Sep 07 1862 (Sunday)

Robert E. Lee informs President Jefferson Davis that "all the divisions of the army have crossed the Potomac." He also reports "plenty of provisions and forage" are available but that many "individuals...hesitate to receive Confederate currency." Despite finding "general sympathy" for their success Lee does not anticipate "any general rising of the people in our in our behalf."

HEADQUARTERS, Two Miles from Fredericktown, Md., September 7, 1862. - His Excellency President DAVIS, Richmond, Va.: - Mr. PRESIDENT: I find that the discipline of the army...has not been improved by the forced marches and hard service it has lately undergone. I need not say to you that the material of which it is composed is the best in the world, and, if properly disciplined and instructed, would be able successfully to resist any force that could be brought against it....But there are individuals who, from their backwardness in duty, tardiness of movement, and neglect of orders, do it no credit. These, if possible, should be removed from its rolls if they cannot be improved by correction. Owing to the constitution of our courts-martial, great delay and difficulty occur in correcting daily evils. We require more promptness and certainty of punishment. One of the greatest evils, from which many minor ones proceed, is the habit of straggling from the ranks....It has become a habit difficult to correct....I am, with high respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

George McClellan is busy reorganizing and reequiping his beloved Army of the Potomac. His cavalry chief Alfred Pleasonton reports: "Jackson's division [has] moved ahead of Longstreet's." However, "the rebel soldiers [are] badly cared for, many without shoes." Meanwhile, Colonel Dixon Miles is ordered to hold Harper's Ferry despite being outflanked by the recent Confederate advance.

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 7, 1862. - Colonel MILES, Harper's Ferry: It is important that Harper's Ferry be held to the latest moment. The Government has the utmost confidence in you, and is ready to give you full credit for the defense it expects you to make. H. W. HALLECK, General-in- Chief.

Reports are being received in Washington that Braxton Bragg is marching his army into the Shenandoah Valley to reinforce the Army of Northern Virginia. A worried President Lincoln sends a telegraph to Jeremiah Boyle, his commander in Louisville, Kentucky, asking: "Where is Bragg? What do you know on the subject?"

LOUISVILLE, KY., September 7, 1862---8 p.m. - President LINCOLN: I think there is no doubt that General Bragg is moving along General Buell's right. On the latter's backward movement Bragg will cross the Cumberland River above Nashville as Buell crosses at that place; he will move into Kentucky at Burkesville or Tompkinsville. Kirby Smith will rest or fall back on Bragg if pressed in front. They may form a junction and cut Buell off. I think the danger imminent....If Bragg and Smith execute the movement I apprehend they will of course move upon this city and scatter our raw recruits as chaff. J. T. BOYLE, Brigadier.General, Commanding.

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Sep 08 1862 (Monday)

The advance of the Army of Northern Virginia into the Union controlled state of Maryland violates one of the precepts of the Confederate cause. No longer are they defending sacred Southern soil from unwanted Northern aggression. To quell any fears that they may have about the intentions of his army, Robert E. Lee issues a proclamation to the people of Maryland.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Near Fredericktown, Md., September 8, 1862. - To the People of Maryland: It is right that you should know the purpose that brought the army under my command within the limits of your State....The people of the Confederate States have long watched with the deepest sympathy the wrongs and outrages that have been inflicted upon the citizens of a commonwealth allied to the States of the South by the strongest social, political, and commercial ties. They have seen with profound indignation their sister State deprived of every right and reduced to the condition of a conquered province....Believing that the people of Maryland possessed a spirit too lofty to submit to such a government, the people of the South have long wished to aid you in throwing off this foreign yoke...This, citizens of Maryland, is our mission....No constraint upon your free will is intended; no intimidation will be allowed....Marylanders shall once more enjoy their ancient freedom of thought and speech....It is for you to decide your destiny freely and without constraint. This army will respect your choice, whatever it may be; and while the Southern people will rejoice to welcome you to your natural position among them, they will only welcome you when you come of your own free will. R. E. LEE, General, Commanding.

