Lee Retreats

Lee

In the Battle of Antietam Lee's lines had been pressed hard, but had held firm. He decided to remain on the battlefield the next day and hazard a renewal of the battle. However, there was no fighting the next day. Lee was in no condition to fight, and although McClellan had fresh troops available, he was convinced that Lee was planning to attack him. After the a truce to remove the wounded, Lee retreated that night across the river back into Virginia.

Lee's first invasion of the north was over. The campaign had started out with brilliant prospects, but the discovery of Lee's lost orders spurred the usually sluggish McClellan into quick action. Lee was able to capture Harper's Ferry and reunify his army. In the Battle of Sharpsburg or Antietam he beat off uncoordinated Union attacks and McClellan did not continue to press with his superior numbers. Lee retreated across the river, his invasion beaten back. The campaign had turned upon the providential discovery of Special Orders 191. If that event had not happened, the campaign, and perhaps even the war, may well have turned out very differently.

McClellan Retreats

After his army was beaten back at Gaines Mill, Lee decided to retreat. Only one fifth of his army had been driven back at Gaines Mill. A large portion of the army had not yet fought. Additionally, he had enough troops that he could launch an trust at Richmond while holding back Lee. He could easily break through the thin Confederate lines, and it seems likely that he could have capture the city. However, that was not to be. McClellan was badly scared. He had been convinced by his scouts that he was outnumbered. He thought the attacks on his right were only a disguise for a major effort on his left. Throwing away all thought of an attack, instead he decided to fall back to the James River, where he could be protected by the gunboats. He blamed his situation on the government in Washington:

I have seen too many dead and wounded comrades to feel otherwise than that the Government has not sustained this army. If you do not do so now the game is lost. If I save this army now I tell you plainly that I owe no thanks to you or any other persons in Washington. You have done your best to sacrifice this army."

One small Confederate success had convinced McClellan to give up the work of months of campaigning, and embark on a full scale retreat, or change of base as he liked to call it. McClellan himself went to the gunboats ahead of his army, abandoning direct control of his army in the retreat.

McClellan

Meanwhile, Lee did not sit idly by. He had his troops moving on June 28th in pursuit. He was not privy to McClellan's plans, so he had to determine whether he was going to retreat north to his base at White House, east to the James River, or attack Richmond. Sending out scouts to reconnoiter, he decided correctly that it was the second. Lee hoped to catch McClellan while his army was crossing the nearly impenetrable White Oak Swamp. He could crush one half of the army independently as it could receive little help from the rest on the other side of the swamp. This would be the best chance Lee had to destroy the Federals in the entire war, with the Federals moving across his front through favorable ground.

There was little fighting this day as the army moved, but Confederate general John B. Magruder did send out a reconnaissance in force at Golding's Farm. Although it was easily turned back, it served to further convince the Federals that they were being attacked from all sides.

Jackson Pursues Banks

Pursuit of Banks

150 years ago yesterday Jackson defeated the small garrison of Front Royal, so today he began his pursuit. His position was very good. He was very close to Bank's line of retreat, and if he moved quickly he could catch him while on his retreat to Winchester. Banks did not receive news of Jackson's strike until this morning, and he decided to retreat at once, leaving half of his 5000 wagons which made up his supply depot, he marched for Winchester. Jackson marched at 6:00 am, but he moved cautiously, as he did not know how many men were stationed in Winchester. There were actually only 900 men. As Jackson moved north, he was only 5 miles away from a huge prize, Bank's 15 mile long wagon train. A force finally reached the Valley Pike along which Banks was moving, encountering the tail of the wagon train. As Jackson said,

In a few moments the turnpike, which just before had teemed with life, presented a most appalling spectacle of carnage and destruction. The road was literally obstructed with the mingled and confused mass of struggling and dying horses and riders.

Before Jackson could move on, he needed to determine whether he had hit the head or tail of the column. Valuable time was wasted finding out the answer, but he set his men off to pursue Bank's force, which had apparently avoided the worst danger they could have feared from Jackson.

The armies continued to march north through the night. At the head of the Confederate force was the Stonewall Brigade, under Charles Winder, which was subjected to constant skirmishing with the Federal rearguard. With this fighting at the front, it was a long slow march for the army. One cannoneer wrote after the war,

Night soon set in, and a long, weary night it was; the most trying I ever passed, in the war or out of it. From dark till daylight we did not advance more than four miles. Step by step we moved along, halting for about five minutes; then on a few steps and halt again. ... Sometimes, when a longer halt was made, we would endeavor to steal a few moments' sleep, for want of which it was hard to stand up. By the time a blanket was unrolled, the column was astir again, and so it was continued throughout the long, dreary hours of the night.

Making only six miles in as many hours, Jackson's men finally arrived south of Winchester at around 1:00 in the morning. One of Jackson's brigade commanders asked if he could let the men rest. “Colonel," Jackson replied, “I yield to no man in sympathy for the gallant men under my command; but I am obliged to sweat them tonight, that I may save their blood tomorrow. The line of hills southwest of Winchester must not be occupied by the enemy's artillery. My own must be there and in position by daylight. You shall, however, have two hours' rest.” The Confederate army was in position, with Jackson on the left of the turnpike and Ewell on the right, ready to attack the next morning.

Jefferson Davis on the Trent Affair

Jefferson Davis

150 years ago Jefferson Davis gave a message to Congress. You can read the full message here. He made these comments on the Trent Affair.

"[N]ot content with violating on the rights under the law of nations at home, they have extended these injuries to us within other jurisdictions. The distinguished gentlemen whom, with your approval, at the last session, I commissioned to represent the Confederacy at certain foreign Courts, have been recently seized by the captain of a United States ship-of-war, on board a British steamer.... These gentlemen were as much under the jurisdiction of the British Government upon that ship, and beneath its flag, as if they had been upon its soil; and a claim on the part of the United States to seize them in the streets of London would have been as well founded as that to apprehend them where they were taken."

Alexandria Abandoned

Alexandria and Washington

By now the panic of a few weeks ago for the defense of Washington had subsided somewhat as the new volunteer regiments began to arrive at the capital. But the Confederates were still occupying Alexandria just across the river, and the Confederate flags flying over the houses were visible from the capitol. General Winfield Scott began to plan to cross into Virginia and capture Alexandria to give more breathing room in his defense of the capitol. However, on May 5th the Confederates left Alexandria of their own accord without him even advancing.

The Confederate commander in Alexandria was Lt. Col. A. S. Taylor. He was commanded by his superior, General Cooke, to make a "gallant and fighting retreat" if he was attacked by superior forces.¹ He had about 650 troops, but they were inexperienced and badly armed. His men were also spread throughout the town, as most of them were from the area. He received a message which said that Federals would cross the river on the 6th or 7th, and therefore he abandoned the city without informing his superiors.

Cooke attempted to put Taylor under arrest for disobeying orders. While he may not have had enough forces to hold Alexandria, he should not have retreated without asking his commander. It appears that Taylor left the infantry and became a Captain in the Confederate Marine Corps.

1. Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 2, p. 24