Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 3

              No sooner had our company rc.-xched the center of the town, halted in front of the Court IIoiisc, than tho mayor and a com- raillce of respectable citi/.en.s gathered around us, while the Mayor formerly turned the town over lo Capt. Bertrain for pro teclion. Thi:rc seemed on the counlenan. ces of all an aspect ot rcliel*. when assured that wo had come to protect and not to destroy. Tbo more ignorant, and the little folks oxpres.sed ihcir surpri.sc at not finding us hobgobliii.-<,   grilTuis   and   monsters.—
I     Jackson has fallen back   upon   Str.T:us> the-Union people being   in  tcfror and tbe | ' burgh.    His rear guard,   consisting   of u others had mostly friends in the troops at- forceof infantry, cavalry and a battery   or tacking us.       My   company   chafed   and ^ two, is some eight miles distant south of us clamored to bn sent into tho   fight but our i at Newtown.    Partofoor  regiment  wefit Jnlies forbid.      Already   the booming   of down     yesterday    and     tried    to     draw cannon close at hand   told   us   that  thero ihcm into ambush.    Failing to do  this we .was work lo be done and that right spced- reconnoitcrcd, and had   much   excitement j|«
skirmishing along for .so nc two or three ^ While wc were all tingling with excite- miles. A heavy fog settling down mode ment, a cheer away up to the North end our a«lvunce in an unknown cc.untry quite lof tbeslreet told us that Shield's was corn- risky, and w« returned. To day another ing lo the rescue. Infantry at double rogiment.and a battery went out and had quick, cheering and yelling like mountain They stared at our good clolhc". They H"''" " ''"'-« ^g^b <'"vi«.»K «he rcbCds from dovils ; artillery at a bionk neck" gallop marveled at our good manners and declar-   '»'« ««»^"- 'thundered over the   paven.ciH ;   Putnam's
ed that, for all   the    world,   tho    Yankees       As soon na  depols can    be   established'dare-devil Rangers swept   along in   a fiery were vc'ry much like other folks   after all. f»"J communications opened from our base  .stampede, followed by tho   first   xMarylaud Hastening 'oack lo   our   regiment, and W operations to the several corps dearmie   caydirr, gallantly rushing to the fray.    At rcporlin-ti.etownclear, our column  then  ^^"'^^•""f^c *¦'" «g'"» 'i«'na<lc- the head   of   this   rushing   column   rode
m-irehc<rin   colors flying,  and   the   bands    /Hen. Hamilton has left u.s.    He   is pro-   .SJiiclds himself, his face beaming wilb en- doinL''•Hail Columbia" with a   vigor   that /»o<«J to Acting Major General of   Heint-   thusiasm, and    as    eager    as   a   warhorsc
,    ,.,.   ,' „ ke'man's   Division.    Hi.<   cfliciency,   ond   snuffing the battle afar off.
electrified us all. 1 ,,.    . ,. . ^ ,, .      , ,
A healthy Union sentiment gazed out of/f Jlj^^ f ^l""^;'^-' ",:^ ^".")- -PP;«"-t..d by   _ Still they came Regiinent afler Roglinent,
glacy
nninberlcss  windows—sparkling   in eyes—fluttered here and there in bandk<».
He will do honor lo   Wiscon- \ sill.    With the deepest regret wc part with
chiefs wuv"d limidlv.    Here  and   there   aV,   '"' K-  K- I^-
maid or mother might be seen in tears.— Perhap.-: her dearest friend was in the rebel army, but the the boldest Unionists of the town were taken captive to Richmond,
Buckeyes, Iloosiers, and Suckers—Shields command contains many Western trooj;s —and among the rest a company of Sharp¬ shooters armed with telescope rifles weigh¬ ing some thirty pounds.
Soon our line of battle   was formed, our
rteoiTORiAi. cokbespo.>»i:nck.
WlXCUKSTKR, V.V.
