The attention of the Federal commander was now turned to operations on the Potomac river, below Washington, as the Confederate batteries, located at Freestone point, Cockpit point, Shipping point at the mouth of the Quantico, and at the mouth of Aquia creek, were a standing menace to the navigation of that river to and from Washington. On October 22d a detachment of the Seventy-second New York was sent to construct intrenchments at Budd's ferry, opposite the Confederate battery at Shipping point, and to report on the Confederate batteries along the Potomac; he also constructed earthworks for batteries opposite Evansport. On the 28th the Confederate battery near Budd's ferry, numbering some 14 guns, opened on a steamer attempting to pass up the river. General Hooker, learning of this, directed his batteries on the Maryland shore to open on the Confederate steamer Page, in case the steamer attempting to go up the Potomac should be disabled, or if an attempt should be made to take it as a prize.

On the 9th of November, Gen. D. E. Sickles, of General Hooker's command, sent an expedition of 400 men down the Potomac to reconnoiter Mathias point, which was held by a small Confederate picket. On the 12th Gen. S. P. Heintzelman, in charge of Fort Lyon, on the Telegraph road, a short distance from Alexandria, sent out two brigades of infantry to Pohick church. reaching the church, early the next morning, it was ascertained that the Confederates had left the night before.

On

On the 14th of November, General Dix, commanding the department of Pennsylvania, with headquarters at Baltimore, ordered Gen. H. H. Lockwood, commanding the Federal peninsula brigade, partly composed of Union Marylanders, to proceed on an expedition through Accomac and Northampton counties, in Virginia, for the purpose of "bringing these counties back to their allegiance to the United States, and reuniting them to the Union on the footing of West Virginia. The commander of the expedition was directed to distribute a proclamation by General Dix, which made known the object of the expedition and gave many assurances as to the good results that would follow submission to Federal authority, and to exercise "the utmost vigilance to preserve discipline and prevent any outrage upon persons or property."

In the course of his instructions to Lockwood, Dix proceeded to settle grave questions of state by military instructions. He advised that "The people, if they return to their allegiance to the United States, should make such temporary provision for their own government, not inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States, as they may think best. For the time being, it seems to me that it would be well for them to act with western Virginia, and hold elections by proclamation of the governor.

On November 15th, the day after his expedition started, Dix wrote to President Lincoln, enclosing a copy of his proclamation to the people of Accomac and Northampton, with the hope that what he had done would meet with his approbation; and stated that he had sent 4,500 men on this expedition.

Reaching the borders of Virginia, November 16th, General Lockwood sent a flag of truce to the Confederate troops, some 10 miles below the line, but found no force to treat with, as they had either dispersed or fallen back to Eastville. The bearer of this flag reported, from Temperanceville, "We have thus far had a triumphant welcome and uninterrupted march."

Lockwood reported from Drummondtown, on the 22d, that the larger portion of his command was at that place, but he had sent two regiments, with cavalry and artillery, to Eastville. After describing the points selected for his bases of supplies, he stated that he had found and secured seven new 6-pounder guns, and a number of small-arms of little value. After declaring that the people manifested a readiness to submit to the Federal government, and that they were arranging to hold county meetings for this purpose, he wrote: "The basis of the system in western Virginia will be adopted as a temporary measure. All with whom I have conversed look to an annexation with Maryland as an event much to be desired whenever it can constitutionally be accomplished. This, they think, can be done by regarding themselves, together with western Virginia, as the true State of Virginia, and inducing the State thus constituted and the State of Maryland to pass the necessary laws." He advised that Dix write to the governor of West Virginia, asking him to make proclamation, as soon as the people have

declared their allegiance to the United States, “ordering an election for the civil officers and a representative to the Congress of the United States," and concluded, "I hope that by their joint action this interesting people may be relieved from their present position, and brought into that association with the State of Maryland to which their geographical position naturally points."

On November 16th, Maj. W. T. Martin, of the Second Mississippi cavalry (subsequently major-general), cut off a foraging party of the Thirtieth New York, near Falls Church, and captured 30 prisoners, killing 4 and wounding several. On the 18th Lieut.-Col. Fitzhugh Lee, of the First Virginia cavalry, attacked a Federal picket in the same vicinity, part of the Brooklyn regiment (Fourteenth New York) of hard fighters. Two of Lee's men lost their lives, and 2 of the enemy were killed and 10 captured. On the 26th a squadron of Pennsylvania cavalry, on a reconnoissance to Vienna, was attacked by 120 men of the First North Carolina cavalry, under Col. Robert Ransom, and stampeded. Ransom reported the capture of 26 prisoners, and a considerable number of horses, sabers and carbines. The attention of the government was invited to these successful affairs by General Johnston.

