USA > Pennsylvania > The Twenty-second Pennsylvania cavalry and the Ringgold battalion, 1861-1865; > Part 43
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
Sheridan had now been on the field something over two hours. busily getting his lines formed preliminary to one general attack. During this time, there was a lull in the battle. The enemy had be- come considerably demoralized; many of their men left the ranks to loot the Federal camps.
Sheridan began to feel that he was about ready to advance. Before doing so, he thought best to take a look at the enemy to see what he was doing, so he rode to an elevated position on the left, where he could see down the entire line. He saw immediately that they were forming for attack.
* * ' Major Forsyth now suggested that it would be well to ride along the line of battle before the enemy assailed us, for, although the troops had learned of my return, but few of them had seen me. Following his suggestion, I started in behind the men, but when a few paces had been taken, I crossed over to the front and, hat in hand, passed along the entire infantry line; it is from this circum- stance that many of the officers and men who then received me with such heartiness, have since supposed that was my first appearance on the field." It was now considerably after mid-day.
Sheridan now arranged his lines and prepared to attack. About this time, the Confederates advanced to the attack and made an assault on the 19th Corps, but Emory repulsed them promptly and easily. This repulse of the enemy assured Sheridan of his ability to take the offensive, and also restored the confidence of the troops in themselves. Sheridan now decided to suspend the fighting until our thin ranks were strengthened by the men, who were continually coming up from the rear, and particularly until Crook's troops could be assembled on the extreme left. He had supposed that Long- street's Corps was opposing him, and now, during the lull in the battle, determined to find out by capturing some prisoners. General Merritt, who at this time was on the left, was directed to charge an exposed battery of the enemy and bring off some prisoners. Mer- ritt executed the order most successfully, almost reaching the enemy before they were aware of the attack, bringing back with him a number of prisoners. From these it was learned that Long- street's Corps was not with Early, except Kershaw's Division, which had joined him at Brown's Gap. Then another report reached Sheri-
* Sheridan's Memoirs.
423
THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
dan to the effect that a large body of the enemy had come in by way of Front Royal and advanced against Powell and were driving him back on Winchester, endangering our rear. Sheridan gave little cre- dence to this report, but, to be on the safe side against such a possi- bility, sent * Moore's Brigade of cavalry, which was on our extreme left, to reinforce Powell's Division ; and also sent a courier to Powell, who returned with the information that the report was false. All this took time and consequently delayed our attack.
THE ATTACK.
Sheridan says: "Between half-past three and four o'clock, I was ready to assail, and decided to do so by advancing my infantry line in a swinging movement, so as to gain the Valley Pike with my right between Middletown and the Belle Grove House ; and when the order was passed along, the men pushed steadily along with en- thusiasm and confidence.
" General Early's troops extended some little distance beyond our right and when my flank neared the over-lapping enemy, he turned on it with the effect of causing a momentary confusion, but General McMillin, quickly realizing the danger, broke the Confed- erates at the re-entering angle by a counter-charge with his brigade, doing his work so well that the enemy's flanking troops were cut off from their main body and left to shift for themselves.t
" Custer, who was then moving. in from the west side of Mid- dle Marsh Brook, followed McMillin's timely blow with a charge of cavalry, but before starting out on it, and while his men were forming, he came riding at full speed and threw his arms around my neck. By the time he had disengaged himself from this em- brace, the troops broken by McMillin had gained some little distance to the rear, but Custer's troopers sweeping across the Middletown meadows and down toward Cedar Creek, took many of them pris- oners before they reached the stream; so I forgave his delay.
" My whole line, as far as the eye could see, was now driving everything before it, from behind trees, stone walls, and all such shel- tering obstacles, so I rode toward the left to ascertain how matters
* This withdrawal of our brigade from the line of battle just before the final attack, was a great disappointment to our regiment, for the men scented victory and the probability of another stampede of the enemy like that at Fisher's Hill, and all wanted to be in at the finish.
7 General Early says: "A portion of the enemy had penetrated an interval which was between Evan's brigade on the extreme left, and the rest of the line, when that bt gade gave way, and Gordon's other brigades soon followed. Every effort was made to stop and rally Kershaw's and Ramseur's men, but the mass of them resisted all appeals and continued to go to the rear."
