Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-01-31

1nctT Tor Inat OlIlceT the cOTuidl ulS-
trust Of jefferson Davis forever after
ward. the Federal government and the
people of the northern and western
states set TO work with furious en-
ergy to counterfeit the reverses suf-
fered In the beginning. Congress au-
thoriZed the enlistment of half mill
lion of MEL for three years; an In
crease of the navy and stupendous
loans with which to strengthen the
sinews of war. ..ar
Lieutenant General Scott. now past
seventy years OF nge. hung up his lau-
relied sword and yielded the command
of the Federal armies to younger and
more active officer. General George B.
| Mcclellan.
With two Federal armies ready to
move Into Virginia that OF Mcclellan
at Washington and that under General
Banks opposite LeeSburg to say moth.
| ing Of considerable bodies Of troops
| haraSSing the northern counties about
| the hpat,waterS OF the Potomac. the
Confederate prospects for the spring OF
1862 were decidedly threatening. To
protect this portion Of the state and to
| guard the lower Shenandoah valley
| against General Banks. the Confeder-
| ate government determined to send
| force TO Winchester. This force. organ
lied under the official title Of the Army
of the Monongahela." was placed I'M
| der the command Of ''StonewalP' jack
son. now advanced to the rank Of ma
jor general.
This was. great news to the Filing
hams. not only for the naive reason
that it seemed to them like throwing an
| impregnable guard around Belle Bos-
-uuet and the whole valley. but also and
especially because Of Captain Robert
Ellingham's part in the growing pres
tige of the "Stonewall'' brigade.
The valley of Virginia comprised
within that section of the Appalachian
! plateau bounded on the east by the
Blue Ridge and on the west by range
! of the AIeghenies called there the
North mountains. stretches from the
headwaters of the Shenandoah near
Staunton on the south to the Potomac
on the north, distance Of considerably
more than q hundred miles. At the
upper end this valley is more than
forty miles wide, while at Strasburg.
| fifty miles south of the Potomac, the
! extreme width Is scarcely twenty-five.
A broad macadamized road, the IA
NOUS Valley pike. traverses the entire
region from north to south, with lateral
roads extending to the mountain boun-
diaries on either side, those toward the
Blue Ridge connecting through various
gaps with the railroads of eastern Y1r-
| ginia.
This beautiful and fertile region
called for protection for its own sake
as we'll as for that Of its patriotic pop
ulation (of which the Ellinghams were
q fair sampled. its numerous black
slaves and the rich supplies which Its
| lush. meadow lands and broad planta-
lions furnished.
1t was especially important from
southern military viewpoint that the
valley should be held intact by Con-
| federate army. No portion of the re-
gion could be given up without serious
detriment to operations north of Rich
mond.- .
IF this valley Is lost Virginia Is
| lost" was Jackson's watchword.
Early in January. 1862, Captain FL
| bingham wrote to his sister in Rich
mond: 1--WE have only conjecture as to
our destination. General Jackson keeps
his secrets so well as to deceive not
only the enemy, but ourselves"
Without losing any time Jackson now
set out with fercer energy than ever TO
surprise the Federal garrison under
| General Kelly at Romney. The wealth
er was fearful, even for ordinary traV-
ell, to say nothing Of forced military
movements. Men and horses fell on
the lev roads, their guns going off all
| along the line. the knees and muzzies
of the animals lacerated, the men limp
ing along, leaving trails of blood on the
frozen snow The march was compar-
| able to Napoleon's passage OF the Alps
and not alone in It's hardships, but like
wise In its results, for before the LIST OF
February General Kelly had evacuated
Romney, and for the moment there was
| no Federal force left in the entire low
er valley.
With the opening of spring four Fed
eral armies under Fremont, Banks, Nc
Dowel and Mcclellan respectively
were ready to close in upon Richmond.
Fremont and Banks in the north and
west expected to unite their forces and
drive Jackson up the valley, cutting
| the Confederate communications and
| then sweeping down upon Richmond
| from the mountains. while Mcclellan
marched up the peninsula between the
James and York rivers. and Mcdowell
advanced from Fredericksburg
Early in March "Stonewall" Jackson
was back In Winchester with Banks
and an augmented Federal force at bis
heels on the north, and Shields with
another army reported at Strasburg TO
the southwark.
Here Bob Ellingham first made the
acquaintance Of Colonel Ashby, COM
handing .Iackson's caValry-a won
drous cavalier from Fauquier county,
mounted on q milk white FLOODED
horse, the most dashing rider In the
whole state of Virginia, and as a lead
er of partisans destined soon to rank
nnnnno tho fnremost of his contenpo-