The Portland daily press., 1862-06-25


horses and trying to find something for them
to eat thought we should have one days
rest at least, before we proceeded any further.
1t was Sunday-the sun was shining beautiful
ly, and thought of my friends in Maine, but
there was no Sunday for us at Front Royal.
was intending to hold a prayer meeting in
the woods near the camp Of the first Maine
Cavalry, but about o'clock the sound of guns
at a distance aroused the Camp; soon they be-
came more distinct and frequent.
We listened attentively and heavy cannon
aiding was heard. The report came that Cen
eral Shields was attacking Jackson. We were
ordered toharness and be ready to move. Soon
the whole army was in motion.
Troops poured into Front Royal in every di-
rection: wherever we looked we saw columns
of troops moving down the sides of the noun
tains; they came like the soldiers of Napoleon
crossing the Alps. They crossed the Shenan-
doah and pressed on to the conflict. The sol
ders are excited and eager to fight. Order
lies are seen galloping in every direction. At
noon we hear the enemy isfying, he is retreat
ing to Strasburgh. The chief Of Artillery came
galloping to our division for two sections of the
Second Maine Battery to pursue Jackson to
Strasburg. The Cavalry of Bayard's brigade
was in the advance; we must overtake it. to
act in concert.
The right section commanded bymyself and
the left by Lieut. Fessenden were selected, the
whole commanded by Captain Hail. We wait
ed for nothing but put our horses into a run
we left for Strasburg We found smoking
Wagons on the route burned by the enemy in
his retreat
We overlook two companies of Infantry,
called the "Bucktails,'' who were to support
our battery. We passed them and at o'clock
we came up to General Bayards brigade near
Strasburg-they were falling back the enemy
were too strong for them.
One thing we were certain of, fall back and
We lose our guns; the roads were bad and up
hill. We could not retreat; better fight and
lose them if overpowered than to lose them on
the retreat. We made up our minds if we were
beaten and our guns captured to go with them;
not man should desert his post. The enemy
fired shell at us, we planted our guns inbattery
and waited for daylight. The next morning
we crossed the Shenandoah again and entered
Strasburg, the enemy fedbefore us. We pass
ed battery when it was reported the night
before the enemy had planted thirty guns. Gal
Looping through Strasburg one of the guns be-
came disabled on account of the breaking of
an axletree; one wheel came off and the gun
laid useless in the road.
There was no time to mend it even if we
had the means which we had not. / was want
ed in the front; heavy cannonading was heard
not far in our advance. / never had been
taught how to leave my gun in an enemy's
country; toordermy men to tear down fence,
disconnect the front, wheels of threshing ma
chine and lash my gun on by means of the
tongue, was but the work of a moment. Hur-
rying to the front the army yofGencral Fremont
was seen approaching they had entered
Strasburg in another direction. The Maine
boys cheered, and Fremont's men cheered, and
The pursuit was kept up.
We met large number of prisoners taken
from the rear guard of Jackson's army--they
were sent to Strasbnrg. We saw the dead,
both friend and foe lying together by the road
side. AT night we encamped near Woodstock,
and early the next morning, we left again and
pursued Jackson to Mount jackson; here he
burned the bridge and prevented our army
from crossing. The river being swollen on ac-
count of the rain we could not lay the bridge
successfully until the second day. Two sec
tions of our battery crossed the bridge before
any other artillery-we led the advance. Gen.
eral Frcmont's chief of artillery paid us great
complimentary we were in the rear of any of
the batteries in Fremont's army, he halted
them and we were called to the front
AT fourteen hundred yards we knocked the
carbine out of the hands of scout and took
the coat off of another. The Chief of Artillery
clapped his hands and said it was splendid
shot We gained the reputation of being good
artilerymen in the army ofGen. Fremont. We
were frequently brought into battery in pres
ence Of the General. Our horses now COM
menced to give out, run at full speed for sew
eral days, bare-footed, many of them, without
grain subsisting upon scanty supply of grass,
they commenced to exhibit the marks of hard
usage. Near Harrisonburg we had skirmsh
and, 1t is reported, Gen. Ashby fell. / talked
with many of Jackson's men, who were taken
prisoners and they all reported the death of
Ashby. The people in the valley of the Shen-
andoah, all felt sad when they heard the news;
he was considered one of Jackson's best Of
fcers.
At Harrisonburg we rested all day, and on
Sunday morning we commenced the pursuit
again. At Cross Keys the enemy made a
stand-the battle commenced at IL o'clock.
and was kept up furiously until or o'clock,
when the left wing of our army retired short
distance. Cannonading was kept up until
dark, and both armies slept on the field of bat
tie. The next morning we formed and pur-
sued the enemy who fed in the direction of
Port Republic leaving his dead unburied.
We saw the effect of our fire in the woods;
trees were scattered in every direction; the
dead lay along the road, both rebel and Fede-
raj soldiers slept bis last sleep and died unnotced
and alone. My heart was moved within me.
realized that every man saw had some fond
friend who cared for him and who perhaps is
even now anxiously waiting his return. l said,
God grant this unhappy contest be brought to
a speedy close. We halted for few moments
near a church which stood i'm the woods. That
church was filed with dead and dying soldiers;
they were suffering terribly, legs lay about,