.
L
424 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
were getting on there. As I passed along behind the advancing troops, first General Grover and then Colonel Mckenzie rode up to welcome me; both were severely wounded, and I told them to leave the field, but they implored permission to remain until success was certain. When I reached the Valley pike, Crook had reorganized his men, and as I desired that they should take part in the fight, for they were the very same troops that had turned Early's flank at the Ope- quan (Winchester) and at Fisher's Hill, I ordered them to be pushed forward; and the alacrity and celerity with which they moved on Middletown, demonstrated that their ill-fortune of the morning had not sprung from lack of valor.
" Meanwhile, Lowell's Brigade of cavalry, which had been hold- ing on, dismounted, just north of Middletown, ever since the time I arrived from Winchester, fell to the rear for the purpose of getting their led horses. A momentary panic was caused in the nearest brig- ade of infantry by this withdrawal of Lowell, but as soon as his men were mounted, they charged the enemy clear up to the stonewalls in the edge of Middletown. At sight of this, the infantry renewed their attack, and the enemy's right gave way. The accomplished Lowell received his death wound in this courageous charge.
" All our troops were now moving on the retreating Confeder- ates, and as I rode to the front, Colonel Gibbs, who succeeded Lowell, made ready for another mounted charge, but I checked him from pressing the enemy's right in the hope that the swinging at- tack from my right would throw the Confederates to the east of the Valley pike, and hence off their line of retreat through Stras- burg to Fisher's Hill. The eagerness of the men soon frustrated this anticipation, however, the left insisting on keeping pace with the center and right, and all pushing ahead until we gained our camps at Cedar Creek. Beyond Cedar Creek at Strasburg, the pike makes a sharp turn to the west toward Fisher's Hill, and here, Merritt, uniting with Custer, they fell on the flank of the retreating columns, taking many prisoners, wagons and guns, among the prisoners being Major-General Ramseur, who, mortally wounded, died the next day."
Our infantry pursued the flying enemy on down to the banks of Cedar Creek, where leaving the further pursuit to the cavalry, the infantry sank down, worn out, after more than twelve hours of exhausting battle, many of the men without a morsel of food since the previous evening. The cavalry commands were now in their element ; the solid phalanxes of the enemy's infantry that ever
425
THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
defies a cavalry charge, were now knocked into a fleeing mob, running for their lives from fear of the " Yankee " cavalry that, for the last thirty days, had been a terror to them and their com- manding general.
Custer gathered up the Confederate brigade (Evan's) cut off from the enemy's left flank by McMillin's charge, and then came sweeping their left before him, making directly for the pike bridge over Cedar Creek; Merritt's Division soon joined him, and together they fell upon the flying "Rebels," rounding them up in hundreds. Thousands of the fugitives took to the fields and woods and got away. The enemy was hurrying up the Pike beyond Strasburg with his artillery, wagons and ambulances, when a bridge over the creek broke down, causing a great blockade of guns, caissons, wagons, am- bulances, etc. Before they could extricate themselves Torbert's cavalrymen were on them and "gobbled " the whole aggregation.
General Torbert says: "The cavalry advanced (about 4 P. M. ) on both flanks, side by side, with the infantry, charging the enemy's lines with an impetuosity which they could not withstand. The Rebel Army was soon routed and driven across Cedar Creek in confusion. The cavalry sweeping on -both flanks, crossed Cedar Creek at the same time, charged and broke the last line the enemy attempted to form, and then dashed ahead at full speed after their artillery and trains."
The twenty-four cannons, captured by the enemy in the morn- ing. were all retaken, and twenty-four more of Early's guns were captured, together with fifty-six of his ambulances, and the recap- ture of all of ours that he had taken; forty-six army wagons, 1844 horses, 156 mules, etc., etc., and some 1200 prisoners.
As heretofore stated. our third squadron, Companies E and F, about forty men in all, were on picket at Buckton Ford during the night of the 1Sth. Buckton Ford is about two miles farther down the Shenandoah River than Bowman's Ford, where a large part of the Confederate Army, under command of General Gordon, crossed at daylight of the 19th. It was also two miles distant from the camp of our brigade that night.
