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BRIGADIER-GENERAL ROBERT SELDENGARNETT, C. S. A. (KILLED JULY 13,1861). FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.
about 500 men and 3 cannon, reached his destination at nightfall, and hurriedhis detachment forward by a night march to Irvine , 10 or 12 miles over roughroads. It turned out that Irvine did not occupy Red House, and the preva-lent belief that the enemy was about eight thousand in number, with theuncertainty of the road he would take, made it proper to keep the little forceconcentrated till reenforcements should come. Thefirst of these reached Irvine about 6 o’clock onthe morning of the 14th, raising his command to1500, but a few moments after their arrival helearned that the enemy had passed Red Housesoon after daylight. He gave chase, but did notovertake them.
Meanwhile, General Hill had spent the nightin trying to hasten forward the railway trains,but none were able to reach Oakland till morn-ing, and Garnett’s forces had now more thantwenty miles the start, and were on fairly goodroads, moving southward on the eastern side ofthe mountains. McClellan still telegraphed thatHill had the one opportunity of a lifetime to cap-ture the fleeing army, and that officer hastened in pursuit, though unprovidedwith wagons or extra rations. When, however, the Union commander learnedthat the enemy had fairly turned the mountains, he ordered the pursuitstopped. Hill had used both intelligence and energy in his attempt to con-centrate his troops, but it proved simply impossible for the railroad to carrythem to Oakland before the enemy had passed the turning-point, twentymiles to the southward.
During the 12th Pegram’s situation and movements were unknown. Hehad intended, when he evacuated his camp, to follow the line of retreat takenby the detachment already near the mountain-top, but, in the darkness of thenight and in the tangled woods and thickets of the mountain-side, his columngot divided, and, with the rear portion of it, he wandered all day on the 12th,seeking to make his way to Garnett. He halted at evening at the TygartYalley River, six miles north of Beverly, and learned from some countrypeople of Garnett’s retreat. It was still possible to reach the mountains eastof the valley, but beyond was a hundred miles of wilderness and half a dozenmountain ridges on which little, if any, food could be found for his men. Hecalled a council of war, and, by advice of his officers, sent to McClellan, atBeverly, an offer of surrender. This was received on the 13th, and Pegrambrought in 30 officers and 525 men. McClellan then moved southward him-self, following the Staunton road, by which the remnant of Pegram’s littleforce had escaped, and on the 14tli occupied Huttonsville. Two regimentsof Confederate troops were hastening from Staunton to reenforce Garnett.These were halted at Monterey, east of the principal ridge of the Alleghanies,and upon them the retreating forces rallied. Brigadier-General H. R. Jacksonwas assigned to command in Garnett’s place, and both Governor Letcher andGeneral Lee made strenuous efforts to increase this army to a force sufficient