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Kernstown, Va., March 23, 1862. Shields' Division, 5th Army Corps.
Early in 1862 "Stonewall" Jackson retreated from Winchester up the
Shenandoah Valley, closely followed by Maj.-Gen. N.B. Banks with the
5th army corps. The movement continued until Jackson reached New
Market and was within easy marching distance of a junction with
Johnston's army. It was essential to prevent this union and to get
Jackson to fight away from any supporting force. Accordingly on March
20 Banks fell back to Winchester, a distance of 30 miles, giving the
movement all the appearance of a retreat. The ruse worked and Jackson
followed. On the morning of the 22nd Banks sent all his force with the
exception of Shields' division and a small cavalry detachment across
the Blue Ridge. Jackson learned of this movement and about 5 p.m. of
the same day Ashby's cavalry was directed to attack and drive in the
Federal pickets around Winchester. The movement was made, but Shields
used only two regiments of infantry and a battery in repulsing the
attack, so that Jackson was deceived as to the strength of the Union
force. In the skirmish, however, Shields was struck by the fragment of
a shell, and his arm fractured above the elbow, which incapacitated
him for active command on the field the following day. In the night
Col. Nathan Kimball received orders to push forward at daylight on the
Strasburg road to within a short distance of Kernstown. The Strasburg
or Valley pike is the middle or center of three roads leading into
Winchester from the south, the other two being the Cedar Creek road on
the west and the Front Royal road on the east. Kimball established his
headquarters on a ridge which extended across the Valley pike, a
little west of that thoroughfare and half a mile north of Kernstown.
The Confederate line of battle was 2 miles long, extending in a
semi-circle from a ravine near the Front Royal road on the east to
near the Cedar Creek road on the west. The position was so skilfully
concealed, however, that when Kimball placed his brigade on an
eminence to the east of the road no enemy was to be seen except
Ashby's cavalry which had been repulsed the night before. The
Confederates commenced the attack, advancing from Kernstown and
occupying a position on the heights to the east of the Strasburg pike
with the batteries, while the cavalry and infantry took position on
the plain on the other side. The 8th Ohio was thrown out as
skirmishers, and joined by two companies of the 67th Ohio, drove back
a Confederate battery which had opened a heavy fire, and routed five
companies of infantry posted behind a stone wall. The position thus
taken was held for several hours, or as long as the Confederates were
active in front, and several attempts of Ashby's cavalry to turn the
Federal left were frustrated by this advance line. When Sullivan's
brigade came up it was placed at the left of Kimball's, forming the
extreme left of the line. After several unsuccessful attempts to turn
the Union left, Jackson moved the bulk of his force to his left and
took a strong position behind a stone fence running northwest and
southeast. Tyler was ordered to advance his brigade against the
position. With a rush he drove the Confederate skirmishers back on
their reserves behind the fence, but the position was too strong to be
carried. It was at that point that the most desperate fighting of the
day occurred, and had not Kimball hurried up portions of Sullivan's
and his own brigades to reinforce Tyler the result would have been
disastrous. For 2 hours the battle raged with great fury and then,
just as darkness fell, Jackson retired. The Federal participants, too
exhausted to follow, slept on the field. The Union loss in this
engagement was 118 killed, 450 wounded and 22 captured or missing. The
Confederates lost 80 killed, 375 wounded and 263 captured or missing.
This affair is also known as the battle of Winchester.
Source: The Union Army, Volume 6, Cyclopedia of Battles,
1908 |