was near Mount Jackson last night. The whole army is now moving forward. The country and small towns through this valley have a great many of the enemy's wounded. Lieutenant-General GRANT, P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General, Commanding. Commanding Armies of the United States. SIX MILES SOUTH OF NEW MARKET, September 24, 1864-11.30.p. m. (Received 26th.) I have the honor to report that I drove the enemy from Mount Jackson to six miles beyond New Market without being able to bring on an engagement. The enemy moved rapidly. I had no cavalry present to hold them. General Torbert attacked Wickham's men at Luray, and captured 100 prisoners. I have found rebel hospitals in all the towns from Winchester up to this place, all containing a number of wounded. I am now eighty miles from Martinsburg, and find it exceedingly difficult to supply this army. The engagements of Winchester and Fisher's Hill broke up my original plan of pushing up the Valley with a certain amount of supplies and then returning. There is not sufficient in the Valley to live off the country. I should have mentioned some days ago that Kershaw's division left for Richmond about the 16th or 17th of September. When I last heard from it it was at Sperryville. It is reported to me that it has returned to the Valley. No other troops have left Early, either of cavalry or infantry. Breckinridge has gone in person to command the Department' of the Southwest. Lieutenant-General GRANT. P. H. SHERIDAN, HARRISONBURG, September 25, 1864-11.30 p.m. I pressed the enemy hard yesterday; at the same time pushed forward Colonel Powell's cavalry through Timberville, and struck the Valley pike in his rear. This latter movement stampeded him so badly that late last evening he gave up the Valley pike and struck off toward Keezletown and Port Republic, leaving the entire valley way free. All my infantry arrived at Harrisonburg at 4 p. m. to-day. Colonel Powell's cavalry reached Mount Crawford to-night. Torbert's cavalry overtook me this evening. Its operations in the Luray Valley, on which I calculated so much, were an entire failure. They were held at Milford by two small brigades of Fitz Lee's cavalry, and then fell back toward Front Royal until after they had learned of our success at Fisher's Hill. They then proceeded up the valley again, encountering the enemy's cavalry at Luray, capturing some 75 or 80 men and horses; then joined me, via New Market. Powell's cavalry whipped a portion of the enemy's cavalry near Harrisonburg yesterday; captured and burned 9 wagons. I find at this place 450 wounded. I am now ninety-four miles from Martinsburg and 104 miles from Harper's Ferry. I will send a column of cavalry to Staunton to-morrow morning, and will probably follow the enemy in the direction of Port Republic with the infantry. Every hour brings me additional information of the demoralization of Early's army. Reports late this evening say that he is moving toward Charlottesville; other reports are that he is going to Waynesborough. The part that I expected the cavalry to accomplish at Fisher's Hill was a complete failure. I have relieved Averell from his command. Instead of following the enemy when he was broken at Fisher's Hill, so that there was not a cavalry organization left, het went into camp, and let me pursue the enemy for a distance of fifteen miles with infantry during the night. Early burned quite a number of wagons on his way up the Valley. He also abandoned two caissons on the Keezletown road not far from this place. Lieutenant-General GRANT. P. H. SHERIDAN, HARRISONBURG, VA., September 26, 1864-7 p. m. GENERAL: I see a paragraph going the rounds of the papers that the Nineteenth Army Corps was late in coming into the fight at Winchester. I was entirely unconscious of this until I saw it in the papers. This statement was made by R. L. Shelley. I wish to say that it is incorrect, and that this correspondent was arrested by my order on a previous occasion for writing untruthful accounts. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General, Commanding. Lieutenant-General GRANT. HARRISONBURG, September 29, 1864-7.30 p. m.. In my last dispatch I informed you that I pressed Early so closely through New Market, at the same time sending cavalry around his flank, that he gave up the Valley and took to the mountains, passing through Brown's Gap. I kept up the pursuit to Port Republic, destroying 75 wagons and 4 caissons. I sent General Torbert, who overtook me at Harrisonburg, to Staunton with Wilson's division of cavalry and one brigade of Merritt's. Torbert entered Staunton on the 26th, and destroyed a large quantity of rebel Government propertyharness, saddles, small-arms, hard bread, flour, repair shops, &c. then proceeded to Waynesborough, destroying the iron bridge over the South Branch of the Shenandoah, seven miles of track, the depot buildings, Government tannery, and a large amount of leather, flour, and stores, &c., at that place. He found the tunnel