Battlefields Of The South From Bull Run To Fredericksburgh; With Sketches Of Confederate Commanders, And Gossip Of The Camps.

An English Combatant, Lieutenant of Artillery of the Field Staff....

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Introduction

Although the following narrative sufficiently explains itself and is replete with evidence of the author's feeling, and of the point of view from which he has regarded the fratricidal strife still raging in America, it may be permitted him to remark in this place, that the impulse by which he was prompted in bearing arms for the Southern cause, was simply that inherent love of liberty which animates every English heart. With all to lose and naught to gain in opposing the tyranny of Federal rule,

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I.

As an English resident in the then United States of America, I watched intently the progress of public affairs after the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency, and the probable disruption of the time-honored Federation filled me with serious concern. The stirring political events that followed thick and fast were deeply impressed upon my mind as they occurred, and the most minute details of circumstances bearing upon the calamities that succeeded them are ineffaceable from my memory. Whe

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II.

April having passed, and the intentions of General Scott not being as yet developed, it was conjectured that operations might commence simultaneously at different points. Troops were therefore sent to Union City, (Kentucky,) near Cairo, on the Mississippi, and to Columbus, (Kentucky,) on the same river; the latter place being the last station of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and of great importance in many ways. Troops were also hurriedly despatched to Western Virginia, but not in large bodies.

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III.

Our engineless train lay along the track, with others in the rear; no One was stirring; the stars shone out in the clear cold skies with unusual brilliancy. To amuse myself, I spoke to the nearest guard, and gleaned scraps of information regarding the topography of the country. “Do you see yonder chain of hills rising in the south-west, and running north? Well, that is a spur of the Blue Ridge; and where you now see the moon rising, and those flickering lights, That is the Gap, through which the

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IV.

For several days I was unwell, and could not attend to duty, but being allowed to walk about at leisure, I frequently strolled down to the Junction, to watch the progress of our preparations. A large redoubt about half a mile long, and A quarter wide, had been erected since my previous visit; it was at least Ten feet high, and as many wide on the top, with a large ditch in front. The batteries at the angles were semicircular, with embrasures for Four Thirty-two-pounders, the mouths of which look

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V.

From various causes, I was destined to enjoy but little sleep, and was on the move nearly all night. The great lights around Centreville seemed to die out about midnight, but then arose a low murmuring noise, as if large bodies of men had thus early risen, and were marching through country west of the river. Soon afterwards, being sent to the outposts, my ear quickly detected heavy masses moving along the road towards Stone Bridge, and I could faintly hear the shouts of teamsters and artillery d

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VI.

Though a general pursuit was ordered, it was found impossible to overtake the enemy, so precipitate had been their flight; and as we advanced, the signs of the dreadful combat of that day seemed to multiply at every step. The dead and dying are common to every battle-field; but here were broken cannon-wheels, deserted camps, overturned caissons, large supplies of commissary stores, files of prisoners, captured wagons, maimed and staggering animals, dead horses, cannons in the mud— innumerable pr

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VII.

The scene of action now shifts to Missouri, and, as before, I am able to give authentic details of the events that took place in that State, having received the following letter descriptive of the battles of “Oak Hill” and “Lexington:” Dear Tom: My last letter informed you that, after the action of Carthage, the small commands of Price, McCulloch, and Pearce were on their way to Cowskin Prairie, in order to recruit and organize. We had not remained in this wilderness of a place many days when in

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VIII.

Within a short time it was definitely settled that we should move up the country to Leesburgh— a stone's throw from the Potomac and Maryland. What our ultimate destination might be, none knew or cared. Any thing to get away from Manassas and Centreville, any place where we could have a change of scene, and find butter, eggs, and poultry procurable for money, all such articles having been consumed where we then were, or so few remaining that fabulous prices were asked for them. A couple of chicke

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IX.

It now appeared, from the presence of large bodies of the enemy at all the fords of the river, and the activity they displayed in fortifying every available site, that McClellan was determined to raise an impregnable barrier against our attempts upon Maryland. From Washington to Harper's Ferry the riverbank seemed to be One vast line of mud forts and field-works, well armed and guarded, while the continual ascent of smoke from inland camps made us aware that large bodies of troops were waiting o

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X.

During the month of October there was no change in affairs at Manassas or Centreville. At the latter place, fortifications had been erected under the superintendence of Generals Gustavus Smith and Beauregard, and were generally considered to be impregnable. Our pickets were at Fairfax Court-House, but the Yankees were in winter quarters to the front, and could not be coaxed to advance. Active movements were on foot, however, at Harper's Ferry, and General Banks had pushed his outposts several mi

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XI.

