Year: 1864

Soldiers of tho Army Of the Valley:


had hoped to have congratulated you on the
splendid victory won by you on the morning of the
10th at Belle Grove on Cedar Greek, when you
surprised and routed two corps of Sherdan's army,
and drove back several miles the remaining corps,
capturing eighteen pieces of artillery thousand
five hundred prisoners, q number of colors, large
quantity of small arms, and many wagons and
ambuances, with the entire camps of the two rout-
ed corps; but / have the modification of announc-
ing to you that, by your subsequent misconduct,
all the benefits of that victory lost and seri
Gus disaster incurred. Had you remained steadfsst
to your duty and your colOrs, the victory would,
have been of the most brilliant and decisive Of
the war; you would have gloriously retrieved the
reverses at Winchester and Fishers Hill, and entit


ed yourselves to the admiration and gratitude OF
your country. But many of you, including some
commissioned officers yielding to disgraceful pro-
pensity for plunder, deserted your coors to appro
pirate to yourselves the abandoned property of the
enemy, and subsequently those who had previously
remained at their posts, seeing their ranks thinned
BY the absence of the plunderers, when the enemy,
late in the afternoon, with his shattered columns,
made but feeble effort to retrieve the fortunes of
the day, yielding to a needless panic and fed the
field in confusion, thereby converting splendid
victory into q disaster. Had any respectable num-
Der OF you listened to the appeals made to you and
made stand, even at the last moment the disaster
would have been averted and the substantial fruits
OF victory secured but under the insane dread of
being fanked, and panic stricken terror of the
enemy's cavalry, you would listen to no appeal,
threat or order, and allowed small body of caval
ry to penetrate to our train and carry of number
of pieces of artillery and wagons which your dis
order left unprotected. You have thus o6scured
that glorious fame won in conjunction with the gal
liant men Of the Army of Northern Virginia, who
still remain proudly defiant liz the trenches around
Richmond and Petersburg. Before yeu can again
claim them as comrades you will have to erase
fr0po ,tnho ,,ko NH oh
obscure them and this you can do if you will but
be true to your former reputation your country and
your homes. You who have fought at Manassas,
Richmond, Sharpsburg, fredericksburg, Chancel
lOrsville, Gettysburg, and from the Wilderness to
the banks of James river; and especially you who
were with the immortal jackson IN all his triumphs
are capable of better things. Arouse yourselves,
then, to a sense of your manhood and apPrecia-
tion of the sacred cause in which you engaged
Yield to the mandates of disciplne resolve tostand
by your colors in future at all hazards and you can
yet retrieve your reputation and strike effective
blows for your country and its cause. Let every
man spurn from him the vile plunder gathered on
the field of the 10th and let no man. whatever his
rank, whether combatant or non -combatant, dare
exhibit his spoils of that day. They will be q
badge of dishonor the insignia of disgrace. The
officer who pauses in the career of victory to place
guard over a suffers wagon, for his private use


is bad the soldier who hals to for him
self the abandoned clothing or money of a flying
foe, and they both sell the honor of the army and
the blood of their country for paltry price. de
who follows his colours into the ranks Of the enc
my in pursuit of victory, disdaning the miserable
passion for gathering booty comes out of the battle
with his honor untarnished, and though barefooted
and ragged is far more to be envied than he that
is laden with rich spoils, gathered in the trail Of
his victorious comrades. There were some excep-
tons to the general misconduct the afternoon Of
the l9th but it would be difficult to specify them
Al -. Al l,k--A l. ,G1I~-


the consciousness of having done it and mourn that
their efforts psrayZed by the misbehavior of
others Let them be consoled, to some extent by
the reflection that the enemy has nothing to moth


ing to boast of his part The artillery and wagons
taken were not won by his valor. HIS camps were
destroyed, his army terribly shattered and demor-
allied his losses far heavier than ours even in pro-
portion to the relative strength of the armies his
| plans materially impeded, and he was unable to
pursue by reason of his crippled condition Sol


dIers of the army Of the Valley, do not speak to
| you in anger; l wish to speak in kindness, though
| in sorrow. My purpose is to show you the causes
| of our late misfortune, and point out the way to


avoid similar ones in future and ensure success to
| our arms. Success can only be secured BY the en-
| forcement and observance Of the most rigid dsci-
| pline. Officers whatever their rank, must Eot only


give orders, but set the example of obeyiDg them,


ami the men must follow that example. Fellow


soldiers am ready to lead you again in defence oil
| our common cause and appeal to you by the re.


rnemorance of the glorious career in which you


have formerly participated, by the woes of your
| bleeding country, the ruined homes and devasta-


ted fields you sec around you, the cries of anguish


which come up from the widows and orphans of


your dead comrades, the horrors which await you,


and all that is yours in the future if your coun-


try is subjugated, and your hopes of freedom
| for yourselves and your posterity, to render


q cheerful and willing obedience to the rules


of discipline, and to shoulder your musket again


with the determination never more to turn your


backs upon the foe, but to do battle like men and


soldiers until the last vestge of the footsteps of our


barbarous and cruel enemies is erased from the sell


they deSecrate and the independence of the country


is firmly established. If you will do this and rely


upon the protecting care of just and mercfu God,


all will be well; you will again be what you once


were, and will be proud to lead you once more in


battle. j. A. EARLY,