Shortly after daylight the command was again put in motion, and had marched but a short distance when they came in sight of the enemy on the hills to the left of the Valley turnpike. My command was ordered to move to the left and occupy a piece of woodland near the hill upon which the enemy had already shown themselves. A short time after taking the position assigned me I was ordered, in connection with the Second Regiment Virginia Volunteers, under Colonel Allen, to drive the enemy from their position and to occupy the same. This we did promptly. For a space of over two hours we remained under a most galling fire of grape, shell, and long-range guns. The enemy commenced a flank movement to our left. Other troops were brought into position, when a general charge was made and the enemy driven hastily from the field. In this charge they evinced the most gallant conduct, braving every danger coolly and deliberately. While the charge was not made with as much regularity as I desired, it was owing to the fact that a majority of the men were undrilled, the regiment having been on the march from the day they were attached to the command, with scarce a day of rest, much less time or opportunity for drill. I cannot speak in terms of too high praise of the conduct of my officers during the battle. Each of them evinced perfect coolness and gallantly led his men to the charge as soon as ordered by me to do so. The order I gave in accordance with instructions received from Brigadier-General Winder. The conduct of my officers was such that to make mention of any one by name would be invidious. The non-commissioned officers behaved well and gallantly. I must make honorable mention of Sergt. William H. H. Powell, of Company G, for the gallant manner in which he bore himself in the charge. He bore the colors of the Twenty-seventh Regiment through the town of Winchester ahead of all others. The privates behaved gallantly, cheerfully obeying all orders given them. The regiment suffered but little, having lost in killed and wounded only 4.* Respectfully, your obedient servant, A. J. GRIGSBY, Lieut. Col., Comdg. Twenty-seventh Virginia Volunteers. Capt. J. F. O'BRIEN, Assistant Adjutant-General. P. S.-Strength, rank and file, 136. CAMP NEAR PORT REPUBLIC, VA., June 13, 1862. CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the Twenty-seventh Regiment Virginia Volunteers, under my command, in the engagements of the 8th and 9th instant, near the town of Port Republic: The engagement of the 8th was with artillery; the infantry did not participate. The Twenty-seventh Virginia Regiment was ordered to support Captain Carpenter's battery, and remained near it during the day. At an early hour Monday morning the command crossed the South * One man killed and 1 officer and 2 men wounded. River and moved down the road leading to Swift Run Gap. The com mand had proceeded about 1 miles when the enemy made their appearance and commenced shelling our advance guard. Captain Poague's battery was ordered up and took position in the field to the left of the road. My (the Twenty-seventh) regiment was ordered to support his battery. I immediately took position a short distance in rear of it, and remained under a heavy fire of shell for over an hour. The battery, by order, changed its position. I made a corresponding change, keeping near it. My regiment was afterwards ordered to move to the left to support a battery placed near a barn. Upon reaching the position the battery was limbered up to move. I was ordered to form in line of battle, move to the front, and take position on the right of the Seventh Louisiana. This I promptly did, when both regiments moved forward across an open field under a heavy fire of grape, by which my ranks were considerably thinned. The Seventh Louisiana took position under cover of a fence; my regiment still advanced some distance farther. Finding myself unsupported, I ordered my command to drop back on a line with the Seventh Louisiana. We remained under a perfect shower of balls for near an hour. In this position my horse was shot twice and so disabled that I was compelled to leave him. My command, though small, boldly maintained its position until two regiments of the enemy came within 20 paces of their line, when they fell back, by my order, amid a perfect shower of balls, the whole line giving way about the same time. The enemy did not retain his advantage long, as they were compelled to fall back, and were soon driven from the field. A part of my regiment joined our pursuing forces. In this engagement the Twenty-seventh suffered severely, having lost in killed, wounded, and missing 47 officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates. Too much praise cannot be given my officers for the gallant manner in which they bore themselves throughout the entire action, braving every danger coolly and deliberately. The non-commissioned officers and men behaved well and gallantly, moving forward in good order under a heavy fire of grape, obeying all orders cheerfully. To make mention by name of any of my officers would be invidious where all behaved so well. The same of my non-commissioned officers and privates. Strength, rank and file, 150.* Respectfully, your obedient servant, A. J. GRIGSBY, Colonel Twenty-seventh Virginia Volunteers. Capt. J. F. O'BRIEN, Assistant Adjutant-General. No. 74. Reports of Col. John F. Neff, Thirty-third Virginia Infantry, of operations May 23-June 9. BIVOUAC NEAR NEW MARKET, VA., SIR: In relation to the part taken by my regiment in the affairs upon *List of casualties shows 1 officer (Lieut. James A. Lennon) and 6 men killed, 2 officers and 26 men wounded, and 11 men missing. It appears from records that Lieut. Joseph H. Haynes died from wounds. 48 R R-VOL XII the road to Winchester on the 23d and 24th ultimo I have the honor to make the following report: On the 23d, at dawn, we left camp near Luray, Page County, and marched toward Front Royal. As my command was not engaged at the latter place it is unnecessary to say more than that we bivouacked for the night northeast of Front Royal. On the morning of the 24th I moved from bivouac at 8 a. m., and marched with the brigade on the Winchester road about 3 miles, where we were halted. About 12 m. we again moved, taking the Middletown road. Arriv ing at this place, where the enemy made a brief stand, I was ordered into a woods on the west of the Valley turnpike, immediately in rear of the Twenty-seventh Virginia, and some 400 yards to the left of, I think, Poague's battery. After remaining quiet for an hour or more I again, pursuant to order, took up the line of march toward Winchester in front of the brigade, except Poague's guns. About 10 or 11 p. m., when some 2 miles or more beyond Newtown, the enemy was discovered in a woods at Barton's Mill, and I was ordered to send two companies to drive them out. Company A, Capt. P. T. Grace, and Company F, Capt. A. Spengler, were ordered forward. After a moment or two had elapsed the skirmish began, and at the first shots of the enemy, whose fire enfiladed the road, the few cavalry in front rushed to the rear by the battery and through my ranks, riding over and injuring several of my officers and men and creating for the moment a scene of most mortifying confusion. With the assistance of my field officers I soon gathered the men who had broken ranks and took them forward to support my skirmishers; but support was unnecessary, as they had already driven the enemy off and the Twentyseventh had advanced beyond me. My loss in the skirmish was: From Company A, 2 wounded, and from Company F, 6 wounded. I avail myself of this opportunity to express my high appreciation of the gallant manner in which Captains Grace and Spengler, with their men, behaved in this little affair, as they have invariably done in the frequent engagements in which I have observed them. We continued the march all night, excepting a halt of two hours at Kernstown, and at daylight on Sunday morning, May 25, it was my privilege to aid in the attack upon General Banks at Winchester. Having already submitted my report for that day, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Capt. J. F. O'Brien, JNO. F. NEFF, Colonel, Commanding Thirty-third Regiment. Assistant Adjutant-General, First Brigade. HDQRS. THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT VIRGINIA VOLS., Bivouac near Winchester, Va., May 27, 1862. GENERAL: In obedience to an order from Headquarters First Brigade, Army of Virginia, requiring reports from the several regiments and batteries of this command of the part taken in the action of the 25th instant, I have the honor to make the following report: About 4 a. m. of the 25th the command was aroused from a short repose at Kernstown, where my men had thrown themselves upon the ground for an hour or more; the brigade was started, my regiment being in the rear of the whole, except the artillery. We marched very leisurely for 11⁄2 miles down the turnpike road in the direction of Winchester until arriving at Hollingsworth's Mill. My regiment was again halted in the rear of the Fifth Virginia Infantry, while regiments in front filed to the left and right of the Valley turnpike road, halting for perhaps ten minutes. I again moved on, following the regiment in front of me (the Fifth Virginia), still moving down the road for nearly a quarter of a mile, where, the Fifth filing to the left by a large stone mill, I followed with my command, halting, however, before the regiment had all turned off the turnpike, as I found the Fifth was again halted, and having received no orders from the brigade commander, I conformed with the movements of the regiment immediately in my front. While halting here the batteries of Captains Poague, Carpenter, and Cutshaw passed my command, going to the left, also the Second Brigade, Colonel Campbell's, going in the same direction. I had halted for nearly an hour in this position, when a lieutenant, whom I recognized as belonging to a company in the Fifth Regiment, came with a verbal order from General Winder to follow