defended by infantry, and retired via Staunton, destroying, according to your original instructions to me. This morning I sent around Merritt's and Custer's divisions, via Piedmont, to burn grain, &c., pursuant to your instructions. My impression is that most of the troops which Early had left passed through the mountains to Charlottesville. Kershaw's division came to his assistance, and, I think, passed along the west base of the mountains to Waynesborough. The advance of my infantry is at Mount Crawford, eight miles south of Harrisonburg. I will go on and clean out the Valley. I am getting twenty-five to forty prisoners daily, who come in from the mountains on each side and deliver themselves up. From the most reliable accounts, Early's army was completely broken up and is dispirited. It will be exceedingly difficult for me to carry the infantry column over the mountains and strike at the Central road. I cannot accumulate sufficient stores to do so, and think it best to take some position near Front Royal, and operate with the cavalry and infantry. I will, however, stay here for a few days. Kershaw had not reached Richmond, but was somewhere in the vicinity of Gordonsville, when he received orders to rejoin Early. The destruction of the grain and forage from here to Staunton will be a terrible blow to them. All the grain, forage, &c., in the vicinity of Staunton was retained for the use of Early's army; all in the lower part of the Valley was shipped to Richmond for the use of Lee's army. The country from here to Staunton was abundantly supplied with forage and grain, &c. Lieutenant-General GRANT. P. H. SHERIDAN, WOODSTOCK, October 7, 1864-9 p. m. I have the honor to report my command at this point to-night. I commenced moving back from Port Republic, Mount Crawford, Bridgewater, and Harrisonburg yesterday morning. The grain and forage in advance of these points up to Staunton had previously been destroyed. In moving back to this point the whole country from the Blue Ridge to the North Mountains has been made untenable for a rebel army. I have destroyed over 2,000 barns filled with wheat, hay, and farming implements; over seventy mills filled with flour and wheat; have driven in front of the army over 4[,000] head of stock, and have killed and issued to the troops not less than 3,000 sheep. This destruction embraces the Luray Valley and Little Fort Valley, as well as the main valley. A large number of horses have been obtained, a proper estimate of which I cannot now make. Lieut. John R. Meigs, my engineer officer, was murdered beyond Harrisonburg, near Dayton. For this atrocious act all the houses within an area of five miles were burned. Since I came into the Valley, from Harper's Ferry up to Harrisonburg, every train, every small party, and every straggler has been bushwhacked by people, many of whom have protection papers from commanders who have been hitherto in this valley. From the vicinity of Harrisonburg over 400 wagon-loads of refugees have been sent back to Martinsburg; most of these people were Dunkers and had been conscripted. The people here are getting sick of the war; heretofore they have had no reason to complain, because they have been living in great abundance. I have not been followed by the enemy up to this point, with the exception of a small force of rebel cavalry that showed themselves some distance behind my rear guard to-day. A party of 100 of the Eighth Ohio Cavalry, which I had stationed at the bridge. over the North Shenandoah, near Mount Jackson, was attacked by McNeill, with seventeen men; report they were asleep, and the whole party dispersed or captured. I think that they will all turn up; I learn that fifty-six of them have reached Winchester. McNeill was mortally wounded and fell into our hands. This was fortunate, as he was the most daring and dangerous of all the bushwhackers in this section of the country. I would have preferred sending troops to you by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; it would have been the quickest and most concealed way of sending them. The keeping open of the road to Front Royal will require large guards to protect it against a very small number of partisan troops. It also obliges me to have a pontoon train, if it is to be kept open, to bridge the Shenandoah and keep up communication with Winchester. However, in a day or two I can tell better. I sent a party of cavalry through Thornton's Gap, and directed the balance of the division of cavalry which I have left in the Valley to take position at Millwood, occupying Chester Gap and Front Royal. Thornton's Gap I have given up, as of no value. With this disposition of forces, I will move infantry round the mountains, via Strasburg, as soon as possible. To-morrow I will continue the destruction of wheat, forage, &c., down to Fisher's Hill. When this is completed the Valley, from Winchester up to Staunton, ninety-two miles, will have but little in it for man or beast. In previous dispatches I have used "lower Valley" when