, bringing his entire force,
including the brigade of General Edward Johnston then near McDowell, to
approximately 15,000.

Milroy was now pressing Johnston back toward Staunton and had reached
McDowell, thirty miles northwest of that city. Jackson now left Ewell
to watch Banks and moved with his own division about 6,000 through
Swift Run Gap to the east side of the Blue Ridge. His army thought this
to be an abandonment of the valley, and the impression became general
that Joseph E. Johnston needed reinforcements to save Richmond and that
this was our destination; but when we reached the railroad instead of
going east to Richmond we went by rail west to Staunton, thence by
forced march to McDowell. On the afternoon of May 8th the attack on
Milroy, whose army was estimated at 8,000, was opened by Johnston's
brigade. The Federals occupied a position on the west and at the base
of Shenandoah Mountain. A deep and difficult ravine intervened between
this position and a low ridge occupied by the Confederates. The use of
artillery was almost impossible, owing to the hills and rugged ground;
hence the battle was fought almost entirely with small arms and was
different from subsequent battles in this, that there was no bayonet
charge, but simply each side from its position kept up an incessant
fire and roar of musketry at comparatively close range until the end.

The whole scene is yet vivid in my mind as I saw it. Our brigade was
well down the mountain when the battle began and the roar of musketry
and shouts of the contending forces came up the mountain side to us
as we hurried on. There was a kind of horrible grandeur about it all
that allured and inspired some, and struck others with trepidation.
There were but few, if any, who would not prefer to escape the perils
of battle, but a sense of duty made the man of moral courage a good
soldier however mindful he might be of pending danger or of death
itself. It is soldiers of this, and not of the physical courage type
that win battles. We moved on; louder and still fierce