and drove it handsomely, capturing several wagons, ambulances, and nine forges with their teams, a number of horses, about fifty prisoners, besides killing and wounding a considerable number of the enemy. R. E. LEE. Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War. CHAFFIN'S BLUFF, October 20, 1864. General Early reports that before day on the 19th he attacked Sheridan's camp on Cedar Creek, surprised and routed the Eighth and Nineteenth Corps, and drove the Sixth Corps beyond Middletown, capturing 18 pieces of artillery and 1,300 prisoners. The enemy subsequently made a stand on the pike and, in turn, attacked him, when his leftgave way and his troops retreated. The enemy on the retreat captured thirty pieces of artillery and wagons and ambulances. The prisoners were brought off and his loss in men was not great. The gallant General Ramseur was seriously wounded and fell into the hands of the enemy. Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War. R. E. LEE. CHAFFIN'S BLUFF, October 21, 1864. His loss in pris Dispatch from General Early just received states that he lost twentythree pieces of artillery on the 19th. His loss in killed and wounded in the early part of the day was not more than 100. oners not known. Enemy's loss believed to be severe. over 1,300 prisoners. Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, He has secured R. E. LEE. Secretary of War. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, General Early reports that the enemy attacked General Lomax's forces at Milford on the 25th instant with one brigade and two pieces of artillery and were repulsed. The next day they attacked with two brigades and six pieces of artillery and were again driven back. General Lomax reports our loss very slight. Colonel Mosby reports that since the advance of the enemy up the Manassas Gap Railroad he has killed, wounded, and captured over 300, his own loss being 4 wounded and 1 captured." Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War, Richmond. R. E. LEE. PETERSBURG, November 13, 1864. General Early reports that he moved down the Valley on the 10th to ascertain the position of the enemy, who was found intrenched between Newtown and Kernstown. Merritt's and Custer's divisions of cavalry attacked General Rosser, on General Early's left, but were repulsed and driven several miles, losing 200 prisoners and a number of horses. Rosser's command behaved very handsomely, particularly Lomax's brigade, under Colonel Payne, and Wickham's, under Lieutenant-Colonel Morgan. About same time Powell's cavalry division attacked McCausland's brigade at Cedarville, on the Front Royal road, and drove it across the river. Particulars not yet received. Hon. SECRETARY OF WAR. 4 HEADQUARTERS, General Early reports that the enemy's cavalry, in considerable force, drove in our cavalry pickets this morning and advanced to Mount Jackson and crossed the river. It was met by some infantry and one brigade of Rosser's cavalry, and driven back. Rosser pursued, driving the enemy beyond Edenburg in confusion, and compelled him to abandon his killed and wounded. General Early thinks it was a reconnaisR. E. LEE. sance. Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War, Richmond. No. 173. Reports of Lieut. Gen. Jubal A. Early, C. S. Army, commanding Valley HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT, New Market, October 9, 1864. GENERAL: In advance of a detailed report I have determined to give you an informal account of the recent disasters to my command, which I have not had leisure to do before. On the 17th of September I moved two divisions (Rodes' and Gordon's) from Stephenson's Depot, where they, together with Breckinridge's division, were encamped (Ramseur being at Winchester to cover the road from Berryville), to Bunker Hill, and on the 18th I moved Gordon's division, with a part of Lomax's cavalry, to Martinsburg, to thwart efforts that were reported to be making to repair the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This expedition was successful, and the bridge over Back Creek was burned by a brigade of cavalry sent there. On the evening of the 18th Rodes was moved back to Stephenson's Depot and Gordon to Bunker Hill, with orders to start at daylight to return to his camp at Stephenson's Depot, which place he reached at a very early hour next morning. About the time of Gordon's arrival on that morning firing was heard in Ramseur's front, and now a report reached me that the enemy's cavalry had appeared on the Berryville road. I ordered Rodes, Gordon, and Breckinridge to have their divisions under arms ready to move to Ramseur's assistance, and rode to his position to ascertain the extent and character of the demonstration. On getting there I found Ramseur's division in line of battle, and the enemy evidently advancing with his whole force. The other divisions were immediately ordered up and the trains all put in motion for their security. Rodes and Gordon arrived just before the enemy commenced advancing a heavy force on Ramseur's left for the purpose of overwhelming him, and when their columns commenced advancing on Ramseur I attacked them with Rodes' and Gordon's divisions, and drove them back, with great slaughter, the artillery doing most splendid service, Braxton's battalion, driving back with canister a heavy force, before which Evans' brigade, of Gordon's division, which was on the left, had given way. This brigade was now rallied, and Battle's brigade coming to its assistance, the enemy was pushed back a considerable distance, and we were successful. Breckinridge's division did not arrive for some time, because General Breckinridge had moved it out after my order to him to drive back some of the enemy's cavalry which was crossing the Opequon, and I sent for him again, and he came up in the afternoon before the enemy had made any further attack; but as he reported the enemy's cavalry advancing on the road from Charlestown, by Brucetown and Stephenson's Depot, I ordered one of his brigades to the left on that road, and directed General Fitz Lee to take charge of all the cavalry on that flank (my left) and check the enemy's cavalry, and moved the other two brigades of Breckinridge's division toward the right, where our forces were weakest and the enemy was making demonstrations in force. Breckinridge was scarcely in position before our cavalry on the left was discovered coming back in great confusion, followed by the enemy's, and Breckinridge's force was ordered to the left to repel this cavalry force, which had gotten in rear of my left, and this, with the assistance of the artillery, he succeeded in doing; but as soon as the firing was heard in rear of our left flank the infantry commenced falling_back along the whole line, and