, 1891-01-17

Duus u ny any possible you
can hurl your own forcc on only a part Of
your enemy and crush it."
he field Of Jaeksonis e~aFIiest-explsits
was well suited for a trial Of his policy.
The Shenandoah valley, between the head
at Stauuton and the Potomac river, is over
a hundred miles long Stanton was a
strong base for the Confederates in the val
ley because it had railway connections with
the main Confederate armies south. The
Union forces were strong on the Potomac,
and II not opposed would advance up the
valley on taunton and so cooperate with
the army threatening Richmond. Jack
sons duty, when figured down to Just what
his government expected OF him, was to
keep up a scare in the valley, threaten to
cross the Potomac, and in this way compel
the Union government to maintain a large
force in the vicinity. In other words, Jack
son was to furnish occupationin the valley
for Union troops that otherwise would be
sent to aid Mcclellan in front of Richmond.
In May. 1862, McClelland was advancing
up the Peninsula against the Confederate
capital. A good sized Union army, under
Gen. Mcdowell, was lying in the region
Just east of the Shenandoah valley: another,
under Fremont, was in ME mountains west
OF 1t, and another, under Banks. was forth
lied at Strasburg, a point about one-third
of the way up the valley from the Potomac.
jackson WAS at Stanton. In the combined
armies Of Gems. Mcdowell, Fremont and
Banks there were about $1,000 men that
could have been moved toward Richmond
but for Confederate activity In the valley.
Jackson's force was about 10000. On May
& the first battle OF the campaign was
fought Mt the village Of Mcdowell, in the
mountains west Of the valley, between a
division Of Jackson's command and one OF
Fremont's, under Schenck. Schenck led
Fremont's advance and was cooperating
with Banks, who was intending to advance
up the valley from Strasburg toward
Schenck was defeated in the
battle Of May 8, II Jackson turned his at
tention at once to Banks at Strasburg.
Gen. McDowell's forces were all at u dis
lance, east Of the Blu Ridge, and Banks
was practically without supports.
From the battle of May s jackson re-
turned to the Shenandoah valley proper,
and maintaining a cavalry mask in front
OF Banks he crossed over to Luray valley
on the east, and on the Esd of May struck
n flank position Of Banks at Front ROYAL,
captured it, and thus opened the road to
the Shenandoah valley again in Banks
rear. "Stonewall's" purpose was to destroy
Banks completely, aud a part OF his cav
airy was sent on down the valley toward
Winchester to get onto Banks line Of re
'HF'A@ ~ aNNbhARN W AAgNb AlbAA
Strasburg toward the Potomac. Another
portion OF cavalry with tho infantry. all
under Jackson's immediate command,
pushed into Banks route at Middletown,
a few miles north Of Strasburg, and cut
Banks moving column in two. Three
spirited engagements resulted-on the 23d,
cath and 25th Of Msy-anL Banks crossed
the Potomac afrer losing heavily in prison
ers, equipments and stores. True to his
theory Jackson never let up in the pur-
suit, but his cavalry failed him for once,
and paid more attention to securing per
sonal booty than to fighting and chasing
the enemy, and the seth Of May found
"StonewalI' on the banks of the Potomac,
over "A hundred miles from his base, and a
threatening storm in his rear.
So rapid and so sudden had been stone
wallis blows against Banks that the
Union authorities had given no thought to
sending relief to the latter, but as soon as
It became known in Washington that the
Confederates had pursued Banks AS far as
the Potomac, a "trPp" was set for the willy
leader who dealt almost exclusively in
mystery. Gen. Mcdowell was ordered to
send troops from the east across the Blue
Ridge, and get between Jackson and his
base at Staunton, and Fremont was or