A loyal resident of Westminster, Maryland, sends information that "the rebel army is south and east of a line drawn around north of Frederick." He also reports that "the rebel army is 75,000 strong." With Lee's army poised to move either north towards Pennyslvania, or east to threaten Baltimore and Washington, "Little Mac" concentrates his army.

HEADQUARTERS, Rockville, Md., September 8, 1862--8.50 p.m. - Maj. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, Commanding Department of Baltimore: This army is now massed between Rockville and Brookville, in position to move on the enemy, should he attempt to go toward Baltimore from any point above here, to advance into Pennsylvania, or attack Washington. Our information regarding the enemy's movements is very vague and conflicting....I should be especially gratified to learn everything that you can get regarding the movements of the enemy in the direction of Harper's Ferry and above....GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-General.

Kansas Senator Jim Lane's Zouaves D'Afrique, an armed band of free blacks, currently being organized and drilled near Lawrence, Kansas, to protect the border from roving bands of Confederate desperadoes creates consternation among loyal Missouri residents.

SAINT LOUIS, MO., September 8, 1862. - His Excellency ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States : - SIR: There is on the border of our State an armed band of negroes threatening an invasion of the State, and particularly the counties of Clay and Jackson....We are loyal Union men...and can assure you that were it not for the threats of Lane, Jennison, and others to invade us, to despoil us of our property, to burn our towns and dwellings, murder our citizens, and run off our negroes, we would be comparatively at peace....We greatly fear, Mr. President, that unless these negro brigades and regiments are disbanded and disarmed, and those men who have been instrumental in organizing them are severely dealt with by the Government, the most serious difficulties will take place between Missouri and Kansas---two loyal States--the end of which no man can see. The officer in command of the Department of Kansas should be instructed not to suffer the arming or enrollment of negroes for any such purpose, and if he is not willing to execute such an order a new commander should be put in his place. We are aware that it is contrary to your orders, as we believe it is against your wishes, to arm negroes and have them clothed in the uniform of soldiers, and we beg to assure you that whilst our people are fast returning to their loyalty such irritating causes as we have alluded to are a terrible burden upon the loyal men.... EDWARD M. SAMUEL, Clay County, Missouri. M. J. PAYNE, Jackson County. PATRICK SHANNON, Jackson County, Captain Mo. S. M. FRANCIS FOSTER, P.M.;Jackson County. E. R. THRELKELD, Jackson County. JOSEPH O. BOGGS.

Sterling Price moves his command to Guntown, Mississippi. With reports coming in that the Federals have evacuated northern Alabama, Braxton Bragg is sure that William Rosecrans' Army of the Mississippi will quickly follow. To prevent this Bragg orders Price to "move rapidly to Nashville" to keep "Old Rosy" from reinforcing Don Carlos Buell. Price's move to Guntown puts him even further away from Earl Van Dorn who still hopes to unite his command with Price's.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI, Jackson, Miss., September 8, 1862. - Maj. Gen. STERLING PRICE, Commanding Army of the West: - GENERAL: If Rosecrans has crossed the Tennessee and got beyond your reach do you not think it would be better for us to join forces at Jackson, Tenn., clear Western Tennessee of the enemy, and then push on together into Kentucky, along the Ohio River? We together would have a force to oppose any one there....We, joined on the Ohio, would be between Buell's army and the forces from the west and prevent junction, or by crossing eastward from the Ohio behind Buell could join Bragg and aid him in case of need....However all this may turn out, I shall always be happy to be found associated with you in this noble struggle, and I pray God you may be victorious wherever you may go. Very truly and sincerely, general, your friend and obedient servant, EARL VAN DORN, Major-General.

Theophilus Holmes is still struggling to get the men in his command paid.

HDQRS. ARMY OF THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DISTRICT, Little Rock, Ark., September 8, 1862. - Hon. GEORGE W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War: - SIR: There are no funds on hand pertaining to the pay department to disburse to the troops, large numbers of whom have not received a dollar for six, eight, and ten months, and are now becoming clamorous for their pay....The quartermaster's department is nearly drained of funds and stores, and if not speedily furnished with means will be unable to provide for even the least of the requirements of the army in this district....The commissary, ordnance, and medical departments are likewise in a similarly crippled condition....The troops are in a great measure destitute of clothing, with no prospect of supply from abroad....In conclusion, allow me...to urge upon you the difficulties attending my present position for want of proper means, and to ask the prompt interposition of your authority to procure the necessary relief. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, TH. H. HOLMES, Major-General, Commanding.

