664
hurried march to reach Maryland Heights before Jackson could get in posi-tion, and succeeded in doing so. With Maryland Heights in our possessionthe Federals could not hold their position there. Me Laws put 200 or 300men to each piece of his artillery and carried it up the heights, and was inposition when Jackson came on the heights opposite. Simultaneously Walkerappeared upon Loudoun Heights, south of the Potomac and east of the Shen-andoah, thus completing the combination against the Federal garrison. Thesurrender of the Ferry and the twelve thousand Federal troops there wasa matter of oidy a short time.
If the Confederates had been able to stop with that, they might have beenwell contented with their month’s campaign. They had had a series of suc-cesses and no defeats; but the division of the army to make this attack onHarper’s Ferry was a fatal error, as the subsequent events showed.
While a part of the army had gone toward Harper’s Ferry I had moved upto Hagerstown. In the meantime Pope had been relieved and McClellan was incommand of the army, and with ninety thousand refreshed troops was march-ing forth to avenge the Second Manassas . The situation was a very seriousone for us. McClellan was close upon us. As we moved out of Frederick hecame on and occupied that place, and there he came across a lost copy of theorder assigning position to the several commands in the Harper’s Ferry move.
This “lost order” has been the subject of much severe comment by Virgin-ians who have written of the war. It was addressed to D. H. Hill, and theycharged that its loss was due to him, and that the failure of the campaignwas the result of the lost order. As Gleneral Hill has proved that he neverreceived the order at his headquarters it must have been lost by some oneelse.J Ordinarily, upon getting possession of such an order, the adversary
J See General Hill’s statement on p. 570, andGeneral Colgrove’s on p. 603. The following isthe text of the “ lost order ” as quoted by GeneralMcClellan in his official report:
“ Special Orders, ) Headquarters, Army ^
No. 191. 5 of Northern Virginia, (
September 9tli, 1862.)
“ The army will resume its march to-morrow, takingthe Hagerstown road. General Jackson’s commandwill form the advance, and after passing Middletown,with such portions as he may select, take the routetoward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most con-venient point, and by Friday night take possession ofthe Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , capture such of theenemy as maybe at Martinsburg, and intercept such asmay attempt to escape from Harper’s Ferry .
“ General Longstreet’s command will pursue the sameroad as far as Boonsboro’, where it will halt with thereserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
•“ General McLaws , with his own division and that ofGeneral R. H. Anderson, will follow General Longstreot;on reaching Middletown he will take the route to Har-per’s Ferry , and by Friday morning possess himself ofthe Maryland Heights and endeavor to capture theenemy at Harper’s Ferry and vicinity.
“ General Walker, with hie division after accomplish-ing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross thePotomac at Cheek’s ford, ascend its right bank to Lov-ettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if prac-ticable, by Friday morning, Keyes’s ford on his left,and the road between the end of the mountain and thePotomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable,
cooperate with General McLaws and General Jacksonin intercepting the retreat of the enemy.
“General D. H. IliU’s division will form the rear-guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the mainbody. The reserve artillery, ordnance, and supplytrains, etc., will precede General Hill.
“ General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry toaccompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jack-son, and McLaws , and, with the main body of the cav-alry, will cover the route of the army and bring up allstragglers that may have been left behind.
“The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws , andWalker, after accomplishing the objects for which theyhave been detached, will join the main body of the armyat Boonsboro’ or Hagerstown .
“ Each regiment on the march will habitually carryits axes in the regimental ordnance-wagons, for use ofthe men at their encampments, to procure wood, etc.By command of General R. E. Lee .
“ R. H. Chilton, Assistant Adjutant-General.
“ Major-General D. H. Hill, Commanding Division.’’
Comparison of the above with the copy of theorder as printed among the Confederate Corre-spondence (“Official Records,” Volume XIX.,Part II., p. 603) show's that the latter containstwo paragraphs, omitted above. In the first par-agraph the officers and men of Lee ’s army areprohibited from visiting Fredericktown except onwritten permission ; and in the second paragraphdirections are given for the transportation of thesick and disabled to Winchester. —Editors.