Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-12

given me. 1t was dated Mcdowell,
and read about thus: 'Prouidence
blessed orr arms Nth rictory orey MI
roy's forces yesterday That was all. }"
The actual dispatch, as printed on page
40 Of the volume just quoted FROM
contains the full dispatch. 1t Is in
these words;
VALLEY DISTRICT, VA.
:: May o, 1862,
"ria STANTON. VA,
MAY 10. 1862. J
"Gnerdl s. Cooper, Adutdnt- Genera:
"God blessed our arms with victory
at Mcdowell yesterday.
ct. J. JACKSON,
"Msjor-General."
feel that it is a rash thing for ne
thus TO present the dispatch as | re-
membered it and the real one as ] find
it recorded. There is a discrepancy
between the two just about the size to
fill Colonel Aliens critical eye. and II
he had found it first have no doubt he
would have given me fits. and
shown that such a discrepancy utterly
destroyed "any historical vslue in the
article" in the Century. In my re-
miembered dispatch ! said " Providence
blessed our arms" &c. Jackson wrote,
" God blessed our arms" &c. As |
remembered the concluding words were,
Victory over Milroy's forces yester-
day." jackson wrote: Victory at
Mcdowell yesterday"
On full investigation ! acknowledge
an error pointed out by Colonel Allen,
and upon which he plays s. :. upon a
harp of thousand strings Ashby IN
person did not command that portion
of his cavalry that pursued Milroy Il
ask Colonel Aliens pardon that pur-
sued Schenck) from Mcdowell to Frank
lin. The brave Captain Sheetz, OF
Ashby's command, led that pursuit.
In my article say, referring to the
time Jackson crossed the Blue Ridge to
come by rail to Staunton, g. Ashby
remained behind with about 1000 cav.
airy, scattered and moving day and
night in the vicinity Of Mcdowell,
Franklin, Strasburg, Front Royal, and
Luray, and reporting to jackson
every movement Of his Brisrean ene'
my" OF course Ashby could not be
with all these detachments of his com
mand at the same time. find my
memory was at fault in asserting that
he had in person gone with or TO the
detachment doing duty in front of the
enemy concentrating at Mcdowell
when jackson moved to the attack
there. His troopers were there, but
not under the immediate eye of their
chiyalric chief, who was some forty
miles away that day.
Colonel Allen says that at the time
of the battle of Mcdowell General
Banks was not fortified at Strasburg.
True, he may not have fallen back tc
that point at that date. nor for some
DAYS later, but he was fortified -
there all the same; and there is where
he no doubt meant to fight, behind
works he had previously constructed
and that were ready for him; and il
was against these works. known to eX.
list, that General Jackson was cautioned
The telegram quoted by Colonel
Allen is in exact harmony with the one
] mentioned, and corroborates my re.
collection. | sent courierS at yariou:
times from Staunton to General Jack
son. The one | mentioned in my arti
Gle reported that he found him neal
Stribling's Springs, in Augusta county
en- route to HarrisOnburg ria Bridge
water. That Jackson sent the Telegram
to General Lee quoted by Colonel Alleg
there can be no doubt. That the pur,
pose to attack Banks was on his
mind two DAYS" after the battle
of Mcdowell is equally certain, for in
his report on page ALB Of the volume o.
&" War Records above referred to he
says: The junction between Banks
and Mlroy having been prevented 10y
Mllroy's defeat and becoming satisfied
of the impracticability of capturing th'
defeated enemy, owing to the noun
famous character OF the country being
favorable for retreating army to make
its escape, | determined, as the enemy
had made another stand at Franklin
with prospect Of being soon reinforced
that | would not attempt to press far
Their, but return to the open country o
the Shenandoah Valley, hoping through
the blessing of Providence to defea
Banks before he should receive reinforce
ments." And that is exactly what he diC
by turning his flank at Front Royal, thu
forcing him out of his works at Stras
burg and cutting him up terribly a
MiddletOwn, Newtown, and WincheS
ter. | stated the hour Of attack a
Front Royal as Every early in tn
morning OF May ODD" Examination
Of the records now convinces me tn,
attack was little after the middle o
that day-an error in time of perhap
five or six hours on my part.
say " 1t shows how close had beer
Jacksons calculation Of chances L
! state that as his rear guard marched M
Fishers Hill, two miles from StraS
burg, Fremont's advance came in sigh
on the montain side on the roaJ
from MoorGeld." Colonel Allen crit
cises the accuracy of this language
and yet strangely confirms it when h
says: "0n Sunday afternoon lJun'
lstl. when Jackson's rear guard ha'
closed up flor which he waited Satur
day at Strasburgl, and as General Dicl
Tay lOr puts it, the last captured wheel
barrow had been sent to the rear, Jack
son retreated towards Stanton an,
permitted Fremont to occupy Stras
burg" One would infer from thi
that Fremont stopped quietly at Stras
burg, content with his skirmish tw
and half miles out on Sunday morn
ing. The fact is, Fremont followed 5
rapidly that at several points betwee
Strasburg and Mount Jackson he en-
gagged Jackson's rear guard with Bay
ards cavalry, and even with artillery
lie reported to his Government that h
captured some of Jackson's men an
released few Federal prisoners.
jackson shook him off from clos
pursuit only by burning the bridg
across the Shenandoah at the Nicer
farm, near Mount jackson. The rive
being swollen, Fremont lost more tina
, lay in Getting across on his nOntoons