Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-05-27
MARFInsnuRa, VA, MAY 90. lss4!!- 4

MARTlHsauRe, Va. May 90. 1854.
In order 70 o proper. understanding Q
the movements Of Gen. .Siget np the VallsI
Of the ShepRndo doah, It ist accessory TO ooh
slider them % . part OF comprehenSIV,
strat6s lie plan. His column of ode ldfviSfol
Of e4ySirY. under Col. Taylor aud one dlTis
ion of 4ntautry under Brig. Gen, Sullivan
was commandSd BY Major General Uliul
Stahel. It VSs simply a.eorps of obserVa
ton, and Was notIexpect6d 70 proceed uI
the valley further t5an -0edAr Cheek Of
lFMiddletoWn. Tho main portion of G6deFa
Sigel' command had been sent nnfG IN 81
II pedition under. Brig. Gsns Crook up fhl
A Ranawha,Valleysto1 10 destroy 9 portion TIL
Virginia aud STehnessee Railroad. Thu
column consisted of aelected troopsa and
included GldiTigi6h OF icAIalEy under Big
lGene ASarplll 1T sell paEt9pt thal
the isFPs ll'99 Ssog'd Ipooeedl os, 10 |ofcel
ImoTed M the Shonahdoah, thfeSkeh6d
II ltSt6uhton, aud exposed readiness 70 give
or receive battle HID stt not been for thib
\ DEMONSTRATION; all The forces Of the enemy
would have nnited against Gen. Crook. and
theh been thrown against General Sigel,
neither Of. which teommands could shaye
4 resisted on assault from 8qchI pYeFWhelm:
ing gsodds!J We gaFo,S therefore, forced I'd
coneede that Gen. Siget's eonBummete skill
secured the sucoess ottths expedition under
Gen, Crook, and prevented the re- enforce.
ment Of Lee by The troops under Breokin.
ridge, which would have bsen done had not
this mosement Or Gen, Sigers taken place,
since Breckinridge's dlited forces could
easily have. crushed Crook aud Sigel; s1es
cessiVely, and then have gomez 10 tho aid of
Les. a .V.'i @ .t n ~
Viewed in this light the repulse Of Gen,
Sigel At NEWMARKET canuot DO regarded in
any true sense sassa JdisAbtsr, while his
comprehensive Strategic plan was one of
the best devised and most successfully e1=
eeesed, q theFaE: ID Sft3C5 q
fHR EHoAaIKlHTs OF THI l4rH. AID l5rH.
A gentleman who was on the field dur
ing the whole Of the, fighting on the l4th
and 18th inst, said to me: 81 have been In
all the battles in the Valley of Yirginia-I
Was in the engagements at Winchester bez
tween Gems Shields and Jackson; Banksaud
Jackson; and Milroy and ,EWell-I. was ct
the; battles Of BalIs Bluf and Cedar Monn-
taiu, aud ct the first aud second battles Of
Bull Run-hut IdhAye never, Witnessed 81
more desperate engagement than that Of
the 18TH near New lMarket.n Major Quinn
iSA SAg A0S EsoN NT4VEA S1NadAyS WIZ AAS 00p1
in most of the battles in this valley, de-
,clareS the Samesj,q t5..sl5r ,s.-..
Several skirmishes had taken place dutS
ing the march Of the column from Middle-
town to Mount Jackson, and Moseby's
guerrilla band 6aa been driven out OF the
valley, aud ii ttlIs Direction of Gntperrsr.
ibYiIl .S4efaehmenk OF our casalry1sW Whieh
iWass placed under Colonel BSy1 ofs the
'3fSt PeI6sy I9Anis 9leivalfS, SI6 svl6sl
spending ten dsys' leave of absence in
this department Nothing serious, hoWev.
er, occurred until Saturday, the 18th inst,
when small portion of our cavalry and
infantry drove the rebels under Imboden
from near Mount Jackson through New
Market, and three or four miles beyond, 1mi
bodep's forces consisted Of about l. 500
old troops aud several detachments of home
guardB'hom the neigh boring countitD mum.
6eripg. about ], 5000, making his command
about I, 900 strong. .E.Io5t,,5-
During Saturday aud Saturday, ght the
entiSe division Of BreckinridR Re WRsb brought
up from Staunton, and on Sunday morn
ing about 10 o'clock his skirmishers were
ss3n nGdTancing!6 todf fight, R.little To the
west of New Market. His command con.
sisted Of the troops Of Brigadier Generals
W. L. JacEson MudWall,) Echols, and
Imboden, estimated 9atl from 10000 70
|tI6, 600 men, and from fifteen TO nineteen
pieces = Of srtilIery. His infantry Were
drawn up in three extended lines,
each line under command Of its respective
general, on three rises Of ground; !; 10 the
west of NeW, Market, between the pike end
the Shenandosh River: One OF these lines
was depIoyed 10 the LIFT e, occupy 8 blight
ravf68, f6F. the purpose 7of fanking our
rightYiugipr Of surprising one otiouEbat-
n nVyF n N n tho,