The Union naval blockade is continuing to reduce the amount of trade between the Confederate states and Europe. Although guns and ammunition are of the highest priority, medical supplies are also much in need.

CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, SURG. GEN.'S OFFICE, Richmond, Va., September 8, 1862. - Surgeon PRIOLEAU, Savannah: - SIR: You are authorized to make arrangements...to...carry out the plan...to be inaugurated by the Medical Department of collecting and preparing for use the medicinal herbs, roots, and barks so abundant in the southern latitudes of the Confederacy, and your attention is called to the propriety of at once making some simple cathartic pills, diarrhea medicine, and other mixtures for the ordinary diseases in camp. Doctor Park is an employed agent and now in Savannah engaged in the work of gathering such herbs....You will please report to this Bureau as you progress in this important work. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. P. MOORE, Surgeon-General C. S. Army.

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Sep 09 1862 (Tuesday)

With his army encamped in and around Frederick, Maryland, Robert E. Lee must decide the next move for his invading army. So far, McClellan has acted in his predictably cautious fashion, his army is still twenty-five miles away and spread out to cover both Baltimore and Washington. However, Harper's Ferry and Martinsburg remain in Union hands. Both garrisons are completely isolated and at the mercy of the Confederate army, but remain a thorn in Lee's "line of communication through the valley." After conferring with "Stonewall" Jackson, Lee has his adjutant, R. H. Chilton, transcribe copies of Special Orders No. 191 for delivery to his generals. This order contains the details for Lee's bold plan to divide his, already undermanned, army into four parts; with twenty-six of his forty brigades assigned to capture Harper's Ferry. With speed and a little luck, his divided army will be able to attain their assigned objectives and reunite before George McClellan's Army of the Potomac can come into striking range.

SPECIAL ORDERS No. 191. - HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, September 9, 1862. The army will resume its march to-morrow, taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown...take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac...and, by Friday night, take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry. General Longstreet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army....General McLaws, with his own division and that of General R. H. Anderson, will follow General Longstreet. On reaching Middletown he will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights, and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity. General Walker, with his division...will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Lov-etttsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keys' Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right....General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body....The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown....By command of General R. E. Lee: R. H. CHILTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

George McClellan is pleased with the rebounding morale in the Army of the Potomac. His scouts in the First Maryland Cavalry report Lee's army to be in the vicinity of Frederick. "The army evidently has no supply trains. He has but few tents. Soldiers could be seen sleeping on the sidewalks and cellar-doors about the streets."

ROCKVILLE, September 9, 1862--8.40 p.m. - Maj. Gen. FITZ JOHN PORTER, Arlington: Our cavalry have had some handsome affairs today, fully maintaining the morale they gained on the Peninsula....The army is to-night well posted to act in any direction the moment the enemy develops his movements. I am now in condition to watch him closely, and he will find it hard to escape me if he commits a blunder. We shall do our best, and I think that will suffice. GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-General.

Henry Halleck warns John Schofield, commanding in St. Louis, about the swirling political winds that influence military decisions.

SEPTEMBER 9, 1862. - [General SCHOFIELD:] MY DEAR GENERAL: There has been a strong political pressure of outsiders to get certain parties put in command of new departments to be made out of the old Department of the Mississippi. The presence of the enemy and danger of the capital have for the moment suspended these political intrigues, or rather prevented the accomplishment of their objects. If any one of our Western generals would do something creditable and brilliant in the present crisis it would open the way to a new organization such as it should be....What will be done in this matter I do not know. Yours, truly, H. W. HALLECK.