While our brigade was away from Leesburgh, and pickets were no longer at the river, many negroes crossed the stream, and informed the Yankees of our whereabouts. Several Unionists, also, had conferred with their friends, and every acre of the vicinity had been accurately mapped out by their engineers. We had long suspected old farmer Trunnell of treachery-his only son had joined the Northern army, and was a brigade commissary in it. It was to his knowledge of localities that the Yankees chiefly

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XII.

From Two or Three weeks previous to the Battle of Leesburgh, the Northern papers overflowed with joyful expectations regarding the movements then in preparation. The Administration organ at Washington predicted that “In a few days the rebels would suddenly drop out of Leesburgh ;” others said, “We shall begin to make history next week;” “Let all prepare for a succession of Union victories that shall eclipse all the doings of the Old World!”It may well be supposed that enough had occurred to dise

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XIII.

For the next Two weeks scarcely any sound was heard but that of axe-men engaged in felling trees; and within a very short time we were all well housed in log-huts, covered with layers of straw and mud. The fire-places being large, admitted “Sticks” of wood Four feet long; and sometimes Ten logs of this length constituted a fire. Some bought stoves to cook on, and built additional dwellings for their servants; but within the fortnight all were comfortably provided for. Our commanders occupied som

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XIV.

I had only just returned to my regiment at Leesburgh when I received a letter from a Kentucky friend, serving under General Polk, at Columbus, descriptive of the engagement at Belmont, which had been fought some time before at the village of that name in Missouri: Dear Tom: You will, ere this reaches you, have heard more than One account of the late fight at Belmont; but this will satisfy you that I am all right, and ready to have another “Shake” with the Great Anaconda, so much talked of in the

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XV.

The monotony of camp life was felt severely during the winter, notwithstanding the resources I have mentioned in a previous chapter. General Hill was a strict disciplinarian, and would permit none to be out in town after nightfall, unless furnished with a pass countersigned by the Provost-Marshal. So strictly was this rule enforced that I have known a whole squad of officers arrested and put under guard, including Two full-blown Colonels and sundry Majors, simply for going to and fro unarmed wit

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XVI.

Dear Tom: Your last was received and perused with much pleasure, and here am I on the confines of Missouri, within a few hours' travel of Arkansas and. the Cherokee Indian territory, endeavoring to pen a few lines to satisfy your ardent curiosity. You have, doubtless, had reports of our previous manoeuvres since I wrote from Lexington in September, and ere this reaches you in the far East, a Thousand newspapers will have related very curious tales regarding our recent battle with the combined fo

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XVII.

Dear Major: When our regiment received marching orders at Manassas in December, and were ordered up the Valley with old Jackson, you were among the First to congratulate me upon “Active service,” and all that kind of thing, but believe me I would willingly have gone back to winter quarters again after a week's trial, for Jackson is the greatest marcher in the world. When we moved up here, our First orders were for a march to Charlestown; next day we moved back to Winchester, in a few days again

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XVIII.

Dear Tom: In exchange for your last entertaining epistle, I send the following hurried scrawl. It would seem that the Army of the West bids fair to rival that of Virginia. As you are doubtless aware, we have fought another great battle, in fact, Two, which I consider are without parallel on this continent, and approach more closely to European conflicts than any thing which either you or I have participated in as yet. To give a plain statement of things, let me begin at the beginning and go thro

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XIX.

Our batteries along the Potomac below Washington had been so active during winter as to completely blockade the capital, causing much distress and privation among its inhabitants, so that the army itself could not be regularly supplied, and hundreds of horses were dying for want of forage. The only railroad that communicated with Washington was overworked night and day: the Washington and Ohio Canal was broken up, and an immense number of vessels were detained in the Lower Potomac, unable or afr

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XX.

Dear friend: Our beautiful city has fallen, and the detested flag of our enemy floats over the Mint! The story of our disgrace is a long and painful One to me, but remembering your kindness in fully informing us of the progress of events in Virginia, it is but right I return the compliment; though my narrative may be wanting in many particulars which history, at some distant future, can alone be expected to unfold. When the bombardment of Fort Sumter proved that the South was determined to rid h

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XXI.

An army so suddenly gathered as ours, will always abound in incompetent officers. The privilege of volunteers to elect their own officers may seem at First like an excellent provision for the selection of the most competent, but-experience has proved that this privilege, uncontrolled by some competent authority, is the parent of many abuses, and countenances great incapacity. The question with the men is, Not “Who is the best soldier,” or “The most experienced among us,” but “Whom do we like bes

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XXII.

Every day saw our troops gradually leaving the lines, and the labor imposed upon us who remained was excessive and. exhausting. We had in truth been doing “Double duty” in the front ever since our arrival; but the brigade having “Unfortunately” won good repute in the army, we endured the natural consequences, and were worked almost to death. It seems strange that generals should thus treat all troops of any celebrity; but such I noticed was almost invariably the case, while prim and spruce briga

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XXIII.

