CHAPTER XXI. FROM THE VALLEY TO CITY POINT. HOW SHERIDAN WENT BACK TO GRANT-CLEARING THE LOUDOUN AND LURAY VALLEYS GREAT IMPORTANCE OF SHERIDAN'S NEW ORDERS - GRANT PREPARING FOR THE LAST FIGHTS THE UPPER SHENANDOAH LEFT FREE OF A FOE- - CUSTER'S BOLD FIGHT FOR ROCKFORD GAP-EARLY'S ROUT AND DISAPPEARANCE -SURRENDER OF OF CHARLOTTESVILLE DESTRUCTION THE JAMES RIVER CANAL — BURNING BRIDGES BLOWING UP LOCKS — DESTROYING RAILROADS -PANIC IN RICHMOND CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT READY TO TAKE HORSEBACK — AT CITY POINT - GRANT'S ORDERS — SHERIDAN'S DESIRE TO "" END THE BUSINESS RIGHT HERE". -THE WAY TO FIVE FORKS. THE winter came on apace after Rosser was disposed of. Early, whirling down the valley, obtained no delay by Rosser's aid. The chill days were, however, made warm enough to horse and man by the constant activity the Confederate cavalry steadily displayed. Sheridan had disposed of a major part of his infantry. Wright and the Sixth Corps were returned to the army around Petersburg. The Ninth was sent to other duty. Crook, with the Nineteenth Corps, was kept in the Shenandoah Valley. The men thereof were nearly all West Virginians. Averill's fine cavalry division was of the same material, and remained with Crook. The Valley of the Shenandoah runs from Harper's Ferry, on the Potomac, south by west, to the extreme corner of the Old Dominion, in that direction. Its west flank is the Shenandoah and Alleghany Mountains proper, and its eastern flank is made from the Blue Ridge range, on the east side of which are the rich fields of the Loudoun Valley, and the more picturesque one of Luray. The whole of Sheridan's fighting occurred in the upper valley, until after Early's last defeat at Strasburg and beyond. Lynchburg lies about eighty miles south by east of Winchester. It is about sixty miles west, by ten south, of Richmond. Topographically, it lies about ten miles east of the southern spurs of the Blue Ridge. On the 24th of November, 1864, Sheridan started General Wesley Merritt on an extended raid, for the purpose of destroying supplies, and preventing the concentration of any rebel forces to the east. He left Winchester on the 28th, and moved east through Ashby's Gap, in the Blue Ridge, towards Fairfax Court House, and thence to Centreville, Manassas, and other points easterly and north, attacking and driving Moseby's force, who made this region their chief field of operations, returning to Winchester by the 3d of December, through the Snicker Gap, and by way of Berryville. On the 19th of December General Torbett's division, in two columns, passed eastward by Stormy Point and Chester Gap, sweeping a large circle, by way of Front Royal on its northern arc, and Madison Court House on its southern, and uniting at Gordonsville, below the famous battle-field of Spottsylvania. They reached that point on the 23d, and returning, marched northward to Culpepper and Warrenton. The division again took different routes, one column returning by way of Salem to Winchester, and the other by White Plains and Middlebury to Paris, and thence to headquarters. A glance at the map of Virginia will show the object of these expeditions, which were without any serious fighting, but damaging to the enemy, nevertheless. Over a month passed in the valley without raids or expeditions of any import on either side. Grant-drawing tighter the huge meshes of the great net that slowly gathered about Richmond, the mouth of which he himself held on the James River, at Petersburg and Bermuda Hundred, while Sherman was slowly but surely compressing the southern folds, being about to make his notable Christmas gift to the Nation in the capture of Savannah, Georgia,—grew more anxious to complete the necessary work of isolating destruction which remained to be done to the immediate west of Richmond. General Grant, in his Memoirs,* shows the importance of Sheridan's position and impending action by the following review of the general situation and the orders to the commander of the Middle Department: "By the first of February all preparations were completed for the final march (Sherman's), Columbia, South Carolina, being the first objective; Fayetteville, North Carolina, the second; and Goldsboro', or neighborhood, the final one, unless something further should be determined upon. The right wing went from Pocotaligo, and the left from Hardeeville on the Savannah River, both columns taking a pretty direct route for Columbia. The cavalry, however, was to threaten Charleston on the right, and Augusta on the left. Vol. II., pp. 408-9. "On the 15th of January, Fort Fisher had fallen, news of which Sherman had received before starting out on his march. We already had New Bern, and soon had Wilmington, whose fall followed that of Fort Fisher; as did other points on the sea coast, where