_General Sheridan, care of Jubal
A. Early_."

Sheridan's army retired to the north of Cedar Creek. The Sixth
Corps, having orders to rejoin the Army of the Potomac, continued
its march eastward towards Front Royal, expecting to proceed to
Piedmont and there take cars for Alexandria. It abandoned that
route, however, on the 12th, and marched towards Ashby's Gap, with
a view of passing through it to Washington, and going thence, by
transports, to City Point.(10) When this corps was partly across
the Shenandoah near Millwood, on the 13th, an order came from
Sheridan for Wright to return with his corps to Cedar Creek. This
order was given in consequence of Early's return to Fisher's Hill.
The necessity of the Sixth Corps' action will soon be apparent.
It reached Cedar Creek and went into camp at noon of the 14th.

I recall the incident of a red fox starting to run through the
temporary bivouac of the corps at Millwood. The troops all turned
out, about 10,000, formed a ring around it, while a few horsemen
rode after it until it fell from fright and exhaustion. The officers
and men of an army always enjoyed incidents of this character.
There was, however, more serious diversion near at hand for these
bronzed soldiers.

( 1) _War Records_, vol. xliii., Part I., p. 152.

( 2) _Ibid_., p. 152.

( 3) _Ibid_., p. 223 (Ricketts' Report).

( 4) Forsyth, precisely four years later, while in command of
fifty picked scouts was surrounded on Beecher Island, on the
Arickaree fork of the Republican River, by about nine hundred
Indians, led by the celebrated chief, Roman Nose, and made the most
desperate fight known in the annals of our Indian wars. Lieutenant
Beecher, Surgeon Movers, and six of the scouts were killed and
twenty others severely wounded. Forsyth was himself struck in the
right thigh and his left leg was broken by rifle balls. He held
out eight days; meantime two of his scouts succeeded in eluding
the Indians, and, reaching Fort Wallace, 110 miles distant, returned
with a relieving party.--Custer's _Life on the Plains_, 88-98.

( 5) _War Records_, vol. xliii., Part I., p. 557.

( 6) _Ibid_., p. 556.

( 7) _Ibid_., p. 124.

( 8) _Memoirs of Sheridan_, vol. ii., pp. 50-2.

( 9) General A. T. A. Torbert distinguished himself on many fields
and survived the war. While making a voyage on the steamer _Vera
Cruz_ he was shipwrecked off the Florida coast, August 29, 1880.
He heroically aided others