Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-04-07
The, Valley Raid Of 1864.

"A writer IN the NelCS OF yesterday Slgne d
'Veritas, on the "Vandalism" of the
Hunter raid, in the Valley in 1864, presents
some important facts of which we confess our
selves have been ignorant, and do not re-
member ever to have seen published before.
We had always been under the impression,
and think; the public have been also, that
Gen. Sheridan was the originator of that
celebrated and Infamous order that 'sthe
Valley should be so desolated that crow
flying overit would have to carry its ra-
tions. !" But it now appears, we confess to
our regret that it really emanated from
Gen. Grant himself in his instructions to
Gen. Halleck, and that the vandalism
which Sheridan as we'll as Hunter practced
in the raid in the Valley had his endorse
ment and were in obedience to his orders.
AS the facts bearing upon this subject are
of important historical as well as local in
terest, we will permit ''Veritas'' to state
then; in his own language, as the author is
thcfoaghly psssed upon al suc.l subjects:
Gas to what Hunters precise orders
were when he moved up the Valley, there
has been no publication of them that the
writer is aware of. Grant, in his official
report says, after mentioning Hunters ar
rival in front of Lynchburg; up to this
time he was very successful, and but for
ordnance stores over SO long a march,
through hostile country, he would no
doubt have captured that (to the enemy
important point The destruction of the
enemy's supplies and manufactures was
very great He further says: Il have nev-
er taken exceptions to the operation of
General Hunter, and am not now disposed
to find fault with him, for have no doubt he |
acted within what he conceived to be the
spirit of the instructions and the interests |
of the service. The promptitude of his
movements and his gallantry should entitle |
him to the commentator of his country
"What was the spirit of his instructions
may perhaps be gathered from other
sources There is book entitled The |
Shenandoah Valley in 1864, written by
Grorge E. Pond, associate editor of the |
Army and Many Journal, and published
in 1888 1t is written from the federal
standpoint, and the author had free access
to the official documents in the war record s |
office. Copying from them, on page N, he |
gives extracts from dispatch sent by Grant |
to Hal.eck, as General Early's troops were
retiring from Washington tosthe Valley,
as follows:
"'If the enemy has left Maryland he |
should have on his heels veterans, militia |
can be got to follow, to eat out Virginia,
clear and clean, as far as they go, so that
crows flying over it, for the balance of this
season, will have to carry their provender
with them
"On the same page is an extract from a
letter, written on the same day by Grant TO
Halleck, as follows:
"'Hunter should make all the Valley
south of the Baltimore and Ohio road q
desert as high up as possible. l do not
mean that houses should be burned, but
every particle of provisions and stock
should be removed, and the people notified
to move out.
sit will be thus seen that Sheridan is not
the author of the idea that the Valley
should be so desolated that crow flying
over it would have to carry its rations, but
he borrowed it from Grant and. merely
made slight change in the phraseology.
The idea that the Valley should be made
desert and the people ordered to move out,
but houses should not be burned, is a Curl
Gus one. to say the least of it. Of what use
would houses have been in an uninhabited
desert, and what would have protected them
from destruction in the absence of their
owners, if the people should ever be per-
mitted to return to them?
"In his official report made to Grants
chief of staff, Sheridan says:
81, therefore, on the morning of the 5th
of October QS64) commenced moving back,
stretching the cavalry across the Valley
from the Blue Ridge to the eastern slope
of the Aleghanies, with directions to burn
all forage and drive off all stock, etc., as
they moved to the rear, fully coinciding III
the views and instructions of the Lieuten-
ant-General (Grant) that the Valley should
be made q barren waste"
s'In dispatch from Sheridan to Grant,
he said: 4 have destroyed over 1000
barns, filled with wheat, hay and farming
implements; over 70 mills filled with flour
and wheat; have driven in front of the army
over four herd Of stock, and have killed and
issued to the troops not less than 5000
Sheep"
These facts put a very different phase up
on the history of the Valley campaign of
Hunter and Sheridan, and are certainly
very damaging to the reputation of Gen.
Grant, who had won before he died, and
has held since, high esteem in Virginia and
the South among our most conservative
people.
But still we say, '1et the dead bury its
dead" "-Lynchbnrg Advance.