The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-03-23
Gu: 2roplf's 1'inAifator.

command through III pursuit vi the
enemy, put two prisoners in charge Of
a lady and gave hers pistol I" guard
them. She joyfuIIy accepted, and
faithfully fulfilled the trust-'nrniny
them over to the Provost Marshal
w|lcn he had established his quarters.
As the ladies, many of whom We're his
personal friends. crowded around Gen.
Jackson exclalning, "Thank God We are
free! Thank God we are free once m"rr'
he is said to have waved his cap in the
air, and to have joined lnstiy in the
cheers Of the soldiers and the ciriztns.
But he did not lingtr amid these con-
ordinations. He dashed Oh after the re-
treating enemy and soon sent back thu
characteristic order: "Lrt every battery
and every brigade push forward t" the
Potomac" lie kcenly felt the absence OF
his cavalry at this juncturr, and said i"
lis official report: "Thrre is good r'a-
son for believing that had the cavalry
played its part in this pursuit AS we'll as
the four companies andcr Col. Flournoy,
two days before i'll the pursuit from
Front Royal, bnt small portion Of
Banks army would have made its escape
&C the Potomac"
The gallant Col. Asby (not Ashley as
the printers made me say in my last
SKETCH had gone OFT with his cavalry III
pursuit of force in the direction OF
Romney. and was thus unfortunately alb
sent at this important junctnrc.
1t was soon found impossible for our
broken down infantry to overtake the
fleeing foe, who threw away guns, KNAPP
sacks, and everything which conld im-
pede their progress, and accordingly we
were halted five miles from Winchester.
There were immense quantities of
stores of every kind captured at both
Winchester and Martinsburg, and our
fellows revelled in the supplies of every
description, which the suffers bad accu'
INFLATED in Winchester.
1t was the capture Of these immense
quantities of medical, ordinance, commits
sary, and especially quartermaster stores,
which originated the soubriquet ny which
ever afterward We knew Gen. Banks as
Stonewall Jackson's Qnartermaster. l
remember that at the battle Of Slangh-
ter's Mountain when We learned from
prisoner that Gen. Banks was in COM
mand of the forces opposed to Us it rang
all along our line: "Send in your rcqui-
sitions, boys, for whatever You want in
the way Of clothing. 'Stonewalps Quar-
termaster' Gen. Banks-has come with
full supply to issue" We have a kind
ly feeling for Gen. Banks. He treated
the people of tho valley much more leni-
emily than his successors in command
there. He has shown Of late thas he has
| some appreciation of the fact that tho
war closed with the surrender OF tho
Confederate armies, and be certainly did
make Us first rate quartermaster, and
General Dick Taylor an admirable COM
missary. But it must be confessed that
he did not seem to manage matters we'll
either in the Valley, or Red River. Yet
we will give him chance to be heard III
his own behalf
ut is seldom" says General Banks in
his report, that river crossing of such
magnitude is achieved with greater sue
cess, and there never were more grateful
hearts in the same number of men than
when, at midday of tue Goth, we stood
on the opposite shore. MY command had
not suffered an attack and rout. 1t mad
accomplished a premeditated march of
nearly sixty miles in the face of the enc
my, defeating his plans, and giving him
battle where ever he was found"
An old "Rebel" must be pardoned for
thinking that Gen. Banks did not exert
himself very strenuously to "6nd" his
enemy OF that memorable campaign, and
that those were glorious days when we
marched down the valley after Stone
wallis Quartermaster'"