Skirmishes followed, of like character, near Dranesville on the 26th, near Fairfax on the 27th, and at Annandale, December 2d.

Gen. S. G. French, stationed at Evansport, reported on December 15th that his position had been under fire from Federal batteries on the Maryland shore during the past three weeks.

On December 20th Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, with a force comprising the Eleventh Virginia, Col. Samuel Garland; Sixth South Carolina, Lieutenant-Colonel Secrest; Tenth Alabama, Col. J. H. Forney, and First Kentucky, Col. T. H. Taylor, in all 1,600 infantry; Capt. A. S. Cutts' Georgia artillery (four pieces), Maj. J. B. Gordon's North Carolina cavalry, and Capt. A. L. Pitzer's Virginia cavalry, moved toward Dranesville for the purpose of protecting an expedition of army wagons after hay. At the same time a Federal expedition approached Dranesville, on a similar mission. Upon discovering the presence of the enemy, Stuart sent Pitzer to keep between them and the wagons, and order the latter

back, while the main body was disposed for a vigorous attack upon the Federal rear and left flank. The force Stuart encountered at Dranesville was E. O. C. Ord's Pennsylvania brigade of five regiments (including the "Bucktails"), two squadrons of cavalry and Easton's battery. Stuart took position, screening his infantry in a wood, and when the enemy came up the action was opened by an artillery combat. Then Stuart ordered forward his right wing, and the Alabama regiment "rushed with a shout in a storm of bullets." Colonel Forney fell wounded, and Lieut. -Col. J. B. Martin was killed. The other regiments also pushed forward, and a stubborn fight resulted. "When the action had lasted about two hours," Stuart reported, "I found that the enemy, being already in force larger than my own, was recovering from his disorder, and receiving heavy reinforcements [Reynolds' and Meade's brigades]." Consequently he withdrew in order. "The enemy was evidently too much crippled to follow in pursuit, and after a short halt at the railroad I proceeded to Fryingpan church, where the wounded were cared for."

Early next morning, with two fresh regiments, Stuart returned to the field, and found that the enemy had evacuated Dranesville and left some of their wounded there. The official returns of casualties were, on the Federal side, 7 killed and 61 wounded; on the Confederate, 43 killed, 143 wounded and 8 missing.

The return of the department of Northern Virginia, Gen. J. E. Johnston commanding, for December, showed for the Potomac district, General Beauregard, aggregate infantry, cavalry and artillery, present and absent, 68,047; aggregate present, 55, 165; effective total, 44,563. The forces in the Valley district, General Jackson, were reported at 12,922 present; in the Aquia district, General Holmes, 8, 244, raising the aggregate present of Johnston's command to 76,331.

CHAPTER XII.

STONEWALL JACKSON'S ROMNEY CAMPAIGN.

Ο

N the 7th of October, 1861, in recognition of his distinguished services at the first battle of Manassas, Stonewall Jackson was commissioned majorgeneral. On November 4th he left Manassas to take command of the Valley district, to which, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, in command of the department of Northern Virginia, had assigned him, and established his headquarters at Winchester. Although forming the left wing of Johnston's army, the main body of which was in the vicinity of Manassas Junction, Jackson's command was, in some respects, an independent one, as he had assigned to him not only the protection of the lower valley of the Shenandoah, but also the extensive Appalachian country to the northwest that drained into the Potomac, and along the northeastern border of which ran the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. It was all a region of parallel mountains and narrow valleys with which he was quite familiar, not only in consequence of his campaigning there in the earlier part of 1861, but from his knowledge. of it from his boyhood days. Entering upon his command with but a small body of soldiers, no one would have forecast that he had taken possession of a field which would make both that and himself famous for all time. The enemy, through the exigencies of war, had become possessed of a large part of both the Appalachian and the Trans-Appalachian portions of Virginia, and Jackson had frequently expressed a desire to be placed in position to free that land of his nativity from the Federal invaders. To him, this assignment, even with an inferior force, appeared to open the way for the fulfillment of his cherished hopes.

First the Virginia, and then the Confederate campaigns in the mountain regions of Virginia, during the spring, summer and fall of 1861, had not only been barren of results, but in the main well-nigh disastrous. Garnett had been out-maneuvered and defeated, in the Tygart