'212 Southern Historical Society Papers.
to Washington, and manifested no disposition to assume the offen- sive. In the meantime the progress of Ewell, who was already in Maryland with Jenkins's Cavalry Brigade, advanced into Pennsyl- vania as far as Chambersburg, rendered it necessary that the rest of the army should be within supporting distance, and Hill, having ar- rived in the Valley, Longstreet was withdrawn to the west side ol the Shenandoah, and the two corps encamped near Berryville. General Stuart was directed to hold the mountain passes with part of his command as long as the enemy remained south of the Poto- mac, and with the remainder to cross into Maryland and place him- self on the right of General Ewell, as he moved northward.
General Stuart, having suggested that he could delay the enemy in crossing the Potomac by going in his rear, he was authorized to do so, and it was left to his discretion whether to enter Maryland east or west of the Blue Ridge, but he was instructed to lose no time in placing his command on the right of our column as soon as he perceived that the enemy was moving northward.
As the movement of the cavalry at this time has been much dis- cussed, and perhaps had more to do with the events that immediately followed than any other circumstance, I shall confine myself in stat- ing those movements to the contemporaneous orders and corre- spondence.
A GREAT ERROR.
That a great error was committed in the movements of General Stuart cannot be questioned. The object of the movement proposed by him in the rear of the enemy was to strike the line of the latter, who was then marching towards the Potomac from opposite Fred- ericksburg, his line of march being east of the Bull Run Mountains, and it will be observed that while General Stuart had the discretion to cross the Potomac river, either east or west of the Blue Ridge, his instructions to lose no time in placing his command on the right of our column as soon as he should perceive the enemy moving northward were imperative.
The Federal army was assembling in Loudoun, and for the pur- pose of ascertaining our movements, strong reconnoissances were made by his cavalry, sometimes supported by infantry.
After the affair at Upperville, on the 2ist of June, Stuart remained on the east of the Blue Ridge, in front of Longstreet, one division
