The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-02-10
SHERIDAN'S DIFFICULTIES.
Bov He HAS Disturbed In Ills Operations
In The Shenandoah Valley.
GREAT TROUBLE WITH HIS RAILROAD.
Colonel John 5. Mosby Tolis the Story Of
His Own Command and or the Pure Wan
tonness of tho Federal Commanders.

Grant Hallock. Ola the 18Th, replied:
''Tho substance Of your dispatch of the
18th was Immediately sent to Genera!
Sheridan. Numerous guerilla parties In
his rear frequently Interrupt communion
ton with hm."
After receiving the last dispatch from
General Grant Sheridan Countermande 1
the order for the sixth corps TO march 10
Alexandra and IL retained TO STA Du X
As Grant wanted him TO advance on the
Charlottesville route IL would De nCces-
eary 10 hold on 10 all his troo2s. Az an
on tho Ifth Grant telegrapncd nm 10
threaten the central railroad ana canal
but that II he couldn't do this "then the
next best thing TO do Is 10 seEd mere
all the force you can.
After going 30 front Royal and finding
that AugUr had done noticing towards
building ,le railroad, on the lZ.h she ldah
directed him TO take MS troops o"ch 10
Manassas Junction and await oroers. II II
stanton and Halleck favored GRAFT =
plan of sheridan advancing towards
Jynchburg and USING the railroad as MS
line OF supply.
Augur had come up on the TOAD from
Washington after the affair At Salem anu
was at RcctOrtown, Two mics east OF
Piedmont. No repairs were reSurtI as
far as Piedmont, except building a small
Augur telegraphed Hallcck;
IAN officer Of General Sheri IAN arrived.
He left Front Royal, etc. He epo Is the
railroad as entirely destroyed Fl ON Ped
mont 10 Front Royal"
This was written on the ming after
the occupation of Piedmont. To TINS
Hailed; replied:
"'You are the Judge Of what AID how
many troops can be taken from Wa hing
ton TO reinforce the line OF RI ]. GA .:
General Sheridan has been asked to s1nl
troops through Manassas Gap to met
yours but ! cannot tell when he VIII De
able 10 do So
GUKKILLAs ~ TIE WOODS.
Augur was now at a standsiill. lie
had not laid rail on the ioid' nor
driven spike. All his troops W re en-
poyed In guarding the ROAD III lhelr
rear. the workmen, instead OF being en-
gagged in laying the track betw On J. ca
mont and Front Royal, were building
block houses. stockates, and cutting do"h
the forests on the roadside, which they
thought concealed gueTi;ias. The follow
ing kilograms give some idea OF Augurs
troubles:
October 10Th, Q p NJ.
"Augur TO Halleck:
81 shall commence tomorrow building
small stockades. which will be s. near
track. This will economiZc men. II this
does not answer. l think / shall have 10
adopt something like Washburn's Plan,
and 1T up on each train quarters for
prominent secessIonists to accompany e"
Halleck--the same Halleck who wrote
book on the laws Of wdr-repl ed:
your plan of putting prominent citi-
zcns on trains is approved and you will
carry Il into effect. They should be 50
confined as 10 render escape impossible
and yet be exposed 10 the fire Of the
enemy"
foot Note)-As soon as Augur heard
Of the attack at Salem, he went to the
front and ordered nearly all Of his
cavalry TO Piedmont. feeling certain that
they would drive us South and that II
would no longer be required to guard the
potomac.
.-S.siTCKeTf 10 SlCCGEuHl:, -.
white Plains, October 9th.
Rebel fierce on the Gap road at Salem,
between MS and construction corps. All
the material forwarded since yesterday
morning is still this side OF White Plains.
Have Just returned here from White
Plains. where ! saw Colonel Gallupe, with
600 men. who was compelled 10 fall back
from Salem and entrcnCh al White Plains.
lie ordered all the trains 90 be sent this
side of Thcrouehfare Gap or Manassas
Augur 20 Waite MUDDY Branch;
washington, oct. Gth
Collect all your cavalry as soon as pos
sible. LEAVING only guard TO protect your
camp. and proceed with 1t to Middleburg'
and thence 20 Rcctortown, on the Manas-
sas Gap railroad, where | will meet you.
il is possible you may have to fight Mosby
on the road about Middeburg. BE pre-
pared for him. BE in haste"
AuSur 10 HallecN;
white Plains. october 9TH.
"I arrived here al this morning. Mosby
had possession Of Salem for a while. and
Is said TO have destroyed a good deal of
the track there. The construction train
is now at RectoTtown, with the Fifth
Heavy Artillery well pro-
tectcl. 1t lis said Mosby shclled them
awhile last night"
McCrickett superintendent to Mccall
lum:
Alexandria, October 7th.
Eight hundred cavalrymen, with horses,
etc, have been forwarded from here by
train since . \. VI. | expect 10 have .2O0
on the way before dark, and one train
railroad material
BEN HuR.
Wallace (Ben Hun to Lockwood:
Baltimore. october Sth
Il have the honor TO inform YOU that
there is some danger OF "A raid of Mosby
on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and
General Halleck has ordered all General
Tyler's cavalry and artillery TO Rock
vile. and directed that his infantry pro.
tect the road"
In other words his soldiers should be
protected by putting non-combatent citi- !
Zens between them and my men. in the
flerceSt heat OF war no enemy ever ac-
Cused me OF doing such thing. IL was
just the same as II Grant had arrested a
lot OF virginia men, women and children
ana placed them In front OF his lines TO
Keep the Conf edcrates from firing at them.
This was a purely military road; II was as
legitimate war tC prvent the rebuilding
of IL. or To pull up the track and destroy
the trains as to IRE artillery at the sol
diers. These are the risks soldiers must
run. / would be very willing to submit
rot only this question OF The ethics OF
war. but all my military operations 10 the
board OF professors at west Point
Again. at night ON the 10th. Augur wires
80 Hallcck:
81 have Just learned that a rail was
taken up about a mile this side OF " hite
Plains, and return train frOII here run
of the track, and then fired upon by men
concealed in q thicket ola the SIDE. /
lave not learned tn amount OF damag,
done. Simply patrolling the track ana
guarding the bridges Is not going 10 be
sufficient on this road: Il must be literally
guarded the whole way. ] am sending
back battalion of cavalry 10 remain IN
the vicinity OF White Plains and thor
oughly search the vicinity of track"
Foot note).
Headquarters Army of Northern Va.
oct -. 1864.
Lleuteaant-Colone John s. Mosby, Nir-
gina. Commanding Battalion: