Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1005

Rh he was sent to Staunton "to make a map," then joining the army at Gordonsville, and mapping the Piedmont region for the Pope campaign. He was at Cedar mountain, the Rappahannock operations, and Chantilly or Ox Hill. He blew up the Monocacy bridge by a novel plan, was with Jackson in the Maryland campaign, guided Gen. J. E. B. Stuart by blind roads from Sharpsburg to Shepherdstown, and was strongly recommended by Jackson to the secretary of war for promotion. Incessant note-taking and map-drawing filled the days until he aided in placing troops in line of battle at Fredericksburg, serving on the staff at that time. The winter was spent at Moss Neck, making reports and maps to accompany them. In the spring of 1863 he made, in secrecy for General Jackson, a map "from the Rappahannock to Philadelphia," which was used in the Gettysburg campaign. General Jackson slept under his rubber blanket at the "Bivouac Angle," and when he had approved his engineer's route for the flank movement against Hooker, at Chancellorsville, he conferred with Lee and rode to his last battle. Taking Jackson to the rear after he was wounded, Captain Hotchkiss rode that night to report to General Lee and point out on the map the position of Jackson's corps. The next day he conducted the ambulance of his wounded commander to a safe place. On the field, for General Lee, Captain Hotchkiss prepared the complete maps of the Chancellorsville campaign, which are the basis of all maps of the battle to this time. Serving on General Ewell's staff, Captain Hotchkiss went to Gettysburg, was in the attack the first day, and was then ordered to Seminary ridge to watch and report. General Lee was requiring his maps, too, as "he always had confidence in them." He prepared elaborate maps of the Mine Run campaign and Meade's operations, and also did staff duty. In the spring of 1864 General Lee sent Captain Hotchkiss to select a line of defense, and he rode hundreds of miles, preparing a report which was largely adopted and specially complimented by General Lee. One of his most successful feats was to map, in one day, under heavy skirmish fire, the line held by General Lee, some ten miles long, from the Chickahominy to the Totopotomoy, delivering the map that evening. When General Early took command of the Second corps, Captain Hotchkiss remained on his staff, and so served in the Lynchburg campaign against Hunter, in the Monocacy and Washington campaign; and in the Valley campaign against Sheridan, Captain Hotchkiss and General Gordon reconnoitered from Three-top mountain, and the map then made was used in the famous battle of Cedar Creek. The following winter (1864-65) he prepared beautifully illustrated reports of the operations of the Second corps, having made over one hundred maps for army officers, from General Lee down. When Sheridan attacked Early at Waynesboro, Major Hotchkiss was on staff duty (having previously sent his maps to Richmond), and was chased over the Blue Ridge, barely escaping capture. He joined General Rosser at Lynchburg and when General Lee surrendered at once came home and was paroled on May 1, 1865, at Staunton, where he soon removed his family. An informer caused his arrest that fall, but he accompanied his cherished maps to Washington, and General Grant ordered their return, and paid for copying all he desired to use in his own reports.