The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-01-07

Wright and the Sixth corps are and
what the Nineteenth is doing Wher
ever they are It's all right or Wen
soon fix it right
Sending a courier back with a bur
ried order that the troops at Wtnches-
ter should be deployed across the val
ley and that all fug1tives should be
halted and sent back to the front again,
he now gave Rienz1 his head The gal
liant Morgan colt needed no spur But
the pike was so c1uttered up with wag-
ons and conveys of wounded soldiers
and groups squatung around fence rail
fires cooking coffee substitute for
the breakfast of which Early's surprise
had deprived them that long detours
through the fields at one side or the
other had to be made
Nearing Newtown, about halfway
between Winchester and Cedar creek,
General Sheridan found numerous com
panies of uninjured and unsecured men.
with their officers, who needed only d
word or the mere sight of Little Phil -
their magical commander, to turn about
with cheers and march back toward
the enemy. Among the first he recog-
nized was an officer from his own
state-Ohio-Major William Mckinley
of General Crooks staff.
Where is the Nineteenth corps pa
asked Sheridan
ION the right, geneEa-in the woods
yonder,'' was the reply as the young
officer sprang upon his horse, and, with
loud cheer, dashed away to spread
the inspiring news of the chieftain's
arrival on the field.
A couple of miles further on, in the
rear of General Getty's division near
NIiddletown, a whole bunch of regi-
mental flags seemed to rise up out of
the ground These proved to be the
colors of the main body of Crooks
troops, which had not reGeated at all
but reformed after the surprise of ear
~ morning and were now holding the
line to the west of the turnpike In
one of the brigade commanders here
Sheridan recognized another stanch
Ohioan, whom he knew. This was
Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes.
The meeting, in quick succession, of
Mckinley and Hayes under such mo-
mentous circumstances naturally i'm
pressed the general as of encouraging
,oortent Yet how little could he, or
they, guess that within the span of
single generation both of these prom
ising young Ohio soldiers, fighting
shoulder to shoulder with countless
others of equal or more promise, were
to become presidents of the United
States of America.
Far other and more Immediately
pressing concerns occupied them on
this day of the battle of Cedar Creek.
Colonel-or was it already general
Hayes was able to answer more def
nitely the oft repeated inquiry for the
Sixth and the Nineteenth corps.
Here are two divisions of the Sixth
corps intact. General-and on their
right are Haverill's and Enroy's di-
visions of the Nineteenth. General
Crook is on the extreme left with Mer-
ritt's cavalry. All that they want is
to know that you're here"
"'And all want, by . cried Sher-
idan. sis to get those men up that went
to the rear. Well whip those rebel
rascaIs back and sleep in our old camps
tonightl'
He now came full upon the newly
forming Federal line of battle It was
as if an electrical thrill had been shot
through the entire army from the mo-
ment of Sheridan's arrival on the field.
Cheer after cheer rang out, to be taken
up front and rear and far around be-
fore the real cause was known Had
re-enforcements come? Yes. Little
Phil was scorching down the pike, and
he was host in himself. Sure enough,
there was his energetic small figure on
the big horse, his eyes flashing and his
| face glowing as he ga1loped along, hat
In hand, Just to show himself to the
| troops.
"It's all rightp' he shouted Were
holding them, and We'll lick them yetI'
| The general rode on with his staff
| md escort and in a minnie more thew
were a distant, confused mass of dust
and flying hoofs- Suddenly from the
westward came another rolling cloud
with a thunderbolt in its midst-the
yellow haired, boyish Custer, the
youngest general in the whole Union
army, a dashing cavalry leader whom
| the enemy hesitated TO shoot at, de-
claring that if he was not a southern
cavalier he rode and fought like one.
Custer, now at, tearing gallop, flew
I'D TO Sheridan, threw both arms
around him and kissed him On the
| cheek in an irrepressible burst of boy
| -sh enthusiasm, then was off again like
The wind.
| 1t was not yet noon-Sheridan had
| come mp at 10:30-and now the whole
! stream of men on Winchester turnpike
! was flowing southwark instead of the
| other way, full of fight again. Anoth-
| er tense hour sped by-two hours-and
| still Sheridan was busy reforming and
/ rearran ging his lines, passing the whole
/ front Of his infantry in review, until
satisfied that their shattered morale
! was sufficiently restored to be relied
on once more for aggressive work
The enemy's fire had noticeably slack
! ened: but this was a sign to be acted