Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/139

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from the enemy's artillery, because it \\.is nearly dark and the enemy, like ourseh es, did nut know where their friends were.

Sonic of din men went hack ly the same route by which we had gone to our position, and two of our men. William !". Singleton and Robert S. Bell, were captured, with a member of General Jackson's staff. Most of our men, following the guidance of some of our Win- chester comrades, retired by a different route, passing west of Bar- ton's mill-pond, and thus <^ot back into the Valley pike, where we found enough of our infantry to protect us against any attack from the enemy's cavalry. Here, about two miles from the battle-field, we halted for the night, and troops were sent back to attempt to re- cover the lost Mini and caissons, but the enemy had possession of all the approaches to the ground, and the attempt was abandoned. We lost four men severely wounded, who soon afterwards died, viz. : William H. Byrd, - - Gray, John Wallace, driver of No. 3, - Anderson.

This, like most nights after a severe battle which had been lost, was a very uncomfortable night. We were not more uncomfortable, however, than our General, who occupied a fence-corner not far from us, and who had all the responsibility of determining what next was to be done.

Because of the small force which General Jackson had in this bat- tle compared with the number of the enemy, he had to guard against an attack on his right as well as on his left, and his men formed a very thin line extending over several miles When the battle was fairly- begun on his left, he hurried reinforcements from his right, but the ammunition of his troops on the left having run short, General Gar- nett, who commanded the Stonewall Brigade, was forced to order a retreat before these reinforcements reached him. Our infantry lost heavily, but from estimates made by members of our company, founded on information gained by our Winchester boys from their friends in that town, the number of men lost by the enemy that day, killed and wounded, was about equal to the whole number of men engaged in the battle on our side.

The next day, the 24th, we fell back up the Valley, General Ashby's cavalry protecting our rear, crossed Cedar creek, and pre- pared to go into camp on the high ground south of that stream. We had got out our cooking utensils and were preparing our dinner, when our cavalry was driven from the heights north of the creek, and the artillery of the enemy opened fire on us. We hastily re- packed our wagons, whilst one of the guns was drawn i few hundred