Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-08-07

gave way Ii panic and despair, carry
ing the whole army Of Early with It
through Winchester. The brOnxes
veterans Of Rhodes and Gordon, who
had been in hundred battles before.
had never experienced an attack by
cavalry like that.
Great God!" some of them cried to
gallant Captain William H. Harrison.
of the Second United States cavalry, as
his horse carried him, saber in ham,,
clear into the midst, what a fearful.
charge. What brigades are these?"
Wharton's tireless but now desper-
ate infantry, the flower of Virginia's
soldiery, had backed round their tat
tered battle flags to protect them from
capture by Merritt's horsemen. Brax-
ton and Kings batteries were driven
into the confused masses of despairing
men, making the confusion only worse.
Near by an ambulance was attempting
to carry off the field the body OF
Major General Rhodes, just slain. Eye
witnesses have often tried to tell of the
awful rout produced by Merritt's
charges that day at sunset on the Con-
federate left at Winchester, but in
vain. 1t was at once a pandemonium
and an inferno History now places
immortal laurels on the brow of the
youthful field marshal of cavalry whose
genius directed those unequaled
charges, so admirably delivered in sue
cession that nothing could withstand
them.
FRIEND AND FOE EULCGIZE HIM.
General Early says in his memoirs:
''The enemy's cavalry force succeeded
in getting around our left, producing
great confusion, for which there was
no remedy. Nothing was now left for
us but to retire through Winchester"
Merritt captured in those two charges
that afternoon IT'S prisoners, over sew
enty Confederate officers, and seven re-
gmental battle flags, trophies of the
First divisions proves.
Sheridan says in his memoirs: 1.-THE
instant Merritt's division could be
formed for the charge, it went at
Breckinridge's infantry and FitZhugh
Lees cavalry with such momentum as
to break the Confederate left. Mer-
ritt's brigades, led by Custer, Lowell,
and Devin, met from the start with
pronounced success, and with sabers
in hand literally rode down a battery
of five guns"
Afterward General Merritt won re-
peated successes in several important
combats, unaided and against large
odds, as at Cedarville and Front Royal.
With his wonderful cavalry division
he also defeated with severe losses to
his enemy, Kershaw's strong division
of infantry, composed of the best
troops of South Carolina and Georgia.
and two brigades of cavalry, who We're
attempting to cross the Shenandoah.
At the battle of Cedar Creek he formed
his division across the Middletown
road, and confronted the enemy from
the first attack in the morning until
their retreat at night. He there hello
his part of the line, under heavy fire,
without the aid of any infantry, until
Sheridan came and by his presence on
the field turned defeat into victory.
Then Merritt charged the enemy con-
tinuously with his divisinon, and con-
tinued the pursuit to Fishers hill. He
captured that day twenty-five cannon,
three battle-fa 5, and many prisoners.
General Torbert, then chief of cav
airy of Sheridans army, in his official
report. says of Merritt at Cedar Greek:
"Nu the left the battle was going well
for us; in fact, it could not be other
wise, with the cool and invinclble
Merritt on the ground. He was con-
stantly annoying and attacking the
enemy whenever an opportunity pre-
scented itself; under sevsre fire his
troops held their ground like men of
steel: officers and men seemed to know
and feel that the safety of the army IN
no small degree depended on their
holding their position. They can
never receive too much credit for the
manner in which they did their duty.
In February, 1865, he was placed by
Sheridan in command of all the cav
olrv of the Army of the Shenandoah,
10000 strong, participating in the clos
ing campaign around Richmond; at
Five Forks he commanded the entire
left wing of Sheridan's battle line. He
rendered splendid services at the bat
tie of Sailors Creek, ad in many other
combats. and at APPROXIMATION Court
house was appointed by Grant one OF
the three commissioners to arrange
with the Confederate commissioners
for the surrender of Lees army. Al
this time General Merritt was put mt
tie over IS years of age, and only a
captain of cavalry in the regular army.
But he had received six brevet COM
missions in the regular army up to that
of Major General for gallant and meri-
torious services in battle and had been
made a Major General of volunteers
for his wonderful success at Wmcnes-
ter and his admirable conduct at Five
Forks. He was promoted in 1866 to
a lieutenant colonelcy of cavalry in