Captain J. Y. Chessrown was in command of this picket, Lieutenant B. F. Hassan being with Company F. Heavy firing, both artillery and musketry, was heard, and as the morning advanced it grew heavier. The sound seemed to be moving to the north.
On the return of a reconnoitering party which had been sent out from the squadron, the retreat of our army was fully estab-
426 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
lished, and it was decided to fall back and make an effort to find the regiment. The outposts were called in by Captain Chessrown, and the squadron put in motion. Proceeding through fields and patches of woodland to avoid running into a hostile force, they came suddenly within view of a column of troops marching along a ridge road which passed directly in our front and only a few hundred yards away. The morning was misty and foggy. Our men were on an obscure road in a wooded ravine, while their force was on a road running along high ground, and consequently could be seen more distinctly.
A halt and an investigation proved that it was a Confederate force, afterwards known to be a brigade of Lomax's Cavalry. They had also halted and were evidently endeavoring to discover whether our force was friend or foe.
Lieutenant Hassan says : "The squadron, Company E in front and F following, turned to the left into a lane which led to a farm- house, but soon turned out of that into a field, and proceeding a few rods, reached higher ground. About this time, James Crouch, Com- pany A, with another soldier, came riding rapidly over the hill from the direction of the Staunton Pike. We warned them not to go forward, telling them that the force in view belonged to the Rebel Army, but they, announcing that they had dispatches for General Powell, spurred forward down into the ravine, thence up the hill and right into the arms of the enemy. We were eye-wit- nesses to the whole transaction, and stood spellbound as we watched the boys handing over their guns.
" When Crouch was captured, the enemy seemed to awaken to the fact that they had failed to take advantage of an opportunity, for, with their superior force, they could have destroyed us. They now opened fire upon us and charged down the hill into the ravine from which we had just emerged. The field we were in extended to a piece of woods, and at this point, narrowed to a few rods. The enemy could not flank us because of deep gullies or ravines. Reach- ing the woods, we turned and gave them a volley, which checked those in front. They evidently feared an ambuscade and hesitated to charge into the woods. This hesitation on their part gave us time to withdraw in good order and without further molestation. In the skirmish, Sergeants William Hedge and Harry L. Fisher were wounded, the latter severely."
When the squadron finally reached our lines, the officers were warmly congratulated upon their escape by the adjutant-general,
.
3
427
THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
who knew they were cut off and supposed they had all been cap- tured.
General Powell, with the other brigade of our division, was eight miles down the river opposite Front Royal, keeping a watch- ful eye on the Luray Valley. In his report he says: "At daylight this A. M. (October 19th) I heard heavy artillery firing on my right. Held my command well in hand for any emergency. At 9 A. M., Captain Berry, of General Torbert's staff, brought me verbal orders to fall back at once, stating that the enemy was between me and our main force and some three miles in my rear on my right. I moved back slowly on the Front Royal and Winchester Pike. On my leaving Guard Hill, the enemy charged my picket line at South Branch Ford, but were repulsed with a loss of four men killed. The enemy's force on my rear, following at a respectful distance, was said to be Lomax's, Imboden's, Johnson's and McCausland's cav- alry, 3,000 strong.
"On my arrival at the Cross Roads leading to Winchester, I formed line of battle with a view of attacking the enemy on his approach. Before the enemy arrived, I was ordered by General Torbert to join him at once, which I did by moving across to New- town. Reporting to General Torbert the movements of the enemy on the Front Royal and Winchester Pike, I was ordered to move my command back to the Cross Roads and prevent the advance of the enemy."
General Torbert, continuing his report, says: " Darkness alone saved the greater part of the Rebel Army from capture, for there never were men who displayed more fear of cavalry than they did upon this occasion. The service of the cavalry this day to the army and to the country can never be too highly appreciated. I take pleasure in expressing my sincere thanks to division commanders and their commands for the hearty co-operation given to me and to each other. When such feelings exist, success must attend our efforts ; and yours has been such that in future you can revert with pleasure to the fact that you belonged to the cavalry of the Middle Military Division, and participated in the successful campaign of Major-General Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley."
President Lincoln wired the following congratulations :
428 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
Executive Mansion, Washington,
October 22, 1864.
