Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-10-22
NATALDAY6FSHERl RIDE
friday Mated FOrtt-ssoOnd Anniversary
Of famous Dash to Winchester.
ONE oFTHt SOLDIERS RECALLS THE EVENT
Several Omaha Veterans In Battle Of
cedar creek, which FOrms
Fart of Historic
Romance.

the battle of Cedar Creek, Va. Friday
WIS the forty-second anniversary OF the
event
Several Omaha veterans were in the bat
/ tie, inclusive OF which were Fred w. slnp-
| son, then of the Tenth New York, and
John {. Gown. then a member OF the
Twenty-third Ohio, under Colonel II. Il.
Hayes. Two members OF the Sixth United
states cavalry, which constituted a part
OF the escort that rode with Sheridan from
Winchester. also are residents of Omaha.
ono OF whom is S. S. Peters of The Bee
Up from the south at break Of day.
/ bringing to Winchester fresh disguay,
The affrighted air with shudder bore
Like herald In haste. to the chieftains
The terrible grumble and rumble and roar,
Telling the battle was more.
4 Ana Sheridan twenty miles away.
! That is the way Thomas Buchanan Read
puts it in his lurid epic, when. in fact,
Sheridan was only eleven and half miles
from the retreating army of the shensn-
doah when he began his famous ride.
General kershsn's salute.
Early in the gray fossy morning Of oc-
tober ~. 1864, Colonel Joseph Thoburn's
division OF Brgadier General George
! Crooks army OF West Virginia, which con-
stituted Il part OF the army of the Shenan-
doah, was reused from its sumbers by
q ringing Volley OF musketry from the coll
federate General j. B. kershaw's infantry
division. Thoburn's men were panic
stricken and poured out Of their tents to
what was up and before they had col
lected their senses their position swept
, in an instant, their seven gums, from which
not shot had been fired, were In the
hands OF Kershaw's forces and over half
OF the division was made prisoners. The
rest fed to the rear and Kershaw turned
the guns he had captured on the fleeing
troops. on came the victorious Kershaw
and threw his command against Colonel r.
I b. Hayes second division of the Army of
West Virginia and the Nineteenth corps.
General ]. A. Early, the rebel commander
in-chif, Immediately reinforced Kershaw,
and tie combined rebel forces were hurled
against the Ninteenth and Sixth corps and
the retreat of Cedar Creek was on in fact.
Confused by Heavy Fog.
A heavy fog prevailed during the earlier
hours OF the battle and confusion was
I rampant inside the union lines and regi-
ments and brigades fed down the Win
chester pike. a disorganized mob abso-
lutely uncomfortable. There were a few
regiments that maintained their organza-
tion and discipline and no one man is en-
titled to greater credit for resisting the
victorious rebels and holding them partly
in check than Colonel r. B. Hayes and his
Twenty-third Ohio infantry. The panic
did not continue long. but a greater portion
= of General George Crooks army was In
fun retreat down the pike and was among
the very first men that General Sheridan
ran into on his famous ride.
General Sheridan had just returned from
washington from two or three days
conference with General Halleck and
reached Winchester the morning OF the
J 1eth. About Z o'clock an officer on pickle,
reported the distant sounds OF artillery
which was at first supposed TO be from q
reconnaissance, and but little attention wa,
paid to it, About O'Clock General sher
idan. mounting his horse, rode TO the out
skirts OF the town, and observing no cessa
ton in the artillery firing, became satisfied
that battle was on. Riding out to Nil
Greek. half mile beyond Winchester, h
found trains and troops already there from
the Cedar Greek battle field
sheridan's Dash Up pike.
He gave hurried orders TO park the re
treating trains and to use the spare brigad
at winchester to form a Gordon across tn
pike and fields so as. to stop the strag
Rlers and fugitives General Sheridan
dashed up the pike with an escort of twent!
men OF the Sixth United States cavalry
He called the fugtives TO turn about an,
face the enemy, and many of them, in
Alfed Dy MS presence, turned Dack VIII
cheers. The main body OF the retreatin
army was encountered just eleven and
half miles from Winchester, and as 500
as Sheridan's presence became known tn
widest enthusiasm and Joy prevailed.
was the Sixth corps which first me
and II had already formed a line OF battle
having recovered from the panic of tn
earlier morning,
- What troops are these" shouted sheri
dan.
The Sixth corps came the reply fror
a hundred voices.
I'VE are all right" said Sheridan as h
swung his old hat and dashed along tn
line toward the right Never mind, boyi
we Will whip Ii out OF them yet; wi
whip them yet, and we shall sleep in ou
old quarters tonight"
How we'll Sheridan kept his promise
matter of often-told history. Victor
was wrencned from DISASTROUS defeat. A
o'clock Sheridan ordered On advance an
EARLY was sent whirng back down III
valley" never to return with an organize
force.
Twenty Men with Him.
The popular conception OF sheridan's rid
has been that he made the t-iD down n
pike alone. This Is wrong, for his escOl
OF twenty men aecompani him undo
charge OF a sergeant Much OF the romano
will be taken out OF the ride when IL Wi
be remembered that the winchester piI
was toll road and toll gates were IN
ouent In those eleven and a half mile
4 While the union army was retreating baC
down the pike the stragglers lowered n
toll gates and tied them down Securel
with view TO embarrassing the pursuiu
forces as much as possible. II was Il
duty OF the. escort to dismount and loose
these gates. but In some instances II va
impossible 10 do so In the hurry and Sher
dan and the escort would all dismount ar
tear down a section OF fence sunicient
for the horses to leap them ana thus {
round the gates. 1t was in meeting the,
obstacles that Sheridan manifested Il
most amusiRg impotence. Ordinarily
was always i'm the best of temper and wa
familiar and cordial with such enlisted me
as happened 70 be close 10 him. One OF Il
- escort had about half canteen of appl
Jack and had surreptitiousy taken drin
a few miles from where the Sixth corr
line of battle was met. Sheridan got