Battle of Winchester / At Winchester
Oliver Edwards
Gen. Grant found that Gen. Sheridan had his own plans matured and was only waiting Grant’s permission to go ahead. Grant approved Sheridan’s plans, and at two A.M. the 19th of September, we were en route for Winchester.
Wilson’s Cavalry was sent ahead to seize the crossing of the Opequan Creek near the mouth of Abraham’s Creek, and to drive in the enemy’s outposts, and gain the open land two miles nearer to Winchester, and hold it until our infantry could arrive; this Wilson accomplished, fighting hard for several hours, when the 6th Corps came up; the 2nd division went into position on the left of the turnpike, and the 3rd division formed on their right, extending our line to the right. My brigade formed in rear of the Vermont Brigade on the left of the pike, and Upton in rear of the right brigade of the 3rd division, while Campbell with the Jersey brigade supported the left of the 3rd division. We held this position under a hot artillery fire for two hours when the 19th Corps formed a column of divisions on the right of the 6th Corps, and Crook’s Corps formed on the right of the 19th, with Merritt’s and Custer’s cavalry on the extreme right, and Wilson’s cavalry on our left.
Our lines now advanced to the attack, the enemy resisting vigorously, and advancing to a counter attack, as our lines moved
[page 109] forward our line separated at the junction of the right of the 3rd division, 6th Corps, and the left of Grover’s division of the 19th Corps; this opening between the 6th and the 19th Corps widened rapidly as our lines forced their way forward, and a brigade of the enemy charged through this gap doubling up the left of Grover’s division. Gordon’s and Rhodes’ divisions then charged the 19th Corps, while its left was turned, and sent Grover’s division back over Dwight’s division, carrying Dwight’s division to the rear of it. This left the right of the 3rd division 6th Corps, “up in the air”, and the enemy being in rear of its right it gave way to the pressure on its right, and front, and wen tot the rear, this left the 1st division, and its supports, on our left with a gap - where the 3rd div 6th Corps and the 19th corps had been - between us and the 8th Corps on our right, and a considerable force of the enemy were within the gap. It was no time to await orders and I moved my brigade at run by the right flank across the turnpike, and deployed my column of regiments into a line of battle with from fifty to one hundred paces between regiments; forming the 37th Mass. at right angles to our front, I ordered Lieut. Col. Montague, commanding the 37th, to drive out the enemy from the gap, at all hazards, saying “The 37th with their Spencer rifles can do it.” The 37th Mass moved on the victorious enemy and charged Stonewall Jackson’s old brigade, who were nonplussed to see one small regiment charging a brigade, but when at close quarters the Spencer rifles poured an unceasing storm of lead into them, they broke and ran.
The 37th captured more prisoners than the regiment numbered and the battle flag of the 2nd Va., Stonewall Jackson’s old regiment. For over a mile this grand regiment drove the enemy from my right, and finally silenced a battery in their front, the enemy abandoning their guns. The enemy advanced on my thin brigade line, but were handsomely repulsed. Again they advanced out of the woods in my front in three liens, At this moment General D.A. Russel rode up and said to me; “Order the 3rd brigade to advance”. At that moment I heard the thud of a bullet that passed through his side, and said; “Good
[page 110] God, General, are you badly hurt.” Though mortally wounded he drew his sabre saying “It makes no difference at such a time as this, order your brigade to charge.” Just then a ten pound shell thrown from one our batteries of rifled ordnance guns, burst over our heads, and a large part of it passed through his body, killing him instantly. I called to an orderly who had once been Gen. Russel’s mail carrier, to care for his body, and my brigade which had formally been Russel’s own brigade, quickly repulsed the enemy. So fell Russel, the purest, truest, ablest solider I ever knew; had he risen to the command of an army, he would have proven himself second to no commander in the Union army.
The 37th Mass. had advanced so far from my right and front that I sent a staff officer to see if they had been captured and learned they were far to my right, and front, nearly out of ammunition, and pressed by the enemy.
