Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-17
- Sharidan,s Rlde.o
TIE BIG BLACK HORSE AND HIS RIDER NOT A
MYTH-LETTER FROM AN EYE WITNESS
From the Baltimore American.

TIE BIG BLACK HORSE AND HIS RIDER NOT
MYTH-LETTER FROM AN EYE WITNESS.
From the Baltimore American.
Having been an eyewitness of Sheridan's
ride TO the front on the morning of October
18Th, 1854, am perhaps in a position TO make
some comment on the latter day historians
who proclaim that incident of the war to De
merely romantic fiction. The battle of Cedar
Creek had commenced in the early dawn, and
Sheridan was then at Winchester, on his re-
turn to his headquarters, after having been
summoned to Washington to attend a military
consultation which-aS was afterwards devel-
oped-settled the WORK of Shegidan's army in
dan and striking the left of the confederate
army around Richmond. As is well known,
on the night of the 18Th, Early had star ed his
Tire ops, and on the morning of the l0th Of 0ct0-
both 'he eighth and the nineteenth corps. l.
is perfectly true that early on The morn
ing of the 18th Sheridan heard at VIM
chester OF the disaster and started 70
in command of a detachment convoy
Ing large ammunition train from WincheS
ter to Cedar Creek. We had been harraSsed
by Mosby's cavalry on our way, who struck
us at frequent intervals between Martins burg.
Bunker Hill and Winchester. On the 18th we
started from Winchester before daylight. We
were not more than five miles from the town
when we heard the sharp cannonading that
denoted an action at the front Our train was
making toerably good time, and we were near
Middletown. when, on looking back, we per-
celved cloud OF dust in our rear upon the
turnpike. We had no idea what caused it
until Sheridan came into view from the sur
rounding cloud. He had been down to Wash
lngton, and consequently had on his uniform
OF major general which was covered with
dust. No Jockey on the last quarter of a four
mile heat ever rode harder than did Sheridan
as he Numbered down that Virginia pike on
his big black horse. His head was down hi )
body slightly inclined forward, and his soul
thrown into the race against time with the
fortunes of his army as the stake. AS he
drew near to us he perceived that our
train blocked the road, and that it would
require some time to clear it. He solved
the difficulty by cutting through an open field
to our left, and striking the road again after he
had got ahead of us. He had outriLi den almost
everybody who started with him from Win
chester. The only officer l remember recog-
niZng near him was General VIM. Z. FeSSen-
den, jr., OF Maine, who was some ten or fif-
teen lengths in Sheridan'S rear, and who af-
forwards told me that his own English mare
was present from his father, (SenatOr FeS-
Senden.) and was noted for speed but had no
chance alongside of Sheridan and his ire
mendous black. After these two, came Sheri-
dams staff officers, Stringng out in long
line, and all OF them pretty well tired out with
the pace he had set them since they left Win
chester. The cavalry escort was about hall a
mile in the rear, with their horses considera-
bly, blown. l have only written this much to
demonstrate by one witness, at least, that
Sheridans ride was an actuality and that 1t
deserves to be preserved among the annals of
the nObleSt acts OF American soldiers. Ii is a
strange coincidence that, side by side with the
effort to redeem FitZ John Porter, comes the
endeavor to belitte Sheridan. Let Porter have
justice, but don't think of plucking a leaf
| from the laurelS of Little Phil"
FELIX AGNUs,
Late Brevet Rrgadier General,
Nineteenth Army Corps.