The Way of All Soldiers (Gone For Soldiers)

by Jeffry S. Hepple

  Lee pointed to Prospect Hill. “Could you hold this hill with one division, General Early?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jubal Early said.

  Now Lee touched Chancellorsville. “That leaves us with approximately eleven thousand men and fifty guns to defeat Sedgwick.”

  “Sedgwick has forty-thousand men, sir,” Stuart reminded him.

  Lee nodded. “But I do not think that he is an aggressive leader.” He glanced around the room. “General Jackson?”

  “Sir?”

  “General Anderson’s division, which was guarding the river crossings, has pulled back to entrench between the Tabernacle and the Zoan church. I would like you to join him there as our left.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jackson replied.

  “I will send word to General McLaws to join his division with yours and General Anderson’s,” Lee added. “There’s a fairly heavy fog rolling in so your movements may be unknown to the enemy, if you are cautious.”

  April 30, 1863

  Hard Times, Louisiana

  The fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, located two hundred miles northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers, was built on a bluff and was currently defended by Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton’s thirty-thousand-man Confederate Army of Mississippi. Forty miles away, in Raymond, another ten thousand men from General Joseph E. Johnston’s Department of the West protected the Pearl River.

  Between March 29th and April 16th, General Ulysses S. Grant’s troops built bridges, filled in swamps and corduroyed a seventy-mile road from Milliken’s Bend to Hard Times, Louisiana, below Vicksburg, where Grant intended to cross the river. On April 16th, Admiral Porter began ferrying supplies along the base of the bluff below Vicksburg. Although Porter’s gunboats and transports were observed and fired upon by the Confederate artillery, the guns could not be depressed far enough or moved close enough to the cliff edge to stop him.

  Grant began his assault with two diversionary operations. The first was an extended cavalry raid by Colonel Benjamin Grierson that drew a considerable number of Pemberton’s forces away from Vicksburg. The second was a feigned attack on Snyder’s Bluff, to be under command of General William T. Sherman.

  Sherman’s operations began on the afternoon of April 29th when transports carrying the division of General Francis Blair, the hospital ship Red Rover, and escorting gunboats moved up the Yazoo River to spend the night at Chickasaw Bayou. On the morning of April 30th, the task force continued on toward its objective, taking fire from shore batteries along the way. They reached Blake’s Levee late in the afternoon where Blair’s division debarked and marched out along the levee toward Drumgould’s Bluff. As they drew near, a Confederate battery on the bluff engaged the column and inflicted heavy casualties.

  At nightfall, Nurses Georgia Van Buskirk, Christina Davenport and two Catholic nurses were rowed ashore to help transport the wounded to Red Rover. When it became obvious that the Confederate guns would not cease fire because of darkness, Blair ordered his men back to the transports. Ginger and Chrissy stayed with six wounded men who had yet to be evacuated.

  May 1, 1863

  Snyder’s Bluff, Mississippi

  The following morning, the troops once again advanced toward the bluff, but at 3:00 PM, after wading through swamps and relentless cannon fire, they once again withdrew. The gunboats engaged the Confederate guns until dark, but when Sherman received orders from Grant to return to Milliken’s Bend, the entire taskforce disengaged.

  May 1, 1863

  Chancellorsville, Virginia

  Early in the morning, General Stonewall Jackson met Generals Anderson and McLaws at the defensive works near Zoan Church and ordered a two-pronged attack on the Union forces at Chancellorsville. McLaws and the brigade of William Mahone were to advance on the Turnpike while Jackson and the other brigades of Anderson moved out on the Plank Road.

  At this same time, Union General Sykes was advancing up the Turnpike while Slocum’s XII Corps was on the Plank Road, with Howard’s XI Corps. Griffin and Humphreys of Meade’s V Corps were on the River Road.

  McLaws and Sykes collided at about 11:30 AM and traded ground in attacks and counterattacks. Anderson, in an attempt to flank Slocum, sent Ambrose Wright’s brigade along an unfinished railroad right-of-way, but Wright ran into Howard, leaving Sykes’ flank exposed. Sykes withdrew to join with Hancock’s division in II Corps, and together they moved toward the enemy.