I ordered the 2nd R.I., Col. E.H. Rhodes, to carry Spencer ammunition to the 37th Mass. which enabled the 37th Mass. to successfully repulse the enemy. Gen. Upton was wounded, and the command of the 1st division devolved upon me. Sheridan had now reformed his lines, and he ordered an advance of all his force.
As we debouched on to the open field between us and Winchester nearly the entire lines of both armies were in sight; it was a grand sight, infantry, artillery and cavalry were charging the enemy. We could see the cavalry on our right charge over a stone wall, and strike the left of the enemy’s infantry; their lines gave way rapidly before our advance, now was the time to charge but there was no time to send such an order to the brigade and regiments, so taking the colors of the 37th Mass. I led them, charging ton the enemy so that the rest of the division would take up the movement. The enemy’s lines were gone before we could reach them, leaving a few colors and color guards who would not retreat. Early’s entire command - all that was left of it - “went whirling down the valley” and darkness soon covered their retreat. The 3rd brigade, now commanded
[page 111] by Colonel Bassett, 82nd Penn. in recognition of their great services, were detailed to garrison Winchester, Va., while I was ordered to command the 1st and 2nd brigades of the 1st Div. We pursued the enemy to Fisher’s Hill, a position of great natural strength, where Early halted his enemy to give battle to Sheridan.
The night of the 20th Sheridan received a report from Winchester that the wounded were still on the battle-field, and that everything was in confusion there; he at once relieved me from command of the 1st Div. and ordered me to return to Winchester, and to take command of the city. The 17th Penn. Cavalry and an unattached division of infantry with my own brigade forming my garrison. There were in Winchester some thirty families of the most patriotic self-sacrificing Union people I ever met, the rest were the most bitter rebels we had found in Virginia. Mosby and Gilman and other Guerilla Chiefs could at will roam all around Winchester. To rule such a population required good judgement and an “iron hand”. All these Guerilla Chiefs were on the watch to capture army trains between Harper’s Ferry, Martinsburgh, Winchester and Sheridan’s “Army of the Shenandoah”. When I arrived in Winchester most of the wounded were still where they fell - on the battle-field - there was no ambulance corps to gather in our suffering humanity, and no wagons to seize in the country around. I could not unload ammunition wagons but as soon as they passed I ordered the Quartermaster in charge of the incoming officers -baggage wagons to unload and report to the Medical Director on the battle field of the Opequan; he refused to obey, and was placed in close arrest while the ordered passed to the next Quartermaster in seniority. The wagons were unloaded, and before midnight our wounded and the rebel wounded were in hospital. All the enemy’s wounded were left to our care, in charge of that able surgeon and Hon. enemy, Col. Love.
To properly cover Winchester from attack on all sides would require an army of 20,000 men, and I arranged the order of my command to protect the city as best I could, conscious that Mosby could put
[112] his command inside of my lines easily, and to meet him I put the 37th Mass. with Spencer magazine rifles, inside as Provost Guard with their commander, Lieut. Col. Montague, as Provost Marshal. This regiment patroled the city and could be under arms at notice, and destroy any guerilla force that could get within my lines. In a few hours order reigned out of chaos, and life and property were properly protected in Winchester.
To return to Sheridan and our army at the front, before Fisher’s Hill - this position had been pronounced impregnable by engineer officers, and a council of war, held by Sheridan pronounced it impracticable to attack, but Sheridan replied; “We attack the enemy tomorrow at 4 A.M.” Crook was placed in position to attack the enemy’s left flank while the 6th and 19th Corps advanced in front. Crook struck the enemy’s left and rear, capturing many prisoners, and guns. The front attack broke the enemy’s lines, and they were again routed, losing about 1200 prisoners, and 20 guns. Early retreated until he met Henshaw’s [illegible correction] division coming to reinforce him at Brown’s gap. Here early halted, and Sheridan being 80 miles from his base of supplies, formed his lines, while his cavalry desolated the country surrounding. Whenever our enemy had invested Richmond, Lee with his short interior lines to defend - had been able to detach a large force and send them in light marching order to subsist off the country en route down the Shenandoah valley into Maryland, and Pennsylvania, capturing immense supplies and threatening Washington.