Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/245

Rh uted to the defeat of the main movement. With a few thousand men this remarkable military genius forced the management at Washington to consider him at every turn of affairs. Although repulsed now and then, his subsequent maneuvers caused the employment of great numbers of the enemy in chasing him, a chasing that led them to defeat. The forces of Shields, Milroy, Fremont, Schenck and Banks felt his power in several encounters, and it was the defeat of these generals while McClellan was moving away from Washington that alarmed the administration. The orders to protect Washington became more stringent, and while they were in process of execution by a concentration of Federal troops in Luray valley, Jackson suddenly and rapidly moved to the vicinity of Richmond.

While Jackson was closing up his series of brilliant actions by the signal defeat of Shields at Port Republic and marching his victorious regiments toward the army of Lee, J. E. B. Stuart rode around the army of McClellan, and returning in safety with many prisoners as Jackson approached, joined in the battles around Richmond, which began with Mechanicsville and ended at Malvern hill.

On the day after the battle of Seven Pines, Gen. Robert E. Lee, who since March i3th had had control of the military operations of all the Confederate armies, was directed by President Davis to take personal command of the army then defending Richmond. Under his skillful directions the fortifications around the Confederate capital had been made strong, and on assuming command of the army of Northern Virginia he proceeded at once to make its position secure against attack, and "to enhance its efficiency and strength by every means in his power, so as to justify aggressive movements."

According to an estimate of the strength of the army of Northern Virginia at the beginning of the Seven Days' battles, made in the office of the adjutant-general