History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1308 EIGHTY-FOURTH REGIMENT. 1862
20th from its camp near Strasburg, without a halt, to Winchester. At five P. M.
on the 22d, it returned at double quick through the town, and moved to the support of the Union Cavalry, posted at the west end, which the enemy was engaged in shelling. Soon after the regiment arrived upon the ground General
Shields was struck by a fragment of shell and disabled, the command again
devolving on Colonel KimbalL The Eighty-fourth was ordered to fixtbayonets
in anticipation of a charge, but the enemy soon after retreated and was driven
about two miles in the direction of Kernstown, where the regiment bivouacked
for the night. On the following morning it was engaged in laying out the
ground for a camp, when the enemy at eleven A. M. attacked, and it was immediately ordered into line in support of artillery. Under cover of a wooded
eminence on the right, the enemy advanced, and with infantry and artillery
gained a foothold upon the flank behind rocks and a stone wall, where he seriously threatened the integrity of the Union line. This position the Eightyfourth was ordered to charge. Forming upon the high ground near the Kernstown Road, it moved gallantly forward. through an open valley and up towards
the wooded eminence, where were the guns; as it gained the crest, the rebel
infantry rose up from behind rocks and the fence where they had been concealed, and poured upon it withering volleys. The fire was returned with
good effect; but standing without shelter, and at close range, it was fearfully
decimated. Colonel Murray's horse was struck, when he dismounted and advanced on foot. A moment later, while at the head of his men, and leading
them on for the capture of the guns, he was himself struck in the forehead by
a minnie ball and instantly killed. At this juncture, being without a field
officer, with two of its captains fallen, the regiment fell into some confusion,
and a part of it fell back under the shelter of the crest. The remainder, led by
Lieutenant George Zinn, taking shelter behind trees, kept up a steady fire. At
this juncture the Fifth Ohio came up on the right, and with other troops, forced
the enemy from his position. A general advance was ordered along the entire
line, and the foe was driven in utter rout. Three hundred prisoners, two guns,
four caissons, and a thousand stand of small arms were taken. Out of two
hundred and sixty, of the Eighty-fourth, who went into battle, twenty-three
were killed, and sixty-seven wounded. Colonel Murray, Captain Patrick Gallagher, and Lieutenant Charles Reem, were killed.
After the battle the Eighty-fourth, under command of Major Barrett, was
assigned to provost duty in the town of Berryville, where it remained until the
2d of May. It then joined in the general advance up the valley, and passing
through Strasburg and Front Royal, proceeded to Fredericksburg. Scarcely
had it reached its destination, when it was ordered back to Front Royal, where
it arrived on the 30th. On the following day a smart skirmish was had on the
Winchester Road, after which the brigade, the Fourth of Shields' Division. commanded by Colonel Carroll, moved on towards Port Republic, arriving on the
8th of June. " We charged," says an officer of the Eighty-fourth, " what we
took to be a wagon-train, but soon found that it consisted of about thirty pieces
of artillery with wagon covers, which gave us a warm reception. The next day,
June 9th, the enemy came out in large numbers, and advanced to the attack.
He came up in fine style, and fought hard to turn our right flank; but was repulsed with great loss. While we were following up our advantage, however,
his forces out-flanked us on the left, and came in on our rear. We then faced
about, and the Third Brigade of our division coming up, we had them between