Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-11-05

Clellan would enter Richmond, anC
wondering whether we would have {
chance to do any actual fighting be
/ fore the war closed. Thus it was ,un
til toward the latter part of June
when one night, Jackson, silently
moving through Luray Valley, came
into the Shenandoah Valley at Front
Royal, five miles to our rear, having
along with him twenty thousand
| fresher tracks than we had yet seen,
all of which were bound northward
We were not so much interested in
these tracks as we had been in those
older ones pointing southwark there
were so many of the newer ones, and
the circumstances of their appearing
were so unexpected aud embarrass-
ing that we unavoidably lost interest
in them. We, however, as eXpedi-
tiously as possible. put between this
north-bound southern horde and the
north pole about five thousand quick
ly made tracks, being all that Bank S
depleted army would muster. We
had some hard fighting on the old
Cedar Creek battle grounds to do
this. 1t is a wonder that so many of
us made our way through and around
such a superior force, but our ankle
ty under the circumstances TO let them
gaze on our tracks awhile, had no
doubt not little TO do in accomplish
ing the result. We succeeded in de-
stroying the military stores we were
unable to take with us, and with the
loss of comparatively a few men
reached Williamsport, Maryland, af-
ter marching and fighting day and
night for sixty hours. This perform
ance was called by the newspaper
correspondents, "Bank's Retreat"
When we were fairly north of the
enemy our principal work was to pro-
tect the trains. Our regiment acted
as rear guard, and while we gave
some blows, were Obliged TO take
more. 1t was our first serious cXpe-
rience under fire, and induced many
original reflections as to the necessity
and propriety of war. At Front Roy
al Jackson's advance was opposed by
a regiment of Maryland Infantry and
a part of the 9TH New York Cavalry.
This was all that prevented him from
occupying our rear and as it turned
out did not amount to any serious de-
lay. 1t was Friday night that Jack
son appeared at Front Royal, and
during the next day there was fight
ing most of the time at Cedar Creek
and Middletown, brought on by the
efforts of our army to pass the con-
federates at these points. About
dark Saturday, six companies Of our
regiment, some of the 9TH New York
Cavalry and some artillery were still
south of Jackson. 1t was impossible
TO make our way through his lines, SO
we withdrew and moved to the west
under the foot of the Allegheny
Mountains, and there took a road
parallel with the main road occupied
by the confederates, and moved with
all the celebrity consistent with keep
ing ourselves together and keeping
with the artillery. With the early
dawn of Sunday we reached Win
chester, and as we were Offering our
horses some forage, and eating some
thing ourselves, the first for over
thirty hours, we were reminded by
the rattle of musketry just outside the
town of Jackson's arrival. We went
into our saddles as quickly as we
knew how, starting out to meet the
sound of battle, for at last we were
on the right side of the enemy, to
fight, if such a thing should be deem
ed advisable. We found long lines
of infantry, heavy columns of caval-
ry, and artillery enough To blow
Banks handful over the. Blue Ridge.
We kept their attention long enough
to allow them TO get nicely ready for
battle, and our trains well under way
toward Martinsburg, when we with
drew under a severe fire with the loss
of few men, but not without re-
turning the compliment to the last
loaded gun on our side. We were
sorely crowded by the enemy nearly
all day Sunday, were obliged to make
occasional stands to save the trains,
cavalry brushes, in
which little affairs no one was hurt
unless it was on the other side. We
felt a deep sense of relief when about
noon on Monday we found ourselves
north of the Potomac. 1t had been
hurrying times since Friday, and we
were a hungry, tired, scared set of
fellows.