the army, and the following disposition was made of the command: Smith's Corps to take post at Eastport, Mississippi; Wood's Corps to be concentrated at Huntsville and Athens, Alabama; Schofield's Corps to proceed to Dalton, Georgia; and Wilson's Cavalry, after sending one division to Eastport, Mississippi, to concentrate the balance at or near Huntsville. On reaching the several positions assigned to them, the different commands were to go into winter-quarters and recuperate for the spring campaign. These dispositions not meeting the views of the general-in-chief, orders were issued on the 31st of December for Generals Schofield, Smith, and Wilson to concentrate their commands at Eastport, Mississippi, and that of General Wood at Huntsville, Alabama, preparatory to a renewal of the campaign against the enemy in Mississippi and Alabama.

A number of minor operations by cavalry occurred in the pursuit of Hood's army. The results of the operations under Thomas were: thirteen thousand one hundred and eighty-nine prisoners of war, including general officers and nearly one thousand other officers of all grades, and seventy-two pieces of serviceable artillery. During the same period over two thousand deserters from the enemy were received, and to whom the oath was administered Our own losses did not exceed ten thousand in killed, wounded, and missing.

Thus ended the career of Hood as an active commander in the field. Receiving from Johnston a compact and unbroken army, which had made a good fight against the superior forces of Sherman, he wasted its numbers in three foolhardy attempts to defeat his wary opponent in a pitched battle, and finally, in consequence of sending away his cavalry, the only arm in which he was superior to Sherman, he enabled the latter to completely flank him and drive him out of Atlanta. Dispatched by Davis on a hazardous attempt to drive Sherman out of Georgia and regain Tennessee, he permitted himself to be enticed by Thomas into the neighborhood of Nashville, when that general, abundantly re-enforced and supplied, sallied forth at his leisure and dealt the rebel army such a blow as drove it, a beaten and demoralized mass of fugitives, into Northern Alabama, and rendered it powerless for further offensive purposes.

CHAPTER LXVII.

Sheridan in Command of the Middle Military Division.-Manoeuvring in the Valley.Object of the Movements.-Battles of Opequan Creek and Fisher's Hill.-Rout and Retreat of the Rebels.-Their new Position at Brown's Gap.-Movements of Sheridan.

ON August 7th, General Sheridan assumed command of the Middle Military Division, comprising the Middle Department, and the Departments of Washington, the Susquehanna, and West Virginia. On the same day he fixed his head-quarters at Harper's Ferry, and at once commenced to concentrate his troops along the Potomac in the vicinity of the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan's troops consisted now chiefly of the Sixth, Eighth, and Nineteenth Corps of Infantry, and the infantry

of the old Army of the Kanawha, under Crook. A part of the Nineteenth Corps, however, was still in Louisiana. His cavalry comprised Torbert's First Division of Potomac Cavalry, Averill's Division, Kelly's command, and Lowell's Brigade. Wilson's Second Cavalry Division arrived on the 13th from City Point. Against this strong and compact army, General Early was now able to muster about eighteen thousand men. His army consisted, first, of two infantry corps, under Rhodes and Breckinridge. Rhodes had his own old division and Ramseur's, and various reserves in the Valley, the whole estimated at about seven thousand men. Ramseur's Division comprised the brigades of Lillie (formerly of Pegram), Evans, and Johnson. Breckinridge had the divisions of Wharton and Gordon, four thousand five hundred or five thousand strong, the former having two brigades, and the latter (like Rhodes's old division) consisting of four. Ransom's Cavalry consisted of about five thousand five hundred troops, divided into four brigades, under Imboden, McCausland, Jackson, and Vaughan. The artillery, under Long, consisted of three battalions, and not far from fifty guns. The men were, to a considerable extent, employed threshing wheat in the valley and sending it to Richmond.

At sunrise on Wednesday morning, the 10th of August, Sheridan began to move out his forces from Halltown, for the repossession of the Valley. The force reached Charlestown in two hours, where the Nineteenth Corps struck off to the left for Berryville, preceded by the cavalry brigades of Custer and Gibbs. Still farther to the left marched Crook's Infantry, with mounted men in advance. Finally, on the right, the Sixth Corps, preceded by the brigades of Devin and Lowell, kept on the Winchester road a few miles, and then turned off towards Smithsfield, and towards the Nineteenth. The army advanced, skirmishing occasionally with the enemy, who retired up the Valley, along the Strasburg road. At Front Royal a rebel force, consisting of Jones's Tennessee Brigade of mounted infantry, with three field-pieces, held a strong position. This was assailed by Cesnola's Fourth New York cavalry, which was repulsed. The Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth New York and Seventeenth Pennsylvania then advanced, dismounted, supported by Pierce's Battery. The fight lasted from eleven till two, with no decisive result, though the enemy detained the pursuit some hours and inflicted loss on the Federal troops.

