WINCHESTER, FISHER’S HILL, AND CEDAR CREEK.

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of these places, who would have stood byme, I am satisfied that all my artillery andwagons and the greater part of the cap-tured artillery could have been saved, asthe enemy’s pursuit was very feeble. As itwas, a bridge broke down on a very nar-row part of the road between Strasburgand Fisher’s Hill/ just above Strasburg,where there was no other passway, there-by blocking up all the artillery, ordnance,and medical wagons and ambulances whichhad not passed that point; and, as therewas no force to defend them, they werelost, a very small body of the enemy’scavalry capturing them.

The greater part of the infantry washalted at Fisher’s Hill, and Rosser, whosecommand had retired in good order on theback road, was ordered to that point withhis cavalry. The infantry moved backtoward New Market at three o’clock nextmorning, and Rosser was left at Fisher’sHill to cover the retreat of the troops,and hold that position until they were be-yond pursuit. He remained at Fisher’sHill until after ten o’clock on the 20tli,and the enemy did not advance to thatplace while he was there. He then fellback without molestation to his formerposition, and established his line on StonyCreek, across from Columbia Furnace toEdinburg, seven miles below Mount Jack-son. My other troops were halted at NewMarket, about seven miles from Mount Jackson,and there was an entirely open country betweenthe two places, they being very nearly in sightof each other, j

Lomax had moved on the day of the battle, onthe Front Royal road toward Winchester, underthe impression that the enemy was being forcedback toward that place, and he did not reach me.When he ascertained the reverse which had takenplace in the latter part of the day, he retired upthe Luray Valley to his former position at Mill-ford, without molestation.

My loss in the battle of Cedar Creek was twenty-three pieces of artillery, some ordnance and med-ical wagons and ambulances, which had beencarried to the front for the use of the troops onthe field; about 18GO in killed and wounded, andsomething over 1000 prisoners. Major-GeneralKamseur fell into the hands of the enemy mor-tally wounded, and in him not only my command,

) Grant, says in liis account of tlio battle of CedarCreel;: “ Tlio enemy was defeated with great, slaughter,ai| d the loss of the most of his artillery and trains, andthe trophies ho had captured in the morning. The wreck°f his army escaped during the night, and fled in the di-rection of Staunton and Lynchburg . Pursuit was madeto Mount Jackson.” Stanton, who see,ms to have thoughtft was his duty to improve on all Grant’s statements,Says: “ The routed forces of the enemy were pursued to■■’fount Jackson, where lie arrived without an organizedteginient of his army. All of his artillery and thousands°f Prisoners fell into Sheridan’s hands. These successesclosed military operations in tlio Shenandoah Valley,and a rebel force appeared ilicre no more during theWar." The recklessness of these statements, of both

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JUBAL A. EARLY , C. S. A.

FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

but the country sustained a heavy loss. He wasa most gallant and energetic officer whom nodisaster appalled, but his courage and energyseemed to gain new strength in the midst of con-fusion and disorder. He fell at his post fightinglike a lion at bay, and his native State lias reasonto be proud of his memory. Brigadier-GeneralC. A. Battle was wounded at the beginning of thefight, and other valuable officers were lost. Fif-teen hundred prisoners were captured from theenemy and brought off, and his loss in killed andwounded in this action was very heavy.

This was the case of a glorious victory given upby my own troops after they had Avon it, and it isto be accounted for on the ground of the partialdemoralization caused by the plunder of theenemy’s camps, and from the fact that the menundertook to judge for themselves when it, wasproper to retire.

Had my cavalry been sufficient to contend with

Grant and Stanton, will appear from the above narra-tive, as well as from my subsequent, operations in theShennmloali Valley. Would it be believed that this“wreck” of my army, which tied in such wild dismaybefore its pursuers, carried from the battle-field 1500prisoners,— who were sent to Ilichmond,— subsequentlyconfronted Sheridan’s whole force north of Cedar Creek,for two days, without his attacking it, and sent outexpeditions which captured two important posts, withover 1000 prisoners and several pieces of artillery, in thelimits of Sheridan’s command! Yet such was the case.

J. A. E.

& Sheridan’s loss in this battle was 614 killed, 3430wounded, 1591 captured or missing,—aggregate, 5665.Early’s was about 3000.— Editors.