Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 30.djvu/117

 Battle of Calnr Qreek. 109

Strasburg, and but for this mishap our loss in artillery would have been small.

As we were returning to Fisher's Hill, after the battle, as be- fore stated, we passed many wagons and some artillery, standing in the road, and there was no sign of the enemy.

We fell back with our 1,500 prisoners, notwithstanding the fact that Sheridan had enough cavalry to surround us; more cavalry than we had infantry! Strange to say, we were not at all annoyed by them on our retreat.

After a few days rest, we started after Sheridan's army again, and advanced to Newtown, where we formed line of battle and invited attack. We were in no condition to attack, as we had but 10,015 men in all against Sheridan's 35,489. Yet, he would not attack us, so we fell back to Fisher's Hill, and later to New Market (on Novem- ber I4th), and from there we went to Petersburg, to join General Lee.

I agree with General Early, that Sheridan should have been cash- iered, rather than promoted, for not capturing our army; and I go still further, and say that General Early should have had the thanks of the country for his fine generalship in saving our army, and for the grand success which he made against such odds. And it can be further said of General Early, that not a battle did he ever fight on equal ground; the enemy always having from three to five men to his one.

Our army in the Valley had killed, wounded and captured more of the enemy than we ever had rank and file in battle. We were worn out by the odds we had against us. At Winchester we fought with less than 15,000 troops. Sheridan's own report admits that he had 43,000. The same proportion held good in the battle of Cedar Creek, yet people of so-called common sense ridicule General Early and praise Sheridan. This should be reversed. Every schoolboy should be taught the truth about this and also concerning our late terrible war; and taught that the North only triumphed by force of numbers, and not prowess, as they would have you believe. Even Horace Greeley, in his American Conflict, admits that we were al- ways outnumbered from four to five to one !

Early, with an army of 10,000 in the Valley, kept fully 40,000 of the enemy from Lee's front. Pond's " Valley Campaign " admits the Federal loss at Cedar Creek in killed, wounded and missing 5,764. Besides this, Wright's Corps was recalled from Ashby's Gap, on its way to Grant, and but for this (for us) unfortunate rein-