Chronology of Wartime Service

June 11, 1862

General Robert E. Lee writes to General Stonewall Jackson outlining a strategic movement of his forces from the Shenandoah Valley to Ashland to cooperate in a counterstroke against McClellan's Federal army. In his letter, Lee referred to the dispatch of Lawton's Brigade to join Jackson's army in the Valley:

"Your recent successes have been the cause of the liveliest joy in this army as well as in the country. The admiration excited by your skill and boldness has been constantly mingled with solicitude for your situation. The practicability of reinforcing you has been the subject of gravest consideration. It has been determined to do so at the expense of weakening this army. Brigadier-General Lawton with six regiments from Georgia is on his way to you, and Brigadier-General Whiting with eight veteran regiments leaves here to-day. The object is to enable you to crush the forces opposed to you. Leave your enfeebled troops to watch the country and guard the passes covered by your cavalry and artillery, and with your main body, including Ewell's division and Lawton's and Whiting's commands, move rapidly by rail or otherwise, as you may find most advantageous, and sweep down between the Chickahominy and the Pamunkey, cutting up the enemy's communications, &, while this army attacks McClellan in front. He will then, I think, be forced to come out of his intrenchments, where he is strongly posted on the Chickahominy, and apparently preparing to move by gradual approaches on Richmond."

Source: Official Records, vol. 12, part iii, p. 910.

To enhance the strategic "surprise" of Jackson's movement east, Lee resorted to a campaign of disinformation, allowing Richmond papers to announce the departure of Lawton and Whiting's Brigades troops to the Valley and allowing captured Union prisoners awaiting parole to view their departure by train. Source: Henderson, vol. 1, pp. 391-392. But Lee also wrote to Secretary of War George Randolph asking him to use his influence with the Richmond papers to discourage any reporting of this movement. See Wartime Papers, p. 191.

Due to the withdrawal of Federal forces under Fremont and Shields following their defeat at Staunton on June 8 , the idea of an Valley offensive by Jackson was quickly abandoned in favor of the rapid movement toward Richmond proposed by Lee. President Davis approved the plan on June 13 (Wartime Papers, p. 193) and

By June 16, 1862, five of the six regiments of Lawton's Brigade had completed their transit from Georgia and successfully joined Stonewall Jackson's small army near the field of its recent battle at Port Republic, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Alexander Lawton and the 13th Georgia remained near the rail head at Staunton waiting for marching orders.

The subsequent movement saw Lawton's Brigade engaged in the Seven Day's Battles in which Lee battered the Federal army repeatedly (Gaines Mill, Mechanicsville, Frayser's Farm, Malvern Hill), suffering heavy casualties but demoralizing McClellan who withdrew his army to strong defensive positions at Harrison's Landing, freeing Lee to deal with a new Federal army advancing under General John Pope (i.e. Battle of 2d Manassas).

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Last Updated: Jan. 21, 2001