The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-03-05
HUNTERS RAID.
Union Commander Not Cutgenera1ed, But
Forced to Retreat by Overwhelming Num-

n
Forced to Retreat by Overwhelming Num-
bers.
E,, T.
nDiioh MAMMAL ihih'NE' 1t vas
with a great deal of pleasure that L read
Comrade J. J. Waddelrs account of the
IJu,,or ro;5 no r.os, . ,,o,,hor Of 10 Il
Oh tne same regiment l%th W. va. Let
the boys tell just how they saw things
from the ranks. and as their memory
Sor,.os ,bon, and LOT nc M, cr;,;c;so ,,b,t
~ ~ "' nv
they write, Dut IL the way one cohirade
sees it brings out other facts and differ
epces of onipion. let ne state such opinion
,:a,,. AL c..,, xy.,..i, -,
Nu''. '"'nN $n'".e """uei WI, "e
as glad TO read my opinion about the Hun
ter naid as was TO read ms article.
What L want to notice about COmrade
WaddelTs article is that he puts the num-
Der of Hunters little army too high, and
also that of Gen. Crock $, who Joined
Hunter at Staunt0n. l remember only
two infantry brigades in Hunters army, at
least only two We're Ill the battle of Pied
mont. Now. counting 600 to a regiment
(which would be Il very high averaged,
would make the eight regiments of these
two brigades 1850. He had. as L rcmem-
Der, two batteries, SHOWS Maryland and
This would make in all, say. 5,O0o. Now,
there was some cavalry under ten. Stahl
at Piedmont. but 1 think 1,OOO or l,oOO
would cover that branch. making Hunters
forces not over 5000 or 1000 fighting men,
instead of $4,000, as Mr.. Waddeil has it.
My recollection also of Gen. Crook S
forces is that he had about 10000 men,
but had the good fortune to meet Rev
q. a. Shinn, also a member of our regi-
mont and fha Hnutny. raid who had
with him diary written at that time. We
looked over it together. He confirms my
recollection of Hunters force having only
two infantry brigades in it, and also says that
Gen. Crooks forces were not much larger
than Hunters, he having only two infan-
try brigades, but likely more cavalry than
Hunter. l should say that 5000 men would
be large estimate of Gen Crooks forces.
so that Hunters and Crooks forces COM
bined and fronting Lynchburg before that
battle would fall below $1,000, instead of
being $4,000, as Comrade Waddell states
in his article.
As to the results of the Hunter Raid, l
believe the opinion is that Grants object
in sending Hunter up the Valley was to
destroy the East Tennessee Il Virginia
Railroad, doing all the damage otherwise
that he could. and so draw off from his
Grants front at Petersburg or Richmond
some of the enemys forces. The raid did
draw off Gen. Early's whole division,
which was rushed to Lynchburg. to save
that place after the Confederate authori-
ties at Richmond heard of Hunters vic
tory at Piedmont and his advance on
Staunton, Lexington and Lynchburg.
The Hunter Raid was a success in many
ways. although it might have been greater
Hunter simply annihilated the regular
Valley forces under the Confederate Gen.
Jonos ar tho h,t,Ia of p;a,lmont k;,I;np
wounding and capturing Il large part of
his army and scattering the rest, so that
on the next day Hunter marched into
Staunton without opposition.
The Confederate Gen. Jones was killed
Mt the battle of Piedmont. and /. with
many others. viewed his body after the
battle. as he law on the ground Mt the edge
of woods into which we charged He was
shot in the head the bullet hole showing