the national troops were in readiness to coöperate with Sherman's advance when he had passed Fayetteville. "On the 18th of January, I ordered Canby, in command at New Orleans, to move against Mobile, Montgomery, and Selma, Alabama, for the purpose of destroying roads, machine shops, etc." The cavalry leaders, Kilpatrick and Grierson, were already in the field and at work, destroying and capturing; while General James H. Wilson, of the Army of the Potomac, had been sent with his cavalry division to move in conjunction with these great operations, through and across the Central South. General Grant continues: "On the 8th of February, I ordered Sheridan, who was in the Valley of Virginia, to push forward as soon as the weather would permit and strike the canal west of Richmond at or about Lynchburg; and on the 20th I made the order to go to Lynchburg as soon as the roads would permit, saying: "As soon as it is possible to travel, I think you will have no difficulty about reaching Lynchburg with a cavalry force alone. From there you could destroy the railroad and canal in every direction, so as to be of no further use to the rebellion. This additional raid, with one starting from East Tennessee under Stoneman, numbering from four to five thousand cavalry; one from Eastport, Mississippi, ten thousand cavalry; Canby, from Mobile Bay, with about eighteen thousand mixed troops — these three latter pushing for Tuscaloosa, Selma, and Montgomery; and Sherman with a large army eating out the vitals of South Carolina— is all that is wanted to leave nothing for the rebellion to stand upon. I would advise you to overcome great obstacles to accomplish this. Charleston was evacuated on Tuesday last.'" In preparation for the move on Lynchburg direct, or by the James canal, back to City Point, Sheridan sent out his scouts, with detachments from the cavalry regiments to scour the country for guerrillas, who were harassing our lines. This force marched 160 miles in fiftyfive hours, and brought in as captive the noted guerrilla, Colonel Harry Gilmore, and twenty of his followers, with about one hundred horses, besides having given a severe drubbing to the balance of the Confederate partisans. 66 Winter quarters in the valley had been, on the whole, of an attractive character for our cavalry. The six weeks of needed rest preceding this, the last of Sheridan's extended raids, had been spent in the crisp, cold winter days of that delightful region. Veteran troopers still speak of their last winter in that field with pleasurable associations. Men and horses were alike in good condition, both well fed, and the men well clothed, and prepared for a severe campaign. The fine, clear cold of a Virginia mid-winter vanished before the buglers' 'boots and saddles," and it was a cheerless and chilly morning, with a cold, mizzling rain, that greeted the column when Sheridan moved out of Winchester on the 27th of February, 1865. His force consisted of the First Cavalry Division, under Merritt, the Third, under Custer, and a brigade from Averill's division, consisting of three West Virginia regiments, under Colonel Capehart. General Merritt serving Sheridan as chief of staff, his division passed under the command of General "Tommy" Deven. The small army was in light marching order, with only four days' rations of bread and meat stuffs, and a larger supply of coffee, etc., and ammunition. The Union columns marched steadily up the romantic valley, passing scores of little villages without halting, leaving their destination in doubt to the curious residents, whether unfriendly or otherwise. Their first objective point was Charlottesville, some sixty miles south by cast of Winchester. Moving by way of Staunton, they crossed the Blue Ridge by Rockford Gap, at Mount Crawford. On the middle fork of the Shenandoah River, just above Staunton, the Confederate Rosser was encountered, prepared with a small force to dispute the passage of the mountain stream. By a swift dash Colonel Capehart secured the bridge, driving Rosser across in great confusion. The column moved on to Staunton, and Custer was thrown forward in advance to seize Rockford Gap. At Waynesboro', on the west side of the ridge, Early was found strongly intrenched with a force of 2,500 men. He had ostentatiously boasted that Sheridan should never be permitted to pass through Rockford Gap. But Custer was in his front, sweeping all before him, and without waiting for supports, the golden-maned trooper fell upon Early's lines. This was on the 2d of March. Early's intrenchments were strong, but Custer was soon inside them. Some fierce fighting ensued, the Union troopers charging boldly up to the earthworks and leaping their horses over them. The Confederates met them as boldly, with bayonet and clubbed rifles, but the invincible Michiganders and |