Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/518

480 Jackson, marched briskly forward, on the 30th, through New Market and Mt. Jackson, to the vicinity of Hawkinstown. The next day, July 1st, with like alacrity, the march was continued, through Edenburg, Woodstock and Maurertown, to a camp near Fisher's hill. On the 2d, the march was through Strasburg, Middletown and Newtown, to the Opequan at Bartonsville; all places that recalled glorious victories. On the 3d, a long march carried Early's men through grand old Winchester, with its ever zealous and patriotic people, all of whom that were not in the army, cheering, meeting and welcoming the passing soldiery. A portion of the command went to Martinsburg and another portion to Leetown, on the way to Harper's Ferry. Part of the cavalry advanced from Winchester, by way of the Back Creek valley, to North Mountain depot, of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, cut off the retreat of a body of the enemy at Martinsburg, and protected the flank of the army moving in that direction; while another portion led the advance to Leetown, where it encountered the enemy's cavalry, and after a severe engagement drove it through Kearneysville.

On the 4th of July, Ramseur's division marched, by way of Flowing Springs and Brown's, to Halltown, and Rodes' division to the same point by way of Charlestown. This combined force drove the enemy from Halltown and Bolivar heights, and took possession of the latter with its skirmishers, the enemy shelling these from Maryland heights, where they had planted 100-pounder guns, also from Fort Duncan, north of the Potomac, and from works in front of Harper's Ferry. After dark the enemy evacuated the latter place, and Early's skirmishers took possession of it. The other divisions of the army marched from Martinsburg to Duffield's, on the Baltimore & Ohio, not far from Harper's Ferry, and the infantry was again united in that vicinity. McCausland's brigades of cavalry attacked North Mountain depot of the Baltimore & Ohio early on the morning of the 4th, took 200 prisoners, and then marched to Hainesville.

On the 5th of July, Gordon's division crossed the Potomac, at the familiar Boteler's ford, and then marched down the river, on the Maryland side, and encamped near the mouth of the historic Antietam. Vaughn, in command of Breckinridge's division (Breckinridge himself commanding a corps which Early had formed from