Page:Civil War The 42nd Infantry Division of Bedford County Virginia.djvu/9



General Joseph E. Johnston sent Jackson with his small army of 6,500 men into the Valley in November 1861 and was told to do two things for sure, protect the left flank of the Confederate Army at Manassas, guard Virginia's breadbasket against all intrusions, but not expect many reinforcements and try to build his army up with local Valley boys. He spent the rest of the year training his troops.

He marched his men from Winchester to Bath Country and hit a force of General Fremont troops at McDowell, Virginia in the Senandoah [sic] mountains and drove them back to Romney, West Virginia and on to Franklin. He destroyed the Baltimore and Ohio railroad bridge while there to cut supplies from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and etc. reaching D.C.

General Jackson moved his forces back to the Valley in April as President Lincoln had sent two armies to destroy his troops as they were a constant threat to D.C.

General Banks was at Front Royal with 8,400 men and General Shields at Harper's Ferry with 10,000 more men to try to drive Jackson and his army of 12,000 troops completely out of the Valley.

Jackson sent word to General Johnston and President Davis that if they would send him enough reinforcement to bring his army up to 16,000 men he would whip both Federal forces one at a time and drive them from the Valley.

On May 1 General Ewell arrived with 4 divisions of troops from Culpepper, Virginia to give General Jackson the necessary force to strike hard. One of the divisions sent to General Jackson was the 42nd infantry division from Bedford County.

Jackson had his troops marching at daylight, heading for Winchester to prepare for a strike at Bank's troops at FortFront [sic] Royal. General Lee had told him to drive them back to the Potomac river. He hoped to take Banks by surprise and hit him just before daylight to catch him unprepared for battle. The trick worked and Banks fell back to Winchester and continued his retreat towards Martinsburg, West Virginia.