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

636 SIXTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 1863
of the enemy were seen moving northward, and it was apparent to all that the
force investing the place was not, as at first supposed, the cavalry of the rebel
army out upon a raid, but was a part of the main body, and that before evening the small command of General Milroy would be completely surrounded.
General Lee, having quietly broken camp upon the Rappahannock, and moved
through the passes of the Blue Ridge, was now on his way for a second grand
invasion of the north.* The isolated command of General Milroy was the
first obstacle that he encountered. About four o'clock in the afternoon the
enemy opened upon the two principal forts. The troops within replied, and
with several batteries kept up a furious cannonade until night closed in.
At a council of war held during the night, in which General Milroy was
met by his three brigade commanders, General Elliott, and Colonels Ely and
M'iReynolds, it was decided to evacuate, and attempt to cut a way through the
enemy's lines. At midnight an order was issued accordingly. Owing to various delays the column was not put in motion until two A. M. of the 15th.
Artillery, supply trains, baggage wagons, and everything that by movement
would apprise the enemy of the retreat, were abandoned. With all possible
secrecy the troops filed out on the Martinsburg Pike, and hastened away.
At a little before dawn, when only about four miles from Winchester, a large
body of the enemy was encountered strongly posted and supported by artillery
which immediately opened a heavy fire. The troops in advance deployed in
good order and made a gallant effort to turn the enemy's right. Again and
again the lines, led by General Milroy in person, charged his well supported
guns and succeeded in capturing some of his pieces, but was unable to hold
them. With fresh troops and in overpowering numbers he drove back our
weak force and overlapped its flanks, rendering every attempt to break through
or turn his lines futile.
At the opening of the engagement, the Sixty-seventh and the Sixth Maryland, instead of forming on the left of the road and moving to the support of
the troops fighting in front, were deployed to the right. They remained in
position under partial cover for a short time, when, having received no orders
and it appearing certain that the attempt made to turn the enemy's right
had failed, they moved still further to the right with the design of cutting
their way through upon the enemy's left. Scarcely had they advanced threequarters of a mile in this direction, when they found themselves in the very
*EXTRACT FROM GENERAL MILROY'S REPORT.-In this affair, which occurred about six
o'clock in the evening, we captured a prisoner, from whom I learned that he belonged to Hay's
Louisiana Brigade, which was a part of Ewell's Corps, the whole of which, and also that of
Longstreet, was in our immediate vicinity. A deserter, who came in shortly afterwards, confirmed his statement. This was the first intimation that I received that Lee's Army had
quietly retired before the lines of the army of the Potomac, and had performed a five or six
days' march. Telegraphic communication with my headquarters continued until twelve
o'clock M., on Saturday. The Blue Ridge screened the operations of Lee's army from me.
I had always relied with implicit confidence upon receiving timely notice by telegraph of its
advance in my direction. On Saturday, under cover of night, I withdrew my forces on the
Strasburg and Front Royal roads, in front of Winchester, to the southern suburbs of the town,
under orders to retire to the forts north of the town at two o'clock in the morning. Colonel
M'Reynolds arrived with his command between nine and ten o'clock P. M., and was assigned
to the Star Fort, immediately north of the main fortification. At this time it was evident that
at least two corps of Lee's army, numbering not less than fifty thousand men, and abundantly
supplied with artillery, were in my immediate vicinity, and that my retreat by the Martinsburg and Berryville roads was cut off. —2Moore's Rebellion Record, Vol. VII, p. 81, Does.