Chapter Sixty-Six
By the Banks of the Monocacy
From "When Men Must Fight - The Battle of Monocacy Junction" by Glen Wilkie
New York 1989
"There never should have been more than a skirmish on the banks of the Monocacy that day. General Jackson intended only a demonstration to attract the attention of the Union forces. With that in mind General Early's Division had been pushed across a ford south of the McKinney-Worthington Ford onto the heights beyond. Their orders were to skirmish only and to withdraw if pressed. Jackson had kept Field's and Ewell's Divisions together near the Frederick/Monocacy Junction. [A.P. Hill's Division was further south watching the crossing near the junction of the Monocacy and the Potomac]...
General Reno's instructions were to push the rebels back across the Monocacy if they attempted to cross it, but he was not to bring on a full scale engagement until reinforced. Jackson's Corps outnumbered Reno, and Reno knew that as from the high ground east of the river he could see a large rebel force on the west bank...
General Orlando B.Wilcox's III Division of Reno's IX Corps was given the task of pushing the rebels on the east bank, to assess their numbers and willingness to remain. Attacking from the direction of the Thomas Farm, the brigades of George L. Andrew and Thomas Welsh would lead the attack with Sullivan A. Meredith's brigade in the rear. Stevens' I Division was poised to support the attack, while Sturgis' II Division maintained watch on crossings at the Junction...
Brigadiers George L. Andrews and Thomas Welsh
Early had sent men out from Branch's North Carolinians as skirmishers who quickly withdrew in the face of the Union advance. It is likely, given what we know of Early, that Jackson's order to withdraw did not sit well with him, but Early did give the order. Branch, Echols and Rhett would withdraw their brigades in turn while Martin's brigade formed the rearguard. Branch's withdrawing men headed directly for ford, shortly followed by Echols. The withdrawal was observed by Reno, and acknowledging his own orders he rode forward to Wilcox to ensure the withdrawal was pressed no further than the riverbank. At this point Wilcox's skirmishers had no more than exchanged a few shots with a handful of Early's own skirmishers...
While Early was a pugnacious general he followed orders. The same could not be said of Robert Barnwell Rhett. Here he was in Yankeedom (though few Marylanders would have agreed with that assessment) on good ground with a superior Confederate force at his back as Yankees advanced on his position. Rhett had no intention of retreating without first "
blackening the eye of those Lincolnite mercenaries"...
Colonel William S. Clark was at the head of the 21st Massachusetts in Welch's Brigade. The regiment had served previously in the Army of the James under Butler but had been reassigned in the post-Blackwater reorganisation. The regiment had lost nearly a quarter of its strength that day at the Blackwater, so one can only imagine their emotions when they spotted the notorious South Carolina Sovereignty Flags of Rhett's Brigade...
Rhett continually ignored orders to carry the Confederate Battle flag and instead had "Sovereignty" flags made and distributed to all the regiments in his brigade to "
particularly distinguish them". To his brigade it was the badge of Rhett's "fire-eaters". To the Union forces it was red rag in more ways than one. Clark's exclamation of "Remember Hunter" was perhaps meant as an encouragement to his men. Instead it acted as an incitement to immediate action that spread quickly throughout Welch's brigade and then Andrew's...
The battle flag of Rhett's Brigade had been proscribed by an Army General Order that Rhett appeared not to have read
Reno, Wilcox and Stevens were interrupted in their discussion by a cry from their own troops. "HUNTER!". Suddenly what had been a slow, careful advance behind skirmishers had become a headlong dash at the rebel lines...
Early was pointing Echols towards the spot on the far bank he meant his brigade to occupy when the cry startled his staff. Early turned and realised...Rhett's brigade was still deployed in line of battle on the high ground alongside Martin...
