arms, which we did. The regiment was formed in line; we
were then ordered to "break ranks," and go to our company
streets and pack up — strike tents as soon as possible. We soon
had all of our effects on our backs, and were in the ranks again.
By this time the fire had become hot aud rapid, the balls were
whistling through our comjiany aud regiment. We faced to th(»
right and marclied by that Hank to the rear, and filing to the
right, halted and formed a line facing to the south. We were-
here but a moment; we again faced to the right and moved back
to our first position, the double (juick; halting here but a mo-
ment we wei'e moved back again to the position we had just
left; forming a line here we. being on an elevated jnece of
ground, were ordered to lie down and let the storm of lead and
iron pass over us. Now the battle begins to get interesting;
the 19th and Sfh Corps have broken and are flying across Cedar
creek, seeking protection of the 6th Corps. The rebels follow
with deafening cheers; already they have turned the gun»
THE VALLEV AND CEDAR CREEK. 181
which tlioy liave captured on to their former owners; they
hurl their shot aud shell with deadly effect into the Hying
columns of the Iftth and 8th Corps. The rebels are frantic with
deliffht at the success; but, alasl they come to Sheridan's head-
quarters, and looking over on the hill they see the cross of the
gallant t>th Corps; they did not expect this, but they now feel
confident that even the iron courage of the tjth will not be able
to stop them in their course of victory. They rush on after the
corps just routed; they meet the (Jth; our regiment is in the
front line, and is the first to meet the foe. The order comes to
"rise aud tire." Like one man the whole line rises up and pours
in its deadly fire, which stops the rebels and sends them stagger-
ing back to the stone wall and protecting hill. Our boys send
up cheer after cheer, and keep up the most deadly fire ever
poured into a foe. But soon the order comes to "about face"
and "retreat"; this order is obeyed very reluctantly, for the
rebels are. on our old camp-ground, and the boys feel enraged
at their impudent trespass; but casting our eyes to the left, we
see why we fall back; the rebels have flanked us on our left,
and already they pour in a deadly cross-flre on our lines; our
men are falling thick and fast on every side; we fall back to
a knoll, and again halt and pour in our fire. Here our color-
bearer, Thomas Paden, of Company M, was shot and killed.
Our colors fell to the ground stained by the blood of the brave
color-bearer, but they hardly touched the ground before they
were caught up by one of our Company F, and waved triumph-
antly in the face of the foe. Here my tent-mate. Wilmer i^tout,
was wounded. Firing three rounds after he was hit. he refused
help to go to the rear, and hobbled off from the field alone;
such is the material the 6th ('orps is composed of; God bless
them. Again the rebel tlanks us on the left; again we are com-
pelled to fall back slowly, fighting at every step, contesting
every inch of ground. The enemy has got range of us now.
and pours in such a hail of canister, shot and shell, the air is
boiling and seething with bullets; solid shot tear through our
ranks, and make fearful vacancies, which are quickly and
steadily filled up. The men move as steadily as if they were
on drill or jjarade, their comrades falling on every side; they
heed it not. but stubbornly fight and repeatedly ask to charge
the rebels. They do not know what defeat is; they do not
know how to retreat. Here one of our boys, Anthony Riley,
was shot and killed; his father was by his side; the blood and
brains of his son covered the face and hands of the father. I
never saw a more affecting sight than this; the poor old man
kneels over the body of his dead son; his tears mingle with
his son's blood. O God! what a sight; he can stop but a mo-
ment, for the rebels are pressing us; he must leave his dying
boy in the hands of the devilish foe; he bends over him, kisses
his cheek, and with tearful eves rushes to the fight, determined
182 NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY AIITILLERY.
on revenge for his son. We continue to fall back slowly, fight-
ing at every inch; the musketry fire now slackens, and we rec-
tify our alignment and fall back in splendid order. The ques-
tion is being constantly asked. "Why are we retreating?"' We
get no answer. We now reach the woods. Our ammunition is
exhausted, and has been for some time; we sent a detail for
cartridges, and the company is on the skirmish line. We skir-
mish out and soon find the enemy. Our object accomplished,
we return to the regiment, which has moved to the left quite
a distance. I have omitted to say anything of our oflScers.
During the whole engagement they behaved themselves with
great courage and gallantry. I wish to speak esjiecially of
Captain Lamoreaux. No braver officer than he ever carried a
sword, no kinder-hearted man than he can be found; during
the whole tight lie was at his post encouraging the boys; in-
deed, it seemed he had no fear, and Hgliting gave him pleasure.
