Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/180

176 Have the commanders instructed to divide off their men so as to put them on board the trains as solidly as possible, with their baggage. Let there be details of men to put on the baggage and have the troops to go in the cars ready by the track so that there may be no confusion or delay.

Let there be one four-horse wagon to every hundred men present for duty and two additional wagons to a regiment.

See to the condition of the baggage cars or trains and have them to move forward with no more than that complement of baggage; each regiment, of course, having its ordnance wagon and ambulances apart from the above.

Let there be no delay in having the above complied with, and have arrangements made in camp according to above instructions for such troops as are to come on cars.

"Give the generals compliments to General Ewell and tell him that he is at Gordonsville."

"The movement proposed by General Jackson will have to be postponed for reasons which I have already communicated to him, and of which you will soon be apprised." He then handed me a letter to give to the general, and in doing so suggested that as I was going up in the morning I had better stop at Charlottesville and wait for orders there. Of course, I asked no questions, though naturally curious to know what would probably be the character of my orders and why I was to wait for them in Charlottesville. But when I got there at noon the next day, I found the town in a fever of excitement, with a cordon of pickets posted around, preventing all egress from the place, and was told that, at least, a dozen trains of empty cars had passed through some hours before to the Valley. I had, therefore, no difficulty in divining what was in the wind, and that "great events were on the gale."

Presently the scream of an engine announced, an approaching train, and as it came thundering up to the station I saw, as I expected, it was filled with troops, who not only fully occupied