The National tribune., 1901-07-25
MODERN SHENANDOAH.
A Pleasant kevisfit to the Cid Battle
q fields.
BY LAwRENcE WILSON. NJ. D..
Co. p. 7th Ohio, Shields's Division
Washington, ID. e.

| Last year ComraGe o. S. Firmin,
of the 7th Conn, and myself participated
i'll most delightful eight-day drive via
Unity, Hoods Mills, Westminster, Lit
tlestown, Gettysburg, Penn-Mar, Hagers-
town, Sharpsburg, Crampton's Gap,
Frederick City and RidgevIlle, which We
called The Modern Gettysburg Cam
paign,' an account of which appeared IN
your columns. The remembrance of this
drive has been such a source of genuine
pleasure that in June last we planned
and executed another eight-day dNVe,
which We now denominate The Modern
Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
Starting out on Saturday evening, June
8, we drove to Mr. Henry BensOn's, a
thrifty farmer near Unity, Md, where we
were cordially welcomed and entertained
for the night After ar early breakfast
we drove by Unity, Damascus and New
Market to Frederick City, where we were
warmly greeted and invited to dinner by
Mr.. Louis Clingan, an old friend of mine
and relative of Comrade Firmln. On the
way over we recalled the fact that in Sep
tember, 1862, part of our army, under
Gen. Mcclellan, followed this route 10
Frederick, and that in July, 1864, quite
an affair came off along the Monocacy
River, between the forces under Gen.
Lew Wallace and Jubal Early. In Fred
| erick City we thought Of the battle OF
South Mountain and Antietam, of Stone
wall jackson, Barbara Freitchie, +. Scott
Key, and the march to and return from
Gettysburg. What a grand old historic
! town it is! At 2 p. m. we pulled away
for Harper's Ferry, once more, as in 1868,
passing through jefferson and Knoxville
and feasting our eyes upon the fine bulld
ings, the fertile, well-cultivated fields,
with their crops of grass, barley, wheat,
corn and rye unsurpassed. Crossing the
Potomac and reaching Harper's Ferry we
thoIght of John Browns body molder-
ing in the grave" and of The clrcum-
stances leading up to this point; of Stone
wall Jackson, who commanded the Con
| federate forces there early in 1861, and
of the surrender of our forces to him IN
| September, 1862, as well as of many
other events that occurred in this historic
neighborhood. AS the sun was not yet
down, we decided to push on to Charles
town, which we did, making the days
| drive 90 miles. After a good nights rest,
and having been shown where John
| Brown was tried, sentenced and executed,
we drove across to Winchester. crossing
! the Opequan River and the scene of the
| desperate fighting under Gems. Sheridan
and Early in 1864.
THE BATTLE OF WINCHESTER.
At Winchester we made a brief halt,
yet long enough to recall the fact that
Gen. Banks's forces moved in there in
March, 1852, closely followed by Gen.
Shieids's Division; OF the battle Of Kerns-
town, March %, 1862, in which Stone
wall Jackson was defeated and vigorous
| ly pursued the next day tthe only in
stance Of the kind on record; of Banks's
retreat in May, 1862; of the defeat and
capture of many Of our troops under Gen.
Milroy in June, 1853, and OF the almost
constant fighting along this route until
Gen. Sheridan drove the enemy out Of
the valley. T.
Having participated in the battle OF
kernstown as member of the 18th Ohio,
and wishing 10 view the old battle-ground,
we drove to DR.. I, Y. Browns for din
per. DIR. Brown served in a Pennsylva-
MIA regiment during the war, ana tHeH
purchased a farm near KcFnstown, where
he now resides and owns the ground on
which my regiment fought. The Doctor
bade us welcome, especially so when he
learned that we had, like himself, served
under the Stars and Stripes. After par
taking of an excellent dinner, we spent
n couple of hours in locating our old po-
sition and in living over the scenes Of
80 years ago. We walked through the
same piece of timber and lin imagination)
with our comrades moved toward the bat
terry in our immediate front; saw the in
fantry support move rapidly in our direc
ton until il lodged behind one OF those
famous stone fences so common in that
section; saw and heard the murGerous vol
ley they poured into our advancing col
umn; saw my comrades go down to rise
no more; heard the command Forward"
and "ChargeW; saw the enemy with
broken, decimated ranks seeking safety
in inglorious flight, and noted n portion
of their battery left upon the field, while
yells Of victory filled the air. All this
we saw again, not as a man who now
knows the weight of three score years"
but as a 1.-the nimble youth, whose de-
light over this victory can never be
weighed or described.
THE CEDAR CREEK FIELD.
Getting back to Dr. Browns we were
soon on our way to NewtOwn, Middle
town, Cedar Greek and Strasburg Think
you that any cOmrade whether he cam
paigned in the Shenandoah Valley or not,
with the memories OF the past lowering
about him, can ride over this sacred, his
toTic and glorious route and not feed his
soul burn with pride and patriotism We
imagined we saw the boys in gray flank
ing and surprising the boys in blue down
about Cedar Greek, and the way Gen.
Early's troops started Gen SheTidan's
boys toward Winchester was at least,
dIscouragng. Badly d'sorganized and
somewhat demoralized, there seemed to be
nothing better before them than an or
derry retreat until Sheridan, gallant Phil
Sheridan, the foremost captain of them
all, like 4 meteor appeared upon the
scene.
At the sight Of their commander. in
whom their confidence was supreme the
horde of disorganized and fleeing men
raised great shout, and when he said
to them, Face the other way, boys; we
are going back to camp" he struck the
keynote, and back they went. thus en-
abiing Gen. Sheridan, by his magnificent,
enthusiastic dash and presence, to con
vert Il temporary defeat into a glorious
and decisive victory.
A correspondent who followed Gen.
Lees army has stated that after the en-
gagcments between Gems. Sheridan and
Early, in which the latter had lost the
most Of his artillery and it became neces-
sary to forward Il new supply from Ricil-
mOnd, a Confederate soldier (who must
have been something of a wag) attached
card to one of the guns, as follows:
Gen. Phil Sheridan. Shenandoah Valley,
Va, in care Of Gen. Jubal Early" He
had evidently concluded that artillery sent
to Sheridan in care of Gen. Early was
sure to reach him..
AT STRAsBURG
are yet TO be seen some of the fortifica-
tions of long ago, while the town has
greatly improved and is now quite a bus
mess center.
This days drive from Charlestown TO
Strasburg was over level, nice country,
WI annnattaba with