  George Meade had nearly reached his objective of the Zoan Church when Hooker ordered a withdrawal of all forces to their defensive position around Chancellorsville. Disappointed at the order, Meade said, “My God, if we can’t hold the top of the hill, we certainly can’t hold the bottom of it.”

  By way of explanation for the sudden halt, Hooker sent a message to his dismayed commanders: “The major general commanding trusts that a suspension in the attack to-day will embolden the enemy to attack him.” The message did nothing to appease his senior officers who began to grumble that Hooker had lost his nerve.

  ~

  Robert E. Lee and his staff were joined by Thomas Jackson with two of his aides and Jedediah Hotchkiss, his cartographer, at the intersection of the Plank and the Furnace Roads.

  Jackson saluted Lee. “The enemy has withdrawn to their original positions, General. I’ll show you what we’ve learned in a moment.” They waited for Hotchkiss to unroll a map that the two aides held up between them. Jackson touched the map with his quirt. “George Meade is here with his corps anchored on the Rappahannock,” Jackson said. “The rest of the Yankee lines have collapsed against his right and are now building log breastworks faced with abatis. I’m of the opinion that General Hooker has miscalculated and is fortifying in preparation to withdraw across the Rappahannock.”

  Lee shook his head. “I cannot explain why he stopped and withdrew today, but he has come here with a force that is double our size and we can be certain that he will stay until we push him away.” He listened to the crackle of small arms fire for a moment. “If those people are still here tomorrow, we will attack them.” He listened again, then looked around. “Colonel Van Buskirk, will you please see where that skirmish is?”

  “Yes, sir.” Johnny mounted his horse and started down Furnace Road toward the sound of battle, then immediately reined in as Jeb Stuart, with a small detachment, appeared riding hard toward him. “General Stuart, sir.” He pointed.

  “Very well,” Lee said. “Stand by, please. He may know what that is.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Stuart rode in, dismounted, and saluted. Behind him, a man in civilian clothes also dismounted.

  “What is that firing we hear from the direction of the furnace, General Stuart?” Lee asked.

  “The Yankees were firing at me, sir,” Stuart said.

  “I see,” Lee replied. “And who is this gentleman that you have brought with you?”

  “This gentleman is Charles C. Wellford, the proprietor of Catherine Furnace.” Stuart pointed down Furnace Road.

  “My pleasure, sir,” Lee said, shaking Welford’s hand. He looked questioningly at Stuart.

  “I’ve received a report from General Fitzhugh Lee that the Yankee right flank is in the wind,” Stuart said. “Mr. Welford knows of a new road that we can use to take advantage of that without the Yankees knowing we’re coming.” He looked at Jackson. “May we use your map, General?”

  “By all means,” Jackson replied.

  Welford stepped up to the map. “This wooded area was over-harvested during the Revolutionary period. It grew back first as brambles and small brush and eventually was reforested. The result is what we call a wilderness area. It’s so dense that until the invention of the steam shovel, building a road through it was too costly.”

  “I understand,” Lee said. “Can you show us on the map exactly where this new road of yours is?”

  “Yes, sir. The entrance off Furnace Road is about here and it crosses the wilderness diagonally to about here.”

&nb
sp; “Thank you,” Lee said. “Your information will be very useful.

  “My officers will take you back to the furnace,” Stuart said to Welford. “This time they’ll stay out of range. I do sincerely thank you, sir.” He shook Welford’s hand.

  The Confederate officers waited until Welford and his escorts were on the road, then Lee turned to Stuart. “Can you show us the position of the enemy’s right flank, please?”

  Stuart stepped up to the map. “They’re camped between here, on the Orange Turnpike and Wilderness Church.”

  “Wilderness Church,” Lee said. “Almost the exact spot where Mr. Welford’s road comes out of the forest.”

  “I feel the hand of God has provided us with a means to once again defeat the invader, in spite of his superior strength,” Jackson said.

  Lee nodded. “So it would seem.”