He was complimented on the field of battle by the adjutant gen-
eral of General Wright's staff. Such an officer deserves the
respect and admiration of all his men. and our captain has all
of that.
The musketry has now ceased, but the artillery fire is very
brisk; the shell and canister are poured in very freely where
we are forming. We now converted hastily a rail-fence into
temjiorary breastworks; behind this we lay now. waiting the
attack of the "Johnnies." Here Lyman Coleman broke one of
his false teeth. . . . We had not long to wait here, for
they soon charged at the right of our lines. Just at this time
General Sheridan came uji and rode along our lines; the tired
and battle-worn soldiers greeted him with rousing cheers. He
told us we would sleeji that night in the same old camp-ground
we left in the morning; that we would Sdon gain all that we
had lost. This seemed to inspire every soldier with fresh cour-
age, and all were anxious to charge the victorious rebels, and
we had not long to wait, for the "Johnnies" came down on our
right with their cat-likeyells,that sounded morelike demons than
men. Our boys returned yell for yell, and greeted them with a
deiidly volley of musketry; in all my army ex])erience T never
before lieai-d smh tiring; the eai'th shook and reeled; the forest
trees ti-eiiibled with the shock; no living man could stand such
firing as this. They were hurled back to their ranks bh'cding
and broken, and now comes the oi-der to cliarge. Oui' captain
said to me, "We are now going to charge. God only knows
who will come out alive." "Forward!" he commands in loud
tones. T'j) spiing the boys, over the rail-piles we go; the cau-
tionary command I'ings out, "Steady, men. steady." Oh! what
a siglit to see these men jiress on in the face of death, nothing
daunted. We get outside of the woods into the ojien field, the
rebels jiouring into our faces a deadly fire from behind the
stone wall, which has a deadlv effect on our ranks; but thev
THE VALLEY AM> CEDAR CREEK. 183
dose lip and press on with cheers and shouts; we gain a hill in
front of the enemv; here we halt and pour in our tire. Our
company halts on a point of the hill, and of all the fires I was
ever under. I tliiuk that was by far the hottest; the air boils
and seethes with niinieballs and screeching shells and solid
shot and deadly canister; all tear and plunge through our ranks.
Our boys fall thick and fast: but look! the brigade is falling
back; the brigade wavers; I hear the voice of the gallant old
colonel from the tumult of the battle urging up them who are
falling back. He says: "Will you leave those boys to face the
foe alone? Rack, you cowards." He succeeds in rallying them,
and we again move forward. The rebels flglit well, but
we flank them, and they must give way. We gain a
position behind a stone wall and give them a cross-fire;
we fight hand to hand and man to man. Ohl these are dreadful
moments. The rebels give way on the right; we capture the
battery which has played such fearful havoc in our ranks;
their whole line wavers: now they run. Hurrah for the Fnion!
Hurrah f(u- old Abe"s boys! Now begins one of the worst stam-
pedes of the war. Talk about Hull Run; it is no comparison
to Cedar Run. The rebs throw away everything that would
impede flight and skedaddle for life. Our cavalry charge their
flank; they fall into complete confusion, every man for him-
self. There is no rallying the gray-backed rebels of Jubal
Early. How my heart leaps for joy to see the glorious stars
and stripes following close on the heels of the flying rebels;
the plain is dotted with flags, the air resounds with the shouts
of the victorious "Yanks," which sound the death-knell of the
flying foe, which only stops and fires an occasional shot. The
prisoners jiour in by i-egiments; wholetrainsof wagons and artil-
lery fall into our hands at once. Darkness is now- closing over
the scene. O night, you came just in time to save the remnant
of this once grand army. They make quick work in climbing
Fisher's hill; drivers abandon their teams, and all flee the
wrath to come. Early says: "Take to the mountains;" and to
the mountains they go, the worst whipped rebels the world
ever saw.
It is now dark. We are all ordered to our old camp; slowly
we wend our way, stepping over the bodies of friends and foes.
