286
the east side of the Blue Ridge throughBrown’s and Swift Run Gaps. OnlyAshby remained behind with about onethousand cavalry, scattered and mov-ing day and night in the vicinity ofMcDowell, Franklin, Strasburg, FrontRoyal , and Luray, and reporting toJackson every movement of the enemy.Despair was fast settling upon theminds of the people of the Valley .Jackson made no concealment of hisflight, the news of which soon reachedhis enemies. Milroy advanced tworegiments to the top of the Shenan-doah Mountain, only twenty-two milesfrom Staunton, and was preparing tomove his entire force to Staunton, tobe followed by Fremont.
Jackson had collected, from Char-lottesville and other stations on the Vir-ginia Central Railroad, enough railwaytrains to transport all of his little army.That it was to be taken to Richmond when the troops were all embarked noone doubted. It was Sunday, andmany of his sturdy soldiers were Val-ley men. With sad and gloomy heartsthey boarded the trains at Mechum’sRiver Station. When all were on, lo!they took a westward course, and alittle after noon the first train rolledinto Staunton.
News of Jackson ’s arrival spreadlike wild-fire, and crowds flocked to the station to see the soldiers and learnwhat it all meant. No one knew.
As soon as the troops could be put in motion they took the road leadingtoward McDowell, the general having sent forward cavalry to Buffalo Gapand beyond to arrest all persons going that way. General Edward Johnson,with one of Jackson’s Valley brigades, was already at Buffalo Gap. The nextmorning, by a circuitous mountain-path, he tried to send a brigade of infantryto the rear of Milroy’s two regiments on Shenandoah Mountain, but they wereimproperly guided and failed to reach the position in time, so that whenattacked in front both regiments escaped. Jackson followed as rapidly as pos-sible, and the following day, May 8th, on top of the Bull Pasture Mountain,three miles east of McDowell, encountered Milroy reenforced by Schenck, whocommanded by virtue of seniority of commission. The conflict lasted several
Battle of
M c DOWELL.
m s tMm
§
mm
iWn
MW MB
MAP OF THE BATTLE OF MCDOWELL. [SEE P. 298.]
By Major Jed. Hotchkiss , Topographical EngineerValley District Army of Northern Virginia.
The Confederate commands (indicated by white bars)of Generals Edward Johnson and W. B. Taliaferro wereposted on Setlington’s Hill in the following order, be-ginning on the left: 52d, 10th, 58tli, 31st, and 23d Vir-ginia; 12th Georgia; 37th Virginia .
General Milroy’s troops (indicated by black bars)moved from the valley of the Bull Pasture Riveragainst the Confederate position, and were engagedfrom right to left, as follows : 25th, 75th, 32d, and 82dOhio, and 3d W. Virginia, with Johnson’s 12th Ohio battery on Hall’s Ridge , the extreme left.
The attack opened on the Union right and endedwith a flank movement by the regiments on the left.