Major-General Sheridan :
With great pleasure I tender you and your brave army the thanks of the nation and my own personal admiration and gratitude for the month's operations in the Shenandoah Valley, and especially for the splendid work of October 19, 1864.
Your obedient servant,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, October 22, 1864.
General Order, No. 282.
Ordered by the President :
That for the personal gallantry, military skill and just confi- dence in the courage and patriotism of his troops, displayed by Philip H. Sheridan on the 19th day of October at Cedar Run (Creek) whereby, under the blessing of Providence, his routed army was reorganized, a great national disaster averted, and a brilliant victory achieved over the Rebels for the third time in pitched battle within thirty days, Philip H. Sheridan is appointed Major-General in the United States Army, to rank as such from the 8th day of November, 1864. By order of the President of the United States.
E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General.
On February 11, 1865, Congress, then in session, passed a joint resolution, tendering the thanks of that body to General Sheridan and the officers and men under his command, "For the gallantry. military skill and courage displayed in the brilliant series of victories achieved by them in the Valley of the Shenandoah, etc."
Sheridan says: "The battle practically ended the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. When it opened, we found our enemy boastful and confident, unwilling to acknowledge that the soldiers of the Union were their equal in courage and manliness; when it closed with Cedar Creek, this impression had been removed from their minds. and gave place to good sense and a strong desire to quit fighting. The very best troops of the Confederacy had not only been defeated, but had been routed in successive engagements, until their spirit and esperit were destroyed. In obtaining these results, how- ever, our loss in officers and men was severe."
429
THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
Early's exhausted, broken and de- moralized army rested a few hours at Fisher's Hill and then hurried on in the night to New Market, leaving a rear- guard of cavalry at Fisher's Hill, which our cavalry chased on up to Woodstock in the morning.
* " Among the officers killed in this engagement were the brave and accom- plished Colonels Lowell and Thoburn, warm friends of our regiment, under both of whom we had served, and to whom we were very much attached. Colonel Joseph Thoburn (a brother to Bishop Thoburn of the M. E. Church, missionary to India), was colonel of the First West Virginia Infantry (General Col. Joseph Thoburn. B. F. Kelley's regiment), and was now in command of the 1st Divis- ion of Crook's Sth Corps. While engaged in efforts to rally and re- form his division near Middletown, he was assailed by the enemy's cavalry, wearing United States Army blue overcoats, which disguise enabled them to approach without exciting his suspicion ; he received a mortal wound, from which he died next morning. Our battalion had served under him at Petersburg, West Virginia, during the win- ter of 1863-4. At his request and with his letter of endoresment. I visited Governor Curtin and had the regiment organized."
Colonel Charles R. Lowell, Jr., of the 2nd Massachusetts Cav- alry, was commanding the Regular Brigade, which had reinforced us on the left in the morning. He was slightly wounded earlier in the day, but refused to leave the field. In one of the final charges at the head of his brigade, he was mortally wounded. He was a nephew of James Russell Lowell, the poet, and was an accomplished scholar and gentleman. Torbert says, "He was the beau ideal of a cavalry officer and his memory will never die in the command." Our regiment served under his command in August during Sheridan's first advance to Winchester and Cedar Creek, and in the return to Harper's Ferry ; he was greatly admired by our men for his bravery, dash and coolness in presence of the enemy.
Our regiment joined the brigade with General Powell at Cross
* Colonel A. J. Greenfield.
430 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
Roads, where we camped for the night. Next morning the brigade moved forward to Cedarville and learned that the enemy had fallen back to Milford, a very strong position, where a few days later, Powell attacked him in force, but was unable to dislodge him.
On the evening of the 21st, Colonel Greenfield received orders to report to General Torbert with the regiment at seven o'clock next morning, when he was ordered to escort a large wagon train to Martinsburg, and there report to General Seward, for duty.
CHAPTER XXX.
AFTER THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
October 22. It rained some during the night and this day was cold and windy. Our regiment moved over nearly to Middletown, and there, joined by a squadron of New York Cavalry, started as guard to a very large wagon-train going to Martinsburg. There were several hundred wagons and they marched in two columns, that is, two abreast. The wagons were filled with wounded men being sent back to the railroad. Arrived at Winchester after night. Parked the train and camped nearby. The wind was very cold, and the wounded suffered much. We tore up garden fences and made fires.
