ited to command the American volunteer
soldier. They had, in fact, no affinity with him, and did not gain
his confidence. This was not true, however, of General John B.
Turchin, the Russian, and perhaps a very few others.

Milroy's command during the winter was chiefly engaged in holding
the Valley and in protecting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from
the raids of small bodies of Confederates. In this it was successful.
We were now in the Middle Department, commanded by General Robert
C. Schenck, whose headquarters were at Baltimore. Schenck was
appointed a Brigadier-General of Volunteers May 17, 1861, and a
Major-General August 30, 1862. Prior to his assignment to this
department he served with distinction in the Eastern army, and was
elected to Congress in 1862, but retained his commission until
Congress met, December 5, 1863. Schenck, though without military
education or experience, was a man of military instincts and
possessed many of the high qualities of a soldier. He was a trained
statesman, lawyer, and thinker, and an earnest, energetic, forceful,
successful man.

For the most part, while at Winchester I commanded a brigade composed
of infantry and artillery, located on the heights, but I was for
a time under Brigadier-General Washington L. Elliott, a regular
officer, who was amiable and capable in all that pertained to
military discipline, but timid and unenterprising. He performed
all duty faithfully to orders, but little further. Milroy, on the
other hand, was restless and constantly on the alert, eager to
achieve all it was possible for his command to accomplish, hence
we were frequently sent on raids up the Valley to Staunton, Front
Royal, and through the mountains. Colonel Mosby's guerillas infested
the country east of the Valley, and frequently dashed into it
through the gaps of the Blue Ridge and attacked our supply trains
and small scouting parties and pickets, accomplishing little save
to keep us on the alert.

Imboden and Jenkins' cavalry held the upper valley in the neighborhood
of Mount Jackson and New Market, but generally retired without
fighting when an expedition moved against them. As we were in the
enemy's country, our movements were generally made known promptly
to the Confederates, and our expeditions usually proved fruitless
of substantial results. I led a force of about one thousand men
in January, 1863, to Front Royal, then held by a small cavalry
force which I hoped to