Tuesday, June 12, 2012

1862 June 12 Augusta County, Va.




                                                           Augusta Co. Va.
                                                           June 12th 1862
My dear Ma:
                        Eight days have elapsed since I
wrote this first letter and I have had no oppor-
tunity of sending it if I had desired to do so
in its unfinished and incompleted state.  With
very dirty hands and weary limbs natural conse-
quences of continued marches without much sleep.
Jackson is the greatest General of the Age & his brilliant
achievements with a hand full of men badly
equipped and poorly fed and clothed carry us
back to the chivalric days of yore when men
fought for Liberty and Home and remind us
forcibly of the warrior Napoleon.  But I must
resume my sketch of our manouvres & transactions
which must be meager & imperfect.
On Monday 26th, we followed up the enemy hotly &
our cavalry chased them from Martinsburg;
this was their General Receiving depot for this
Dept. of their Army and the stores captured
were of innumerable variety and of exceed-
in great value to the needy Rebels – Such as salt,
leather, coffee, ordnance, clothing &c.&c.  Next
day our Brigade moved to this side of Win-
chester and the weary worn soldiers con-
gratulated themselves upon the apparent
prospects of rest and quiet; we remained
here however only one night and next
evening we were pitching tents while the
rain poured down as marching orders were
received.  “Twas with no reluctance, however,
that the men prepared to follow the gal-
lant “Stonewall” and marched through
the hardest rain & deep mud fifteen miles

[page 2]
after dark, in the direction of Charlestown.
Wednesday 28th we reached Charlestown
early in the day and met with unbounded
& enthusiastic welcome from the citizens.
The Federals fled before us and stores fell into
out hands and many prisoners.  We had
camped in a lovely spot and somewhat
rested when there was an alarm and
our regiment went off at “doublequick”
in direction of Harper’s Ferry, eight miles
distant.  Our regiment was delighted at the
idea of once more visiting the spot where
they spent their military childhood; we got in
sight of the surrounding hills and a few cannon
shots were exchanged between the belliger-
ents and nothing more; no damage to
either party I suppose.  We occupied our
same encampment and early next
morning were again called out &
our cavalry pursued the enemy into
poor Maryland.  But all at once orders
were received to march back; the rain
poured down in torrents, the roads were already
heavy with mud; our Brigade marched
twenty six miles through all this & camped
near Winchester – it rained hard all night
long and the men were poorly fed if in-
deed they had anything that night.  I can remem-
ber nothing of special interest to you from
that day until Sunday ^ ‘(1st June)’ – the great battle day of
ancient & modern days; yet the hardships, heavy
rains and fast days made a lasting impression
upon me and if we mounted individuals

[page 3]
suffered you can imagine how men on
foot fared.  The cause of this retreat as you
are doubtless aware was the design of the
Federals to entrap and overwhelm Jackson
with numbers;  Shields with a large column
advanced towards Swift Run Gap from Manassaa
and Fremont came down on the left from
Romney while Banks reinforcements were to meet
him in front.  But Jackson can never be caught &
with his usual skill he has extricated himself from
this trap while the enemy has been completely baffled.
Sunday 1st. inst. he engaged Fremont near Strasburg
and routed him with a small force; he continued his
retreat while the men were worn out completely & his army
showed great degree of demoralization.  For one week more
we moved back slowly while the cavalry kept up daily
engagements with the cautiously pursueing enemy.
Saturday 7th inst. in the afternoon we had a considera-
ble Cavalry engagement near Harrisonburg killing
and capturing many of the enemy & putting them to flight;
yet in this victory where he was about to commence
a career of fame unequalled by anything heretofore
recorded on historic page fell the brave, chivalric,
daring, generous Ashby – a man who has beside
all others been able to inspspire most confi-
dence in his own troops & greatest terror
among the enemy he so much hated; his splendid
horse had just been shot from under him &
he was gallantly leading on foot a brave
band of infantry when a bullet pierced his
heart, and horse and rider lay breathless
upon the same bloody battle fields.  Sunday
(8th) early Jackson engaged Shields who had
possession of Port Republic & the bridge and

[page 4]
dislodged him and about midday Ewell’s
Division met and successfully routed
Fremont’s column; this was across the river
from Port Republic which you [-] – would make
Shields in Ewell’s rear while Jackson was upon
road D. of my rough map.  The thirteenth was in
the thickest of the fight and suffered some; it
behaved most gallantly – the Blues were not
with the Regiment but detailed to support Capt.
Courtney’s Battery which guarded another
position of the field and was not in action.
On Monday next day (9th) we crossed the
river early and burnt the bridge (F) – then
attacked Shields on road E and routed
him; captured many prisoners, killed many,
and took a battery; the casualties on our
side were heavy but I do not know to which
extent.  In the evening as we pursued Shields
on E towards Gap A and were capturing
many prisoners, Fremont having again
rallied approaches from Harrisonburg &
appeared with large force in front of Port
Republic; he could not cross and busied
himself with shelling our Hospitals & Ambu-
lance trains of which I was an eyewitness.
We retreat to the mountain hollow by
road G[?] and remained there from
Monday night until Wednesday when
we started back by road H. We were
surprised & delighted to see pa yesterday – he
had just fixed to retire when we recd. marching
orders – I put him in a wagon which any of us
would consider a splendid place for sleeping even
when ‘twas in motion; but he could not sleep;
we traveled nearly all night and started
again early this morning; we reached the
camp near Mt. Sidney a small village
on the river, about two o’clock.  Of the details
of this march, the condition of our men &c

[The rest of this unsigned letter in the handwriting of Pendleton Jones is missing.]

The three Jones brothers, John William, Francis Pendleton, and Philip Edloe served in the Louisa Blues, 13th Virginia Infantry. John W. was later famous as the author of Christ in the Camp.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 13407

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