George H. Gordon, From Brook Farm to Cedar Mountain

Well was it for us that the “pastures green” of a Virginia farm were more seductive to the boy-orderly than the sound of Kenly's artillery; for thus it was that the night of May 23 left us without disturbance, and that the hours of the 24th were not cut short soon after sunrise.

This delay on the part of Jackson gave, I think, confidence to Banks that his judgment was sound, and that it was not the intention of the enemy to interfere with us.

Strasburg, Front Royal, and Winchester, joined by irregular lines, form a triangular figure, closely resembling the letter A; Winchester at the vertex forms with Strasburg and Front Royal the western and eastern sides of the figure. When Jackson's troops, ignorantly following the footsteps of the advance, floundered into Front Royal at night, they threw themselves exhausted on the ground, and remained there until morning. At Cedarville, four and a half miles further north, were the cavalry and infantry that had captured Kenly.

At dawn on the 24th Jackson's column was in motion.¹ General George H. Steuart, with the Second and Sixth Virginia cavalry, moved northward to Newtown, a distance of ten miles; General Ewell, with Trimble's brigade, the First Maryland Regiment, Courtenay's and Brockenbrough's batteries, was ordered to move to Winchester, on the main Front Royal turnpike, a distance of nineteen miles; while Jackson in person, in command of. the main body of his army, proceeded in the direction of Middletown,² which is distant from Front Royal twelve miles. Steuart's orders