On April 20, 1862, the Confederate garrison left Fort Johnson to protect Staunton and avoid being cut off from the rear by another advancing Union army. Lieutenant Pryor recounted that while the men were lying quietly at Camp Shenandoah, General Jackson sent for General Johnson to meet him at Harrisonburg, and after Johnson left they received word that Jackson had fallen back south of Harrisonburg and turned toward the Blue Ridge, leaving the main road open for the enemy to go down to Staunton while they were farther away. The garrison was ordered to pack immediately without knowing its destination, left camp about one hour by sun, and marched to Buffalo Gap over the worst road and in the darkest night Pryor had ever seen, covering 12 miles and wading through mud up to his knees for miles. They reached Buffalo Gap at midnight in the rain, built fires, and stood around them until late the next day before the wagons caught up. They then started again toward Staunton, went 4 miles from the gap, and were ordered to halt and wait for further orders at Westview, where Pryor, exhausted, wrote to Penelope on April 22, 1862.