Friday, June 6, 2014

Major-General Thomas J. Jackson to Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, March 17, 1862


woodstock, March 17th, 1802.

The Federals have possession of Winchester. They advanced upon the town the Friday after you left, but Ashby, aided by a kind Providence, drove them back. I had the other troops under arms, and marched to meet the enemy, but they did not come nearer than about five miles of the town, and fell back to Bunker Hill. On last Tuesday they advanced again, and again our troops were under arms to meet them, but after coming within four miles of the town they halted for the night. I was in hopes that they would advance on me during the evening, as I felt that God would give us the victory; but as they halted for the night, and I knew they could have large reinforcements by morning, I determined to fall back, and sent my troops back the same night to their wagons in rear of Winchester, and the next morning moved still farther to the rear.

SOURCE: Mary Anna Jackson, Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall Jackson), p. 243

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