FROM WALKER’S POSITION ON LOUDOUN HEIGHTS.
View oi the Union camp and position on Maryland Heights; Harper’s Ferry below.
the ease, it was certain that General Lee would be in fearful peril should the capture of Harper’s Ferry be much longer delayed. I thereupon asked permission to open lire, but receiving no reply, I determined to be “ forced.’’ For this purpose I placed the two North Carolina regiments under Colonel (afterward Major-General, and now U. S. Senator) M. W. Ransom, which had relieved those under Cooke, in line of battle in full view of the Federal batteries on Bolivar Heights. As I expected, they at once opened a heavy, but harmless, fire upon my regiments, which afforded me the wished-for pretext. Withdrawing the infantry to the safe side of the mountain, I directed my batteries to reply.
About an hour after my batteries opened fire those of A. P. Hill and Lawton followed suit, and about 3 o’clock those of McLaws. But the range from Maryland Heights being too great, the fire of MeLaws’s guns was ineffective, the shells bursting in mid-air without reaching the enemy. From my position on Loudoun Heights my guns had a plunging fire on the Federal batteries a thousand feet below and did great execution. By 5 o’clock our combined fire had silenced all the opposing batteries except one or two guns east of Bolivar Heights, which kept up a plucky but feeble response until night put a stop to the combat.
During the night of the 14th-15th, Major (afterward Brigadier-General) R. Lindsay Walker, chief of artillery of A. P. Hill’s division, succeeded in crossing the Shenandoah with several batteries, and placing them in such a position on the slope of Loudoun Mountain, far below me, as to command the enemy’s works. McLaws got his batteries into position nearer the enemy, and at daylight of the 15th the batteries of our five divisions were pouring their fire on the doomed garrison. The fire of my batteries, however, was at random, as the enemy’s position was entirely concealed by a dense fog clinging to the sides of the mountain far below. But my artillerists trained their guns by the previous day’s experience, and delivered their fire through the fog.
The Federal batteries replied promptly, and for more than an hour maintained a spirited fire ; but after that time it grew more and more feeble until about 8 o’clock, when it eeased altogether, and the garrison surrendered. Owing to the fog I was ignorant of what had taken place, but, surmising it,
I soon ordered my batteries to cease firing. Those of Lawton, however, continued some minutes later. This happened unfortunately, as Colonel Dixon S. Miles, the Federal commander, was at this time mortally wounded by a fragment of shell while waving a white flag in token of surrender.
It was pleasing to us, perched upon the top of the mountain, to know that more than twelve thousand “ boys in blue ”below us were stacking arms. Such a situation has its pathetic side too, for after the first feeling of exultation has passed there comes one of sympathy for the humiliation of the brave men, who are no longer enemies but unfortunate fellow-soldiers.
Some hours later, accompanied by two of my staff, I rode into Harper’s Ferry, and we were interested in seeing our tattered Confederates fraternizing in the most cordial manner with their well-dressed prisoners. . . .
About 2 p. m. Colonel Cook reported that he had taken unopposed possession of Loudoun Heights, but that he had seen nothing of Jackson, yet from the movements of the Federals he thought he was close at hand. By 8 o’clock the next morning five long-range Parrott rifles were on the top of the mountain in a masked position, but ready to open fire. About half-past 10 o’clock my signal party succeeded in informing Jackson of my position and my readiness to attack. ... As soon as he was informed that McLaws was in possession of Maryland Heights, Jackson signaled me substantially the following despatch: “ Harper’s Ferry is now completely invested. I shall summon its commander to surrender. Should he refuse I shall give him twenty-four hours to remove the non-combatants, and then carry the place by assault. Do not fire unless forced to.״
Jackson at this time had, of course, no reason to suspect that McClellan was advancing in force, and doubtless supposed, as we all did, that we should have abundant leisure to rejoin General Lee at Hagerstown. But about noon I signaled to Jaekson that an action seemed to be in progress at Cramp-ton’s Gap, that the enemy had made his appearance in Pleasant Valley in rear of McLaws, and that I had no doubt McClellan was advancing in force.
To this message Jackson replied that it was, he thought, no more than a cavalry affair between Stuart and Pleasonton. It was now about halfpast 12 and every minute the sound of artillery in the direction of South Mountain was growing louder, which left no doubt on my mind of the advance of the whole Federal army. If this were
very important information to give me. Answering the call, I found seated in the hotel parlor a young woman of perhaps twenty-five, of rather prepossessing appearance, who claimed to have left Washington the morning before, with important information from “our friends” in the Federal capital which she could communicate only to General Lee himself, and wished to know from me where he could be found. I saw at once that I had to do with a Federal spy ; but as I did not wish to be encumbered with a woman prisoner, I professed ignorance of General Lee’s whereabouts, and advised her to remain quietly at the hotel, as I should, no doubt, have some information for her the next morning. Before resuming our march the next day I sent her under guard to Leesburg, directing the provost-marshal at that place to hold her for three or four days and then release her.
Resuming the march at daylight on the 13th, we reached the foot of Loudoun Heights about 10 o’clock. Here I was joined by a detachment of signal men and Captain White’s company of Maryland cavalry. I detached two regiments — the 27th North Carolina and 30th Virginia — under Colonel J. R. Cooke, directing him to ascend Loudoun Mountain and take possession of the heights, but, in case he found no enemy, not to reveal his presence to the garrison of Harper’s Ferry. I sent with him the men of the Signal Corps, with orders to open communication if possible with Jackson, whose force ought to be in the neighborhood, coming from the west. I then disposed of the remainder of the division around the point of the mountain, where it abuts on the Potomac.
o’clock in the afternoon, with the troops much scattered and worn. In riding up the mountain to join General Hill I discovered that everything was in such disjointed condition that it would be impossible for my troops and Hill’s to hold the mountain against such forces as McClellan had there, and wrote a note to General Lee, in which I stated that fact, and cautioned him to make his arrangements to retire that night. We got as many troops up as we could, and by putting in detachments here and there managed to hold McClellan in check until night, when Lee ordered the withdrawal to Sharpsburg. . . .
JACKSON’S CAPTURE OF HARPER’S FERRY.
BY JOHN G. WALKER, MAJOR-GENERAL, C. S. A.
Commamlmg a Coniederate Division at Harper’s Ferry.
. . . Late in the afternoon, September 10th, a courier from General Lee delivered me a copy of his famous “Special Orders No. 191,” directing me to cooperate with Jackson and McLaws in the capture of Harper’s Ferry. . . . Informed of the presence of a superior Federal force at Cheek’s Ford, where I was ordered to pass the Potomac, and learning that the crossing at the Point of Rocks was practicable, I moved my division to that place, and succeeding in landing everything safe on the Virginia shore by daylight of the 11th.
About the same time a heavy rain set in, and as the men were much exhausted by their night march, I put them into bivouac. I would here remark that the Army of Northern Virginia had long since discarded their tents, capacious trunks, carpet-bags, bowie-knives, mill-saw swords, and six-shooters, and had reduced their “kits” to the simplest elements and smallest dimensions.
Resuming our march on the morning of the 12th, we reached Hillsboro’, and halted for the night. During the night I was sent for from the village inn by a woman who claimed my attendance on the ground that she was just from Washington, and had
MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN G. WALKER, C. S. A.
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