The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-08
IA TILE OF NEW. MARKET.
It's History and It's Vast Importance Errors
Of History Writers Corrected.
4 By C. W. HUMPHREYS. Jackson, Ga.
story riters Corrected.
IN TWO PARTS.

but TINS arm fnd been pTactic;tlly VIC
banded for tho winter to save their norses
from starving to death. only 4 !, feWI or OF
thereby causing this arm to amount TO
Two flcts stand out In bold view dust
hore: One. that .Brcckinridge's army WAS
made up Of odds and ends, having only
four battaIons and two full batteries.
The rest were mere fragments. Tho other,
that he had to defend front about 2oo
Of which ench one was nearly three times
the size of his own. These facts give I'M
usual and great Importance to this battle,
whose history 1t is the purpose or thlS
paper to give.
4 Two distinct armies were directed, by
General Grant to asshil General Breckln--
bu and &c one vt Te
former consisting, OF two divisions, one or
infantry embracing the three 6 , nrlsa ,.!'t
Mhte se San SS Wes WIN WIN
bbraclns Ed Daif If 0 and = sehoon9akers
brlgades,. with the whole under the ,, com n,
The other, consisting OF tho two, divisions
OF artillcry-Snow's Klciser's Garlin's,
nand of MajorGenernl Franz sIgei.,
Crooks army yaggregated over ooo men.
and sgel's oyer, 10000 men, These were
We're at hand e Be sent T necdfu Thsy
twere ordered to unite at or near Lynch-
burg, and to move upon Lees rear a. ter
destrowlng e*railwnys leading to Rich
mond. ~ as
General Crook moved first and before
reaching the railway, divided his army.
sending Ayeflll with his cavalry division
farther west, wishing to destroy the rail-
road froin5snear the Tennessee line 70
cavalry and the Seventh West Virginia
Regiment, he himself moved on Dublin
where General Jenkins was IN command.
May the 9th he defeated Jenkins and
loss to himself than he inflicted upon the
Southerners. JonlsIns himself was klle
ldny the 10th Averil's command was de-
feated by General Jones at Wythevlle
in West Virginia, where he awaited fur
Their orders
Sigel had also moved forward and was
pushing lmDoden back UP the Valley Of
Virginia. am unable TO comprehend
General Breckinridee's strategy at this
Deen summoned TO join Lees army with
the hrstsand second brgades OF his dl-I
vision, all ia. clear; II not, can not SEQ
why he permitted Crook to march past
him and defeat Jenkins. II these two
brigades had been marched TO Rubin
to join Jenkins, Crooks army might cas-
lily have been destroyed and then time,
plenty was had TO meet lmboden With
IIlOIe llIuU We lOOh, Siilu We Ul|5 ~
have done vastly greater damage to his
army. In this event the subsequent de-
feat Of Jones would have been imposs.
BILE. Moreover, our whole army would
have been behind Grants right rear. bio
to, Elve Washington another pnroxysm Of
fright. and relieve Lee Of much pres.
sure. The probability Is that no had
been ordered to- Richmond. notwithstand-
nR the situation In his own department..
Tho probability Is heightened BY the we'll
known ability OF General Breckenridge.
At any rate, IL stonewnll had been there
Crooks army would have been put llors
de combat and then Slgel's. Flo never
permitted two armies to come at him one
at time, from different quarters with.
out combining upon one and crushing It
| before the other could strike. and then
combining upon the other. to Its ruin.
The third part Of Breckinrldge's army
|gjolned by the cadets with two guns. Wo
| made forced march Of 10 miles on the
| 18th, arriving ut camp q very few miles
from New Market about II O'Clock p. NJ.
to the hills within two miles OF tho VII
lage. and thrown into line Of battle. Tho
weathr had bee! rainy and the ground
was DOGGY. and the air was murky, While
/ lying there In line of battle the clouds
rolled away. revealing to sigel that no
was confronted by more troops than I'm
boden had He had his men already in
| line OF battle where tho conflict occur
reu, ana ueclucu 10 hWAlL tue arrival OF
ais other division. which was several
miles behind. Our signa! corps reported
the facts, and General Breckenridge I'm.
| mediately ordered his men Into column
and advanced upon the enemy. lie march
Ell his troops about freely In tho open
sight OF the fog, and at last formed
n triple limo of battle and moved upon
Sigel's limo OF battle. with Wharton In
| front, lGclols in centre and the cadets
! and the TWenty-slxth Virginia Battalion
| In the third line. Reports in hand show
how. much effect this triple formation and
ed himself as overwhelmed with num-
bers! Upon coming into close range ii
tho enemy Colonel Patton, who tcinpor,
arily. commanded his own regiment and
Derricksr battalion, double-quicked to
right oblique and formed on tho right OF
| Wharton the cadets moved forward and
entered the front line. between the Sixty
4 second Regiment, whi,i was on their
left. and the ThirtIeth Battalion, whose
i right wing Joined Pntton's left; and the
4 TWenty-sixth Battalion moved to the left
and formed on the left Of Wharton, Wo
then had n single line OF battle covering
Sigels whole front. but had made believe
that we had three lines OF bAtlle The
I. encmy's reports show that they did so be-
Z lieye.
AS the main purpose oy this writing is to
correct errors by others. and as here Is
4 where they begin shall suspend the
narrative TO show how some Of these
errors arose, Over and over again It
has been said Edgar's battalion was
anS ony hs tssh w M, ths nj f@.
vices We're needed, This shows that many
Of our own men did not know the facts
at the time The only proof offered that
this battalion WAS behind IN reserve Is
hist cadet supposns tha, az We o. Ts iy III Ely
| exclained: nI,et is fall back, or rally on