Now and then the groans of the dying and wounded break
the stillness of the night; a gloom hangs over the field of battle;
I come to the old camp; I come to the very ground where my
tent stood in the morning, but I now miss my tent-mate and
comrade. I feel lonesome, and utterly exhausted I lie down
OD the ground. Victory was on our banner, but our comrades
living and dead mingle together on the gi'ound. ... 1 was
very tired. I hadn't eaten anything all day, yet I could not
184 NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
sleep, nor could I eat; 1 could but mourn for my poor comrades,
our shattered and bleeding regimeut.
Morning comes at last; the sun rises on a horrible scene; the
dead cover the ground, the wounded have lain all night and
are now dying slowly. I will here come to the conclusion. I
forbear to bring up this scene again. Please excuse the poor
way in which I have described this terrible battle. Let your
prayers be for the speedy return of peace to this our distracted
countrv.
CHARLES L. SHERGUR.
Fought Oct. 19th, 1864.
From far away Missouri comes this account of personal
recollection of the fierce encounter by Stephen E. Hurtubise
of Company L:
Corporal Clark, Elisha Springer and myself were tent-mates,
and on the morning of the 19th of October I went to a spring
for three canteens of water, about one-fourth of a mile from
our camp. It was daylight, but quite early. I met three or four
comrades whom I did not know, but who were on the same
errand as myself. We got the water and washed, as soldiers
often did, and while we were at that we lieard a gun fired at
our left, and one man said: "It was on the picket-line,'" and I
replied, "What are they doing with artillery on picket?" Before
many minutes we knew that a fight was on, and we left for
our commands. When I got to my regiment, the men had
fallen in, but tlie guns were still stacked and the boys were
trying to get some breakfast, but the tlohunies prevented their
cooking anything. Bullets were flying in our camp, and the
order was to pack up and fall in. We were not long at that,
our line facing westward, and the fighting was southeast. As
soon as we were in line, we moved by the right rtank in double
quick, and that brought our line east and west with the com-
mand, "Halt! Front!" We were with our backs to the Johnnies;
not a good j)osition to fight in, and when the officers saw what
they were doing, tliey countermarched us under fire to bring
us face to tlu> fight. 1 may say riglit hei'e that not many troops
would stand tliis and not break, but the old Ninth, rank and
file, was as good as any of them. Our brigade advanced, and
Captain William Wood, commanding our battalion, ordered
us to lie down, and a stream of wounded and demoralized troops
passed over us and went to the rear. It looked to me as if the
whole army was rtinning to the north, and tlie Johnnies after
tlu'in. Thf^n came tlu' order to rise and to begin firing, but
after a I'onnd or two, some were panic-stricken and started to
fall back. I had an old S])ringfield musket, and it didn't go
off, so I tried to make it go, but fate was against nie. Wliile
I was holding it up to fire, a ball struck the stock and it was
THE VALLEY AND CEDAR CREEK. 185
worthless. At this moment, lookiu}; aroiiud. I found that my-
self and two others formed the line of battle, our comrades
having forsaken us. It didn't take us long to get back where
the other boys were, but by his time the ofiQcers had stopped
the panic, and the firing was brisk on the right, but there was
some sort of commotion in our company, and I went to see
what it was all about. I found Lieutenant Howe, with a gun
across his body, barring the waj- of some men who wanted to
form a line further north, but he would not hear to it. I asked
him to give the gun to me, for mine was broken, and he com-
plied. I made the boys mad by telling the lieutenant to let the
boys run if they wanted to, whereupon they turned upon me,
and said they were as good soldiers as I was, and would not
run. So we all stayed, and did our duty like men. No more
scare after that. We kept the Johnnies at bay for some time,
but we lost some good men right there. One of the Jackson
boys was killed by my side, and the other wounded, but the
line was tirm. Captain Andrew J. Smith of General Keifer's
staff rode up to us with division colors and wanted our regi-
ment to advance, but no order to do so was given by our officers.
He said he would give a dollar if we would tell him what we
were firing at; just then Corporal Kibble of L Comi)any was
hit in the arm, and he offered the captain five dollars if the
latter would tell who hit him. The officer did not take the
proffer, but rode away, thinking we were a hard lot. The boys
were as cool as if on parade. My comrade, Sinclair, tried to
light his brier pipe, saying, "My breakfast was not very good
(he hadn't had any), and I don't know how long this foolishness
will last." He always had a cool head for a young man. About
this time we must have moved around some, for when I was
wounded and started foi' the rear with James Bell, we found
that rear in the hands of the enemy, and we were both taken
prisoners, and were carried over the field where we first formed
in line of battle, passing many dead and badly wounded. We
were taken to the Belle Grove mansion, where Sheridan had his
headquarters. Now the rebels were using it for a hospital. I
was left, but Bell was taken further. There were many
wounded rebel officers in the house, among them General Ram-
seur, who died the next day. It was 10 o'clock when I was
led in, and I remained there till Little Phil came and played
hob with the Johnnies, and I saw them run. About 3 P. M.
they came and carried off all the wounded officers they could
and left the rest for the Yankees to take care of, including
General Ramseur, some doctors and all wounded Yanks. I
was in the house when General Sheridan came in, at night,
and I saw him and heard him give orders about the wounded.
