"His late brilliant exploit-the capture of Brigadier-General Stoughton, United States Army, two captains, thirty other prisoners, together with their arms, equipment, and fifty-eight horses -justifies this recognition in general orders. "This feat, unparalleled in the war, was performed in the midst of the enemy's troops, at Fairfax Court House, without loss or injury. "The gallant band of Captain Mosby share the glory, as they did the danger, of this enterprise, and are worthy of such a leader." Mosby, while engaged in another raid, was surprised, but escaped capture by Mar. quickly rallying his men and boldly 31. charging the Union troops. He was on his way to Dranesville, and had bivouacked upon a plantation, when a squadron of the First Vermont Cavalry came suddenly upon him. ron broke, he pursued and hacked them severely. The guerrilla chief received a severe sabre cut on the forehead. We learn that the Vermont carbine companies delivered their fire upon the enemy with good effect, and then opened to the right and left to allow the sabre companies to charge; but they did not come up to the work." Captain Mosby, recovering from his wound, and being again in the saddle, soon made his name familiar as that of one of the most audacious of the enemy's guerrilla chiefs. The Union cavalry was also actively occupied. A detachment, under Feb. Colonel Percy Wyndham, started 2. from Centreville for Warrenton, which was taken by surprise, and horse patrols were sent forward to Sulphur Springs and Waterloo, on the Rappahannock, but the enemy had disappeared. Some smugglers, however, were captured with supplies of contraband goods, consisting of "boots, silks, phosphorus, and treasury notes," intended for the rebels. Early in March, a detachment of the First Maine Cavalry, commanded by Captain Wadsworth, scoured the neck of land between the Rappahannock and Mattapony rivers. In the course of the expedition a thorough reconnoissance of the district was made. Several boats plying across the Rappahannock were destroyed, and a "smuggling nest," filled with boots, shoes, caps, blankets, horses, and mules, was broken up. A more imposing expedition of cavalry, under the command of General Averill, sent out to reconnoitre, forced a so badly whipped that they could not follow or annoy him." General Averill brought back with him about eighty prisoners. Other reconnoitring expeditions went and returned without meeting serious opposition, but daily skirmishes, with varying results, occurred between the small cavalry detachments of both armies. Captain Mosby, in the mean time, continued his tormenting raids in the rear of General Hooker's army, pouncing now and then upon a supply train or a line of suttlers' wagons. "A short distance from the shore General Hooker, having completed General Averill's command encountered a series of reconnoissances, determined the rebel cavalry under Stuart and to advance and give battle to General Fitz Hugh Lee, who had hastened from Lee, intrenched on the heights of Culpepper to prevent our passage. They Fredericksburg. His plan was simply made some dashing charges upon our to flank the enemy on the left. With troops, who repulsed and in turn charged this object he determined to divert them them with fatal effect, using sabres only by an attack with a considerable force in the conflict. Whenever the enemy on their right and front at Fredericksmade a stand, they were immediately burg, and a demonstration of cavalry in charged upon and routed from their their rear, while he moved his main positions with great loss. body to their left. "The battle lasted five hours, and was a series of charges and hand-to-hand conflicts, resulting in the falling back of the enemy. The forces were about 2,000 on each side. "The enemy at last took refuge behind an intrenched battery, four miles from the ford, flanked by rifle-pits and abattis. General Averill, having accomplished his object, and securing his prisoners, the wounded on both sides, and a large number of horses, recrossed the river without attack or demonstration on the part of the rebels, who were On the 28th of April, the Union army began to move, and before the opening of the third day, the right being composed of the fifth, eleventh, and twelfth corps, having crossed Kelly's Ford on the Rappahannock, and Ely's and Germania Mills Fords on the Rapidan, encamped at Chancellorsville. The enemy's sharpshooters made some show of resistance at the rivers, and their cavalry with flying artillery slightly harassed the flanks of the advancing column. General Hooker was so well satisfied with the result of the movement of his right wing that he expressly compli- into the plank road, in front of the mented it. "It is," he said in his order, April 30, "with feelings of heartfelt satisfaction that the Commanding General announces to the army that the operations of the last three days have determined that the enemy must either ingloriously fly or come out from behind his defences and give us battle on our own ground, where certain destruction awaits him. "The operations of the fifth, eleventh, and twelfth corps have been a succession of splendid achievements." General Hooker subsequently added to his right wing the first and third corps, leaving the sixth corps and one division of the second to attack the enemy on the front and the left of their intrenchments at Fredericksburg. While General Hooker was congratulating his troops on their achievements, General Lee suddenly made a flank movement, which gave him the advantages of position claimed by his adversary. Disregarding, for the moment, the menace in his front and right, he concentrated all his force on his left, and leaving his intrenchments at Fredericksburg, attacked Hooker in his encampment at Chancellorsville. On Fri day, May 1, there was an exchange of artillery and some severe skirmishing, which seemed to result to the advantage of the Unionists. Chancellor House, in column, and attempt to deploy. One or two doses of canister caused them to deploy rather irregularly, and more like skirmishers on the retreat. "Soon after, General Hooker and staff began an inspection of our lines, which occupied full two hours. Every portion was visited, and the work of the night was closely inspected. On the extreme left new lines were chosen, and the engineer officers soon marked out the line and character of the defences to be erected. When the inspection closed, the intrenchments were pronounced to be of the very best