it was very difficult to stop them. I succeeded, however, in stopping enough of them in the old rifle-pits constructed by General Johnston to arrest the progress of the enemy's infantry, which commenced advancing again when the confusion in our ranks was discovered, and could have still won the day if our cavalry would have stopped the enemy's; but so overwhelming was the battle, and so demoralized was a larger part of ours, that no assistance was received from it. The enemy's cavalry again charged around my left flank, and the men began to give way again, so that it was necessary for me to retire through the town. Line of battle was formed on the north side of the town, the command reorganized, and we then turned back deliberately to Newtown, and the next day to Fisher's. We lost three pieces of artillery, two of which had been left with the cavalry on the left, and the other was lost because the horses were killed and it could not be brought off. In this fight I had already defeated the enemy's infantry, and could have continued to do so, but the enemy's very great superiority in cavalry and the comparative inefficiency of ours turned the scale against us. In this battle the loss in the infantry and artillery was: Killed, 226; wounded, 1,567; missing, 1,818; total, 3,611. There is no full report of the cavalry, but the total loss in killed and wounded from September 1 to October 1 is: Killed, 60; wounded, 288; total, 348. But many were captured, though a good many are missing as stragglers, and a number of them reported missing in the infantry were not captured, but are stragglers and skulkers. Wharton's (Breckinridge's) division lost six colors, and Rodes' division captured two. Rodes' division made a very gallant charge, and he was killed conducting it. I fell back to Fisher's Hill, as it was the only place where a stand could be made, and I was compelled to detach Fitz Lee's cavalry to the Luray Valley to hold the enemy's cavalry in check should it advance up that valley. The enemy's loss at Winchester was very heavy. Doctor McGuire has received a letter from a member of his family who states that 5,800 of the enemy's wounded were brought to the hospital at Winchester, and that the total wounded was between 6,000 and 7,000; and a gentleman who passed over the field says that the number of killed was very large. Sheridan's medical director informed one of our surgeons left at Woodstock that the number of wounded in hospital at Winchester was the same as stated in the letter to Doctor McGuire, and I am satisfied from what I saw that the enemy's loss was very heavy. The enemy's infantry force was nearly, if not quite, three times as large as mine, and his cavalry was very much superior, both in numbers and equipment. This I have learned from intelligent persons who have seen the whole of both forces. I posted my troops in line at Fisher's Hill with the hope of arresting Sheridan's progress, but my line was very thin, and having discovered that the position could be flanked, as is the case with every position in the Valley, I had determined to fall back on the night of the 22d, but late that evening a heavy force was moved under cover of the woods on the left and drove back the cavalry there posted, and got in the rear of my left flank, and when I tried to remedy this the infantry got into a panic and gave way in confusion, and I found it impossible to rally it. The artillery behaved splendidly, both on this occasion and at Winchester. I had to order the guns to be withdrawn, but the difficulties of the ground were such that twelve guns were lost because they could not be gotten off. The loss in the infantry and artillery was 30 killed, 210 wounded, and 995 missing; total, 1,235. I have been able to get no report of the loss in the cavalry, but it was slight. Very many of the missing in the infantry took to the mountains. A number of them have since come in and others are still out. The enemy did not capture more than 400 or 500, but I am sorry to say many men threw away their arms. The night favored our retreat, and by next morning the commands were pretty well organized. At Mount Jackson next day I halted and drove back a force of cavalry which was pursuing, and then moved to Rude's Hill, where I halted until the enemy's infantry came up next day and was trying to flank me, when I moved off in line of battle for eight miles, occasionally halting to check the enemy. This continued until nearly sundown, when I got a position at which I checked the enemy's further progress for that day, and then moved under cover of night toward Port Republic to unite with Kershaw. After doing this I drove a division of cavalry from my front at Port Republic, and then moved to Waynesborough, where two divisions under Torbert were destroying the bridge, and drove them away; and after remaining there one day I moved to the vicinity of Mount Crawford, where I awaited the arrival of Rosser's brigade to take the offensive, but before it arrived the enemy was discovered to be falling back on the morning of the 6th. I immediately commenced following the enemy, and arrived here on the 7th, and have been waiting to ascertain whether Sheridan intends crossing the Blue Ridge before moving farther. Respectfully, General R. E. LEE. J. A. EARLY, Lieutenant-General. Report of killed and wounded in the Army of the Valley District from September 1 to October 1, 1864. MOUNT JACKSON, September 23, 1864. Late yesterday the enemy attacked my position at Fisher's Hill and succeeded in driving back the left of my line, which was defended by the cavalry, and throwing a force into the rear of the left of my infantry line, when the whole of the troops gave way in a panic and could not be rallied. This resulted in a loss of twelve pieces of artillery, though my loss in men is not large. I am falling back to New Market, and shall endeavor to check the enemy if he advances. Kershaw's division had better be sent to my aid, through Swift Run Gap, at once. J. A. EARLY. General R. E. LEE. [Indorsement.] HEADQUARTERS, Respectfully submitted for information of Secretary of War. Kershaw's division, with battalion of infantry, has been ordered to re-enforce Early, and he has been directed to call out all the troops in the Valley. I have no other troops to send. R. E. LEE, General. PORT REPUBLIC, September 25, 1864. GENERAL: I had determined to write you a full account of recent events, but I am too much occupied to do so. In the fight at Winchester I drove back the enemy's infantry, and would have defeated that, but his cavalry broke mine on the left flank, the latter making no stand, and I had to take a division to stop the progress of the former and save my trains, and during the fighting in the rear the enemy again |