Sunday, 23d—The Eleventh Iowa received marching orders, and we struck our tents and got on board the “Westmoreland.” The quartermaster had all of the commissariat on the boat by noon and we left for Pittsburg Landing. We reached the landing at dark and remained on the boat for the night.
March 2012
Near Winchester (Kernstown), March 23, 1862.
We have had a severe fight to-day and are pretty badly whipped. I am uninjured.
March 23rd, 1862.—This is Eddie’s birthday, Adeline made him a cake, (no white sugar to ice it) and by great good luck I found in my doll things, which have been packed away, two toy candles which delighted his heart.
Though the weather is still cold in Virginia the army seems to be on the move and I am afraid we will hear of more battles soon. If I, who have only brothers and cousins in the army, dread this so, what must it be to the poor wives and mothers and fathers? Uncle Richard has never been the same since Cousin Rich was killed.
March 23.—The battle of Winchester, Va., was fought this day. Yesterday afternoon the rebels, consisting of five hundred of Ashby’s cavalry and two guns, drove in the National pickets, and then skirmished with the Michigan cavalry and a portion of the Maryland First. Gen. Shields then brought up his forces and fired rounds of shell, drove them back, and took several prisoners. He was wounded in the arm by the first fire of the enemy. The Nationals slept on their arms at night. This morning, at sunrise, Jackson, being reenforced, attacked Gen. Shields near Kearnstown. The enemy’s force consisted of five hundred cavalry, five thousand infantry, and nine pieces of artillery, with a reserve of eighteen pieces. The fight was continued until noon, when a charge, made by one regiment of infantry and two of cavalry, on their right, drove them back half a mile, when they got their guns in position again in a dense wood, flanked by infantry, and drove the Union forces back. A short artillery duel ensued, when Gen. Shields ordered Col. Tyler to turn their left flank, which was executed with great loss, the enemy being protected by a stone-ledge. The Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania and Thirteenth Indiana charged their centre and the fight became general, with great massacre on both sides. Col. Murray, of the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania, was killed. The enemy retired slowly, bringing their guns to bear at every opportunity. The Nationals rushed forward with yells, when a panic occurred among the enemy, and troops followed and drove them till dark, capturing three guns, three caissons, muskets, equipments, etc., innumerable, and bivouacked on the field. Gen. Williams, First brigade, Col. Donnelly, of the Twenty-eighth New-York, commanding, reenforced Gen. Shields’s forces. Gen. Banks, who was on the way to Washington when the battle occurred, returned and assumed command. In the mean time, Gen. Shields’s division, commanded by Col. Kimball, pursued the enemy beyond Newton, shelling them the whole distance. Jackson’s men were perfectly demoralized and could not be rallied. They threw overboard the dead and wounded to lighten the wagons. They confessed a loss of eight hundred and sixty-nine killed, wounded and missing. The National forces lost one hundred and fifteen killed and four hundred and fifty wounded.—(Doc. 103.)
—This morning the schooner Cora, prize to the United States gunboat Pinola, Lieut. Crosby commanding, arrived at Key West, Fla. The Cora was captured on the sixth inst, about one hundred miles south of Apalachicola, from which port she had escaped two days before, and is loaded with two hundred and eight bales of cotton. There was a most exciting chose before she was taken. Several shells were fired at her, and not until they burst between her masts did she condescend to heave to. She was commanded by Robert May, an Apalachicola pilot, and was brought here by Acting Master’s Mate D. C. Kells, of the United States brig Bohio, who was prizemaster of the schooner Eugenia Smith, and on his way as passenger on board the Pinola to rejoin his vessel when the Cora was captured.—National Intelligencer.
—The bodies of Col. Slocum, Major Ballou, and Capt. Tower, all of Pawtucket, R. I., recovered from the battle-field near Manassas, were placed on the cars this afternoon for transportation to Rhode Island.— (Doc. 104)
—The new Cabinet of President Davis was confirmed by the rebel Senate this morning, as follows:
Secretary of State, J. P. Benjamin, La.
Secretary of War, Geo. W. Randolph, Va.
Secretary of the Navy, S. R. Mallory, Fla.
Secretary of the Treatury, C. G. Memminger, S. C.
Attorney-General, Thomas H. Watts.
Pottmatter-General, Mr. Reagan, Texas.
—President Davis declared martial law over the counties of Elizabeth City, York, Warwick, Gloucester, and Matthews.—Norfolk Day-Book, March 24.
—Three hundred privates and fifty-eight officers, the first detachment of prisoners taken at Pea Ridge, arrived at St Louis, Mo.
—This day Gen. Parke’s brigade of Gen. Burnside’s division, took possession of Morehead City, N. C., finding it evacuated by the inhabitants. Lieut. Flagler, ordnance officer, and a member of Gen. Parke’s staff, crossed over to Fort Macon, a distance of two miles across Rogue’s Sound, with a flag of truce, and demanded a surrender. A considerable parley took place, in which the folly of the rebels attempting to hold out was set before them. The Fort was occupied by some five hundred secession troops, which were in command of Lieut. Smith. Lieut. Flagler assured them of the ample means at the disposal of the Nationals to reduce the Fort and deprecated the sacrifice of life which it would occasion. Lieut. Smith persisting in his refusal to surrender, Gen. Burnside at once commenced the operations of investment— N. Y. Commercial, April 3.
—A National force was sent to Nicholas Landing, sixty miles south of Savannah, Tenn., which seized fifteen hundred pounds of fresh pork and forty-five thousand pounds of cured hams and shoulders. For a long time this had been the mart for the pork business for the rebels.—N. Y. Commercial, March 29.