Excitement ran high with all at headquarters, but the rebels
were not quite so elated over tlieir defeat as they were when
I was first taken to the house, when thev said fhev were going
186 NINTH NEW YORK HKAVY ARTILLERY.
to run the Yankees into the Potomac. About 2 or 3 o'clock we
knew that something was Roinj; on towards the north, as the
noise of battle fjiew louder. Vi'f made uj) our minds that the
Johnnies were letreatinjj;, and we got all the hoys we could
up stairs to see the fun. The excitement kept some of us up
who oufiht to have been down, mvself amonji the rest, but we
did want to see the rebels run. The old lady who had charge
of the house told us we had better lie down or the enemy
would run us off. and she was right; for very soon a reb sharp-
shooter came running in and ordered all Yankees who could
walk to go with him; as he had a gun, the advantage was with
him. My hurt was in the head, but 1 wasn't walking just then,
and the old lady told him none of us could walk ((Jod bless her
for that lie), and he opened the window to take a farewell shot
at our boys as they were in sight, following the fleeing enemy
mighty close. To open the window he had to set his gun down,
whereupon the good woman grabbed it and wouldn't give it up
until he j)romised to go down stairs and leave the house. If
women can't fight they know how to helji those who do. But
the rebel did not get away, for I followed him and saw him cut
down by a .5th New York <'avalryman about IIH) ft-et from the
house. He had stayed with us too long. The cavalryman I
happened to know, for I had seen him in Syracuse, and his
name was Ormsby. He may be living yet. There were dead
men around the house, some of ours, but mostly Johnnies. The
next morning as I was taken to Newtown, I saw the effects of
the battle, and a sorry-looking sight it was. Many hundred
wounded men of both sides lay on the ground in Newtown,
The next day the doctors said they died like sheep the night
before, for it was very cold during the night. Some folks say
the Battle of Cedar ("reek was not a surjirise, but if it wasn't,
then I don't know what a surprise party is. General and staff
were all at sea. When the sun shone on us, about 8 A. M.,
troops could be seen all over falling back in line and in mobs,
V)nt at .") I'. M. the rebels were running, and they looked like a
flock of dirty slieep. We looked badly enough in the morning,
but what a mob the Johnnies were in the evening! They threw
away ail the blankets they liad jiicked u]( in our camjis in the
morning and some liad I'oils as liig as a man's body. I saw
their officers try to sto]! them, but it was a stamiiede. Since the
war, T have seen a stampede of cattle, and it was like that of
the rebs at Cedar Creek. To say that I felt liai)py is no name
for the feelings I had when T saw them running. I was not
sure of living if I had remained a prisoner in tlieir hands, for T
was badly wounded; my jaw was broken and a large minie-ball
was in my neck, but T forgot all my hurts in the joy of knowing
that the enemy was beaten. T never saw tlie Old Ninth after
that, and very few of the men that were in Company L, since
I was sent to the liosjiital in I'hiladelphia, and was discharged
THE VALLEY AND CEDAR CREEK. 187
t herefrom in ISC..". 1 owe my life to Little Pbil and the good
ladies of I'liiladeljiliia, for be recaptured, and they nvirsed me
back to health.
STEPHEN E. HURTUBISE.
INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE.
Samuel F. Harris, then 1st sergeant of Company 1, gives this
version of the beginning and progress of the battle:
Tlie night before the fight I sent a jjrivate of my company,
Edward Dongus (sometimes called the Wild Dutchman), with
some money to the sutler's to buy something for breakfast.