  “I propose to undertake a flanking march at first light, General Lee,” Jackson said.

  “With how many men?”

  “With my entire command, sir. We can roll them up all the way to their center.”

  May 2, 1863

  Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana

  Sherman was out of patience with Quincy. “Grant’s decided that Pemberton’s position is too strong so he wants to disrupt their supply line. We have orders to attack the railroad. I can’t let you go back to Snyder’s Bluff.”

  “We can’t just leave Ginger and Chrissy, General,” Quincy argued.

  “Of course we can. We leave people behind all the time. You just didn’t care enough to notice before now.”

  Quincy was on the verge of losing his temper and didn’t answer.

  “McClernand’s corps will attack Edwards Station from the west, Clinton and McPherson on the east and we’ll strike Midway Station. Any questions?”

  “No. Sir.”

  May 2, 1863

  Chancellorsville, Virginia

  Major General Daniel Butterfield, Hooker’s Chief of Staff, pointed to the situation map. “Lee knows that our leaving Sedgwick in Fredericksburg is an empty threat. He’s split his forces and left only Jubal Early facing Sedgwick. In the meantime our right flank is open.”

  Hooker nodded. “Lee would have to split his forces again to hit our right flank and we’d have plenty of warning if he tried.”

  “Why not use Reynolds’s First Corp to anchor it? Sedgwick’s corps should be sufficient to protect our supply line from Jubal Early.”

  “Very well,” Hooker replied. “Send a message to Reynolds. Tell him to form First Corps on the right of Eleventh Corps and anchor our right flank on the Rapidan.”

  ~

  “General Van Buskirk,” the runner called.

  “Yes?” Jack answered. He sat up in his cot and groped for a match.

  “General Reynolds needs you, sir.”

  “What time is it, Sergeant?” Jack lit a match and applied it to an oil lamp wick.

  “I’m not sure, sir. The sky’s getting light in the east.”

  “Please tell General Reynolds that I’ll be right there.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jack had been sleeping fully dressed and quickly pulled on his boots, then buckled on his pistol belt. He was troubled by how groggy he felt. As a younger man he had always been able to awaken fully alert. It seemed those days were gone. He splashed cold water on his face and then hurried through the dark camp toward Reynolds’s tent.

  Reynolds was standing over a map. “We just got orders from General Hooker to form up on the right of Howard’s Eleven Corps and anchor the flank on the Rapidan.”

  “Where is Howard?”

  Reynolds pointed. “He’s Hooker’s right flank.”

  Jack looked at the map, then at Reynolds. “A daylight march?”

  “I don’t see that we have any choice. If the men were up and in formation we couldn’t even get across the Rappahannock before sunup. It’ll take us a day and a night to reach Howard.”

  “Hooker must not know where we are.”

  “He put us here,” Reynolds said. “If he doesn’t know where we are we’re in even bigger trouble than we thought.”

  Jack looked at the map again. “When we move, Sedgwick’s going to be exposed. Do you suppose Hooker’s ordered him to withdraw back across the Rappahannock?”

  “That’s not our worry, Jack. I know that it’s a difficult adjustment for you to be working at this level, but Hooker’s the commanding general. Second-guessing him is a waste of time and energy.”

  Jack nodded. “Very well, sir. I’ll get the troops up.”

  ~

  As the eastern sky began to show pink promises of sunrise, Robert E. Lee was addressing his senior officers and staff from horseback. “Those people know that we divided our forces once and they will not be expecting it again,” Lee said. “General Jackson will lead his corps over the new road while General Stuart distracts the enemy and makes enough noise to cover General Jackson’s movement. General Early will keep Sedgwick contained at Fredericksburg. I will be in command of our two divisions here at Chancellorsville.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” Johnny Van Buskirk said. “I was wondering if you’d seen General Early’s latest report.”

  “I’m not sure,” Lee replied. “What does it say?”

  “General Early is reporting that General Sedgwick has four times as many troops as he does, sir.”

