The National tribune., 1909-12-30
WITH THE AMBULANCE CORPS.
Getting Out of EarIy's Reach at Cedar
Creek-Capturing Rebel Guns at the
Bridge-In Washington.

Editor National Tribune: I was 6
| Sergeant in the ambulance train of tht
Eighth Corps, and was with 1t In al
the battles of 1854 under Sigel. Hunter
and Sheridan. II Sheridan had beer
at Cedar Creek, 1 do not think Early
would have dared to undertake the
| hazardous movement of placing his
men where they would have been an
initiated If discovered. We had warn
Il ing before the battle to be very careful
and not be surprised.
Two or three days before this the
brigade commanded by Col. Wells. OF
the 34th Mass, made a reconnaissance
to see if the enemy was in front. While
they were at dinner shells from rebel
batteries dropped among them from
the unseen enemy. Col. Wells was
killed and our train picked up load
of wounded. I saw our dead lying
where they fell, stripped of their cloth
ing. At the time of the attack in the
morning We were camped on the west
side of the pike, in the rear of the
Nineteenth Corps. " When we were or
dered to retreat and came to the pike
there was such a furious rush of army
wagons that it was unsafe for ambu-
lances, so we took our train thru Mid
dletown on the sidewalk. Our head
Surgeon was killed there. We retreat
ed far enough to be safe, and the Sixth.
part of the Nineteenth and Eighth
Corps formed a new line of battle near
Middletown, and checked the rebels be-
fore Sheridan came up.
After their first victory in the morn
ing the enemy brought their artillery
over from Fishers Hill. and many of
the men stopped to loot the captured
wagons. which gave our men time to
recover somewhat from the surprise and
enabled us to check the enemy.
Where the pike crosses Cedar Creek,
in front of Fishers Hill. there was a
narrow bridge with bluff for some
distance on the west side of the pike,
and the space between the road and
the Shenandoah River to the east was
covered with brush and small trees,
preventing any passage of wagons.
After their defeat In the afternoon
they tried to get their artillery back to
Fishers Hill. but Sheridan's cavalry
got in ahead. and shot some of their
horses attached to wagons or artillery
and blocked the road at this point, and
they were caught like rats in a trap
counted At pieces parked the next
morning, with the caissons and wagons
and whole field of prisoners.
About the middle of December, when
the First Division of the Eighth Corps,
under Col. Thoburn, was ordered to
the Army of the James. our train was
ordered to go overland to Washington.
When we arrived at Monocacy June
ton the bridge was destroyed and the
river was high. l attempted to cross
in an ambulance. but the water was so
deep the driver unhitched and we rode
the horses ashore. l walked most Of
the way to Washington. I attended the
reception of President Lincoln Jan. 1,
1855, and shook hands with him, and
attended the theater where he was
shot.
L remained about three weeks in the
Army of the James; saw the fight be-
tween the rebel gunboats and the How
lett House batteries, Jan. "a, 1866. I
would like to hear from anyone who
was in the train with me, especially
the other two Sergeants, whose names /
cannot remember.-Henry c. Torrey,
Sergeant, &C. ID, 18th Conn -