Such trifling! I'm tired of it! Must be we are waiting for
something — aren't ready. I am glad to lay quiet, but such suspense keeps us
from resting. We can't depend on quiet. It's rumored we are to fall back this
evening. Quite a game of chess seems to be going on between the armies.* It has
been very dull since we left Harper's Ferry. We have done nothing but march
without mail and time drags; are nearly out of rations.
_______________
* The reason of General Sheridan's caution was that General
Grant had warned him from Petersburg while at Cedar Creek, that General Lee had
sent a reinforcement to General Early of General Anderson's Corps of two
divisions of infantry under General Fitzhugh Lee, and to be cautious. General
Sheridan's army then consisted of the Sixth Corps, two divisions of the
Nineteenth Corps, General Crook's Eighth Corps, two divisions of cavalry and
the usual amount of artillery. The other division of the Nineteenth Corps and
one division of cavalry were en route to join him, which, when they arrived,
would give him a force of about 30,000 men, and Early would have about the same
number. Thus both sides were similarly situated — waiting for reinforcements — and
neither after Sheridan received word from Grant of Early's expected
reinforcements, were ready to fight; hence the seemingly at the same time
unnecessary game of chess between the two armies which so wore on us and which
caused the petulant outbreak in my diary. Had Sheridan known of Early's
reinforcements before going to Strasburg, of course he would not have gone.
Early, of course, was retreating towards his reinforcements purposely so that
when he met them he could then give battle. It was a narrow escape for
Sheridan. He sent Wilson's division of cavalry to Front Royal to investigate,
where he found Kershaw's division of infantry and Fitzhugn Lee with two
brigades of cavalry at the ford, and then left to report to Sheridan.
SOURCE: Lemuel Abijah Abbott, Personal Recollections
and Civil War Diary, 1864, p. 135-6
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