The Washington herald., 1914-05-15
Written Expressly for The Herald,

battles before Richmond.
Sigefs failure would oblige the Fed
erals to send larger forces to the val
ley, but the time gained by Lee woult
enable him then to meet them with
troops detached from his own army.
Thus great deal turned upon Sigefs
defeat. for with It part of Gen. Grant,
plan Of campaign went TO pieces.
No specific blame could be attached &c
Gen. Sigel for his failure. He led his
troops in person. showed no fear. and
did his best: but his best efforts were no,
| like Breckinridge'a. The Kentuckian
with fewer men and fewer guns, was
enabled by his skill in handling his force:
to Offset the larger military experience
Of the German soldier and put him tc
rout.
On both sides valor was shown, in
hard fighting: but the Confederates. as
. whole. stood more firmly to their work
were under better control by their ON.
GERS. fought, as a whole, with greater
dash and recklessness. and succeeded IN
infiicting heavier loss on their enemies
| than they themselves sustained.
Lee Rsshes Men to Valley.
The battle at New Market resulted
from an attempt by Gen. Sigel to march
upon staunton. the Confederate military
depot near the head of the valley, from
Winchester, which the Fedefais had oc-
cupied early in the month. New Market
Ii fifty miles south of Winchester.
When Sigel. whose forces aggregated
Is. 900 men. pushed out from Winchester
with about $500 men. the Confederates
had less than 1900 soldiers in the valley.
These were cavalry. under Gen. John D.
Imboden.
From their signal stations on the
mountains the Confederates looked down
into the valley as upon q map. and
from day to day noted the advance OF
the Federals to Strasburg and beyond
When the nature Of the advance was de-
veloped. word was sent to Gen. Lee. Lee
at once ordered Gen. Breckinridge-who
was In Southwestern Virginia opposing
two Federal columns. under Gen. George
Crook and Gen. W. W. Averell, respec-
lively. that had cut the Virginia and
Tennessee Railroad at and near New
River-to proceed with all speed to the
valley.
Gen. Breckinridge reached Staunton on
May Il. the day before Sigers advance
started south from Strasburg. He had
with him two small brigades of veteran
infantry. under Gen. Gabriel c. Wheaton
and Gen. Jim Echois respectively. their
strength being 500 men.
Gen. Imboden. who was in Sigers front
with LOO men present for duty, urged
Gen. Breckinridge to march rapidly for
New Market which is about thirty
miles south Of Strasburg. To strength
en- Gen. Breckenridge. the students OF
the Virginia Military Institute - the
school'in which 'StonewalP' jackson had
been a professor-were called out They
Joined Breckenridge to the number of
225. under their commandant, Col s. shipp,
and brought along two guns
Marching with all speed. Breckenridge
reached q point twelve miles south of
New Market on May IL On that day
Sigers advance. under Col. Augustus
Moor, the Twenty-eighth Ohio Regiment.
crossed the North Fork Of the Shenan-
doah and reached the northern edge o,
New Market.
The advance column consisted OF six
regiments OF infantry and about 1.0oU
cavalry, the latter under Brig. Gen. Ju-
Illus Stahel Its orders were to obtain
OF the enemy. This was
soon forthcoming. for Imboden opened
on the column with artillery. and kert
up a fire until after nightfall. He then
retired to meet Breckenridge.
Village Between Battle Lines.
By one of those timely combinations
that characterized the Confederates
the war. Breckenridge was
at hand when wanted. His men marched
at night, through mud and rain, and at
daylight, accompanied by Imboden. the
infantry arrived at New
Market.
Sigefs forces were also hurrying up,
and taking a defensive position north
Of the town, Breckenridge, after viewing
the ground, decided TO attack them.
The Federal infantry consisted of a
division under Brig. Gen. jeremiah c.
Sullivan. embracing two brigades. In
the First Brigade were the Eighteenth
Twenty-eighth, 116th. and
l23d Ohio. under Col Moore: in the Sec
Virginia, Thirty-fourth Massachusetts,
md Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania regi-
nents, under Col. Joseph Thoburn.
The Federal cavalry consisted of two
the first. under Col. William
B. Tibbitts, embracing the First New
Fork Veteran Cavalry, the First New
York Lincoln Cavalry, the Twenty-irst
New York. and part Of the Fourteenth
The Second Brigade, un-
Ter Col. John e. Wynkoop. consisted CT
from the Fifteenth New
Fork, Twentieth and Twenty-second
regiments.
Gen. Sigel brought into battle $50 men
md twenty-five guns, Gen Breckin-
'idge, 4.s16 men and fourteen guns (Two
" Siegers regiments, the Twenty-eighth, |
md 116th Ohio, were In the rear guard |
ng the wagons).
As the opposing lines formed for bat
le both occupied elevated ground, the |
'illage being between them. Heavy rain |
md mist prevented either side from OBJ |
aiming clear view of the field
The Federals were formed on the edge
Il the village, their line, about a mile
md a half long, extending from the Shen- |
lndoah on their right to a stream ON |
heir left The field was thus bounded /
a reverse on the Confederate side. To |
he east lost in mist. rose the rugged !
ides of the Massanutton Range, and to |
he west the eastern ridges of the Alle-
'hanies. On clear day the setting
or the fight would have presented a |
anorama Of striking scenic beauty.
Federal Cavalry Scattered.
, The battle opened with diminishing /
nd artillery nre. which occupied the {
morning. The Confederate Infantry
ext advanced and slowly drove the
back half a mile from the
own. across cleared fields now knee
eep in mud. The artillery fire was
eayy. and that on the Federal side
vas declared by the Confederates to be
ccurate and whitening"
-As the battle progressed 1t developed
NO striking features. The first wasi
urnished by Imboden's cavalry, which
larcning rapidly and secretly, obtain-
4 q position on q hill beyond the
treain on the Federal left, and with
. batteries opened ire on the flank
{ the Federal cavalry, which was I