Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1895-01-16
January 10. 1895.
GEN. JUBAL A. EARLY.
Senator Daniels address cn His Valley
Campaign.

The orator reviewed Early's career and
after giving the roll of his successful bat
ties said
The march of Early from Cold Harbor
by Charlottesville. Lyuchburg, Salem,
Staunton and Winchester across the Po-
tomac and the Monocacy and through the
South mountain passes to Washington
and back TO Virginia between the 18th OF
June and the 14th day of July, distance
of five hundred and ten miles, an average
of sixteen miles day, is for length and
rapidity, without a parallel in our own
or any modern war. The fact that most
of his men covered sixty miles from Char
lottesville to Lynchburg on the cars does
not alter this statement. 1t took Sher-
man nearly ,hree months from Atlanta
to Savannah with less proportional i'm
pediment Crawford's division of Wei
Iingtons army marched seventy two miles
in twenty.four hours to Talavera but
never did Wellington, Stonewall jackson,
or that | have been able to discover did
Napoleon Bouaparte achieve so great a
consecutive distance in so brief time.
In the midsummer of that year, when
the army under Lee lay in the trenches
around Richmond, confronted by the ar
nv of the Potomac under Grant and
Hunter, with eighteen thousand strong
concentrated upon his rear to capture
Lynchburg and compel surrender, it wa;
then that Early rushed upon him with
such precipitate steps, that with half bis
numbers he drove him into the wilds Of
West Virginia, and when the one paused
painting on the banks of the Ohio the
other was laundering at the gates o.
Washington, and Grant was Fastening
troops from his army to defend it. Twice
during that year did he penetrate int
the North with band scarce more thar
skirmish line compared to the masses
that were marshalled against him, tread
ing in the dying days of the Confederacy
with firm aud equanimius step th'
paths which Lee and Jackson had troC
in the days of strength and triumph, anC
winning victory where even their con
qu,ring footsteps had been halted.
So high, indeed, did he elevate th'
hopes of his countrymen by the brillian
audacity and the tremendous energy b'
impaired to their last struggles that th'
catastrophe which he so long averted wa
scarce expected and was all the more af
ficting when it came; and so did he con
ceal his own weakness of numbers from
the enemy, such alarm and terror did h
arouse among them that they scarcel.
vet believe with a handful he opposed
retarded and menaced them.
If the soreness of defeat made him TO
awhile the scapegoat of that impatien
and intolerant criticism which eyel
springs from sudden disappointment anC
passionately demands victim, such crit
icism was the mere frothing of frantic
hour.
Senator Daniel said
The popular impression that Early
could have ca 'ured Washington is onl,
a case in which the wish was father to tn
thought. The city was dei,nded by sever
hundred seige guns, abattis Of trees hac
been placed before the earth works, th
high banks of Rock Creek formed nat
ural fortifcation and series of fort
mounted with heavy guns covered all tn
approaches, and were so arranged that
one were taken the others commanded II
Early had but eight thousand musket:
while over twenty thousand four bundre
men in the defences of Washington enoug