Chronology of Wartime Service

June 17-25, 1862

General Lee's letter of June 16 ("The present therefore seems to be favorable for a junction of your army and this." See Wartime Records, p. 194) is received by Gen. Jackson, who begins his secret movement toward the railhead at Ashland via Gordonsville.

Historian Thomas Henderson writes: "The greater part of (Lee's) instructions Jackson had already carried out on his own initiative....Ewell's Division was ordered to Charlottesville. The rest of the Valley troops were to follow Ewell; and Whiting and Lawton, who, in order to bewilder Fremont, had been marched from Staunton to Mount Meridian, and then back to Staunton, were to take train to Gordonsville." Source: Henderson, vol. 1, p. 393.

Jackson began his march in great secrecy on June 17, leaving his commanders and the enemy in the dark as to their destination. The movement was known as the "I Don't Know" march, due to the extraordinary precautions taken by Jackson to preserve secrecy. The Georgia brigade, much depleted by illness from the rough transit and unused to the pace of Jackson's "Foot Cavalry", had a hard time of it marching largely on foot as they covered some 120 miles in eight days from Mt. Meridian through Charlottesville, Gordonsville, across Hanover Junction, to Ashland, VA.

After a day's rest to honor the Sabbath, Jackson resumed his march. After a hard Monday, a heavy rain fell that night for two hours on the Rebel camps, soaking the men of Lawton's Brigade, who had had to leave their tents behind. The next day's march in the mud was misery piled on misery. Pvt. G. W. Nichols of the 61st Georgia recalled that:

We started about day next morning on a forced march, with full creeks and branches to cross. The roads were so cut up with the wagons and artillery until we could hardly get along. Some of the boys would bog down into the mud till when they got out their shoes would remain often ten and twelve inches below the surface. Every man had to carry his own haversack, knapsack, rifle, and cartridge-box. Some of the boys had white sheets, and I believe a few had feather pillows. Jackson's old soldiers, who had been following Jackson in his campaigns, made sport of us.....Some of 'our boys cursed out the war, others shed tears (for there were a lot of young boys in the brigade), and said but little, while others, I supposed, prayed. We were being initiated and taking the first degree in war. We had been mustered into the Confederate service eight months and had learned but little about the rough life of a soldier."

Gen. Lee holds a Council of War with Jackson and Longstreet in Richmond on June 23rd to outline a plan of operations against McClellan. See Henderson, p. 18., H. K. Douglas at pp. 104-105.

On June 24, Jackson's advance guard had reached Beaver Dam Station with his main force strung out for 15 miles behind.

On June 24, Lee issues General Order No. 75, outlining movements and objectives for the coming battle. (See Wartime Papers, p. 198). Jackson is ordered to begin advance from Slash Church, encamp at some point west of the Central railroad on June 25th and at 3:00 a.m. on June 26th, begin an advance on Pole Green Church.

Sources: See Henderson, pp. 394-396. H. K. Douglas, pp. 101-105.

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Last Updated: Jan. 21, 2001