The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-04-18

what reluctantly consentng, "Shields's bare
footed and ragged backed division" $50 the other
troops called them) in pelting rain and hail
storm, moved through the night up the east
bank of the South Fork of the Shenandoah and
east of the Massanutten Mountain, the same
route by which Jackson had come down, to in
tercept him at New Market. Gen. Fremont
informed the President, by telegraph, that the
hailstones on his side Of the mountain were {" as
large as hens eggs" and no doubt they were as
large on our side as they were on his OfcOurse
the young gentlemen of to-day would do the
same If called upon, but let me ask them how
they would like to walk through the night, in
continuous rain and frequent hail, in bare feet
and wet petticoats, as many of Shieldss brave
fellows did in that nights march Shields ar
rived at the river the next day in time TO have
given Jackson serious trouble, bat the bridge
had been burnt, as ordered, and all the streams
in the Valley were rising to overfowing, so
Shields without pont0ons, set about building
bridge, with the intention of joining Fremont.
About o'clock in the morning Fremont's
forces were In active pursuit; Gen. Bayard,
having broken loose from Mcdowell, with the
lst n. j. and 1st Pa. Cav and some artillery
and Fremont's cavalry, under Col. Zagonyi,
leading; infantry and artillery following hard
after the Bucktals in the lead. JaCksOn's
rear was covered by the entire strength of his
cavalry, under Gems. Ashby and Steuart and
Coils. Munford and FlournOy. Conspicuous on
our side were Gen. Bayard, Cos. Sir Percy
Wyndham, (of the British service and of an
historic family,) Owen Jones and Karge,
Majs. Cumming and Beaumont, Capts Thomas
and Sands, and doubtless others whose names
are not recorded. The pursuit was energetic
and creditabe to all concerned, and the Eng
lishman kept himself we'll to the front through
out. | met him quite frequently the next
Winter in quarters near Centreville, he occupy
Il IT
medium height, well built, and an English
cavalryman "dOwn to the ground" tight
breeches and all; his courage was indisputable,
but he was ull-headed, and to his subordinates
tyranical and overbearing / acted as friend
for one of our Colones-a plucky little bantam
barely five feet tall-in a dispute they had,
which nearly came to pistols,
We with Shields could hear Bayard's and
Ashby's cannon pounding away at each other
over the mountain good part of the day. As
soon as Jackson's rear was struck, about six
miles out, unaccountably he himself and his
army seem to have been struck with what was
very much like panic, and his column became
little better than stream of fugitves in flight
after q crushing and demoralizing defeat; even
the cavalry, not even excepting Ashby's, shared
to some extent in the Generalization. The
pursuit becoming vigorous
THE RETREAT BECAME RECKLESS,
anu Uub lOT ASuDy , pSIoOudl SuHISy anu UbIO-
ism it is not improbable that Jackson would
have been fairly routed, and in great part dis
persed. Before reaching Woodstock the Yam
kee cavalry had become so very bold and an
noying that Gems. Ashby and Steuart were
exerting themselves to the utmost to prevent
wholesale capture of the struggling and de-
moralized infantry. Munford being ordered
by Gen. Steuart to support a battery, TO his
cutter surprise" he says, saw the battery
and cavalry struggling together down the road
pell-mell, the Yankees after them at full
speed. The head of my column was under a
hill, and as l came out of the woods part of
the 42d Va, mistaking US for the Yankees
fred into the advance squadron, wounding sew
eral, when a retreat was ordered, and dis
graceful land gencral) stampede ensued."
From about IL o'clock, and for perhaps six
miles, it was an almost continuous skirmish
with rifles and artillery. Over 500 prisoners
were captured, and Jackson's men escaped to
the woods in thousands to return no more that
Summer. Small-armS were thrown away or
left in stacks, and broken ambulances clothing
blankets and articles of equipment lined the
way. Near Woodstock, about IL miles from
Strasburg. Ashby rallied a small force of in
fantry, aud getting artillery into position
checked for time the pursuit, and, night at
hand, the Union troops encamped. On the 81
the pursuit was continued, though delayed
by broken bridges and swollen streams, and
several sharp brushes occurred, with the
capture of more prisoners Ashby narrowly
escaping both death and capture, and the enc
my were driven through Mount Jackson at full
speed by the 1st Pa. Cav, at which point they
had the pleasure of hearing the shouts and
welcoming back numbers of prisoners that had
been taken from Banks, However, Ashby sue
ceeded in burning the bridge over tho North
Fork of the Shenandoah, which interrupted the
pursuit for As hours. Fremont, having a pom
toon train through the exertions of Maj. Has
kell, of California experience, who plunged
into the current with his horse and fixed the
ropes to the opposite bank, and Lieut.. Robin
son, of an Ohio regiment with a detail for
pontOners, had the river spanned by o'clock
the next morning, and force of infantry and
cavalry passed over; but in few hours the
river rose II feet, when, to save the bridge the
ropes were cut and the pontooGs swung round
to the northern shore, leaving the force cut off
on the other side, and necessitating a delay
until the food subsidized. Jackson, however,
only intent upon avoiding the enemy, took no
advantage of the circumstance. Mcdowell at
Front Royal, with Ord's Division, and Kings
within call, stood absolutely idle. During his
halt at the river, Fremont asked him, through
a staff officer, to relieve his detachments in the
rear and take charge of his prisoners, becoming
fractions and unruly; but Mcdowell, taking
exception to the language of the staff officer as
unsuitable to his dignity, implying a command,
curtly and shamefully refused the reasonable
request at the same time intimating that he
was the commander of separate, independ-
ent, military, geographical department"
Ito be continued1