The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-11-17
The Strangest Battle of the War.


Quad in the Detroit Free Press.
There is quaintness about Staasburg to
delight the tourist. The blue-topped hills
look down upon it from every side, and the
highways wind over the ridges and through
the valleys amid the most romantic scenery.
Sixteen years have worked but little
change. No name Creek has new bridge
In the town, and here and there are new
buildings, but in the main it is the same
quiet village which was aroused one October
morning by the shouts and yells OF one of
the most singular battles OF the war. ssEe
FISHERS HILL.
Early had been pushed out OF Winchester
TO Fishers Hill, defeated there and driven
to the mountains. and then Sheridan s
whole army moved up to within three miles
OF Strasburg and rested. Early received re-
Inducements and returned to Fishers Hill,
and his pickets covered the MiddletOwn
pike beyond the town. Never did two arm
les hold better defensive positions. An at
| tack by either was almost certain OF defeat.
Sheridan held three ridges beginning where
Cedar Creek empties into the North Fork
OF the Shenandoah, and ending five miles
diagonally across the valley. BreastwOrks
were thrown up to defend every available
point. and he who rides among them will
Early had less Notifications, bur stronger
natural positions,an the dogs Of war looked
across the neutral ground and growled at
aud dared each other to strike the first blow.
BY THE FLANK.
| The defeat at Winchester ranked and
stung. The defeat at Fishers Hill nerved
Early to desperation. He wanted to strike
sheridan blow in revenge, but he would
not have dared it in front, even had their
Numbers been equal. Ten thousand men
in either position could have beaten back an
attack by three times that number. The
Massanutton Mountain, beginning properly
at Fishers Hill, or continuing from that,
| sweeps around to the south and southeast
Of the town, and the end was the left of
Sheridan's first line. Its sides are jungle
and forest and rock and ravine. At its base
flows Cedar Greek. History says blind
and forgotten road followed the windings
Of the creek. Let historians travel it and
correct their error. Some of EarIy's staff
officers and signal corps men made a ride OF
ten miles one day to look down on Sheli-
! dan s camps. From their eyrie among the
clouds they could see every tent and can
| non and army wagon. II an army could
move down the base of the grim old noun
tain and strike the Union lines on the flank
something must happen. 1t was daring
| project. Armies may seek the shelter of
woods and ravines. but they march by high.
ways and through open fields Early's army
was to march through pine Jungle, with
out even daylight to guide them.
INTO LINE
At sunset $1,000 infantry were called into
line at Fishers Hill and directed to prepare
for he march. 1t did not take them long
They had no overcoats to take off. Few had
4, IL, lon I,.~I,s Al
were taken of, cartridge boxes filed to the
brim, and as darkness settled down, they
the turned into jungle and the march had
begun.
oNTHE TRAIL
turned my horse into thetrail at O'Clock
in the morning. There was only blind path
made by cows and hogs winding around
great boulders, crossing and re-crossiug the
creek, and losing itself in the pines after
running mile. 1 can hardly credit that
from 5000 to 10000 Infantry crept along
this mountain side that dark October night.
1t is twilight under the pines even at noon
day. Trees have died and fallen this way
and that until my horse can no longer find
passage-way. Therefore turn him over to
the guide. to meet me at Sheridan's camp,
and push on afOot.
UNDER THE PINES.
Here on the mountain side could scarce
ly read the heading of newspaper at 10
O'Clock Of a bright September morning.
When the jungle bars the way and forces
me into the babbling creek the light is
II &c was midnight &d t6seling q loneliness
foot, and yet thousands Of menifels their
way over these rocks and twisted among
in from md st;ll not soc him 9,na single
lantarn ,vonld have hetraved them tn Sher-
ia ~ Ill 80 of.r;,,h+ ~ ,hat ,st;,,
night wonld have haan followed hv disaster
"'eA' -. ~
SOFTLY SOFTLY
So whispered the rebel officers as the lines
dragged themselves over the rocks and
through the pines and across the creek
Men fell over banks ten feet high, or slipped
from these rocks and brought up far below,
but net gun was discharged nor curse
uttered above whisper. Here are grape
vines which were cut in two and pulled
aside to let men pass. Here are dead pines
uprooted as ten thousand hands grasped
them as support up the steep bank AS
mount huge boulder ana peer TO the
| right and left to discover traces OF the way
an evi'-ioohlhs snare rises up aMohg Gie
mo distnrhad and slowly wriyoias awsv in
ths., direcr;nn - tho nn;sv orosk Pr,,;sad
h, tho rockS and wonndo3 hv tba lin, he ond
% ny darLness nnsbr ~ 1no ' one and
III t,.e U "a - Tar1 e .a;1a.1 1us o"o anu
an '"0 "'0n u A4"''S 'oieu on'
A STRANGE NIGHT
1t must have been 60 them. 1t took me six
| hours of the hardest work, each step made
| by daylight to traverse the route they passed
over in eight or nine hours by night. When
| at last, two hours before daylight, they
emerged from the pine jungles ard de-
bouched into the valley, not one man from
| all the thousands had been left behind It.
was march OF spectres across the valley.
H Hal1 mlle away We're eherldan,s pickets;
Tue neig'lng OF oattery horses was waIeeo
uo"h Ihe valley 10 the ears OF the men III
gray as they extended their lines across the
federai nank. Camp-hres could be seen on
the hili-slaes. anu once a whole brigade
dropped to the earth and hardly breathed as
lone horse came gallopng over the stony
held to md companionship. On, on, on,
and by and by that gray line halted to wait
for daylight 1t was fairly on the left flank
OF Sheriden's first line of camps, and within
musket-shot of 10000 sleeping men, whose
first awaking was to be from crash of mus
kerry and the fierce yells of assault.
| TIE CENTRE AND LEFT.
1