NEAR BERRYVILLE, Aug.
19, 7 A. M.
We are falling back: we commenced the day after the day I
wrote you. I had the right rear, with orders from Grant to drive in every
horse, mule, ox, or cow, and burn all grain and forage, — a miserable duty
which continued till Winchester. Just in front of Winchester (on the old ground
where Shields and Banks and Milroy and Hunter had already been outwitted)
Torbert made a stand with Wilson’s Division and my Brigade of cavalry and a
small Brigade of infantry. He stood till nightfall, just long enough to lose
nearly the whole of the Infantry Brigade and some of Wilson's Cavalry, -my men
were only engaged in the very beginning, and were withdrawn as soon as Torbert
discovered he had infantry in front of him. That was Wednesday, — the next day
we held the Berryville Pike at the Opequan till Rhodes's Infantry drove us
back, and now for two days we have been picketing about halfway between there
and Berryville, expecting every minute to be driven back, – our infantry having
moved back some twelve miles. Longstreet's Corps is in the valley, and Lee's
Cavalry, and Sheridan feels too weak to fight them far from his base. If the
rain does not raise the Potomac, I think they will be in Pennsylvania again within
a fortnight. It has been raining for two days at intervals and still continues.
I am writing in a fortunate snatch by the light of the Doctor's lantern, — as I
have no blankets and we allow ourselves no great fire, the nights are a little “tedious,”—
however I'm entirely well, and at this moment, not even homesick, — am too
anxious about the Rebs, I suppose, to leave room even for that.1
_______________
1 In what was said above, Lowell probably did not
mean to criticise General Torbert for his tenacity. Also, he had not yet found
out General Sheridan's quality, who had fallen back to Halltown as the only
good defensible position in the lower Valley against superior numbers. Early
did not get into Maryland, though Sheridan told Grant he purposely left the
door open for him, hoping to divide his forces, and thus defeat him.
SOURCE: Edward Waldo Emerson, Life and Letters of
Charles Russell Lowell, p. 324-5, 458
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