George William Redway

“ In stricter connexion with the operations of the main armies in Virginia, the Confederates brought off two great soups in the Valley—Jackson's capture of Harper's Ferry and Martinsburg in the autumn of 1862 and Ewell's expulsion of Milroy from Martinsburg and Winchester in June 1863. The concentration of the Federal forces in N. Virginia in May 1864 for the campaign which ultimately took Grant and Lee south of the James involved a fresh series of operations in the Valley. At first a Union containing force was placed there under Sigel ”

“ A macadamized road from Lexington via Staunton and Winchester to Martinsburg gave them easy access to Maryland and enabled them to cover Lynchburg from the north. By a system of railways which united at Gordonsville and Charlottesville troops from Richmond and Lynchburg were detained within easy distance of five good passes over Blue Ridge, and as Strasburg in the valley lies almost due west of Washington it was believed in the North that a Confederate army thereabouts menaced a city the protection of which was a constant factor in the Federal plan of campaign. ”

“ Tyler's cavalry was driven back with heavy loss. Jackson retained possession of the bridge by which Tyler and Frémont could unite, and next day he crossed the river to attack Tyler's two brigades. The engagement of the 9th of June is called the battle of Port Republic. Jackson with 13,000 men attacked Tyler with 3000 men, and Tyler, after stoutly resisting in the vain hope that the main body under Shields would come up from Conrad's Store or that Frémont would cross the river and fall upon Jackson, retired with a loss of some 800 men, leaving as many Confederates hors de combat. ”

“ At the beginning of December the weather threatened to interfere with movement and both sides began to send back troops to Petersburg. During the winter there were only cavalry raids and guerrilla warfare, and in February 1865 the infantry remaining on each side was less than a strong division. Sheridan seized the opportunity to advance with 10,000 cavalry. Early delayed this advance with his cavalry, while he evacuated Staunton; he called up a brigade to defend Lynchburg and proceeded to Waynesboro to await developments. ”

“ Meanwhile General Banks had been ordered by President Lincoln to fall back from Newmarket, to send Shields's division to reinforce General McDowell at Fredericksburg, to garrison Front Royal and to entrench the remainder of his command at Strasburg: and in this situation the enemy found him on the 22nd of May. Jackson's opportunity had come to destroy Banks's force completely. The Confederates numbered 16,000, the Federals only 6000 men. Jackson availed himself of the Luray Valley route to intercept Banks after capturing the post at Front Royal. ”

“ In the result these troops were repulsed with a loss of 6000 men, a circumstance hardly to be wondered at, since McClellan had entrenched eight divisions on the strongest position in the country, and was aided by his siege artillery and also by a flanking fire from his gunboats on the river near Haxall’s Landing. General Lee’s offensive operations now ended, though Stuart’s cavalry rejoined the main army at night and followed the enemy on July 2 to Evelington Heights, while Lee rested his army. ”

“ Longstreet was supported by A. P. Hill and together they lost 3200 men; it was hoped that Jackson’s corps would come up during the engagement and attack the enemy’s rear, and Huger’s division assail his right, but Federal artillery stopped Huger, and of Jackson’s three divisions only one came into action. Magruder and Holmes were engaged to their own advantage at Turkey Bridge. Longstreet and Hill were thus opposed to five Federal divisions, while General McClellan was pushing his wagons forward to Malvern Hill, on which strong position the Army of the Potomac was concentrated at nightfall. ”

“ He complains that his troops took to plundering, that his regimental officers were incapable; and it is always the Federal cavalry that cause panic by threatening to charge; he has to confess that with a whole day before him he could neither complete his victory nor take up a position for defence, nor even retreat in good order with the spoils of battle. Sheridan had, it seems, actually put Wright's corps in march for Petersburg when news of Early's advance down the Valley reached him ”

“ On June 28 complete inactivity supervened among the Confederates north of the Chickahominy save that Stuart’s cavalry and Ewell’s division were advanced as far as the railway to reconnoitre, but on this day McClellan was making good his retreat southwards to the James with little interference, for Magruder was instructed to “hold his lines at all hazards,” and accordingly acted on the defensive except that Jones’s division opposed a Federal division under W. F. Smith near Fair Oaks. ”

“ Sheridan at this juncture was called to Washington to consult Halleck, the “ chief of staff,” on the 16th of October in reference to his future movements: for Halleck claimed to control Sheridan and often modified Grant's instructions to his subordinate. Before Sheridan could rejoin his army on the 19th of October Early had attacked and routed it, but Sheridan met the fugitives and rallied them with the cry: “ We must face the other way.” He found Getty's division and the cavalry acting as rear-guard, and resolved to attack as soon as his troops could be reorganized. ”

“ Grant then detached Sheridan to join Hunter at Charlottesville, but Lee sent Hampton's cavalry by a shorter route to intercept Sheridan, and a battle at Trevillian Station compelled Sheridan to return and leave Hunter to his fate. The losses in this cavalry combat exceeded 1000, for the dense woods, the use of barricades and the armament of the mounted troops caused both sides to fight on foot until lack of ammunition brought the action to an end. ”

“ Creek. he had discovered that all positions in the Valley could be turned, that the open country favoured the shock tactics of the Federal cavalry, and so placed his own cavalry at a disadvantage, who, he declared, could not by dismounted action withstand attacks by superior numbers with the arme blanche. In these circumstances it would appear that Early showed great enterprise in following Sheridan down to Strasburg on the 13th of October “ to thwart his purposes if he should contemplate moving across the Ridge or sending troops to Grant.” ”