As before remarked, I was ordered to conduct a batch of prisoners to Richmond, and to spare them unnecessary pain in running the gauntlet of our army camped along the roads, it was deemed best to proceed by the James River. At night we sought the shelter of the farm-houses on our route, and met with a truly hospitable reception. Every thing that could be possibly provided for our comfort was lavishly displayed, and I was agreeably impressed with the neatness and comfort exhibited in their dwelli

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XXIV.

At this period the Conscript law came into operation, and there was much grumbling among such as fell under its provisions. Those who had been in the army at all, for however short a period, were not averse to remaining in the ranks; for they knew absolute necessity alone had compelled Congress to pass such a law, and if liberty was to be gained, it must be by great sacrifices of individual convenience and pleasure. Lincoln had called out Seventy-five thousand men at the commencement of the war,

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XXV.

Ashton's letter from the Valley See end of Chapter Twenty-third, Page 217. read as follows: Our retreat after the Battle of Kearnstown was very rapid and fatiguing; Jackson forced his men along the Valley Pike all night, for we were but few in number, and Shields's force very large. Without much rest, we pushed through Strasburgh, and took the road towards Charlottesville, and had thus got a start of over Twenty miles ere the enemy's cavalry came in sight. Ashby, as usual, was in the rear, and n

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XXVI.

On Friday, the Thirtieth of May, our camps presented nothing unusual, nor were any movements in progress that indicated the early commencement of hostilities. During the night, a thunderstorm of unusual violence shook the heavens, and rain fell so heavily that the whole face of the country was deluged with water. The men in camp were exposed to all the violence of the storm, and the roads were rendered impassable, with mud Three feet deep. The enemy were even worse off than ourselves, as the bot

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XXVII.

During the week it was confidently expected the enemy would marshal their forces, and make a rush upon us in retaliation for the thrashing we had given them; and to be prepared for such emergency, our Generals held their troops well together, and the utmost circumspection seemed to guide all plans and dispositions of force. Owing to the frightful gash Johnston had received, the command devolved on Longstreet, or seemed to do so by common consent, for though Gustavus Smith and others, perhaps, ra

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XXVIII.

During dinner on One occasion the subject of “Imagination” came up, and I was very much amused with the views of all parties upon its “Power and effects.”There were several city and army doctors present, who, considering the subject to be an entirely professional One, would have monopolized all our attention; but several broke in with their individual experience, and leaving others to decide what is, and what is not, imagination, told some very amusing and occasionally tragical stories regarding

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XXIX.

“Well, Tom, I have just received a letter from home, which informs me there is scarcely a white person in our whole parish” said Frank, One evening after supper. “What if the darkeys should grow discontented and rise?” “If there had been any such possibility,” One replied, “ The Yankee Government would soon have seized upon it for our destruction or chastisement. There is no likelihood of such an event, however. I know districts in Mississippi where there are not more than One or Two old white m

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XXX.

Dear friend: In my last I informed you that before Jackson left Page Valley to attack Banks's rear in the Shenandoah, Shields had already left, and gone eastwards across the Blue Ridge, towards Fredericksburgh; also, that Fremont was across The Alleghanies, with Milroy and Blenker, too distant to afford Banks any support, so that we were enabled to attack him with impunity. You will remember that Banks, after his route, crossed the Potomac, and that our army remained in possession of the immense

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XXXI.

From the preparations in progress it was apparent that operations would soon recommended on a scale far surpassing any thing hitherto attempted. Longstreet and Hill on our right, on the Charles City road, made frequent reconnoissances towards the interior and the river to ascertain the enemy's strength and position on their Left wing. McClellan never opposed these movements, and was possibly unconscious of them, for they were chiefly made at night, or in unpropitious weather, when our Generals w

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XXXII.

In some previous chapters I have endeavored to picture the condition of our army and the feeling of our men, reproducing, as nearly as possible, such conversations among comrades as it was but natural should occur. It is true, I cannot pretend to graphic skill, or scenic effect, in the report of those gossips; but they are faithful in substance, and they offer me the readiest means of placing much on record that would otherwise run into tedious detail. As I must once more resume the conversation

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XXXIII.

The reader may picture to himself a party of officers belonging to the “Ragged rebels” seated together at my window, comparing notes, and speculating on the probabilities of speedy hostilities. “McClellan seems to think he has not sufficient troops, and asks for more. He makes the startling admission that he has lost not less than Fifty thousand men since his arrival on the peninsula in March! I cannot comprehend how this can be, unless sickness has decimated his ranks. As he owns to have had On

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XXXIV.

