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The red line indicates Jackson's route, the arrows showing the direction taken.

THE VALLEY CAMPAIGN.

283

then, facing about at Cross Keys, he gave Fremont a second blow as stunning as the first; and the very next day fought an equally decisive battle with McDowell's advance, under Shields, at Port Republic. This was the famous "Valley Campaign," and I leave it to the students of both to say, if there was anything more brilliant in the Italian campaigns of the First Napoleon.*

* For the reader who wishes to study this wonderful Campaign more minutely, Major Hotchkiss has kindly prepared a Map of the country, with lines indicating the direction of Jackson's movements, showing how he zigzagged all over the Valley, crossing rivers and mountains, to the widely separated points at which he fought his battles. The following note, written to accompany the Map, gives these rapid movements more in detail than they could be given in the text:

Jackson spent the Winter of 1861-2 at Winchester, holding the line of the Potomac, on the north bank of which, at Frederick City, Maryland, lay the Federal Army, under command of Gen. Banks, which began a forward movement Feb. 22d; crossing the Potomac at Harper's Ferry on the 24th, and appearing March 11th in the vicinity of Winchester, Jackson falling back towards Woodstock. Banks followed to the neighborhood of Strasburg, and then fell back and established his headquarters at Winchester. Learning that Banks was about to send part of his force to McClellan, Jackson advanced towards Winchester, and fought the battle of Kernstown, March 23. He then fell slowly back, reaching the vicinity of New Market on the 2d of April, Banks following to near Mount Jackson. On the 17th Banks advanced, and Jackson fell back to Harrisonburg, and then marching around the southwestern end of the Massanutton Mountains, and across the Shenandoah River, established himself at Conrad's Store on the 19th. Banks's next move was to Harrisonburg. On the last day of the month, April 30th, Jackson moved to near the southwestern end of the Massanutton Mountains, and offered battle. While absent from his camp that day, Ewell's Division of the Confederate Army came across the Blue Ridge at Swift Run Gap, and occupied Jackson's camp. Jackson returned to Conrad's Store, and then turned up the river towards Port Republic, struggling through quicksands and mud for two days to reach

284

THE VALLEY CAMPAIGN.

the vicinity of that village. On the 3d of May, Jackson crossed the Blue Ridge at Brown's Gap, apparently abandoning the Valley, and marched to Mecumk's River Station of the Virginia Central Railroad (now Chesapeake and Ohio), where his troops took the cars to Staunton. On the 6th he advanced to the top of the Big North Mountain, on the way to McDowell, and the next day attacked the advance of Fremont's army at Shenandoah Mountain, and the day after that fought the battle of McDowell, defeating Fremont, who retreated to Franklin, Jackson following in pursuit till the 11th. The next day, leaving Fremont at Franklin, Jackson turned back, and reaching McDowell on the 14th, marched to the vicinity of Bridgewater by the 17th, and on the 19th marched down the valley by way of Harrisonburg (Banks having in the meantime fallen back to Strasburg), reaching New Market on the 21st, where he turned across the Massanutton Mountains to the vicinity of Luray, where Ewell's Division joined him. Continuing down the South Fork Valley, he fell on Banks's right at Front Royal on the 23d, routing it, and crossing the rivers on the way to Middletown and Winchester. The next day he attacked Banks's retreating army at Middletown, following it all night to Winchester, where the battle of Winchester was fought on the morning of May 25th, and Banks's army defeated, and driven across the Potomac by way of Martinsburg. Jackson's advance marched to the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, where it remained until the 30th of May. Threatened by the concentration of Fremont's and McDowell's armies at Strasburg, Jackson collected his army southwest of that place, June 1st, in a strong position. As the Federal Army did not attack him, he fell back slowly up the Valley, reaching Harrisonburg June 5th, Fremont's army following, and McDowell's marching up the valley of the South Fork by way of Luray. Jackson fell back to Cross Keys, and awaited Fremont's advance, which attacked him June 8th, and was repulsed. That night Jackson crossed the river at Port Republic, and the next day (June 9th) fought the battle of Port Republic with McDowell's advance, at Lewiston, four miles below Port Republic, routing it completely. Jackson then encamped between the rivers, southwest of Port Republic, near the famous Weyer's Cave, where he remained until June 17th, when he marched for Richmond to form the left of General Lee's army in his attack on McClellan.

HIS CALMNESS IN BATTLE.

285

With almost any other leader, this incessant motion would only have brought on a speedy catastrophe: for it would have set his brain in such a whirl, that he would strike at random-uncertainly, and therefore unsuccessfully. But in these rapid marches and countermarches, with constant fighting, he never lost his head. Instead of his mind being confused by the incidents of battle, it was quickened to the utmost intensity of action. As long before as the Mexican war, when conversing with his brother officers as to the effect of the danger of battle upon their spirits, he said that to him "it was always exalting, and that he was conscious of a more perfect command of his faculties, and of their more clear and rapid action, when under fire, than at any other time.”

One who had frequent occasion to see Jackson in all the vicissitudes of war, speaks thus of his "stoicism":

"Victory and defeat were received with the same degree of stolidity and unconcern. He never seemed elated by the one, nor depressed by the other. I saw him at the battle of Antietam, in the midst of the carnage, when the air was filled with flying shot and bursting shells; and he sat upon his horse as unmoved as if he were on dress parade. As the Confederate losses were very great, Lee ordered a retreat across the Potomac-a movement which was a very critical one, as a swollen river was behind us, and the Federal forces, directed by McClellan in person, were pressing us in front. Every moment added to the confusion. But during the whole scene Jackson maintained the same stoical demeanor. I watched his face and the expression of his eye. He gave his orders just as if all was going well, betraying no despondency, nor even any undue excitement. Again I have seen him where, as in his last effort at Chancellorsville, he swept everything before him. But he showed no more elation in the hour of victory than of depression in the hour of defeat. He contemplated both with the complacency of a Moslem, as if he were a child of destiny, or rather simply an instrument in the hand of the Almighty to execute His will."

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