Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/337

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
CONFEDERATE MILITARY HISTORY.
313

Gen. J. E. B. Stuart put in an appearance during the day, having been sent forward by Lee, with the larger portion of his cavalry, to cover the right of Lee's general movement to the vicinity of Gordonsville. Stuart reconnoitered the Federal left, moving his cavalry along the eastern side of Cedar mountain and advancing his scouts well toward Culpeper. Through these, Jackson learned that Pope already had in hand 22,000 fresh troops, under Sigel and Ricketts, 2,000 cavalry under Bayard, and about 5,000 that remained with Banks; a tactic force of about 30,000 in front of Jackson's 24,000, from which the casualties of the 9th had taken 1,000. When informed of Jackson's advance, on the 8th, Pope ordered King's division of 10,000 men up from Fredericksburg. These joined him on the 11th, so that he then had 40,000 men at command. Reno was following King with 8,000 of Burnside's corps, and he reported to Pope on the 14th.

Through the tireless Stuart, who was as ubiquitous as Jackson himself, he was kept well posted in reference to these movements of the various parts of Pope's army of Virginia. Thus informed, he reluctantly gave up his idea of further attacking Pope, but remained on the battlefield during the 10th and 11th, caring for his wounded, burying his dead, and gathering the spoils of the battlefield. On the 11th he granted Pope a truce, until 2 p. m., for removing his dead, that were not already buried, and then, on request, extended the truce until 5. During the night of the 11th he recrossed the Rapidan, and the next day reoccupied his old camps along "the little mountains of Orange," covering Gordonsville, having stolen a march on Pope, who had arranged to attack him at Cedar run, on the morning of the 12th, with double his numbers. This bold movement of Jackson, although it did not accomplish all he desired and had good reason to expect, in consequence of the condition of the weather and of the failure of his division commanders to promptly and intelligently respond to his orders, was by no means a barren victory. Pope's cavalry had made repeated efforts to reach and break the Virginia Central railroad, and his main body was dangerously near to that important line of communication between Jackson and Lee, and of supply for both armies. The Federal commander was only awaiting the reopening of the railway from Washington to the Rapidan to move forward in