FIGHTING JACKSON AT KERNST01VN.
307
the enemy was forcedback across the fieldto the woods, wherehe once more at-tempted to checkour advancing lines.
With cheers fromright to left, our gal-lant soldiers pushedforward, and as thesun went down, thestubbornly yieldingfoe, who had thriceadvanced to the at-tack, gave way, andJackson’s army wasbadly beaten — hisshattered brigadesin full retreat fromthe field over whichthey had so gallantlyfought. |
Night closing intoo dark for pursuit,our weary soldiersbivouacked in posi-tions from whichthey had driven theenemy. Our troopshad fought withoutfood since the even-ing of the 22d, andit was after midnightbefore this want was supplied. 1 At earliest light on the morning of the24th our troops were again on the march, in pursuit of the enemy,whose rear-guard was overtaken near Middletown. The enemy retreatedacross Cedar Creek to his main force, under fire from onr batteries. Whilehere skirmishing with the enemy, I had made such disposition of onr
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MAP OF THE BATTLE OF KERNSTOWN, VA. , MARCH 23, 1862.
Based upon tlie maps in the “ Official Records,” Vol. XII., Bart I., pp. 362-365. Arepresents the first position of Kimball's and Sullivan’s brigades on the morning ofMarch 23d. Sullivan remained to hold the Union left, while Kimball moved to theposition atB, and finally to the main battle-field, F (evening of March 23d), where hejoined Tyler, who had previously been in position first at C, and then at D, whencehe advanced to oppose Stonewall Jackson in his flanking position at F, to whichJackson had marched by wood roads from his first position at E.—■ Editors.
4 Colonel E. H. C. Cavins, of the 14th Indiana ,writing under date of July 9th, 1887, says of thischarge:
“The Confederates fell back in great disorder, andwe advanced in disorder just as great, over stone-wallsand over fences, through blackberry-bushes and under-growth. Over logs, through woods, over hills and fields,the brigades, regiments, and companies advanced, in onepromiscuous, mixed, and uncontrollable mass. Officersshouted themselves hoarse in trying to bring order outof confusion, but all their efforts were unavailing along
the front line, or rather what ought to have been thefront line. Yet many of the brave Virginiaus who hadso often followed their standards to victory, lingered inthe rear of their retreating comrades, loading as theyslowly retired, and rallying in squads in every ravineand behind every hill —or hiding singly among thetrees. They continued to make it very hot for our menin the advance.”
J) The losses at Kernstown were: Union, 118killed, 450 wounded, 22 missing = 590 ; Confeder-ate, 80 killed, 375 wounded, 263 missing = 718.