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264
CHAPTER
II.
When the Army of Northern Virginia left Fredericksburg in June, 1863, on
its invasion of Pennsylvania, Ewell's Corps, to which Colonel Andrews' battery
belonged, moved by way of Front Royal to Winchester, at which place the
battalion was assigned to General Edward Johnson's Division.
General Early had diverged from Ewell on the march, and his column
struck the Valley turnpike near Newtown on the morning of the 13th of June,
where, uniting with the Second Maryland Infantry and Baltimore Light Artillery,
he advanced upon Winchester, skirmishers from the Second Maryland Infantry
leading the way. These encountered the enemy at Kernstown, and soon after
General Gordon charged on the left and drove Milroy's troops into their fortifica-
tions, the main one of which General Harry Hays, with his Louisiana Brigade,
assaulted and carried the next evening in a most gallant manner. All day of the
14th the Maryland skirmishers kept pegging away so as to distract the enemy's
attention from the real point of attack, and Hays' assault was a genuine surprise.
On the evening of the 14th General Ewell, believing that Milroy would steal
away during the night, ordered General Johnson to take the Stonewall, Nicholls'
and three regiments of Steuart's Brigades, and W. F. Demerit's battery, with
sections of Charles I. Raine's and J. C. Carpenter's (the whole under Lieutenant-
Colonel Andrews) to proceed to a point on the Martinsburg pike about two and a
half miles from Winchester.
General Ewell had calculated well, for during the night Milroy did evacuate
the place and was intercepted by that portion of Johnson's Division sent for
the purpose.
General Johnson marched by the way of Jordan's Springs to Stephenson's
Depot. Just as the head of the column reached the railroad, two hundred yards
from the Martinsburg road the enemy were heard retreating down the road
towards Martinsburg.
General Johnson immediately formed his line parallel with the pike behind a
stone wall, Steuart on the right and the Louisianians on the left, altogether twelve
hundred men. Milroy attacked at once with his cavalry and infantry (he had left
his artillery at Winchester), and made repeated efforts to cut his way through,
but was as often repulsed with heavy loss. Milroy then attempted to turn both
flanks simultaneously, but was met on the right by General Walker, who had
just arrived, having lost his way. and by two regiments of Nicholls' Brigade,
which had been held in reserve, when in a few minutes the greater part surren-
dered — two thousand three hundred in number.
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