March 22 — Yesterday evening we heard that the Yanks had nearly all left Winchester. This morning we started early en route down the Valley. Some of our boys were light-hearted and even merry, as they fully anticipated with the utmost confidence of entering Winchester this evening without any serious opposition or difficulty.
Between Middletown and Newtown we met a boy from Winchester, who told us that the Yanks all left town this morning; but that boy evidently lied, for we had very strong proof, and plenty of it, to that effect before night. About the middle of afternoon we sighted the southern end of Winchester. We saw a few tents and some few infantrymen strolling about, but apparently the town seemed to be evacuated by the enemy, sure enough. We advanced to within about a mile of town and put our guns in position, and fired a few rounds at the infantry that was scattered around the fields near town. After we fired a shell or two we saw a carriage or ambulance surrounded by a few horsemen come from town and drive on the field. Captain Chew said, “Give that carriage a shot; it may be carrying some important game.” We turned one gun on it, and our shell exploded near the vehicle, and it soon after disappeared from the field. Even after our firing, from all appearances, there were no forcible indications that there were many fighting Yanks close around, and we were almost certain that they had no artillery. But in war things are not as they seem, for at this juncture of affairs a few companies of Ashby’s Cavalry charged down the pike with the expectation and intention of going into Winchester. But just before they got to the edge of the town a regiment of Yankee infantry rose from behind a fence and fired a volley at them at close range; but fortunately the Yanks were excited to the buck fever heat, consequently too hasty with their aim and fire, and our cavalry came out without sustaining the least damage or injury.
After the cavalry came back we fired at the infantry, but in about twenty minutes after their infantry fired from behind the fence the Yanks put an eight-gun battery in position on a hill west of town, which thoroughly commanded our position and the pike.
They opened on us with their eight guns from the hill, and we had but two, and down on a level field much lower than their position, and exposed to their direct fire, which rendered our situation untenable, consequently we left forthwith and immediately.
Up to this time I never heard such thunder as those guns on that hill kept up until we passed out of range. The shell came thick and fast, exploding all around us, every fragment shrieking, “Hark from the tomb.” It was now about sunset, and we started back to Newtown, where we arrived about an hour after dark, and quartered in a church.
March 22nd.—Ordered this morning to Washington to look up hospital stores and boxes, which are scattered “to the four winds.” This is the first time since the organization of the Regiment that it has moved without my personally superintending the packing and forwarding of the hospital stores, and the first time they have got scattered. “What you would have well done, do yourself.” I fear many of them will be lost.
In passing, I here note two circumstances, that I may not forget them. In addition to the poisoning of three men at Flint Hill by a mistake in medicine, yesterday I discovered that the dispenser, imposed on me by Gen. H_____, was himself taking pills of Unguentum—blue mercurial ointment— instead of blue pill, which had been prescribed for him, and was giving another man saltpetre instead of the sulphate of cinchona—innocent mistakes, to be sure, but indicative of the fatherly care which our General is manifesting towards the soldiers under his command. He refuses to restore my druggist, though he is made aware of these repeated and dangerous mistakes. The other circumstance: During all winter, when no fighting was to be done, our Brigade held the advance of the whole army. All the hard and dirty work fell on us—picketing, chopping, ditching; but we held the advance, the post of honor, were to have the first chance in the fight, and we grumbled not at the hardship and exposure. The time came for attacking Centreville and Manassas. We were ordered forward, when, to our exceeding mortification, we found that 40,000 troops had been thrown in advance of us. Our Brigade has not been permitted even to see Centreville and Manassas. They were occupied by our army before we were started. What means this? Has our Brigade commander lost the confidence of his superior officers, and as a consequence been thus disgraced? We are now near Alexandria, but not in advance. There are from 40,000 to 60,000 troops in advance of us.
MARCH 22D.—Capt. Godwin, the Provost Marshal, was swearing furiously this morning at the policemen about their iniquitous forgeries.
Saturday, 22d—It is disagreeable weather—a cold rain from the north. The Thirteenth Iowa started to Pittsburg Landing, about ten miles up the river. The Eleventh Iowa is expecting marching orders any time.
22nd. A report circulated that we are to be among the regiments disbanded. Hope not true—prefer to see the thing through without re-enlisting. After all would like a short furlough. Dealt out the bacon. Got a good piece of beef for myself. Heard the wolves howl during the night.
Raleigh, Virginia, March 22, 1862.
Dear Mother:—. . . We are in the midst of one of the storms so common in this mountain region. We hope it is the equinoctial and will be followed by good weather. It is a driving snow-storm. The pine trees are crusted with it giving a peculiarly wintry appearance to the hills. Fortunately we are all comfortably housed, except two companies who are on a scout in the mountains after bushwhackers. I hope they will find some sort of shelter these stormy nights.
We all feel more hopeful than ever about an early close of the war. It looks to us as if General McClellan must succeed in forcing a battle that will decide the fate of the Rebellion. I do not expect we shall be released from duty for months, perhaps years, but it seems almost certain that a victory in eastern Virginia will decide the war.
I hope you will be able to see the little folks all gathered at Fremont as you anticipate. The boys look forward to it impatiently. Webb was six years old the day before yesterday. He is now to go at his books. His mind runs on horses more than on books. Birch is a very sincere believer in the efficacy of prayer in our common affairs and is finishing the war in that way, famously, as he thinks.
Love to all. — As Fremont is commander of this division, we expect prompt and rapid movements. I shall write to you rarely when we once set out. All important events occurring to me or this army you will know by telegraph. The wires still follow us wherever we go.
Affectionately, your son,
Rutherford.
Mrs. Sophia Hayes.