Hogan's residence, Lee's temporary quarters, was not far from the river, and I could distinctly see our batteries and troops at Garnett's farm (Magruder's quarters) on the south bank, and in a direct line across. It was' now about One P. M., and as we had full possession of both banks thus far, several couriers rode over to Magruder, and One of his heavy batteries immediately opened upon the woods on the north bank, about a mile to our immediate front, in order to clear the way for our further a

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XXXV.

At break of day I was sent to the capital, and had to pass over the greater part of the battle-field. Turning with a sickening sensation from the sight of bloodshed and the hundreds of inanimate bodies which lay on every hand, I galloped off towards Gaines's House, and felt much relieved with the refreshing air. The lofty Federal camp beyond the creek, on the edge of the Chickahominy, in the south-eastern quarter of the field, was still standing, and so many tents crowned the hill that it seemed

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XXXVI.

It was now about Half-past 5 P. M., and the sun was fast sinking behind the woods, when Ambrose Hill's column halted; cannonading was plainly heard on our left, in front, from the supposed route of Huger, and couriers brought word that the Federals were disputing his passage across a creek. To our front the roads ascended, with a few fields on either hand, and among the timber on the high ground I saw small spiral columns of light-blue smoke ascending, which assured us that troops of some kind w

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XXXVII.

Wearied beyond all expression by the continual marching and fighting of the past week, I procured a bundle of hay and a few handfuls of corn for my jaded horse, and throwing myself down on a heap of straw beneath the pines, sought some little rest. The continual movement of troops, however, through the night, passing and repassing by a single road within a few feet of me, disturbed my slumber, and half asleep or awake, I heard all kinds of voices and noises around me. Huger's division had at las

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XXXVIII.

When it became known beyond all doubt that McClellan was safe, and strongly posted on the river bluffs at Berkeley, the pursuit was discontinued, his position being One that was peculiarly well adapted for defence. This had been proved during the Revolution of 1776, and in the year 1812, when British forces had occupied the same spot. Lee, therefore, did not seem at all inclined to push matters to an extremity, but disposed his divisions to prevent any advance of the enemy, and to precipitate an

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XXXIX.

Dear Friend: My last letter contained details of the Battle of Shiloh on the First and Second day; of the First day's victory, of Albert Sydney Johnston's death; and of our reverse and retreat on the Second day, before the combined armies of Buell and Grant. I also informed you that the retreat was covered by General Breckinridge, with his Kentuckians, and of the admirable manner in which he performed that difficult task. “General,” said Beauregard, riding up with his staff, “We must retreat; we

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XL.

Despite the manoeuvring of McClellan's forces south of the James River, and the threatened advance of Burnside from Suffolk and Norfolk, as if to form a junction and cooperate with him, the true state of the case was soon perceived by our corps of observation at Petersburgh. Either indecision prevailed in the councils of the Two generals, or all their movements near the seaboard were intended to hold us in check upon the James, while the large forces of Pope, on the Rappahannock and Rapidan, sho

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XLI.

We had not remained many days south of the Rapidan before we received large reenforcements, and the activity of couriers and quartermasters betokened an early movement. Many of our scouts had been out several days, but we could glean little from them except that Pope was still in front, and that firing was of daily occurrence across the river. On the Sixteenth we learned that a change of position had taken place among the enemy, and that Sigel's corps was acting in our immediate front: next day

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XLII.

I was so much fatigued when the engagement closed that I would fain have gathered a few sticks and bivouacked where sunset found me, but falling in with a cavalry party detailed to watch the enemy during night, we rode over a large part of the battle-field, and pickets being posted, the “Reliefs” luckily found a few tents standing, left like Thousands of other things in the hurry of retreat, and we camped there. Barrels of cracker-bread, some excellent Corned beef, and half a sack of Ground coff

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XLIII.

From a General review of our operations between the time of Jackson's departure from Frederick on the Eleventh and the surrender of Harper's Ferry on the Fifteenth, and from an estimate of the forces and the distance of the Two armies operating within so few miles of each other during that time, McClellan's tardiness of action, in the face of Jackson's small force and activity, seemed to me inexplicable. The advance posts of the Federal cavalry exchanged shots with ours on the banks of the Monoc

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XLIV.

How long McClellan would remain motionless in Maryland, or what caused his inaction, were to the many an insoluble problem. Although the daily demand of the Northern journals was for an immediate “On to Richmond” movement, the enemy seemed to be exceedingly loth to place foot again on Virginian soil. The Southern army was represented to be greatly demoralized by the “Splendid and glorious” victory of Antietam; nevertheless, the Northern leaders in the field betrayed the greatest caution, and end

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