October 23. Started the train early ; jogged along all day and reached Martinsburg before dark. Camped in Falkner's woods. Colonel Greenfield reported to General Seward,* who told him that Moseby was at Bunker Hill that morning, evidently waiting for our train; if so, he failed to show up. There were three regiments of infantry here, but no other cavalry. Next day, rested here; ex- cept a few small details for duty, and one squadron for train- guard to Winchester; this was under command of Lieutenant B. F. Hassan, the same squadron that had been on picket at Buck- ton Ford the night and morning of the battle of Cedar Creek, and had such a narrow escape from capture. When this squadron got back to the army on that afternoon of the battle (19th) they were almost immediately detailed to guard a wagon-train back to Win- chester, and the next day, (20th) they were ordered by Colonel Edwards, commanding the post at Winchester, to convoy a wagon- train to Martinsburg. Lieutenant Hassan, in command of this
* Brig .- Gen. Wm. H. Seward, in command at Martinsburg, was a son of Wm. H. Seward, Secretary of State.
431
AFTER THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
squadron, returned to Winchester on the 24th in charge of a wagon- train loaded with supplies. On this trip to Winchester, under pro- tection of the train-guard, was General Neill on his way to join Sheridan's Army. Camped at Winchester that night. Next morn- ing, 25th, Hassan was ordered to return to Martinsburg in charge of a few wagons, among which was a paymaster's light ambulance wagon, and accompanied by General A. N. Duffee and Captain Roome, the latter wounded. About a week prior to this, a wagon- train on its way to Winchester, had been attacked by Colonel Moseby; as he and his forces were reported to be still in that part of the country, twenty-five men from the 17th Pennsylvania Cav- alry were added to Hassan's force, thus bringing it up to fifty-five men. The train left Winchester about nine o'clock, and when a few miles from that place, General Duffee asked for a detail of ten men, and with these as an escort, he and Captain Roome, in the light wagon, moved rapidly forward.
Soon after leaving the main body, and when they were per- haps a mile and a half in advance they were attacked by Moseby, and Duffee and Roome were captured. The escort of ten men succeeded in getting away and soon after rejoined the squadron. Hassan, upon hearing the distant firing, suspected the cause and immediately sent a messenger back to Winchester to report ; he then hurried forward with the greater part of his force, after making proper provision for the safety of his train.
Arriving at the scene of the conflict, it was found that Moseby had disappeared with his captives, and, as usual, had divided his command and sent them on different roads and paths to come to- gether at some prearranged rendezvous. From the best informa- tion obtained, his force amounted to about three hundred men. This estimate is confirmed in his report to General Lee. He had been lying in hiding a little off the road, and when the wagon and its es- cort came up, he dashed out and made the attack as above stated. William Starr, of Company E, one of the youngest boys in the regi- ment, was killed. Lieutenant Hassan proceeded with the train, reaching Martinsburg during the night.
When the report of this capture reached Colonel Edwards, commanding at Winchester, he sent out two strong scouts, the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry and 49th Pennsylvania Infantry, to scour the country eastwards toward the Shenandoah River, in the hope of recapturing the prisoners, but the wily fox eluded pursuit.
October 26, 1864. Moved our camp to-day to a hill on the
432 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
northeast side of the town (Martinsburg) and camped in regular military style. It looks as though our regiment is to be stationed here. Moseby's cominand of 300 or more guerrillas are prowling about continually between this and the army, and strong escort- are required to protect trains. We drew a full supply of clothing, blankets, etc., and also picks and axes.
.October 27. A heavy detail from our regiment sent with train to Winchester. Lieutenant Joe. Lane is officer of the day in camp.
October 28. Rained heavily last night; we have not drawn tents yet and consequently the men got very wet. Some of us skipped camp at midnight and took shelter in houses. Captain Mc- Nulty drew thirty more Spencer seven-shooter carbines for the men of our company (C). We also drew canteens and haversacks. many of our men having lost all that paraphernalia in the campaign. Men not on duty are fixing up camp.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.