Chronology of Wartime Service

June 26, 1862

Lee communicates to President Davis receipt of a note from General Jackson stating that "in consequence of the high water & mud, his command only reached Ashland last night. It was his purpose to resume his march this morning at 2:30 a.m." Wartime Records, p. 201.

Lawton's Brigade marching with Jackson's Corps from Ashland in the direction of Hanover Court House. Column delayed by Union cavalry probes and by infantry skirmishing at crossing of Totopotomoy Creek. After clearing the creek, Jackson halted at Hundley's Corner, approximately 3 miles from Lee's army.

Battle of Beaver Dam Creek (Mechanicsville):

Lee concentrated his forces opposite the Federal right wing under Porter, and ordered Gen. A. P. Hill to attack frontally as soon as Gen. Jackson's troops had arrived on Porter's flank. By mid-afternoon, Jackson had not arrived and Hill on his own initiative launched the attack. Repeated assaults were repulsed, but later that evening, Porter withdrew to a stronger position along Powhite Creek.

In hindsight, Jackson was given a key role in the battle and has been much criticisized for his failure to reach the field. Historian Thomas Henderson notes:

"In that action that ensued on Beaver Dam Creek there was no cooperation whatsoever. [A. P.] Hill attacked and was repulsed. Jackson had halted at Hundley's Corner, three miles distant from the battlefield. Had the latter come down on the Federal rear while Hill moved against their front an easy success would in all probability have been the result." Henderson, vol. ii, p. 21.

"When Jackson reached Hundley's Corner, and drove the Federal infantry behind the Creek, the first thing to do, as his orders indicated, was to get in touch with the rest of the army. It was already near sunset; between Hundley's Corner and Mechanicsville lay a dense forest, with no roads in the desired direction; and it was manifestly impossible under ordinary conditions, to do more that evening than to establish connection." Henderson, vol. ii. p. 23.

In defense, Jackson's staff officer Henry Kyd Douglas attributes Jackson's difficulties to his infamiliarity with the terrain, the difficulties of the country, the lack of effective general staff support, the fatigue of his troops, and the lack of supplies. See I Road With Stonewall, p. 105-106.

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Last Updated: Jan. 21, 2001