The next move was to the eastward to Paw Paw station on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, near which the Twenty-ninth and its brigade went into camp. February 22d, Washington’s birthday, was duly observed. A general review was indulged in. The streets were prettily trimmed with evergreens; and arches, and other pretty devices were numerous. The Twenty-ninth were domiciled in small and nearly worn out wall tents.
On Saturday, March 1st, as the shades of evening were falling, the Twenty-ninth and its command marched with two days’ rations, in the direction of Winchester, Virginia, the object being the capture of that important point. After an all night’s march the command halted, and, in a blinding snow storm, waited for further orders. At 5 o’clock P. M. a counter-march was ordered, and at about midnight the old camp at Paw Paw was reached. The object of this move was to attend the remains of brave General Lander to the cars, which was accomplished on the following day. All the troops in the vicinity were present. At 9 o’clock on the morning of Saturday, March 8th, the command struck tents and marched to the railroad; at night took cars and moved in the direction of Martinsburg, en route for Winchester. Some two or three days were occupied in reaching the former place, as extreme caution was necessary. A burned bridge at Back creek stopped further steam locomotion, and on the 11th the command moved forward through Martinsburg, encamping some two miles out on the Winchester road. Here General James Shields, of some celebrity in the Mexican war, assumed command of the division, and the One Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania infantry volunteers was added to the brigade. The following morning the column continued the forward movement, under orders to join General Banks, in his attack on Winchester. The rebels retreated, and Shields’ division went into camp to the north of Winchester, some four miles out on the Martinsburg pike.
When the rebels first occupied Virginia General Johnston (commanding the extreme left of Beauregard’s army) took possession of Winchester. Troops from here destroyed the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and constantly harrassed our forces in the direction of Harper’s Ferry and Cumberland. It was of great importance that the Union arms gain and hold possession of this point, hence the concentration of Federal troops in this vicinity.
Skirmishing with the enemy was a daily occurrence, and, on the morning of March 20th, a reconnoissance in force was made up the valley to Strasburg. General Shields, with the Twenty-ninth and its brigade, numbering some six thousand men, moved direct to that point, while Colonel Mason’s brigade advanced on the Front Royal road. At Cedar creek a lively artillery duel transpired, during which the rebels succeeded in burning the bridge. The following morning the entire command fell back to its camp below Winchester. This was a march which tested the men’s power of endurance to its utmost. The rain fell lightly but continuously during the day. For rations the men had barely one cracker each, and yet they made the entire distance—twenty-two miles—in seven hours, halting only a few minutes about noon.
CHAPTER III.
The Battle of Winchester or Kernstown—Stonewall Jackson Whipped.
At Kernstown, some four miles south of Winchester, Jackson’s command, numbering fully fifteen thousand men, was massed, and on March 22d attacked the Union outposts. The citizens of Winchester, who, by the way, were about as thoroughly imbued with treason as at any point within the writer’s knowledge in the whole of the chivalrous (?) South, were in high glee at the prospect of being rid of those odious Lincoln hirelings, and some were so sanguine of success to the Southern arms that they prepared elegant repasts for the victors. However that may be, the rebel horde did not enter Winchester at this time, except, perhaps, a few dead ones carried there for burial.
Soon after the firing began the First and Second brigades of General Shields’ division were moved to the front, and a lively skirmish ensued resulting in the repulse of the enemy. General Shields was wounded quite severely during this brief engagement, and at night, when active hostilities ceased, he retired to Winchester. The dawn of Sunday, March 23d, was heralded by the rapid boom of artillery and the lively rattle of musketry, as the advance of the two armies resumed the skirmishing of the previous afternoon. This was continued during nearly the entire forenoon. About noon the long roll beat throughout our camp; quickly the men fell into line, and in columns of fours, under command of brave Colonel Buckley, marched rapidly, a portion of the distance at a double quick, toward the point of attack. On reaching Winchester the regiment halted, came to a front, loaded their pieces, and remained until the artillery and trains had passed. We then moved on the road leading to Kernstown, some two or three miles, and again halted. After some vexatious delay the regiment again resumed the march and soon reached the scene of the action, which was about seven miles from Winchester. The enemy were under General Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall). His right extending across the Pike leading to Strasburg, and his forces on his left masked behind a stone fence, while at the rear for a considerable distance the ground was a gradual ascent covered with stumps and wood which were well used as cover. The Twenty-ninth regiment and its brigade was moved to the extreme right of the line, and, formed in close column, by division, moved forward through the timber to the attack. At close range the rebels opened a heavy fire, but we continued to advance, halting at a small ravine where we deployed in line of battle, and in this position a sharp and determined engagement ensued. The distance between the opposing forces did not exceed sixteen rods. Late in the afternoon an order was given the Third brigade to charge the rebel line. Quick as thought the whole line sprang forward, and with cheers sounding above the roar of the conflict, in the teeth of a murderous fire, swept down over the stone wall and at the bayonet’s point drove the enemy from their chosen position. To the rear they fled until reaching their artillery, where another stand was made and a rally attempted. The Union lead poured into their ranks with such deadly effect that they soon became panic-stricken, and in the greatest disorder retreated in whatever direction best offered an avenue of escape, and Stonewall Jackson, the pride of the South and by many considered the bravest general in the rebel army, was whipped, and that, too, by a force much inferior in numbers, many of whom had never faced death before.
To make the victory still more sure our forces followed the disordered mass of fleeing rebels and captured many prisoners, until darkness closed over all, when our brave boys returned to rest upon their laurels upon the bloody field of carnage, bury the dead and care for the wounded. The result of this battle was a loss to the rebels of the Shenandoah valley, at that time of great importance to them, with casualties amounting to some five hundred men killed, wounded, and left on the field, and three hundred prisoners. The loss of the Twenty-ninth regiment in this action was: Five killed, seven wounded, two missing; aggregate fourteen. See casualties at the close of the volume for names.