The Washington herald., 1914-09-21
CIVIL WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
September 2 1S64-Gen Sheridan Placed His Army Position Near
Shasburg Vs for Attack the Confedaes Under Gen Juba
Early Who Rehaing from Winchester Had Occupied the Heights
Of Fishers Hill


! teriZed the southern soldiers in the midst
OF adversely. Early's men began erecting
earthwOrks. There was hope that ma
lures strength. Pre- perly employed. might
aid them in ofIsetting the greater
strength OF their pursuers.
The point chosen for the stand Of the
Confederates was the strongest for de
fcnse for many miles south of Win
chester. Here the valley. in places
twenty miles wide narrows T. four
miles between the North Mountain
range on the West and Massanuttons.
mighty mountain bulwark, on the
East.
\ high. stony ridge. uneven and forest
clad. here extends across the valley.
terminating on the East in the height Of
Fishers Hill, which drops abruptly TO
the North Fork Of the Shenand ah River
In front Of this ridge stream. Tumb-
ling Run, flows into the Shenandoah.
Between the hill and the river runs the
Valley Turnpike. on which. two miles TO
the northeast, Is the village Of Stras-
burg.
With its right resting on the pike and
river. its line along the high ridge. and
its left at North Mountain. Gen. Early's
army. in frontal attack. could beat
back ten times its number: while there
seemed no way in which its fanks, but
tressed by mountains. could hr turned.
sheridan Plans n Coup.
Gen. Sheridan. whose forces had ar
rived near StTasburg on the afternoon
OF September ~. took possession Of the
heights back OF the town on the morning
Of september =. Standing on hill rising
abruptly above the roofs Of StTausburg
,where Gen. y. - Banks had built a
fort in the spring Of 1872, and looking
sOuthwestward to Fishers Hlu. across a
country broken with numerous hilloCks
and ridges. Gen. Sheridan could see at
glance the advantage Of the enemys
position.
Topography had always been a favorite
study Of Sheridan's. and he was quick
to understand the military possibilities in
a given stretch Of country.
He saw that only a flank attack
should be made on Gen. Early. and he
he had the materials at hand
for overcoming the apparently insuper-
able obstacle to such an attack.
The day was spent in carrying out a
plan OF operations conceived by Gen
Sheridan on viewing the field. The
Army Corps was moved I'D
to Strasburg. The Sixth Corps was
moved into the rough country at the
right.
The placing OF this corps was directed
r,
the presence of Gen. Sheridan. At one
point the enemy held with great per-
tnacity a hill that commanded their
main works. Gen. Sheridan ordered the
point carried. Three regiments assayed
the task and failed. Then a brigade
under Col ]. NJ. Warner, of the Eleventh
Vermont Regiment, carried the hill after
1 smart fight. in which five officers and
-hirty-thrse men fell
It was after dark when this work was
lone, and the regiments Of the Sixth
-orps, stumbling through woods, over
edges and into ravincs. reached posi- |
lions that completed the battle line.
This line was nearly three miles long
There had been no concealment in form /
ng IT. The enemy from n signal station |
m the point of the MaSsanuttons had
ooked down on all movements made by |
ne two corps until darkness shut out |
he view
Gen. Early had reason to expect from /
his formidable battle line a heavy at
ack on the morrow. Yet he had been
.eceived IS to Sheridan's plan. While
ne sixth and Nineteenth Corps were
aklng position, Gen. Sheridan had con-
taled part Of his army, under Gen. !
Ieorge Crook, in the woods behind Stras-
'urg' crooks men were experienced in
mountain campaigning. and with them
'herldan purposed secretly scaling the
te'p side of North Mountain the next
ay IN order to turn Gen. Ear!y's sup
osedIy impregnable left flank },
Tomorrow Early routeJ Mt
'isher's Hill.
so1pgnxh., laL) 4,