on immediately in rear of the infantry, then marching to the left (I think Colonel Campbell's command), and to support Carpenter's battery. I immediately advanced in the direction indicated, and had gone about 200 paces, when, seeing General Winder approaching, I advanced to meet him. I was directed to place my command in a gully a short distance behind the caissons of the pieces I was to support. I caused my men to lie down, that they might be better protected from the shells that were exploding over us. I had been in this position about half an hour when the battery ceased firing, the pieces being either disabled or out of ammunition, as I supposed. I was ordered still to keep my position, and informed that two pieces of Cutshaw's battery would take the position then occupied by two of Carpenter's battery. While I occupied the position behind the batteries I was partly exposed to a cross-fire from two batteries then playing on two of our own nearly at right angles to each other. My loss here was 1 killed and 1 wounded by the explosion of a shell. Before the pieces of Cutshaw's battery were well in position General Jackson passed near my command and inquired what my orders were. I replied, "To support that battery," pointing to it. The position of the pieces was slightly altered from what it was when directed where to go by General Winder, and General Jackson directed me to throw my left forward, so as to get my line parallel with the battery, and then move the whole forward, place a few men immediately behind the crest of the hill as skirmishers, and if any battery of the enemy was brought on the neighboring hill immediately in my front, to charge it with the bayonet. I replied, "Very well, general, but my regiment is rather small." His answer was, "Take it." Although I looked for my orders to the general of the brigade, I felt convinced that I was carrying out his order of supporting the battery by slightly shifting my position, as the battery had done so, and I accordingly carried out a portion of General Jackson's order. It never became necessary to charge with the bayonet. Soon after changing position General Winder approached; the battery was ordered to a new position, and I was ordered (until further orders) to conform to the movements of the battery. Several new positions were taken by the battery, as the enemy was giving way, until their rout commenced, when I faced the regiment by the left flank and followed the battery, at a double-quick most of the way, until we had got a considerable distance north of Winchester. In going toward the town my command picked up a stand of U. S. cavalry colors, which were turned over to the brigade commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Lee, of the Thirty-third Regiment. I followed, with my command down the Martinsburg road for about 4 miles, where I was ordered to halt and bivouac with the rest of the brigade. My casualties on the 25th were but 1 killed and 1 wounded-members of Company F. I forgot to mention that my loss in the skirmish on the night of the 24th was 4 severely and 2 slightly wounded, exclusive of 2 lieutenants and 4 privates, run over by our cavalry and badly bruised-several, I fear, seriously injured. During the whole of the engagement of the 25th, both officers and men under my command behaved with great steadiness and coolness under a very warm fire of artillery, and in a great measure regained the confidence I had reposed in them by having witnessed their gallant bearing on many trying occasions in the past campaign, but which confidence was greatly shaken by the mortifying circumstance on the night of the 24th. It must not be forgotten, however, that Companies A (Captain Grace) and F (Captain Spengler) deployed as skirmishers on that night, behaved very well, and that the cavalry, rushing back through my ranks, alone occasioned the confusion and disorder in my reserve. I omitted to mention that Major Holliday was detailed to act as aide to Major-General Jackson, and acted upon his staff during the entire day. Respectfully submitted. JNO. F. NEFF, Colonel, Comdg. Thirty-third Regiment Virginia Vols. Brig. Gen. CHARLES S. WINDER, First Brigade, Valley District. P. S.-Strength, rank and file, 150. HDQRS. THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT VIRGINIA INFANTRY, June 16, 1862. I have the honor to submit the following report of the killed and wounded of the Thirty-third Regiment Virginia Infantry in the several engagements with the enemy at Winchester and Charlestown: Battle of Winchester-killed, 1; wounded, 6. Battle of Charlestown-wounded, 6. None killed or wounded at the battle near Port Republic. JNO. F. NEFF, Colonel, Commanding Thirty-third Virginia Regiment. D. H. WALTON, Adjutant. HEADQUARTERS THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT, SIR: In compliance with iustructions received I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of my regiment on Sunday and Monday, the 8th and 9th instant: About 9 a. m. on Sunday last the camp was suddenly startled by |