National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-05-06

Walkers narrative of the stirring |
campaign in which Sheridan soon
won the confidence of those who had
most distrusted him and our few
comments shall be on the battles of !
the Opequan, Fishers Hill, and Ce-
dar Creek. Col. Walker says it was
noon before Sheridan advanced his
line of battle on the 10Th of Sep
tember, at the Opequan. From va
rions causes of delay it was nearly
noon, it is true, and Early's army
was not caught unpIepared or divld-
ed. Sheridan reported that it was
not until "pelhaps nine O'Clock"
that the order to advance was given,
and Early says that tho attack on
his lines was made "abOut ten.H-
These Generals were busy and time
flew by them fast. Twenty minutes
past eleven was the hour, as numer-
Gus subordinate commanders have
agreed in testifying. Why this first
advance was not successful, but ter
ribly otherwise, Col. Walker plainly
shows by simply describing what
happened in his own brigade. What
could General do when nearly all
his troops, his best with his worst,
ignored the line of battle and for
sook it, and took to fighting by brig
AIDES and regiments, some fighting
the enemy, some fighting the air.
Sheridan, not being superhuman
and able by omnlpresence to pre-
vent such madness, could only be
As much of Il man as was possible
while his rash soldiers took the vic
tory into their own hands, and
plunging disordered into woods and
ravines, soon left it in the hands of
Early. who buried out from his lines
superb, audacious cOuntercharge.
That Sheridan won the victory back
again later i'll the day, is a feather
in his cap quite as fine as that OF
Cedar Creek. His army at the Ope-
f guam was for a time in very little
better care than he found it on the
, 10Th of October, after his famous
ride.
, Col. Walkers account of the bat.
tie of Fishers Hill is excellent. 1t
. puts in II clear light the ingenious
and daShing manpVres by means OF
, which Sheridan, with tritling loss.
routed Early from an almost imNreg,
nable fortress, which nature had
provided by closing in the mountains
. till the valley, compressed into bill
lowy nights, hardly burst through
the gap. "A half written letter,
saws Col. Walker, "iound in tn.
works after we had carried them
f spoke of the rebel army as sccur,
, in haven of rest" We doubt i
. any participant on either side will
w"ite a very much better description
than Col. Walkers of this battle.
The best tribute we can pay tC
i, "the Vermont Brigade at parting
/. is to say that it stood fast at Cedar
i, Creek with Getty'S division whel
| all the rest of the infantry Ii ld crum
: bled away to the rear. Sheridan
\ on coming up, found only this diNis
t ion, besides the cavalry, confrontin.
g the enemy and if it had not beer
t for Gettv's troops, Sheridan coulC
e scarcely have kept his promise t.
IF the retrcating soldiers he met on th'
r. road, that they should sleep in th'
|. old camps that night. The wortl
:. of Getty has not been sufficient,
II noiSed abroad. The trumpet of fam
q which blared so many names @
a. nnVOh hor"os in our war has been al
IS most silent III his praise. He alway
T. proved himself to be most excel
II lent soldier; and ut Cedar Creek
with a lost battle raging around hin
e he was a model even for the Vcl
>. monterS to copy. He kept II grea
}. defeat alive until Il world iamou
r. victory flashed up from it.
Y Col. Walker vcXcs himself wit
d the question: What was the rclativ
Y strength of Sheridan and Early
It forces We will not follow him in
=. to that. There is no record yc
q available to show what Early
a strength for battle really was. |
{. is true, we think, that Sheridan
/. army outnumbcred his, from first I
$ last, but this dctracts nothing tror
|. the merit of the Union General
a If it was demanded of Sheridan
:. that he should answer for his supo
@ rior numbers in overwhelming sue
!, cess, the anuihilatcd army of Eal
t ly is an eloquent witness how wei
|. this demand was met.