Sterling Price notifies Earl Van Dorn that he is preparing to move against Iuka, Mississippi, and again asks Van Dorn to join him.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE WEST, Guntown, Miss., September 9, 1862. - Maj. Gen. EARL VAN DORN, Commanding District of Mississippi: - GENERAL: I was very anxious to place myself and my army under your command, so that we might together liberate West Tennessee, and regain control of the Mississippi. General Bragg has, however, just ordered me to "move rapidly for Nashville," and I must obey his orders. I shall therefore move hence for Iuka Thursday morning....Of course nothing could please me more than that you should unite your army to mine and move in command of the combined armies for Nashville. I am, very truly, your obedient servant, STERLING PRICE.

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Sep 10 1862 (Wednesday)

Captain William Winder complains about the condition of the defenses at Alcatraz Island, California. "The caponiere at the entrance of the fortification...is occupied by the guard and prisoners." Because of this, "howitzers intended for the defense...have never been mounted." The security of the island fort/prison is especially important because of the rising number of Rebel sympathizers in the state.

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,Sacramento, September 10, 1862. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief :- GENERAL: It is represented and generally believed that there is a secret organization in this State, numbering from 20,000 to 30,000 men, leagued together for the overthrow of our Government, and whose purpose it is if an opportunity should favor the scheme to carry the State out of the Union. These men openly boast that their sympathies are with the traitors of the South, and they are continually defaming the Government from which they receive protection and whose benefits they enjoy....Loyal citizens have now no protection from the insults of these men...and U.S. soldiers have been shot down in the streets of our towns for protesting against the free use of disloyal sentiments in their presence....The power of our Government should be manifested at once here....The loyal citizens of this State are now organizing into military companies, and are making daily applications for arms and equipments. They are preparing to give their services...but the State cannot equip them. Will the General Government aid us in this emergency...? I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. C. KIBBE, Adjutant-General State of California.

The reliance upon English iron for gun barrels is worrisome to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The increasing possibility that England may recognize the legitimacy of the Confederate States puts this vital source of iron in jeopardy and would severly damage the Union war effort.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, September 10, 1862. - Messrs. HEWITT, COOPER & CO., New York: - GENTLEMEN: This Department deems it highly important to procure a supply of gun-barrel iron of American manufacture, possessing the essential qualities of sufficient tenacity, evenness of texture, easy welding, and proper hardness and density, in as high a degree as the Marshall iron, now imported from England, and hitherto used exclusively at the National Armory. You state...that you can produce at your manufactory in New Jersey an adequate supply of barrel iron which possesses the before-named essential requisites, and wanting only the ornamental qualities of freedom from specks and high silvery luster which characterize the Marshall iron, and you offer to manufacture and sell to the United States 2,000 tons of such iron of the standard shape and size now in use at the National Armory, at 8 cents a pound, delivered in New York. I hereby request you to make 2,000 tons of iron of the quality before mentioned, and deliver the same as fast as the public service may require, it being understood that you are not to receive pay for any iron not fully equal to the standard of quality before described....The object of this Department in giving this order is to hold out...an adequate inducement to undertake the production...of a domestic supply in sufficient quantity of a quality of iron indispensable to the public service, so as to render this country independent of the supply from abroad, which at any moment might be interrupted. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

Citizen scouts sent into Kentucky report the Confederate force there to be "12,000--infantry, artillery, and cavalry" and moving in the direction of Covington. Their intentions, the scouts report, is to "cross the Ohio at or below North Bend and attack Cincinnati in the rear." All Union forces in Kentucky and eastern Ohio are preparing to defend against Kirby Smith's marauding men, but only the army of Don Carlos Buell can save the state.

HEADQUARTERS, Louisville, September 10, 1862. - Colonel BRUCE, Bowling Green: The enemy have advanced on Cincinnati and threaten an attack....The enemy are around here. Buell must hasten his movements if he would save the State....Desperate efforts will be made to cut the wire, destroy the bridges and trestle work at Muldraugh's Hill. What more do you know of Bragg or other rebel generals with force entering the State? Give me the news....J. T. BOYLE.

Thomas Hindman complains about the treatment prisoners are receiving in Missouri.