Captain Hughes and myself were tenting together, and I told
Dongus not to cook his purchase till morning, and I would
help him. His reply was. "Ich cook him to-night, Ich haf him;
Ich wait till moruiug, Ich don't haf him." Accordingly he and
several others tilled a large camp-kettle and cooked, I should
think, nearly all night, for very early in the morning he came
and pulled me out of the tent by my foot, and I went over with
him and secured a dish of the stew, and brought It back for the
captain: then returned and helped finish the kettle. We had
got through our repast and were sitting around the fire talking
and smoking, as soldiers are wont to do, when we were sur-
prised to hear the report of two or three shots, apparently on
picket over by the 19th Corps, and this was quickly followed
by a volley. My first order was, "Fall in, company," and then
I told Captain Hughes. We soon had orders to strike tents
and to form line at the foot of the street, which we quickly did,
and I am almost sure Comjiany I was first in line, with tents
struck, guns stacked and waiting orders; but we had not long
to wait, for the regiment was (piickly in line of battle, and
soon began firing. It seemed to me as soon as the rebels would
flank us.wewould fall back slowlyand then give it tothemagain.
A good many from the lilth Corps who were surprised came
rushing through our lines. Some would stop, but a great
many kept on to the rear. Many in the 8tli and 10th Corps
were panic-stricken, and could not be stopped. I think more
of the liltli than the Stli ajijieared along our lines. We contintied
to fall baik slowly, contesting every inch about two miles past
Middletown, where we threw up a temporary breastwork of
rails near the road, and had orders to cook our breakfast, for
Tery few had had my good luck, and it was pretty late for
this first meal, almost 12 o'clock. We were busy cooking when
General Sheridan came off the road just a few feet from my
left, and rode in front of the lines. His words, as T remember
them. were. "Boys, we will give them the worst whijtping they
ever had. We have got them, and not a man lives to see to-
188 NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
night without sleeping on his old eamp-gt'ound." This was all I
could catch as he rode by, his horse all covered with foam.
In a short time we had orders to advance, which we promptly
obeyed, passing through a small woods in our front to a stone
wall, where we made a short halt, but we soon advanced again,
firing as we went, and never stopped till night. Some of the
company went back to their old campground, though some of
us stayed where the 19th Corps had been, but in the morning
we took our old positions.
The worthy sergeant had had an exceptionally good break-
fast, but only the kindness of one of his company furnished
him a supper. Says J. R. Xorthcott, now of Toronto, Canada:
"The sergeant said, 'Well, boys, we shall have to wait till
to-morrow for something to eat.' I said, 'No, sergeant, I
have kept my haversack all day.' So we sat down and ended
the day with a good supper, which we enjoyed as only veterans
can."
Mention has been made of the worthy behavior of the recruits
who had had little or no experience. Should any close student
of data study the appended company rolls, he will have occa-
sion to wonder at the mortalities and casualties among the
recently joined members. Evidently the tyros did not like the
terms of reproach sometimes used towards them by unthinking
comrades, and so, needlessly, exposed themselves. The old
soldier hunts cover not only to take care of himself, but he
knows that a live fighter is a great deal better than a dead
hero. In his admirable history of the Vermont brigade. Col-
onel A. F. Walker says: "Fighting experience, which went so
far in enabling a good soldier to accomplish the most with the
least possible danger." To stand up and take it has long been
a characteristic of the British people and their descendants,
but the backwoods tighter of America was just as brave and
a great deal more successful. From a letter of one of the boys,
who came with the recent relay, the following is copied. Like
the good boy and soldier that he was, Alfred E. Stacey of
Company L was giving an early account of himself to the loved
ones at home:
Near Strasburg. October 20.
I had a nice time of it yesterday, whicii was going into a
big battle and coming out just as well as I went in, except
being tired from climbing fences and backing up and charging
on the Johnnies. .\ ball went through Anth's (his brother)
cap, close to his head. He says he is glad he didn't grow any
THE VALLEY AND CEDAR CREEK. 189
taller, for half an inch more of stature would have laid him out.
The rebs dressed up in our clothes and relieved our pickets.
Then they made a rush on the litth Corps and clubbed them
with their muskets. About 7 A. M. they were on to the 6th
Corps, and all the regiments went back but the Ninth, which
retired slowly, tifihtin^ step by step. The rebs flanked us, and
we got our wounds there. We went back three miles and
made breastworks of rails; it was here that General Sheridan
rode along. You should have heard the cheering. He got
here about 11 A. M., and at 3 we made the charge. We faltered
once, but rallied.
In his diary for the same period, he enters: