Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/553

Rh marched 25 miles and had an engagement during the day.

On the 29th, Rosser, after a long march, surprised, by able strategy, the enemy's camp at New Creek, on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, capturing 800 prisoners and eight pieces of artillery. The army remained in its New Market camps until December 6th, taking the cars at Staunton on the night of the 7th. Wickham's brigade retired that day from Mt. Jackson to Timberville. This movement of the Second corps from the Valley was brought about by a report that the Sixth corps of Sheridan's army had already gone to Richmond to join Grant, and that more of the same army were moving in that direction. Grimes' division of Early's army left for Richmond on the 14th of December.

The famous Second corps of the army of Northern Virginia, Jackson's old command, embracing the remnants of his old division and his old brigade, now left the Shenandoah valley for the last time, under the command of Maj.-Gen. John B. Gordon, one of the ablest, bravest and boldest of the surviving brigade and division commanders of the immortal Stonewall Jackson, General Evans, of Georgia, succeeding to the command of Gordon's division. This remarkable body of veterans, a mere fragment of its former self when, in the meridian of its strength of numbers and efficiency, Jackson led it against Pope at Cedar run, had, in four successive campaigns, played a most important part in the great military operations in the Shenandoah valley, that have not only made that region famous in the annals of history, but have made its movements and conflicts with superior forces opposed to them, the subjects of admiration and study of the military men of all the civilized fighting nations of the world. Thenceforward the small remnant of the Second corps, the few surviving veterans who had passed through so many memorable conflicts, became a portion of the army of Northern Virginia at Petersburg, participating, with unflinching manliness, in the remarkable defense of that beleaguered city, until the fall of Richmond and General Lee's retreat to Appomattox Court House, where it was actually repulsing an attack of a portion of the Federal army, and successfully driving it back when the truce was called that led to the surrender, when, with the intrepid Gordon at its head, it