The enemy then drew off in the direction of Newtown, where he made a further stand, covering the passage of his trains, and repulsing an attack by the Union cavalry. The advance now passed beyond Winchester and Millwood, which were evacuated by the enemy, and camped, on the night of the 11th, six miles to the southeast of the former place. Early, thinking it was the design of Sheridan to flank him, had begun his withdrawal from Winchester to Newtown on the 10th, and continued it till the 11th. About ten o'clock of the latter day, Lowell's Cavalry charged through the town, but effected nothing, for the rear-guard had already moved out at the other end. The fighting of the day was entirely conducted by Early's rear-guard. On the 12th, the enemy having again fallen back, the column resumed the advance, and on the following day reached Cedar Creek, three miles

north of Strasburg. Here they remained during the 13th and 14th inactive. Sheridan's head-quarters were now at the spot that had been used for the same purpose successively by Fremont, Sigel, and Hunter. On the 15th the enemy withdrew his skirmishers from Strasburg, but held Fisher's Hill beyond, which commanded the town.

The enemy now suddenly resumed the offensive. Sheridan, in this advance to Strasburg, had passed on his left flank several gaps in the mountains, which had so often given passage to the enemy in previous campaigns. The most important of these are Snicker's Gap and Island Ford. None of these gaps were guarded. Mosby, with his light troops, was too vigilant to allow such an opportunity to pass, and on the 13th he rode through Snicker's Gap and pounced upon the supply train at Berryville. The train was guarded by Kenley's Brigade of one-hundred-days men. At Mosby's charge, a part of the guard were panic-stricken. A few brave men fought as long as possible, while the rest took to their heels. The teams were unhitched, the wagons fired, and all the property taken off to the Ferry. The chief loss was in the cavalry baggage. Mosby captured and destroyed seventy-five wagons, secured over two hundred prisoners, five or six hundred horses and mules, two hundred beef cattle, and some stores. His loss was two killed and three wounded.

This disaster, greatly exaggerated by reports, caused the whole army to retrograde. On the same day the enemy captured a signal party, with their apparatus. On the night of Monday, the 15th, the Nineteenth Army Corps began to retreat on Winchester, followed by the Eighth Corps, while the Sixth brought up the rear. On the 16th, a force of the enemy, composed of Lomax and Wickham's Brigades, with a part of Kershaw's Division, which had come by rail from Malvern Hill after taking part in the actions there, proceeded down the Winchester and Front Royal pike to cross the Shenandoah and attack the Federal troops in flank. These encountered at Crooked Run the brigades of Custer and Devin, under General Merritt, and were repulsed. The retreat was prosecuted with vigor, and orders were given for the destruction of every thing that could afford sustenance to the enemy. That these were strictly executed may be seen from the following extract from a Richmond paper:

"The enemy, as they retired from Strasburg, literally destroyed every thing in the way of food for man or beast. With their immense cavalry, they extended their lines from Front Royal, in Warren County, to the North Mountains, west of Strasburg, and burned every bushel of wheat, in stack, barn, or mill. in Frederick, Warren, and Clark, as well as oats and hay; they have really left absolutely nothing in these three counties. They drove before them every horse, cow, sheep, hog, calf, and living, animal from the country."

The enemy followed close on Sheridan's heels, and occupied Winchester on the night of Wednesday, the 17th, capturing three hundred men of Penrose's infantry brigade, which had been left to cover the Union rear, and had been abandoned by its cavalry supports.

During the retreat, Mosby's gang had followed the army, treacherously killing or capturing where the opportunity offered. In retaliation, General Custer ordered the Fifth Michigan to destroy the houses

of some of these half-guerrillas, half-farmers, who had committed gross outrages near Snicker's Gap. While thus engaged, the Union cavalrymen were attacked by a superior force of Mosby's men, and brutally murdered after surrendering. Many neighboring houses were destroyed in retaliation for this butchery. On the 21st, the army occupied a position about two miles out from Charlestown, near Summit Point, from the Smithfield to the Berryville pike, with the Sixth Corps on the right, the Eighth in the centre, and the Nineteenth on the left, the latter overlapping the Berryville pike. About eight o'clock, Early came up, on his road to Martinsburg, and, with a part of his columns, attacked our advanced cavalry skirmishers, on the right and left, easily driving them in. His main body moved off across our right; but with a small force he drove back Wilson's cavalry division from its position on Summit Point, with very great loss. He then attacked the Sixth Corps, and the combat lasted, without material advantage to either side, from ten A. M. until nightfall, when the corps fell back to Bolivar Heights. Sheridan then posted his army on the first of the ranges called Bolivar Heights, near Harper's Ferry, the right on the Potomac, and the left on the Shenandoah. Head-quarters were at Halltown. The cavalry was sent up to the neighborhood of Charlestown early on Monday, the 22d, and had sharp skirmishing with the enemy until nine A. M., and at intervals during the day. The cavalry of the enemy then scoured the country in all directions. Several reconnoissances took place on the 24th and 25th, in which the First and Third Divisions of cavalry were badly handled.

