About the middle of February President Davis called General Johnston to Richmond to confer with him upon the practicability of withdrawing the army to the south banks of the Rappahannock.  It was generally understood at the time, and largely the impression since, that the army was withdrawn in consequence of McClellan’s movements on the Peninsula.  But such was not the case.  This withdrawal was determined on long before it was known for certain that McClellan would adopt the Peninsula as his base of operations.  The middle of February began the removal of the ordnance and commissary stores by railroad to the south of the rivers in our rear.  These had been accumulated at Manassas out of all proportion to the needs of the army, and against the wishes of the commanding General.  There seemed to be a want of harmony between the army officers and the officers of the Department in Richmond.  This difference of feelings was kept up throughout the war, greatly to the embarassment at times of the Generals in the field, and often a great sacrifice to the service.  The officials in Richmond, away from the seat of war, had a continual predilection to meddle with the internal affairs of the army.  This meddling caused Jackson, who became immortal in after years, to tender his resignation, and but for the interference of General Johnston, the world would perhaps never have heard of the daring feats of “Stonewall Jackson.”  He asked to be returned to the professorship at the Military Institute, but General Johnston held his letter up and appealed to Jackson’s patriotism and the cause for which all were fighting, to reconsider his action and to overlook this officious intermeddling and remain at his post.  This he did under protest.

Our brigade, and, in fact, all regiments and brigades, had been put in different commands at different times to suit the caprice of the President or whims of the Department, and now we were Early’s Division.

On the night of the 9th of March we broke up quarters at Bull Run and commenced our long and tiresome march for the Rappahannock.  We were ordered by different routes to facilitate the movement, our wagon trains moving out in the morning along the dirt road and near the railroad.  All baggage that the soldiers could not carry had been sent to the rear days before, and the greater part destroyed in the great wreck and conflagration that followed at Manassas on its evacuation.  In passing through Manassas the stores, filled to the very tops with commissary stores, sutler’s goods, clothing, shoes, private boxes, and whiskey, were thrown open for the soldiers to help themselves.  What a feast for the troops!  There seemed everything at hand to tempt him to eat, drink, or wear, but it was a verification of the adage, “When it rains mush you have no spoon.”  We had no way of transporting these goods, now piled high on every hand, but to carry them on our backs, and we were already overloaded for a march of any distance.