296
out at the top of his voice, “ The ‘ Stonewall ’ brigade never retreats; followme ! ” led them back to their original line. Taylor soon made his appearance,and the flank attack settled the work of the day. A wild retreat began. Thepursuit was vigorous. No stand was made in the defile. We pursued themeight miles. I rode back with Jackson, and at sunset we were on the battle-field at the Lewis mansion.
Jackson accosted a medical officer, and said, “Have you brought off all thewounded?” “Yes, all of ours, but not all of the enemy’s.” “Why not?”“ Because we were shelled from across the river.” “ Had you your hospitalflag on the field? ” “ Yes.” “ And they shelled that ? ” “ Yes.” “ Well, takeyour men to their quarters; I would rather let them all die than have oneof my men shot intentionally under the yellow flag when trying to save theirwounded.” \
Fremont, hearing the noise of the battle, had hurried out from nearHarrisonburg to help Tyler; but Jackson had burnt the bridge at PortRepublic, after Ewell had held Fremont in check some time on the westside of the river and escaped, so that when Fremont came in sight ofTyler’s battle-field, the latter’s troops had been routed and the river couldnot be crossed.
The next day I returned to Staunton, and found General W. H. C. Whiting,my old commander after the fall of General Bee at Bull Run, arriving with adivision of troops to reenforce Jackson. Taking him and his staff to myhouse as guests, General Whiting left soon after breakfast with a guide to(‘all on Jackson at Swift Run Gap, near Port Republic, where he was restinghis troops. The distance from Staunton was about twenty miles, butWhiting returned after midnight. He was in a towering passion, anddeclared that Jackson had treated him outrageously. I asked, “How is thatpossible, General, for he is very polite to every one ? ”
“ Oh ! hang him, he was polite enough. But he didn’t say one word abouthis plans. I finally asked him for orders, telling him what troops I had.He simply told me to go back to Staunton, and he would send me orders
soon coming into plain view of tlie batteries and of tlieinfantry of the enemy beyond the ravine, which at onceopened fire on the advancing brigade With one volleyin reply, and a Confederate yell heard far over the field,the Louisianians rushed down the rough declivity andacross the ravine, and carried the batteries like a flash.
. . . By the impetus of the charge over the roughground all formation was lost, and officers and men wereall thrown into one unorganized mass around the cap-tured guns. While this exultant crowd were rejoicingand shouting over their victory, suddenly a scathing fireof canister was poured into them by a section of Clark’sbattery which had been rapidly brought over from theFederal right to within two hundred yards of the posi-tion of the captured guns. . . .
“At the outset of the attempt of the Federals toretake their batteries, Lieutenant-Colonel Peck, of the9th Louisiana , called out to the men about the capturedguns to shoot the horses, which was done. When, there-fore, the Federals retook and held for a time, as theydid, the ground where the guns were, they were unable,when again driven off, to take more than one gun withthem for want of battery horses.” EDITORS.
\ The official references to this incident are com-prised in the following.
General Jackson says in his report:
“ While the forces of Shields were in full retreat, andour troops in pursuit, Fremont appeared on the oppo-site bank of the south fork of the Shenandoah with hisarmy, and opened his artillery upon our ambulances andparties engaged in the humane labors of attending toour dead a nd wounded, and the dead and wounded of theenemy.”
Fremont says in his report of his action at PortRepublic:
“ Parties (Confederate) gathering the dead and wound-ed, together with a line of prisoners, awaiting themovements of the rebel force near by, was all, in respectto troops on either side, now to be seen. A parting salvoof carefully aimed rifle-guns, duly charged with shell,hastened the departure of the rebels with the unluckythough most gallant convoy, and the whole were speed-ily out of sight.”
It is hardly necessary to state that intentionalshelling of an ambulance and relief parties is deniedby Union officers. Editors.