  “Well, there’s nothing to be done about it other than to trust our men. I’ll be facing seventy thousand with thirteen thousand.” Lee thought a moment, then nodded. “These men – these boys, that fight, die and win battles for us are like nothing the world has ever seen before. They will prevail.”

  Johnny nodded.

  “That reminds me,” Lee said. “I have a short announcement to make before you go. My new chief of staff will be Brigadier General John Van Buskirk. He will be accompanying General Jackson today. Now I bid you a good morning and wish you God’s blessings.”

  ~

  At about 9:30 AM, General Sickles, of III Corps, reported Confederate troops moving through the woods at Hazel Grove on an uncharted road near Catherine Furnace.

  At 10:30, Hooker replied to Sickles, ordering him to advance toward the road to engage the enemy if practical. Hooker next sent a message to General Oliver Howard, commander of XI Corps, on his right flank: “We have good reason to suppose that the enemy is moving to our right. Please advance your pickets for purposes of observation as far as may be safe in order to obtain timely information of their approach.” Hooker’s orders to Sedgwick were to attack the enemy at his front.

  Sickles had ridden to Hazel Grove to see the Confederate column for himself, and he didn’t receive Hooker’s order until nearly noon. He immediately sent Birney’s division with two battalions of U.S. sharpshooters south with orders to take possession of the road. Jackson had been on the march since dawn and the rear of his column was just passing Catherine Furnace when Birney struck.

  Jackson’s rear guard, the 23rd Georgia Infantry, retreated south until they reached the unfinished railroad that Wright’s Brigade had used yesterday.

  Upon receiving Hooker’s warning, General Howard replied that he was prepared to resist an attack from the west.

  Sedgwick viewed Hooker’s order as discretionary and chose not to attack the enemy at his front.

  At the same time, Reynolds was pushing his troops toward Howard’s right at a brutal pace.

  Late in the afternoon, Sickles’s troops swarmed over the 23rd Georgia and took the majority captive.

  ~

  Jackson was on Brock Road, unaware of Sickles’s attack on his rear, when General Fitzhugh Lee met him. “What news, General?” Jackson asked.

  Lee pointed ahead toward the crossroads. “My understanding is that you intend to turn right on the Orange Plank Road, sir.”

  “Yes,” Jackson replied. “My objective is the Wilderness Church.”

  “That will bring you to the center of General Howard’s lines, sir. If you proceed about two miles furth
er to the Turnpike, you will be on his right flank.”

  “Surely he’s not spread that far,” Jackson said.

  Fitz Lee pointed to a nearby hill. “You can see the Yankee lines from there, sir.”

  “Then we will do so.” Jackson halted the column. “Please accompany us, General Van Buskirk.”

  Lee smiled, then reached across to shake Johnny’s hand. “Congratulations, General.”

  “Shall we go, gentlemen?” Jackson rode out.

  Lee turned his horse and caught up. “Howard’s troops are bivouacked. Their arms are stacked and they’re having themselves a nice rest.”

  Jackson shook his head sadly. “I would have expected more from General Howard. He is widely known as the Christian General.”

  Fitz and Johnny exchanged a glance but neither replied.

  The three reined in at the top of the hill and Jackson stood up in his stirrups. “Look at that,” he said in astonishment. “With the exception of a little skirmish line and two cannons, his right flank is completely in the air.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lee said. “I’ve been watching him since yesterday and expecting him to change his formation, but he’s done nothing.”

  “Could it be a trap?” Johnny asked.

  Lee shook his head. “There aren’t any more Yankees between him and the river.”

  “Very well,” Jackson said. “I’ve seen enough. We’ll march on to the Turnpike and attack.”

  ~

  The men of Union General Charles Devens’s division of XI Corps were eating their evening meal when the camp was suddenly overrun by small animals. The most experienced soldiers immediately ran to retrieve their stacked weapons, resulting in confusion that lasted until the first line of Jackson’s forces rushed from the woods, screaming the Rebel Yell.

  Devens had no chance to delay the Confederates long enough to permit the next division in line, commanded by General Carl Schurz, to form a line. Schurz tried to organize a retreat, but his men ignored his commands and fled.