Early halted Echols and sent word to Branch to retrace his steps. By the time Early reached the battle line, he would have seen that most rare of occurrences, (though they often seemed to happen to the ever popular South Carolinians of Rhett's Brigade), a bayonet fight. The 21st Massachusetts and a supporting regiment, the 35th Massachusetts, had managed to close with Rhett's line and the fighting was at close quarters. The remainder of Welch's brigade and Andrew's were now exchanging fire in line of battle with the rest of Rhett's command and Green's. Although Green currently overlapped Andrew's line that would quickly change as a third Union brigade was clearly coming into position. Early sent word to Echols and Branch to return with all possible speed. Early also sent a galloper to General Jackson - "
Enemy force is pressing me closely. Too hazardous to withdraw in face of this attack." Any oral message sent by the galloper is lost to history...
Colonel William S. Clark of the 21st Massachusetts
Jackson was furious. Someone had blundered. In the meantime he could see Union forces being redirected from the Junction, south towards Early (this would have been elements of Stevens Division). Reinforcing Early was problematic. The Union force had the interior line because of the bend in the river. Nonetheless Jackson dispatched Starke's brigade from Field's command to Early's relief. However Jackson realised that another solution was to his front. He would assault the two river crossings before him with Field's and Ewell's troops and thus distract the Union commander from Early in order to allow that command to disengage and withdraw. General Lee would require an explanation as to why his orders had been ignored, but Early's message and position left Jackson little choice...
What had started out as a probing advance was deteriorating into the full scale battle Reno had orders to avoid. As he dispatched Stevens to take his division south to assist Wilcox. The rebels to his front began deploying into columns of brigade. That could mean only one thing - Jackson was going to assault the crossings. Sturgis had deployed Nagle's brigade to cover the turnpike bridge and Harland's to cover the railroad bridge. It was but two brigades, so Reno ordered that Stevens send Scammon's brigade back to act in reserve. Therefore Stevens was leading only his second brigade, Poe's, to assist Wilcox. From their position Reno could also see a large group of cavalry heading north [Imboden's], likely heading for Crum's Ford. They would be in for a rude shock. Reno had deployed one of the Harper's Ferry brigades to watch the ford, while the second watched Hill's division in the south...
As Wilcox faced Early, Sturgis was about to face two Confederate Divisions, with Scammon's brigade countermarching between the two. It would be a long day for the Union infantry...
General Reno is struck leading Scammon's brigade in a counterattack
The leading troops of V Corps could hear the canon fire in the distance. It did not sound to General Humphrey like a skirmish. Could Reno have been foolish enough to stand and fight a major battle alone? Perhaps the V Corps was marching into the maw of the entire Reb Army? Who knows what General Humphrey thought as his troops marched through the evening and into the night to Reno's aid...
General Humphrey found General Stevens just over five miles from the Monocacy River in a defensible position behind a stream. General Reno was dead. General Sturgis was seen to fall and his condition, in rebel hands, was unknown. Stevens, having pushed Early almost into the river, had had to withdraw as Jackson forced the turnpike crossing. Wilcox's Division had taken heavy casualties but these paled when compared to Sturgis'. Stevens own division was in relatively good shape. Further investigations by Kearny and Reynolds were to show that Stevens had performed magnificently in keeping the IX Corps together. Humphrey halted his vanguard and joined Stevens in preparing a line of defense while the rest of V Corps came up. It was unknown whether the Rebel forces were advancing. IX and V Corps were scandalously short of cavalry...
Ironically once Stevens had given the order to withdraw, Jackson made his own preparations and withdrew his troops to the west bank of the river at the earliest opportunity. The unlooked for battle may have brought a victory, but it was a costly one and one Jackson knew Lee would not thank him for. Casualties in Field's Division which led the attack on the turnpike bridge had been heavy. Early's Division was also a mess. Jackson's first action on the return of Early's Division was to place General Rhett under arrest. His brigade had performed exceptionally. Despite its casualties moral was high. All these things meant nothing to Jackson. Rhett was serially disobedient to orders, the worst crime in the world of General Thomas Jackson. While General Early professed to share his commander's views it is telling that even during Rhett's period of arrest with the corps, Early allowed the brigade to retain their forbidden flags...
Jackson turned the corps around. With Hill joining them, they were to retrace their steps and join the rear of the Army of Northern Virginia as it continued its march northwards..."
