Irvin McDowell to Of the operations of General McDowell through the column of General Shields up the valley of Luray the value will hereafter be seen, June 6, 1862
Front Royal, June 6, 1862.
Maj. Gen. J. C. FREMONT, Commanding Mountain Department, Mount Jackson, Va.
GENERAL : I received to-day a letter from your acting assistant pent general ordering me in your name to send some of my troops to Strasburg. Before the receipt of this paper I had written to Major-General Banks, commanding Department of the Shenandoah, at Winchester, calling his attention to this point, for such action in the case as he might see fit to take. I did this after failing, on account of the bridges being carried away and all communication cut off, to get the prisoners transferred to this place to send them to Washington.
I beg you to call the attention of your staff officer to the terms he has employed in his communication to me, making it in the nature of a positive, peremptory order, as if tome under yourcommand. Being like yourself the commander of a separate, indepeudent military geographical department, with certain troops assigned to me by the Secretary of War, and being herein a neighboring department for a special temporary purpose, under the direct orders and instructions of the President, I cannot receive orders from any officer save in the accidental temporary case provided for in the Sixtysecond article of war—a case which arose when you came in contact with my cavalry brigade at Strasburg.
In reference to this brigade I have the honor to refer to General Orders, No. 29, of March 22, 1862, and say that I wish you would direct this brigade to march at the first opportunity to join Major-General Shields at Luray Court-House, it being neces-
-sary there to further the instructions under which I am acting.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient servant
_ IRVIN McDOWELL,
Major-General, Commanding Department Rappahannook.
Of the operations of General McDowell through the column of General Shields up the valley of Luray the value will hereafter be seen.
From General Banks, to whom I had in like manner sent a messenger, a reply, though exhibiting the utmost cordiality, informed me that
he was “‘ without supplies or transportation and unable to move.” He
would, however, endeavor to send me some cavalry.
General Sigel, subsequently addressed, although he would “try his
beut,” found his troops in a condition such as would render them ” an