March 24, 18G'2. I seize a moment to recount the slirinp batteries brought in range and the sharp hy Jackson in his retreat, and their fam- scenes that have been for the last two days roar of our Parrot field pieces announced ilics were left in mcnrniu'', and this might enacted here in the desperately fought bat- ihat the Union orators had opened tbe ar^ be the cause of the grief we observed. tie of Winchester. goment on their side.
Winchester is a respectable town of five / Our division and Re.yiment marched on      wi,i,e the   deployment   of   his infantry
aturday morning for Manassas—a seventy ^^g going on Gcn.Shields rode imprudent
iles morch crossing the Shenandoah andjyout in front of it, nurronnded   by a clus-
luo Ridge at Snicker's Gap.    Shields di-^jr of mounted   officers.       Into this  group
vision was lefthereto ndvunce in due timetbe enemy threw a shell with such precision
via Strasburg. *''rtlrlng*tfi;H,on-e J?nJlTan^ril^gMie detbrii
thousand inhabitants or so with indici^tions of wealth and thrift, lately obliterated.— A sprinkling of Quakers, the cut of the inunicip.il jib «tc., remind yon o the Pennrylvania people. The bilious j'Secc.sh" have all gone with .Jackson
" My company with several others detailed
My companVis sUll on provost duty, and  f^[ ZTT.^^T.^' Zlll!!T'f!"LT..^rZ
we arc quar'.crod in the guard bouse of tbe Georgia 1st Regimont, where many a poor fellow, Buspected of a lilllo leaven of loyal¬ ty, has been incarcerated. On the walls arc penciled names and records of victims confined for weeks, with no charge brought against them.
On tbe whole our advent into the valley of Virginia has been hailed by tho majori ty with gladness. Tho fortifications that made Wincesler so formidable to Patter¬ son's command, don't, in reality, amount to much, the heavy b.atteries ho bad— Doubledays—would have dispo.sed of their forts, and the ridge running westward ot the;Lown, on which their commanding bat, teries .werd placed, could have been carried by a charge covered by a brisk cannonade. The valley of Virginia ought to have been held hy our forces.    It   would   have
ncil (he <nc,»y_out of theyr rirh^.'^t   fi-
for Manassas this morning, bringing up jthe rear and guarding the prisoners and trains.
Jackson, who bad fallen back some forty miles to Mount Jackson, heard that we had left Winchester and pushed back by a fbrced march to re-occupy the town.
By a blunder our pickets and scouts or the Strasburg road bad been withdrawr and none of Shield's were thrown out bu a short distance. Supposing Jackson waj falling back upon the new line of defence we all felt secure, when at three o'clocl- P. M. of Saturday, a cavalry patrol rusher" in, declaring that the enemy were upon uj in heavy force. None could believe tht uews but it was soon confirmed.
Shield's command at the time was lyine in camp to the northward of the town.
The enemy supposing the town to be nearly   evacuated   marched boldly   lo  its
age an* plunder" districts.    Its people pro«. jsnburbs, planted their batteries,   deployed ' t«clcd by our arms would have still  clung into formidable line of battle and were ma¬ te the old Government, and not have been king rapid slrides upon us. forced into acts of enmity. The town was iu a terrible excitementr—
horse was killed by the same shell.
WMiile his arm  was   being  dressed    the General   gave orders   for  tho  di«pos;tioi»,' of his forces.      The   skirmishinc went   on^ lively, nnd our artillerv soon silenced tbotf i nearest battery.
The enemy finding us prepared for them fell back leaving .10 of their dead upon tbo field. Shields was of opinion—correctly as tbe event proved, that the enemy were in heavy force ond designed to renew the attack with vigor on tho morrow.
Darkness setting in iirevented Shields from following up the withdrawing enemy. He therefore, lobe prepared for the assault from any direction, drew his fores back into the suburbs of ik town while they lay on Ihcir arms till morning.
Yesterday,—Sunday—moraiing the fight begun with artillery, at long range, sonn- two miles from the .south end of the town, nnd continued during the forenoon neither decisive or bloody. Col. Kimball of the 14th Indiania Regiinent, acting Brigadier of tbe lat Brigade, commanded in the field, the wound of Gen. Shields preventing him from being out.     Fearing flank move