The battle lasted seven full days. The Confederate victory was complete. Millions of dollars' worth of supplies were captured or destroyed, and McClellan was compelled to beat a hasty retreat to Washington to defend the city.

The spoils of this battle that fell into the hands of the Confederates were 10,000 prisoners, 35,000 rifles, 55 cannon, ammunition, provision stores of every kind, almost beyond computation. The losses of the two armies in killed and wounded were nearly equal—about 10,000 each.

Some idea can be formed of the captured stores when it is remembered that to provide for an army such as McClellan's, 600 tons of ammunition, food, forage and medical supplies had to be forwarded from Washington every day. If he kept a thirty days' supply on hand, we have the enormous sum of 18,000 tons that either fell into the hands of the Confederates or was destroyed.

When I reached Harrisonburg I found the Sixth Virginia Cavalry had left the valley with Jackson's army. I followed as rapidly as possible, and met the regiment at Gordonsville, with Jackson's army, coming back from the battle and hurrying on toward Manassas to attack Pope, who had gathered an army there to protect Washington while McClellan was besieging Richmond. I joined Company A of the Sixth Virginia Cavalry and felt that I was a full-fledged cavalryman and was ready to take part in anything that the regiment was called upon to do.

Chapter IV.

From Seven Pines to Antietam.

"On that pleasant morn of early fall,
When Lee marched over the mountain wall."

"Over the mountains, winding down,
Horse and foot into Frederick town."

A part of Pope's army, under Banks, had been pushed forward as far as Cedar Run, about half way between Manassas and Gordonsville. Jackson met this force and scattered it like chaff, and then moved rapidly toward Manassas. He did not move in a straight line, but made a detour to the left, and by rapid marches placed his army in the rear of Pope at Manassas.

One day the army covered forty miles. Riding along the dusty highway, Jackson noticed a sore-foot, barefoot infantryman, limping along, trying to keep up with his command. Coming up to him, he dismounted and told the soldier to mount his horse, while he trudged along by his side. The next day the same soldier was found among the dead, with his face turned up to the sun, having given his life for the man who gave him a lift. It was this lift that had cost him his life; but for it, he would have been among the stragglers, too late for the battle.

My command, during the march, got in frequent touch with the enemy, and at one point, namely, Catletts Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, came very near capturing Gen. Pope himself. We got into his camp at night and into his tent, and took his boots and spurs, and papers that gave Jackson some valuable information.

As soon as Gen. Lee was satisfied that McClellan was well on his way toward Washington, he put his whole army in motion and moved rapidly to join Jackson, who would sorely need him in his attack upon Pope at Manassas; in fact, Jackson had halted after the battle of Cedar Run for a day or two to allow Gen. Lee to come up.

An event occurred during this battle around Richmond that brought sorrow to my home. My brother Howard was slightly wounded in the arm, taken to the hospital at Richmond, and died in a few days of a malignant fever, and was buried somewhere among the unknown dead around Richmond. The family made several attempts to locate his grave, but were unsuccessful.

"On fame's eternal camping ground,
His silent tent is spread;
While glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead."

His picture on the opposite page is from an old daguerreotype, taken just before entering the Confederate service.

This move of Jackson's to the rear of Pope at Manassas enabled him to capture many carloads of supplies and munitions of war, greatly assisting the armies of Lee and Jackson in their undertaking. A goodly portion of McClellan's army had embarked at Occoquan and marched across to the assistance of Pope. Notwithstanding this fact, the combined armies of Lee and Jackson were more than a match for Pope, and he was defeated and his army routed, leaving over 9000 of his dead and wounded on the field. His entire loss, as given by the "New Standard Encyclopedia," which included prisoners, was 20,000, while the Confederates', by the same authority, is placed at 12,000.