Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/81

 General Early 8 Valley Campaign. 81

torious officers and their commands for efficient service rendered in the momentous campaign treated of, whilst some essential incidents were omitted. The natural desire of the gallant author to rectify the deficiencies in his narrative in a corrected republication, has been through circumstances deferred. For years suffering under the touching deprivation of vision and otherwise greatly physically afflicted, he bore these visitations of Providence with a fortitude wholly noble. He was relieved April 29, 1891, when, it may be con- fidently trusted, his heroic and devoted spirit found eternal com- panionship in Celestial Realms with the patriot chief who so loved and trusted him the Christian Hero, Robert E. Lee. The daugh- ter of General Long, Miss Virginia T. Long, writes the editor that " the last thing dictated " by her so lamented father was the letter for publication "making the corrections" embodied in the present pub- lication. The editor has great pleasure in dutifully doing justice to all concerned.]

In compliance with his instructions, General Early, on the I3th of June, withdrew his corps, consisting of about eight thousand infantry and twenty-four pieces of artillery, from the Army of Northern Virginia, and proceeded towards Staunton. The artillery was subsequently increased to forty guns, and his forces were further augmented by the addition of about fifteen hundred cavalry and two thousand infantry. At Charlottesville Early received intelligence of the rapid advance of Hunter upon Lynchburg with a force of twenty thousand men.

Promptly shifting his objective point, and availing himself of the Orange and Alexandria railroad, he moved with such rapidity that he reached Lynchburg in time to rescue it. At that time the only force at hand for the defence of Lynchburg was the division of Breckinridge, less than two thousand strong, and a few hundred home guards, composed of old men and boys, whose age exempted them from active service. Hunter, finding himself unexpectedly confronted by Early, relinquished his intended attack upon the city, and sought safety in a rapid night retreat.

The next day Early instituted a vigorous pursuit, which continued with uninterrupted pertinacity, until Hunter was overtaken in the neighborhood of Salem, a small town on the Virginia and Tennessee railroad, where he was defeated and forced to a hazardous and disor- ganizing retreat through the mountains to the Ohio river.