FULL PARTICULARS.
WINCHESTER, Va., March 25. – On Saturday at 2 o’clock p. m.,
the enemy showed themselves a mile and a half from Winchester. The enemy consisted of 500 of Ashby’s cavalry
and two guns. They drove in our pickets
and then skirmished with the Michigan cavalry and a portion of the Maryland
1st.
Gen. Shields brought up his artillery and fired several
rounds of shot and shell, drove them back and took several prisoners.
Gen. Shields was wounded in the arm by the first fire of the
enemy.
Jackson had been informed by the inhabitants that the town
was destroyed by the union troops and he advanced to retake it.
Gen. Shields’ forces slept on their arms Saturday night.
On Sunday morning at sunrise, Jackson being reinforced, he
attacked Gen. Shields near Kingston.
The enemy’s force consisted of 500 of Ashley’s cavalry,
5,000 infantry, nine pieces of artillery with a reserve of 18 pieces of
artillery.
The fight was kept up till noon, when a charge made by the Ohio
infantry, 1st Michigan and 1st Virginia Cavalry on their right, drove them back
half a mile when the enemy got their guns in position again in a dense wood,
flanked by infantry, they drove us back.
A short artillery engagement ensued.
At 10½ the enemy made a feint on our left, when Gen. Shields
ordered Col. Tyler of the 7th Ohio, to turn their left flank, which was
executed by our troops by with considerable loss, the enemy being protected by
a stone bridge.
The 84th Pennsylvania and 13th Indiana charged their centre
and the fight became general. Col.
Murry, of the 84 Pennsylvania was killed.
The enemy retired slowly, bringing their guns to bear at
every opportunity. Our men rushed
forward with yells when a panic ensued among the enemy. Our troops followed and drove them until
dark, capturing three guns, three caissons, muskets, equipments, &c.,
innumerable. Our troops bivouacked on
the field. Gen. William’s first brigade,
Col. Donelly, of the 28th New York, commanding, reinforced Gen. Fields.
Gen. Banks, who was on his way to Washington on Sunday,
returned and assumed command.
Gen. Shields’ Division pursued the enemy beyond Newton,
shelling them the whole way.
Jackson’s men were perfectly demoralized beyond
control. They threw overboard the dead
and wounded to lighten the wagons.
It is noticeable that nearly all the Confederate wounded
were shot in the head and breasts, testifying to the superiority of our
marksmen.
The loss on our side were chiefly Pennsylvania, Ohio, and
Indiana troops.
Those who conveyed the false intelligence to Gen. Jackson,
causing this disaster to the rebels have a heavy weight of guilt to
shoulder. It was evidently known to many
in the town that Jackson was approaching from the holiday attire and buoyancy
of spirits among men and women here.
Gen. Shields’ command being screened from observation on the east side
of the town led the informants to believe that all our troops were evacuating
and that Jackson could enter unmolested.
Good Judges say the enemy’s loss is over 200 killed 500 wounded and 300
prisoners including an aid to Jackson. Our
loss is about 65 killed and 125 wounded.
On Sunday morning the rebels received reinforcements under
Gen. Garnett, amounting to 500 men. The
Union forces did not exceed 1000 men, and with the exception of about 500 were
of Gen. Shields’ division exclusively, commanded by acting Brig. Gen. Sullivan,
opening a heavy fire of artillery, while the real attack was directed against
our right, with the object of flanking it.
Gen. Kimble commanded on the right, where the heaviest fighting was
done. – The enemy were strongly posted in woods and behind a stone wall, and
the rebel artillery was posted on eminences on both sides of the left
wing. Our whole artillery force was
engaged consisting of 24 parrot guns in all.
The combat raged furiously till 3 o’clock p. m., the fighting being done
chiefly by the artillery and musketry at a range of not more than 300 or 400
yards, and often much less.
The rebel infantry opposite our right emerged from the woods
and attempted to capture David’s Battery by a charge. The first effort was nearly successful, but
the heavy discharges of grape compelled to retire in confusion. A second and third attempt likewise failed,
and the enemy fell back with heavy loss behind the stone parapet. Gen. Tyler now ordered his brigade to charge
the enemies batteries on the left and a most deadly encounter followed. Twice our men recoiled under the storm, but
in the third effort they routed the rebels with tremendous slaughter.
Our loss in these struggles was heavy. Out of 300 men in the 84th Pennsylvania 26
were killed and 83 wounded. Many
officers were killed and wounded.
The Fifth and Eighth Ohio shared the glory and the loss with
the Eighty-forth Pennsylvania. The enemy’s
killed and wounded strewed the ground in profusion and their left wing was
utterly broken and their centre wavering.
On their side the Fourth and Fifth Virginia Regiments suffered
most. The former was totally
demolished. Several attempts to rally
the right wing failed, and to add to the confusion the Irish Battalion of 150
men, were brought forward, ordered to fire upon our troops refused and a rebel
regiment immediately drove this gallant little band forward, but could not
compel them to fire upon us. Forty
corpses of the hundred and fifty afterwards strewed the field. Meanwhile the rebels gave way on their left
and center with a loss of 70 killed and wounded and 236 taken prisoners. Besides these about 1500 muskets were taken
and many other valuable trophies. Our loss
does not exceed 100 killed.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye,
Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 29, 1862, p. 3
