Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/139

 138 Southern Historical Society Papers.

own, many of whom were my old neighbors and personal friends, and of course I knew more of them than of the other splendid regi- ments of my brigade.) We fell back under fire until we reached a body of timbe^ which afforded shelter for our men, after which the enemy retired, and we moved to Columbia Furnace, where the rem- nant of our division and our artillery, officers and men, had assem- bled. A more discomfited looking body I have never imagined. We had .followed Stonewall Jackson up and down the Valley in his great Valley campaign, and when our toils came to an end, we could go to our wagons and enjoy a clean shirt and some of the little com- forts that a weary soldier looks forward to. Now we had not even a clean shirt wagons and all were gone. Sending out a picket, back to the bushes we betook ourselves for the night, while Rosser re- paired to General Early 's camp to report. The next day we moved to the foot of Rude's Hill, and the next day established our pickets at Edinburg.

In our fight and race at Tom's Brook, I had bruised an ugly boil, which had now turned into a severe carbuncle, giving me a fever and great pain. I got a leave of absence, and was not ready for duty, from the cause above stated, until the I4th of November, when I re- turned to camp and found the brigade where I had left it. In the meantime the battle of Cedar Creek had been fought. I now give the Federal account of this fight, to show that Rosser's statements in his paper, referred to in the Philadelphia Weekly Times, are not veritable history. Page 202, Pond's book, he says : " Rosser came to his task October 5th with fresh energy. His brigade, it is true, had been worn down by a hard march from Richmond, during which the men had got but little to eat and the horses needed rest, but at least it was full of confidence, eager to redeem the cavalry mishaps in the Valley. He, Rosser, instantly pressed Custer on the back and middle roads, attacking him at Brock's Gap, through which Dry river enters the North Fork, about twenty seven miles from Wood- stock, and Lomax moved down the Valley against Merrit. This officer camped the following day within two miles of Woodstock, and Custer near Columbia Furnace. " The rearguard of this column," says Torbert, referring to Custer, " was fighting all day." Powell, in the Luray Valley, kept his relative position with the other forces by moving down to Milford. Early's infantry arrived at New Market, and Sheridan's, the next day, at Strasburg, while Merrit, covering the rear, reached Tom's Brook, which crosses the Valley three miles south of the town, at the foot of Round Top. (From