Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-07-22
[Publishod BY reausst.I ss
The Evacuation of Winchester.
A Defense OF GeneFaTMnFOy-A True
y. - - D. Statement. x
Rlom the BaItImOre AnerIcap.

~ RIOIn the Baltimore American. nrrtlEr.f
The eagerness with which certain papers
in the country have seized upon the first
pretext to assail the reputation of a true
and tried soldier, aud the relentless ymalig-
nifty with which they continue their as
saults, and that in reckless disregard of
truth and apparent disposition to remain
blind. to the real facts connected with the
military movements upon which they base
their charges-have induced men to place
before the country, through the medium of
your paper, some facts connected with
Milroy's defense of and final evacuation of
Winchester. ri arti I'D
In the report furnished the New York
Herald by its correspondent there is to
those who are acquainted with the facts,
one of two things evident: either woeful
ignorance on the part of the, correspondent,
for desire to injure the reputation of Gen.
Milroy. Whether the latter supposition is
correct facts will disclose. aal9al .r--
will only say, in this connection, that
the Herald's correspondent insinuates cow
ardice on the part of the General, while at
the same time any party so well posted as
he presumes to be, must have known that
from first to last Gen. Milroy was as much,
and most Of the time more, exposed to
danger than any officer or private in his
command. lrf44ls
Winchester being in an open level coun-
try, easily approached on three sides, is
naturally, in a military and strategic point
of view, a very weak point; but the fact
that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
which the Government has spent millions
in guarding, could not be held an hour if
Winchester was occupied by q rebel force,,
and the fact that it is the pathway to
Maryland, makes it point of great impcr.
tance; and the Notifications covering the
place had been so streDgthed that the Cen
l,eral felt Convinced that he could, as he had
for six months, hold the place against all
the rebels in. Virginia, west of the Blue
Ridge. s41 "a lr ..m5
Our effective force at Winchester was six
thousand seven hundred, including infan-
| try, cavalry and artillery. With this force
we could undoubtedly have held the place
against twice or thrice our numberr-as in
deed we did for three days against seven
times our number. 1t sproper to state in
this connection that General Milroy had
! orders not to keep on. hand stores or sup
plies of my kind, 1T being intimated that
in case q large for6e advanced up the val.
ley the garrison at Winchester would be
ordered to fall back on Harper's Ferry (;
and hence but five days. rations were at
any time kept on hand. But from the fact
that the Baltimore s. Ohio Railroad could
! be better guarded at this point than any
other, General Milroy was ordered to hold
it. ly q Tg Ta!Tnfs .raHyit3c.l
4 The General nor any Of his brother Of
fcers, among whom was Gen. Elliott, a
West Pointer, dreamed or had reason to
isuspect that Hooker was unable to keep the
army of Lee fully occupied; and the Cen
eral certainly had reason to believe that if
1 Lees army should be withdrawn from
4 [ ~. eh nFS nd nf
/ Gen. Halleck, would be apprized of the fact
lin time to order him to tall bach. ~ But in
all this Gen. Milroy was awIully deceived,
for the fact is, Lees army withdrew from
Hooker's front, and HRlleck seems to-have
\ known nothing of it until the two advance
i Icolumns Ofbthht army had passed through
4 the passes in the Blue Ridge, and sixty
thousand strosg surrounded Milroys force
at Winchester, some four days after. Ia
rOn,the 18th Instant Lees advance was
met on the Front Royal pike, twelve miles
Il east of Winchester land also on the Stras'
burg pike. An engagement. or rather
skirmish, ensued, our men killing and
4 Wounding a number, and taking thirty
! seven prisoners. This movement of the
enemy was regarded as . mere feint, 70 cover
= Stnaft's much talked of raid. ID y5liyp
On the next day the enemy advanced iu
strong force near town. on, both pixies
Istrong force holding also the road leading
Ito Msrtinsbnrg, north Of Winchester, thus
l.chttihP off all Communicated ion with thai
lplace, and, of course, interceptng our re-
Il treat nAt one time they advanced in two
lines, Eve or six thousand strong, across
the Strasbprg pike. They we're met by Oul
Iboys and handsomely Tepulseds POO 7fl.n-a Q.
The lighting ceased at dark and recon-
lmenced at daylight Sunday morning, and
skirmishinR, with continued cannonading
and occasional hard fighting with small
tafms. was Kept DIP Until o'clock, P, NJ,
! Iw6en a force Of, the, enemy twelve thohs-
4 sand strong, with batteries, advanced from
n the west against our outer works, which,
6 outstanding the mHFderous IRE of our
artillery and infantry, they carried BY
storm. They attempted to establish a
battery near these works, bat our guns
!, drove them Off tdismOuntiug one Of their
j guns and blowing mp one seaisson. Dark
ness now put an end to the conhict.f Our
stock Of provisions was nearly exhausted,
/ and the general became satisfied that the
enemy would mass his forces and plant
batteries on all sides of us for the fnal
1 | assault In the morning. A council of war
! Was called, in which itsHas determined to
evacuate the place. ,ssoitg ss.-itrs ..
{ The enemy were lying so near that Il
was impossible 70 move either the wagons
: or artillery without giving the alarm. the
. general therefore ordered the guns spiked
: and the ammunition thrown into The els.
Il tern OF SSgatered, Gnd about two o'cloekour
! force left the foFtifcationA 90 fs'.i
t1 Four miles from Winchester, on the
fMaEdnsburg road, we encountered rebel