Diary of Captain Luman Harris Tenney: Tuesday, March 24, 1865

Wrote home and to several friends. Went to the landing and procured some little eatables and paper. Paymaster in camp. Saw him. Busy with the Michigan Brigade and 1st Vermont. Marching orders.

SOURCE: Frances Andrews Tenney, War Diary Of Luman Harris Tenney, p. 148

Gen. Banks’ Retreat

NEW YORK, May 28. – The Herald has pretty full accounts of Banks’ retreat from its correspondent.

Only 150 men out of 800 or 900 engaged escaped from the Front Royal fight.

Forty of our soldiers, mostly sick were captured at Newtown.  On named David Dickinson, of the 66^th Ohio was killed in the skirmish of Saturday.

The Maine and Vermont cavalry suffered severely.  Co. A of the Vermont cavalry were all lost, captured or killed except Capt. Platte, his Lieutenant and half a dozen men, who made good their escape.

Major Collins is among the captured and Major Sawyer, whose horse fell under him and injured his foot, made his escape, with no further injuries.

During the Sunday fight which continued two hours before the retreat from Winchester Donnelly’s brigade behaved admirably and repulsed the enemy but being outflanked by superior numbers they were compelled to withdraw. – Our forces, Donnelly’s brigade on the left and Gordon’s on the right were in position along a gorge between two hills.  The enemy are said to have fought well.  At one point they came up in a large hollow square single file on the frong and back and double file on each side, marching up thus to within a certain distance, they were ordered to halt, fix bayonets and charge, which they did in good order.

Col. Gordon and staff are safe, also General Williams and staff.

While retreating through Winchester, men from houses opened fire with pistols on our soldiers killing a great many of them.

Lieut. Brown of the 28^th N. Y. is said to have been killed.

Col. Knipe of the 46^th Pennsylvania wounded and taken prisoner.

Col. Murphy of the 29^th Pennsylvania killed and many others.

The column retreated in good order pursued by the enemy beyond Martinsburgh.  The baggage train proceeded as far as the Potomac and many of the teams have been conveyed across the ferry boats.  The operator at Martinsburgh had left the town on the first rumor of a battle at Winchester, and taken the instruments with him.  The whole town seemed deserted , the stores were closed, many Union people came along with us, and negroes.

Gen. Banks was in the rear of the retreat and a shell exploded only four feet from him, fortunately without injuring him.  Winchester is reported to be burned.

The enemy had stationed a force at Berryville to prevent our retreating towards Harper’s Ferry and we were compelled to take the road to Martinsburg.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 31, 1862, p. 3

From Banks’s Division

CAMP NEAR SPARTA, Va., April 25.

Several deserters and refugees corroborate previous reports, that Jackson, after flying from our advancing column on Friday last, pushed forward to a point once mile north of Harrisonburg, where a turnpike branches to the left passing Magaughneystown, on the south fork of the Shenandoah, and running thence to Gordonsville. Jackson’s wagon train had been pushed towards Stanton, but hearing that the town was in possession of the Union troops he remanded it to Harrisonburg.

At an early hour Saturday morning Jackson, with his whole force and train, took the Gordonsville pike, and at latest accounts had reached Magaugheytown.

On Saturday night a squadron of the 1st Vt. Cavalry, while scouting on the Surrey road, beyond Massamittin Mountain, fell in with a body of the enemy’s cavalry. A skirmish ensued which resulted in the capture of seven of the enemy and eleven of their horses. None of our men were hurt, but a Lieutenant had his horse shot under him.

Jackson’s retreat from this valley had a beneficial effect on the volunteers and disaffected men from Rockingham and the surrounding counties. Large numbers of them are daily coming into our lines and delivering themselves up. It is stated that hundreds of the are now in the mountains hiding from Ashby’s scouts, awaiting an opportunity to escape and claim protection from Gen. Banks. One who came in yesterday reported that he found a barn some miles hence, where were concealed sixteen rebels and deserters, who will probably come into town to-day.

A portion of Ashby’s cavalry are scouting both sides of the mountains, near Harrisonburg.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, April 28, 1862, p. 1