The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-03-28

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l5risonburg, thirty miles away. All
during the winter sheridan had kept
pretty close to Wine hester, and Early
near Staunt on. with occasional foEays
or cavalry, mainly by Mosby's and Nc
SefH.s commands and several notable.
raids by Rosser, who IN one raid cap.
tured the New Creek (now Keyser,
w. Ta.) fort and garrison OF about
800 men, on the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad in December.
AdTanceY on Stanton.
! Save occasional scoL.g. Sheridan
It'll u the Mount Crawford bridge over
the North river, he found guarding it.
on the afternoon Of March first pic
/ .ket and reserve of about one hundred
and fifty cavalry, which he hanked by
some OF his troopers swimming the
swollen stream above the bridge, and
nearly succeeded in capturing every
one of them. Ill was than a Keen ruin
from there to Staunton. some sixteen
miles away2 the ajority escaping by
scattering into the5woods and byroads..
That night, unopposcd, Sheridan en-
tered Staunton, destroying asRhe went
all supplies except those needed for
his own forces The next morning
his command started east to find
Ealry's little force Struggling cav.
Ealry and couriefs during the night,
drought the boys to General Early,
I March, hastily moved Wharton's skel-
Ieton division Of only two slim brig
adesI of about fourteen hundred men,
and his artillery down to Waynes
boro. five miles eastward, and hlr-
riedly formed his thin line OF defense
upon moderate ridge west OF the
town. his line Of battle practically
spanning "a crescent winding of South
river. then swollen to food stage
and way out of Its banks, with but
enc narrow crossing available for re-
treat, if necessary. He failed, how
ever, to connect his left with the
river, leaving a body of woods about
600 yards in depth on his flank un-.
protected. The merest novice then
and now wonders why he did not fall
back promptly two or three miles fur
tner into the narrow and easily de-
Tended RocRd sh gap, srhefe he might
have held Sheridan ait bay, or COM
PEELED him to abandon that route. as
General Hunter was under similar
conditions, the earbefore.
Early's ImbeciIity.
1T is said Early declared he placed
his men In that trap. with no retreat,
sto compel them TO fght.'' Compel
the men of Winchester and of Cedar
EGreeh ID ght! General Custer
r1dan;s best command Ter. Officially
reported that there we're four bri=
gades and one battery OF artillery
posted Pc .1zbeh tRdszs entire Inner etcs
There We're. as a matter OF fact, no
intrenchmenfs: AS we all know. :: poor
Custer, an ideal trooper. was later.
massacred by Indians. A rail fence
torn down and piled up for a couple
hundred yards on s al line OF battle
three-fo rthst Of ia mil e insI angth were
the only Entertainments, 81 st :s
Wos boys, whose names I Wi thholi,
5deseFters, from Dayneabo and who
forssome months had been with Sheri-
dan, guided Custer. concealed BY the
woods, to a lane leading from the
GreenVille road to- the South river
ford and Who'll ly=unpFotectedf by Early.
on his left flank Withinsa short half
hour = Custer had two brigades of
about 8. 0G0 reteran4 cavalry galloping
a Quarter Of a.mile in Earlyis rear into
iaN'v'saynesbor 70, cutting OF III escape.
and not losing one man killed, while
the tlt Cont derates lost, the gallant Col
onelss William III Hartman, who vas
Shot dead In the streets OF Waynes-
boro near Ga llaher's mill MI en- tiry-
ing TO escape. md losing: practically
all Of the command and every piece
OF tillerys and wa gon.
Scarcely an was fired in this
Wsretchcdi managed affair and Gen.
e e al Early was later rehuked by Cen
era Lee bysanS ord r,s las shown below.
Ilhe. fiaalnIlkeea fllery in turnpike
nch BOW A.
/ Early's artille ry On the hill above the
M.aynes boro railroad station, where
he and hts STAFF We're, exchanged q few
shots. sheridan reported he .tcap-
tured nine pieccs#of artillery. thirteen
battle EeleYens hundred ana sixty.
ttlve men. Sevent y- eight officers and
one hundred and fifty Wagons and
ina the enemy consisted OF two OF
wharton WI s infantry brigades and 5Ros-
8 ssE st.n the entire
|! force . OF the enemy aptured z, and this
y g n ~ correct only some OF those
VINO 4ha q orses apingg In the mad
s1asnP 1907 .cava Try and civilians all
mixed up toget err over iii e nionnt ! ~ :,
at RoclSish gap where the enemy
dashed at furious speed as far as,
EGreenwo ID hoping to- capture early
llims The routssw as complete. Gus
Ter adding. inellis rather SELF lands
tory report, that he Captured AZ Dor
ton Of Early S tans twfo In ia al Was
4 Pr Hunter cGuirel i nd55s,1 am IN
hope hop OF ptlrin &. Early, am III sh-s
,ng h nm through IA (Rocltish Gap.,S
but Early Just as soon as the sta1n-
ped il. and; It was seen 10 he