The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-22
sHERIDAN's VICTORY IN THE VALLEY


The clear supplementary reports which I've
publish this morning from our special cores.
pondents and from official sources, so far from
detrRcting from the Importance of Sheridan's
victory, do but illustrate the carefully conceived
plans, the matured purpose the resolutc action,
and the matchess yalor by which the national
army achieved its triumph. The modest state
ment of Sheridan does scant justice to the bril-
liancy of the achievement, but In truth the story
needs no colOrng In its simplest and baldest
form, II supplies record of skiIful generalship
executive energy and decision such as will well
compare with the most brilliant of the war.
Even the partial miscarriage (for in every
grand engagement there will be some miscar-
riigO) OF one part OF the commanding generals
plan OF action only brings into strong relief
the qnickness OF his perception, the wealth of
his resources as tacticdn, aud, above all, that
lfeadiness OF decision 70 which the foremost of
.fEngsh generals attributed his success. The
NineteeBth Corps should have come up with the
Sixth at Opequan creek two hours earlier thlu IL
did. To an iTe;olute or purblind leader those
two hours would have Leen fatal.
To Sheridan they brought inspiration. Resign
ing his first plan Of striking ouC heavily with nis
left on the extreme right Hank Of .ie enemy aud
getting in his rear a Winchester he ordered as
powerful diversion as could be made by our
cavalry on the enemy's left, between Dlrke3Yille
and Bunker Hill. BY this Early was prevented
Atrom striking the isolated Sixth with sufficient
force to turn those critical hours TO account.
D The three corps (Wrght's, EmOry's, and
CrOOks), in spite of all the delay, were cOncen-
trated across the Opequan in ample time TO hurl
back the powerful force now thrown out from
Earlys right, and thenceforward the tide of vic
tory rolled on with uninterrupted success. How
perfect in all its details, how tar-reachng in It's
results, this uiumDh will prove 10 be, we shall
learn anon. Sheridan is not TO allow the grass
70 grow under the feet OF his army. The battle Of
Monday ended at near sundown, and weary, worn
as his men must have been, they seem to have
taken up the line of march with scarce an hours
interval of repose.
~ BY three o'clock on Tuesday, Sheridan had
#puIsued the retTeatng Rebels almost 10 Strds-
yDurR. In spite OF this vigorous pursuit, however
the routed army, shattered and broken as il was
and relieved Of most OF its many membranes
would seem to have made sufficient use of its legs
kto avoid a second battle. The official report
represents it as altogether demOralized-a fact
entirely apprecable when we read in the latest
kilograms that seven of Early's best Generals are
either killed or put out OF the field.
II These generals include such names as Rhodes,
1tamseur, Gordon, Terry, Goodwin, Bradley
Johnson and l'itzhugh Lee. And along with
Lhtse there fell In battle or were captured of the
I.eoel rank and file not fewer than six thousand
IL Is 10 premature to speculate as to the imme-
ulale Huls which will follow this decisive vic
IoIy, ~ seems, however that the Richmond
PIess nus some foreshadowings of what may
shortly come to pass from the words of warniny
given 20 the people of Richmond only two J1vS
before the opening of the battle on Monday.