the enemys guns; hut these were /
all tile casualties that occurred on our side |
till the skirmish of the first day was ended. |
The wound of Gen. Shields caused |
a pang throughout the entire division,
and it is remarkable that be should /
have been the first maH struck on
our side. Our division began to arrive in /
force on the field toward dark, aud the |
rebels perceiving this did not push their ad