le means to hasten its
termination seemed justifiable. Chambersburg, Pa., had been wantonly
burned July 30, 1864. It has been charged that Sheridan declared
that he would so completely destroy everything in the Valley that
a "crow would have to carry a haversack when he flew over it."
The Confederates, with Rosser, their new cavalry leader, pursued
and daily assaulted Sheridan's rear-guard. This continued until
the evening of the 8th. Rosser's apparent success was heralded in
an exaggerated way at Richmond. He was bulletined there as the
"Savior of the Valley." He had recently before his advent in the
Valley won reputation in a raid on which he had captured and driven
off some cattle belonging to Grant's army. Torbert was ordered by
Sheridan, on the night of the 8th, to whip Rosser the next morning
or get whipped.

The infantry of the army was halted to await the issue of the
cavalry battle. Sheridan informed Torbert that he would witness
the fight from Round Top Mountain. Merritt's division was encamped
on the Valley pike at the foot of this mountain, just north of
Tom's Brook, and Custer's division about five miles farther north
and west near Tumbling Run. Custer during the night moved southward
by the Back road, which lay about three miles to the westward of
the pike. At early daylight, Rosser, believing our army was still
falling back, unexpectedly met and assailed Custer with three
cavalry brigades, and almost simultaneously Merritt, in turn,
assailed Lomax and Johnson's cavalry divisions on the valley pike.
Merritt extended his right and Custer his left until the two
divisions united, when, under Torbert, they charged upon and broke
Rosser's lines all along Tom's Brook. The battle lasted about two
hours, when Rosser's entire force fell into the wildest disorder,
and in falling back degenerated into a rout. Torbert ( 9) pursued
for twenty-five miles, capturing about three hundred prisoners,
eleven pieces of artillery with their caissons, and all Rosser's
wagons and ambulances, including his headquarters wagons with his
official papers. It was said that subsequent bulletins announcing
Rosser's anticipated victories for the day were found. Rosser's
fame as a soldier, earned by years of hard fighting, was lost at
Tom's Brook in two hours.

Disasters had now become so frequent to the Confederates in the
Valley that some wag at Richmond marked a fresh shipment of new
guns destined for Early's army: "