HDQRS. ARMY IN THE FIELD, YELLVILLE, ARK., September 10, 1862. - Brig. Gen. JAMES TOTTEN, Commanding: - GENERAL: In the Saint Louis Democrat...appears a telegraphic dispatch...which states that Poindexter, the notorious rebel leader of guerrilla bands in Missouri, was caught last night, &c. He is condemned, and as a spy will suffer death. Your attention is directed to the sentence which I have italicized in the above extract, and information is asked as to the truth of the statements therein made; also whether these men termed "guerrillas" are to be put to death when made prisoners or treated as prisoners of war? I ask also to be informed whether your Government approves the conduct of one Chrysop, of the Missouri State Militia or acting with it, who lately murdered a Confederate soldier acting as hospital attendant at Berryville, Carroll County, Ark., the murdered man being at the time unarmed and the hospital flag in plain view above him....Information is likewise asked whether or not your Government approves the conduct of your Indian auxiliaries, who now infest the border countries of Missouri and Arkansas and the Cherokee country, and have in many instances murdered and scalped aged and unarmed citizens, having no connection with the army, ravished and inflicted stripes upon women, burned houses, and committed other enormities.Abundant proof of the facts stated can be obtained if you desire. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, T. C. HINDMAN, Major-General, Commanding.

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Sep 11 1862 (Thursday)

George McClellan wires Henry Halleck, telling him that from "all the evidence that has been accumulated" the Rebel army has "not less than 120,000 men." This gives Lee a numerical superiority of "at least 25 per cent." To remedy this "Little Mac" requests that all the troops that can be spared from the Washington defenses (about 72,000 men) be forwarded to his command immediately.

HEADQUARTERS, Camp near Rockville, Md., September 11, 1862. (Received 6 p.m.) - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in- Chief: - GENERAL: The momentous consequences involved in the struggle of the next few days impels me, at the risk of being considered slow and overcautious, to most earnestly recommend that every available man be at once added to this army....From the moment the rebels commenced the policy of concentrating their forces, and with their large masses of troops operating against our scattered forces, they have been successful. They are undoubtedly pursuing the same now, and are prepared to take advantage of any division of our troops in future. I, therefore, most respectfully, but strenuously, urge upon you the absolute necessity, at this critical juncture, of uniting all our disposable forces....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-general.

President Lincoln, unwilling to strip the defenses around Washington, sends only the 21,000 man corps of Fitz-John Porter to reinforce McClellan. He tells "Little Mac": "I am sending you all that can be spared." Just as he is being ordered to the front, Porter reads a copy of John Pope's official report of the Manassas campaign and is stung by the allegations made by his former commander.

HEADQUARTERS FIFTH CORPS, Arlington, September 11, 1862. - Brig. Gen. LORENZO THOMAS, Adjutant-General U.S. Army.: - GENERAL: I have to-day, to my surprise, seen in the New York newspapers Maj. Gen. John Pope's official report of the recent battle at Bull Run. Having thus been apprised of the charges made against me by General Pope, I have only now to urge an early investigation of them, and would therefore earnestly request that this investigation may take place as soon as the interests of the service may permit, in order that I may prove the falsity of the charges and of the inferences drawn from them in that report. I have the honor to remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, F. J. PORTER, Major-General, Commanding.

Leaving the western slopes of South Mountain, "Stonewall" Jackson leads his army west on the National Road, passing through Boonsboro and threatening Martinsburg. With the advance of Jackson in their direction, both Colonel Dixon Miles in Harper's Ferry, and Brigadier-General Julius White in Martinsburg are acutely aware of the vulnerability of their positions.

HARPER'S FERRY, September 11, 1862. - General HALLECK, Washington: My eastern front is threatened....The ball will open to-morrow morning. Force opposing me is estimated at ten regiments of infantry with proportionate artillery, before dusk; others have come into camp since. General White will abandon Martinsburg some time to-night, and I expect this will be the last you will hear of me until this affair is over. All are cheerful and hopeful. Good-bye. D. S. MILES, Colonel Second Infantry.

Just before they crossed the Potomac into Maryland last week, "Stonewall" Jackson and Ambrose P. Hill had another confrontation over Hill's ability to control his men during a hard march. When Hill learned that Jackson had given orders to his men to halt for a brief rest, Hill unbuckled his sword and offered it to Jackson. "Old Jack" answered back: "Consider yourself under arrest for neglect of duty." Thus Hill joined the long line of officers that have been arrested by the stern Jackson and has spent the rest of the campaign riding at the rear of his division. With his Light Division on the march again, Hill realizes that another battle is brewing and enlists the assistance of Kyd Douglass, Jackson's aide-de-camp, to intercede on his behalf.

HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT, September 11, 1862. - General BRANCH: The major-general commanding directs me to say that Major-General Hill, having been released from arrest, will assume command of his division, and you will turn over to him all instructions received relative to it. Respectfully, E. F. PAXTON, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

As Braxton Bragg's men approach Glasgow, Kentucky, Colonel John T. Wilder, commanding a garrison force at Mumfordville with orders to guard the vital L&N railroad bridge over the Green River, finds himself in a precarious position.

MUNFORDVlLLE, KY., September 11, 1862. - Col. J. B. FRY, Assistant Adjutant-General and Chief of Staff, Nashville, Tenn.: - SIR: Two deserters, Irishmen, from Buckner's division of Bragg's army, came in here this morning, and report Buckner, with 10,000 men and Forrest's cavalry, 7 miles this side of Sparta, Tenn., on Sunday last....These men came across the country...about 160 miles. I think they tell the truth. Bragg was in the vicinity. I am building fortifications here with two raw regiments. Deserters say that Bowling Green is their point (the enemy's) for concentration. J. T. WILDER, Colonel Seventeenth Indiana, Commanding at Green River.

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Sep 12 1862 (Friday)

As his army diverges towards four separate objectives, Lee knows that he is especially vulnerable to any sudden movement by the Army of the Potomac. He is relying upon McClellan's inherent cautiousness to protect the Army of Northern Virginia. So far he appears to be winning the gamble as "Little Mac's" army slowly approaches Frederick, Maryland and the recently evacuated camps of the Rebel army.

Reports of General Robert E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding Army of Northern Virginia - HEADQUARTERS. - General S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, Va. - GENERAL: [Longstreet] arrived at...[Hagerstown] on the 11th, General Hill halting near Boonsborough to prevent the enemy at Harper's Ferry from escaping through Pleasant Valley....The advance of the Federal Army was so slow at the time we left Fredericktown as to justify the belief that the reduction of Harper's Ferry would be accomplished and our troops concentrated before they would be called upon to meet it....General Jackson marched very rapidly, and, crossing the Potomac near Williamsport on the 11th, sent A. P. Hill's division directly to Martinsburg, and disposed the rest of his command to cut off the retreat of the enemy westward. On his approach, the Federal troops evacuated Martinsburg, retiring to Harper's Ferry on the night of the 11th, and Jackson entered the former place on the 12th, capturing some prisoners and abandoned stores....With great respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

Julius White, commanding at Martinsburg, retreats his small force to nearby Harper's Ferry at the approach of overwhelming numbers of grey clad troops.

Reports of Brig. Gen. Julius White. U. S. Army, commanding, of the evacuation of Martinsburg. - ANNAPOLIS, MD. - Col. WILLIAM D. WHIPPLE, Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant-General. - COLONEL: I have the honor to report that on the 12th instant I arrived at Harper's Ferry, Va., from Martinsburg, with the troops under my command at that place. At the time of my arrival, skirmishing had already commenced upon the Maryland Heights, between our forces and those of the enemy....At this time the Maryland Heights were held by a brigade commanded by Col. Thomas H. Ford, of the Thirty-second Ohio....The other troops were placed upon Camp Hill, in the town of Harper's Ferry, and upon Bolivar Heights, their left resting upon the Charlestown turnpike, and protected by the woods and ravines between it and the Shenandoah. The enemy, who had closely followed us from Martinsburg, had taken position along our front, on the north, west, and south, across the base of the peninsula between the Potomac and the Shenandoah. No forces of ours whatever were placed upon Loudoun Heights. The enemy had a signal station there, and men were to be observed at work, apparently planting a battery....At night Captain Russell, of the First Maryland Cavalry, with 6 men, was dispatched to make his way to our forces in Maryland, if possible, and inform them of our condition.....I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JULIUS WHITE, Brigadier-General.

Earl Van Dorn reports to Secretary of War George Randolph that the much sought after junction of his army with that of Sterling Price will not take place in the foreseeable future.

HOLLY SPRINGS, MISS., September 12, 1862. - Hon. SECRETARY OF WAR: I am near Grand Junction with Breckinridge and Villepigue; Price near Corinth. He proposes to follow Rosecrans toward Nashville. I propose to clean out West Tennessee, now occupied by enemy in some force, and then go across Tennessee and Cumberland into Kentucky; therefore there can be no co-operation. If you decide I shall join him I will do so, but I think it best to clear the west....I hope soon to occupy Memphis. I shall be active, but hope you will give me more means. EARL VAN DORN, Major General.

Five days ago, Phil Sheridan had marched north with his new command the Second Michigan Cavalry with orders to proceed to Louisville or Cincinnati, depending on which city is more seriously threatened by invading Confederates. Today, as Sheridan and his men board a train in Columbus, Kentucky, General Horatio Wright, desperately in need of good generals, sends a telegraph urging Sheridan's promotion to that rank.

CINCINNATI, OHIO, September 12, 1862. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: We have no good generals here and are badly in want of them. Sheridan is worth his weight in gold. Will you not try and have him made a brigadier at once? It will put us in good shape. H. G. WRIGHT, Major-General, Commanding. G. GRANGER, Brigadier-General.

A jail full of guerilla fighters, awaiting a fair trial and a date with the executioner, who had been captured by General Merrill are freed in a daring raid at Palmyra, Missouri.

PALMYRA, MO., September 12, 1862. - General MERRILL: Porter took the prison here this morning early; liberated all the prisoners; took the guard, about 26 men; paroled them. The rest of the force here held the place where they were, but were too much in force to resist the enemy in open fight....I must say I think the men who are in command here are incompetent for the position....My lieutenant says the jailer [Lieutenant Washburn] shoved out a white flag, which he pulled down twice, but he insisted on surrender....I learn that several citizens here held communication with the rebels, and from several houses they were cheered by waving handkerchiefs, flags, hurrahs....J. T. K. HAYWARD, Colonel, Commanding.

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Sep 13 1862 (Saturday)

Brigadier-General Julius White defers command at Harper's Ferry to the lower ranking Dixon Miles. His decision is questionable because Miles had been charged with being drunk during the first Bull Run battle and had barely escaped being court martialed. He has been consigned to backwater commands, far from the action, since that time.

HARPER'S FERRY, September 13, 1862. - Col. DIXON S. MILES, Commanding Harper's Ferry: - COLONEL: Your familiarity with the topography of the vicinity, the fact that the troops and the guns have been placed under your direction, coupled with the additional important fact that the enemy is in heavy force in the immediate vicinity...render it improper...to deprive you of the command for the sole reason of superior rank....Meanwhile I respectfully tender my services and those of the officers of my staff to render any aid in our power in the defense of the position. I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JULIUS WHITE, Brigadier-General.

When Confederate forces arrive on Maryland Heights, overlooking Harper's Ferry, "it was apparent to all...that [a] decisive battle would be fought." Lafayette McLaws' division attacks at dawn and the battle commences "with great fury on the top of the mountain." When...it is reported that the men in the 126th New York are "leaving the field in confusion and disorder," Dixon Miles tell brigade commander, Thomas Ford: "If [the] troops give way again [you] must immediately withdraw...from Maryland Heights to Bolivar Heights, on the opposite side of the river."

[SEPTEMBER 13, 1862.] - Colonel MILES, Commanding Division: I cannot hold my men. The One hundred and twenty-sixth all run, and the Thirty-second Ohio are out of ammunition. I must leave the hill unless you direct otherwise. THOS. H. FORD, Colonel, Commanding Third Brigade.

As the situation grows worse on Maryland Heights men in the 39th New York, the Garibaldi Guards, are ordered to "bayonet the panic stricken men [of the 126th New York] if they attempt to break through the Garibaldian's lines." When cannonading is heard on Bolivar Heights signaling a Confederate advance from that direction, Dixon Miles realizes that he cannot afford to lose the commanding position on Maryland Heights. However, Colonel Ford has already given the order to abandon the position.

