Early Moves to Battle

Early Moves to Battle. "The fire of battle veritably flashing in his eyes.". , (sidebar) , On September 18, 1864, Confederate Gen. Jubal Early, commander of Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley, was in Martinsburg, West Virginia, 23 miles north of here, with half of his army. While there, he learned that Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had traveled to Charlestown, West Virginia, to meet with Ge. Philip H. Sheridan, commander of Union forces in the Valley., For Early, the news was disastrous. Grant's visit promised aggressive action, and Sheridan's much-larger army was only 10 miles east of Winchester , in prime position to move on the city, destroy the remaining Confederate force there, and cut off Early's retreat. Fortunately for Early, Union delays on the morning of September 19 gave him just enough time to hurry the rest of his army back to Winchester., Confederate soldiers swarmed through the fields around you as they raced to block the Federal advance. Although Sheridan had taken him by surprise, Early worked fervently to prevent a complete disaster., Reaching the battlefield, he galloped up to some Confederate batteries and shouted, "Pour it into 'em- give 'em hell , God damn their blue-bellied souls..." With shells exploding around them and Union infantry approaching, Early remained "cool as a cucumber" with "the fire of battle veritable flashing in his eyes.", Early succeeded in stopping Sheridan's initial attack, helping to stave off disaster. And what could have been a quick and easy Union victory turned into a day-long struggle , the largest battle ever fought in the Valley., (sidebar) , The woodlot that you are standing in is the same woodlot , in the same shape , as the woodlot that was here during the battle. The trees around you are the descendants of the trees that stood here in 1864., This sign made possible through funds donated by the Millbrook High School Cross Country Team