Summary:
General Phil Sheridan commanded Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley during late
summer and fall, 1864. In this dispatch, Sheridan reports to Chief of Staff
Halleck on August operations in the Valley. He reports a Confederate force under
Longstreet marching north from Staunton.
Maj.-Gen. HALLECK,
Chief of Staff.
Camp at Cedar Creek,
August 12, 1864--12 midnight.
GEN.:
I have the honor to report the following operations of my command to-day:
In my dispatch of last evening I reported my advance near Stephensburg or Newtown. This morning at 5 a. m. I resumed the march on Middletown, near Cedar Creek, the cavalry and Sixth Corps passing through Newtown, the balance of the command marching across the country direct on Middletown, the whole command concentrating on Cedar Creek, near where the Strasburg pike crosses the creek, the enemy moved last night across Cedar Creek to Strasburg. All his trains were moved around by the Back Creek Valley road, crossing Cedar Creek high up and moving on Strasburg or Woodstock. A portion of my cavalry was detached at Stephensburg and struck the Back Creek Valley road, and followed the trains to the crossing of Cedar Creek, but did not succeed in capturing them. The enemy have made some show of resistance in front of Strasburg. I am yet unable to determine its character, and could not get my command sufficiently in hand to attack him this evening. I will have to make a slight delay here to get up my supply trains from Harper's Ferry. They should reach Winchester to-night, coming here to-morrow forenoon. I regret that Grover's division was not permitted to come to Harper's Ferry, as I intended to use it as a strong guard for the subsistence trains. As they are now, the trains will be under the escort of Brig.-Gen. Kenly's brigade (which is very small) as far as Winchester, and one of Gen. Wright's brigades from Winchester here. The prevailing report is that Longstreet's corps is marching from Staunton to support Early, and Grover should have been permitted to have come out. Gen. Duffie has not yet joined me, nor has Gen. Averell or Gen. Wilson. Gen.'s Wilson and Duffie should have been here by this time, particularly the latter. A telegram from Capt. Leet and also one from Gen. Max Weber locates Longstreet in the Valley, marching here. A telegram from Lieut.-Gen. Grant received on the 9th stated that his (Longstreet's) corps was still at Petersburg. I would like to hear from Lieut.-Gen. Grant in reference to the truth of this report. Gen. Early's train is a very small one-not to exceed 250 wagons--and the stories about accumulated plunder from Maryland are entire. I am exceedingly anxious to hear whether Longstreet has left to come here or not.
Very respectfully, &c.,
P. H. SHERIDAN,
Maj.-Gen., Cmdg.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 43, Serial No. 90, Pages 18-19, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