The two armies remained confronting each other for some days, at the end of which time Early again fell back up the valley. This fact being ascertained, Sheridan issued orders on the evening of the 27th for the army to move at daylight. About seven o'clock of the 28th, the entire force got into motion, moving out from behind their formidable breast works in columns of brigades by the right flauk, each corps preserving its relative position in the line of battle, and moving in the direction of Charlestown. The cavalry, which had proceeded in the direction of Shepherdstown, moved to the front and led the advance. By ten o'clock, the Nineteenth Corps reached Charlestown, and the army pushed on until they reached their old line of battle during the recent engagement a week before. The Sixth Corps, General Wright, held the right, the Nineteenth Corps, General Emory, the centre, and General Crook's command the left. The army was then formed in line of battle, and awaited the result of the cavalry advance. At dusk, orders were issued for an advance at daylight on the 29th. On the following morning, the enemy were found near Smithfield, by General Merritt, who attacked the rebel cavalry vigorously, driving them through the town and beyond Opequan Creek, where he came in contact with infantry. Custer's Cavalry, with Ransom's Battery, were moved across the creek, for the purpose of making a reconnoissance towards Bunker Hill. But after an encounter with the enemy's skirmish line, they retired across the stream, followed by infantry, who attempted to outflank them. Our cavalry accordingly fell back upon Smithsfield, in season to escape the movement. Here they were met by Ricketts's Division of Infantry,

before whose advance the enemy found it prudent rapidly to withdraw. Our loss in this affair was less than one hundred. The troops then fell back upon Charlestown, where they remained quiet for several days.

On the morning of September 3d, the whole army was again put in motion in a southerly direction, Crook's command occupying the left, the Nineteenth Corps the centre, and the Sixth the right. At noon, Crook reached the vicinity of Berryville, where, a few hours later, he was fiercely attacked by a heavy rebel force approaching from the direction of Winchester, which lies directly west. The enemy were handsomely repulsed; and during the succeeding night the whole army was engaged in throwing up substantial breastworks, as if for the purpose of making their position a permanent one. Thus affairs remained for nearly two weeks, Early being, according to reports, at Bunker Hill in force, and Sheridan showing no disposition to leave his intrenched lines near Berryville. The cavalry on both sides were active in reconnoissances.

The campaign in the Shenandoah, since the appointment of Sheridan to the command of the Middle Division, had hitherto been one of manœuvres rather than of decisive fighting, and the marchings and counter-marchings, advances and retreats of the Union general were to the public mind a source of no little perplexity. To comprehend his motives, it must be remembered that the possession of Lynchburg was indispensable to Lee if he wished to remain in Richmond, and that the large force detached under Early, to drive away Hunter and demonstrate against Washington, was still in the valley. Under these circumstances, Grant placed Sheridan at the mouth of the valley-first, to detach a force from Lee; second, to employ that force in the valley, so that no portion of it might be sent to Hood at Atlanta; third, to guard Washington and the border from the attacks of this force. For about five or six weeks, Sheridan's incessant moving backward and forward kept Early so busy that Hood could not get a man from Lee, and was forced to suffer defeat at Jonesboro', and to evacuate Atlanta for lack of re-enforcements. Meantime, Early and Sheridan were living off the valley farms, and together destroying much food and forage precious to Lee, and all this time Early did no essential damage to Sheridan.

With the fall of Atlanta, one of the prime motives for pursuing this Fabian policy was removed, and to a general of so energetic and impetuous a temperament as Sheridan, the opportunity now afforded to fight a pitched battle with the enemy for the possession of the valley was seized with avidity. About the middle of September the lieutenant-general paid a hasty visit to the Upper Potomac, and, after learning from Sheridan that the enemy was still in force in the valley, released him from the irksome task of manoeuvring, and bade him strike when he found the opportunity. Reconnoissances undertaken on the 13th and 16th rendered it evident that the main body of the enemy had advanced to the vicinity of Bunker Hill and Stephenson's Dépôt, and General Sheridan resolved to take advantage of this opportunity, and by a rapid movement fall on Early's rear from the