character, especially those on the right, where the columns of Slocum and Howard were posted. "There had been only slight disturbances during the night, as both forces had been busy with their axes rather than their muskets. From General Howard's front came a report that the enemy was engaged all the night in cutting a road past his picket line to the right. How much attention was paid to this fact at the time I do not know, but subsequent events proved that it was very significant. "The day continued to pass in a very dull manner for a day of battle, and only here and there was there anything more than desultory skirmishing and picket firing. "About three o'clock the pickets on "About nine o'clock" (Saturday, May 2d), says a correspondent* describing the right of General Slocum's front the attacks on the second and third reported that from a certain position day, “a regiment was seen to come wagons had been seen moving in a N. Y. Daily Times. westerly direction nearly all day. It was at once surmised that this might be a retreat, but subsequent events proved that it was part of an affair of altogether another nature. To ascertain, however, what it really was, General Sickles, who was still in reserve, was ordered to make a reconnoissance in heavy force in that direction. This was done with great promptness, and the divisions of Generals Birney and Whipple, with General Barlow's brigade, from Howard's corps, were pushed out to the front, Berdan's brigade of sharpshooters having the advance, and supporting Randolph's battery. Our troops moved rapidly, and very soon became more or less engaged, especially the artillery, and the sharpshooters as skirmishers. Berdan soon sent in some sixty prisoners, belonging to the Twentythird Georgia, including one major, two captains, and three lieutenants. Being upon the ground, I examined these prisoners, and soon found that the 'wagon train' which we had seen moving during the day was composed mainly of ordnance wagons and ambulances, and that Stonewall Jackson and staff were at the head of a column of troops which the wagons followed. เ as prisoners of war the entire remnant of the Twenty-third Georgia Regiment, numbering over 400 officers and men. The column of the enemy which had been moving up this road was now literally cut in two, and General Williams had commenced a flank movement on the enemy's right, which promised the most auspicious results. "But at five o'clock, a terrible crash of musketry on our extreme right announced that Jackson had commenced his operations. This had been anticipated, but it was supposed that after his column was cut, the corps of General Howard (formerly General Sigel's), with its supports, would be sufficient to resist his approach, and finding that he was himself assailed in the rear, he would turn about and retreat to escape capture. "But to the disgrace of the eleventh corps be it said, the division of General Schurz, which was the first assailed, almost instantly gave way. Threats, entreaties, and orders of commanders were of no avail. Thousands threw down their guns and streamed down the road toward headquarters. The enemy pressed his advantage. General Devens' division, disaffected by the demoralization of the forces in front of him, soon followed suit, and the brave General was for the second time severely wounded in the foot while endeavoring to rally his men. General Howard, with all his daring, resolution, and vigor, could not stem the retreating tide. The brigades of Colonels Bushbeck and McDean only remained fighting, and maintained themselves nobly as long as possible. But they, too, gave way, though in good order, before vastly superior numbers. "General Hooker now sent to the aid of General Howard the choicest division of his army, the creation of his own hand-the famous second division of the third corps-commanded by MajorGeneral Berry. Captain Best soon moved his batteries on a ridge running across the road, and after a short but sanguinary contest the farther advance of the enemy was stayed. Of course this disaster compelled the recall of Sickles and Slocum, who had been pursuing their work with remarkable vigor. General Williams' division returned only to find a portion of their works filled with the enemy. Sickles' division could not communicate with the rest of the army at all by the way they advanced, and only at great risk by any other route. by Howard was gallantly retaken by General Hobart Ward. "This night attack was the most grand and terrific thing of the war. The moon shone bright, and an enemy could be seen at good musket range. The air was very still, and the roar and reverberation of the musketry and artillery past all conception. Malvern Hill was a skirmish compared with this, save in the degree of slaughter. But it was successful-the enemy were driven back nearly half a mile, and our tired men once more slept on their arms. That night's work was ended. "Now I come to Sunday. It was perfectly evident, from the position of affairs on Saturday night, that there must be a change of our lines, which would throw the enemy out of our rear and into our front again. It will be seen by what skilful generalship the enemy was fought and checked on front, and flank, and rear while this was being done. 66 New "This was the position at dark, and it did not look very promising. But our energetic commander was more than equal to the emergency. dispositions to repair this disaster were at once made with Generals Birney and Whipple, and a night attack ordered, to restore the connection of the lines. General Ward's brigade, of General Birney's division, made the attack at eleven at night, aided by Captain Best's guns, massed on the ridge in front of the enemy. Birney's position was on the extreme left of this new line of battle, but Ward's terrific attack was entirely successful, communication was restored, and in a charge made by the brigade, a portion of the artillery lost General Reynolds' first army corps arrived at United States Ford on Saturday afternoon. It was immediately put into position on our right, which was withdrawn from the plank road to the Ely's Ford turnpike. This line was immediately formed by Generals Reynolds and Meade, the latter's position, on the left, having been relieved by General Howard's eleventh corps, which, notwithstanding its disorganized condition, was so far reorganized during the night as to be fit for duty again this morning. They were assigned the position on the left, where it was prob |