Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-07-02


q by Review OF Reviews company.
Lieutenant General Scott.
incur for that officer the cordial dis
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 counteract the reyerses suf-
fered in the beginning. Congress au-s
thOrized the enlistment Of half nail-
lion of men for three years. an in
crease Of the navy and stupendous
loans with which to strengthen the
sinews Of war. 49,, =. =. %.: E, = .s
. Lieutenant General Scott. now past
seventy years OF. age. hung up his lau-
relied sword and yielded the command
Of the Federal armies to younger and
more active officer. General George B.
McC lellan. -+S IL. =: :z e. ~-...- ...s.
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 headwaters Of the Potomac, the
Confederate prospects for the spring of
1862 were decidedly threatening. To
protect this portion of the state and e.
guard the lower Shenandoah valley
against General Banks, the Confeder-
ate government determined to send a
force to Winchester. This force, organ
ICED under the official title of the, Army
Of the Mononga hela. was placed un-
der the. command of .'Stonewall'. Jack
son, now advanced to the rank Of ma
jor general. nv @s .=<s:
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-
quet and the whole valley, but also and
especially because of Captain Robert
Ellingham's part in the growing pres
tige Of the .Stonewall' brigade. 4.
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 a range
Of the Alleghenies called there the
North mountains. stretches from the
headWaters Of the Shenandoah near
Staunt0n on the south to the Potomac
on the north, a distance of considerably
more than 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 houn-
daries on either side, those toward the
Blue Ridge connecting through various
gaps with the railroads Of eastern Vir.
ginia. 4. IS *= .
This beautiful and fertile region
called for protection for its own sake
as well as for that of its patriotic pop.
ulation (of which the Ellinghams were
a fair samplel,. its numerous black
slaves and the rich supplies which its
lush meadow lands and broad planta.
tons furnished. ~ III .. Is
It was especially important from q
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. ~ sz.s,5 81
III this valley is lost Virginia Is
lost" was Jackson's watchword.
Early In January. 1862, Captain Ell
lingham wrote to his sister in Rich
mond Eve have only conjecture as Il
our destination. General Jackson keeps
his secrets so we'll as to deceive MOI
only the enemy, but ourselves"
Without losing any time Jackson now
set out with fercer: energy than ever Il
surprise the Federal garrison under
General Kelly at Romney. The wealth
er was fearful, even for ordinary trav
el, to say nothing Of forced militar,
movements. Men and horses fell Of
the Icy roads, their guns going of al
along the line, the knees and :muzzlei
Of the animals lacerated, the men limp
Ing along, leaving trails of blood on thi
frozen snow. The march was compar
4 able to Napoleon's passage Of the Alp
a and not alone IN its hardships, but like
wise ii Its results, for. before the LIST q
I February General Kelly had evacuated
! Romney, and for the moment there wa
1 no Federal force left II. the entire low
4 er valley.
With the opening Of spring four Fed
4 eral armies under Fremont, Banks, Nc
Dowell and NJ Clellan respectivel!
were read to- close in upon Richmond
Fremont and Banks IN the north an,
! west expected to unite their forces an,
drive Jackson up the valley, cuttinl
the Confederate commu tons an,
!. then sweeping down upon RtchmQn'