HEADQUARTERS HARPER'S FERRY, September 13, 1862. - Colonel FORD, Commanding Maryland Heights: Since I returned to this side, on close inspection I find your position more defensible than it appears when at your station. Covered as it is at all points by the cannon of Camp Hill, you will hold on, and can hold on, until the cows' tails drop off. D. S MILES,Colonel Second Infantry, Commanding.

The men approaching Bolivar Heights belong to "Stonewall" Jackson. As he watches McLaws successfull attack on Maryland Heights, "Old Jack" orders his men to close the trap on the Union forces defending Harper's Ferry.

Reports of Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws, C. S. Army. - HEADQUARTERS DIVISION. - Col. R. H. CHILTON, Assistant Adjutant-General. - SIR: General Kershaw--after a very sharp and spirited engagement through the dense woods and over a very broken surface, there being no road...and across two abatis, the last quite a formidable work, the east and west sides being precipices of 30 or 40 feet, and across the ridge were breastworks of heavy logs and large rocks--succeeded in carrying the main ridge, where the enemy had a telegraph station, and by 4.30 p.m. we had possession of the entire heights....The troops in the valley were then advanced, and General Cobb's brigade occupied Sandy Hook with but little resistance, the enemy having abandoned the place....The road...from Harper's Ferry...was now completely commanded....A courier from General Jackson brought a dispatch from him to the effect that he hoped his leading division would be near Harper's Ferry about 2 o'clock on this day, and some firing in that direction led to the belief that he was advancing....Very respectfully, L. McLAWS, Major-General.

In the confusion of activity surrounding the army when it broke camp in Frederick, Maryland, two days ago, a copy of General Lee's Special Orders No. 191, wrapped around three cigars, is left behind. The lost order is found by two Union soldiers, Sergeant John M. Bloss and Corporal Barton W. Mitchell of the 27th Indiana. They deliver the order to Captain Peter Kop, who hurries it on to Colonel Silas Colrove. Colgrove brings it to General Alpheus Williams who, in turn, rushes it to George McClellan's headquarters. When "Little Mac" reads the order he throws his hands in the air and exclaims: "Now, I know what to do!"

HEADQUARTERS, Frederick, September 13, 1862--12 m. (Received 2.35 a.m., September 14.) - To the PRESIDENT: I have the whole rebel force in front of me, but am confident, and no time shall be lost. I have a difficult task to perform, but with God's blessing will accomplish it. I think Lee has made a gross mistake, and that he will be severely punished for it. The army is in motion as rapidly as possible. I hope for a great success if the plans of the rebels remain unchallenged....I have all the plans of the rebels, and will catch them in their own trap if my men are equal to the emergency. I now feel that I can count on them as of old....My respects to Mrs. Lincoln. Received most enthusiastically by the ladies. Will send you trophies. All well, and with God's blessing will accomplish it. GEO. B. McCLELLAN.

While McClellan is enjoying his best day an an army commander, the man he replaced, John Pope, is on his way to St. Paul, Minnesota, as commander of the Department of the Northwest. Pope is being transferred so far west that he probably won't see another grey uniform for the rest of the war. His next opponent will be the Indians of the northern plains. Unfortunately for Pope, their recent uprising, though still smoldering, is being successfully handled by Colonel Henry Sibley.

MILITARY EXPEDITION, HDQRS. NEAR FORT RIDGELY, September 13, 1862. - General O. MALMROS, Adjutant-General, Saint Paul: - SIR: The war parties are now all in, as I am reliably assured, and the Indians concentrating to meet me at Red Irons Village....I received a communication from Little Crow yesterday....These men represent that the Indians are very much divided in sentiment and are quarreling among themselves; that Little Crow's life has been threatened, and that those who have opposed the war and taken no part in it are organizing themselves so as to make a separate camp when the time comes and claim our protection.....I shall be on my guard against any treachery which may be intended under cover of these flags of truce....Matters are now assuming a definite shape...that the war party among the Indians intend to make a desperate stand against my forces, I think it probable that within ten days we shall have overtaken and fought them, with what result time will show....[H. H. SIBLEY, Colonel, Commanding.]

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