I should have said "upper Valley," or, in other words, in my last dispatch I intended to say that the grain and forage from Staunton up to Lexington had been sent to Richmond, and that the grain and forage from Staunton to Strasburg had been left for the wintering of Early's army. Yesterday Colonel Powell captured a guerrilla camp on the mountains, with ten wagons and teams. Lieutenant-General GRANT. P. H. SHERIDAN, STRASBURG, October 9, 1864-12 midnight. In coming back to this point I was not followed in until late yesterday, when a large force of cavalry appeared in my rear. I then halted the command to offer battle by attacking the enemy. I became satisfied that it was only all the rebel cavalry of the Valley commanded by Rosser, and directed Torbert to attack at daylight this morning and finish this "Savior of the Valley." The attack was handsomely made. Custer, commanding Third Cavalry Division, charged on the Back road, and Merritt, commanding First Cavalry Division, on the Strasburg pike. Merritt captured five pieces of artillery. Custer captured six pieces of artillery, with caissons, battery forge, &c. The two divisions captured thirty-seven wagons, ambulances, &c. Among the wagons captured are the headquarters wagons of Rosser, Lomax, and Wickham, and Colonel Pollard [Munford?]. The number of prisoners captured will be about 330. The enemy after being charged by our gallant cavalry were broken, and ran; they were followed by our men on the jump twenty-six miles through Mount Jackson and across the North Fork of the Shenandoah. I deemed it best to make this delay of one day here and settle this new cavalry general. The eleven pieces of artillery captured to-day make thirty-six pieces of artillery captured in the Valley since the 19th of September. Some of the artillery captured was new and never had been fired before. The pieces were marked, "Tredegar Works." Lieutenant-General GRANT. P. H. SHERIDAN, CEDAR CREEK, October 11, 1864-7 p. m. I have seen no signs of the enemy since the brilliant engagement of the 9th instant. It was a square cavalry fight, in which the enemy was routed beyond my power to describe. He lost everything carried on wheels except one piece of artillery, and when last seen it was passing over Rude's Hill, near New Market, on the keen run, twenty-six miles from the battle-field, to which point the pursuit was kept up. The batterymen and horses, &c., were captured. The horses were all in good condition, but were all exchanged by our own cavalrymen for their broken-down animals. I have given you but a faint idea of the cleaning out of the stock, forage, wheat, provisions, &c., in the Valley. The casualties of the 9th will not exceed sixty men. The 100 men of the Eighth Ohio, dispersed while guarding the bridge over the North Shenandoah, have come in, except the officers. Lieutenant-Colonel Tolles, my chief quartermaster, and Asst. Surg. Emil Ohlenschlager, medical inspector on my staff, were both mortally wounded by guer rillas to-day, on their way to join me from Winchester; they were ambuscaded. Three men were killed and five wounded out of an escort of twenty-four. The refugees from Early's army, cavalry and infantry, are organizing guerrilla parties and are becoming very formidable and are annoying me very much. I know of no way to exterminate them except to burn out the whole country and let the people go North or South. If I attempt to capture them by sending out parties, they escape to the mountains on fleet horses. P. H. SHERIDAN, Colonel Powell, commanding cavalry division, on the 5th instant, cut down the railroad bridge over the Rapidan and threw it into the river. Lieutenant-General GRANT. CEDAR CREEK, October 19, 1864-10 p.m. I have the honor to report that my army at Cedar Creek was attacked this morning before daylight and my left was turned and driven in confusion; in fact, most of the line was driven in confusion, with the loss of twenty pieces of artillery. I hastened from Winchester, where I was on my return from Washington, and joined the army between Middletown and Newtown, having been driven back about four miles. I here took the affair in hand and quickly united the corps, formed a compact line of battle just in time to repulse an attack of the enemy's, which was handsomely done at about 1 p. m. At 3 p. m., after some changes of the cavalry from the left to the right flank, I attacked with great vigor, driving and routing the enemy, capturing, according to last reports, forty-three pieces of artillery and very many prisoners. I do not yet know the number of my casualties or the losses of the enemy. Wagon trains, ambulances, and caissons in large numbers, are in our possession. They also burned some of their trains. General Ramseur is a prisoner in our hands, severely, and perhaps mortally, wounded. I have to regret the loss of General Bidwell, killed, and Generals Wright, Grover, and Ricketts wounded-Wright slightly wounded. Affairs at times looked badly, but by the gallantry of our |