ridan was
about to retire to the extreme limit of the valley at the confluence
of the Potomac and the Shenandoah; and this was but to be the
beginning of a series of seesaw movements, in which, as often as
Sheridan went back to Halltown, Early would advance to Bunker Hill.
Early, having taken the offensive, was bound to keep it, or lose
his venture. Now, at this time, Early's objective was the Baltimore
and Ohio railway; but Sheridan's was Early. Thus, whenever he
found Early at Bunker Hill, wreaking his pleasure on the railway
and the canal, Sheridan had only to take a step forward to the
Clifton-Berryville line in order to force Early to hasten back to
Winchester, and to lay hold of the Opequon; and so this alternating
play might have continued as long as the war lasted, if other causes
and events had not intervened.

At eleven o'clock on the night of the 15th of August, Sheridan's
retreat began, Emory moving to Winchester, where he went into
bivouac at six o'clock on the morning of the 16th. At eight o'clock
on the evening of the 16th, Wright and Crook followed, and on the
17th Early, who had now been joined by Anderson, marched in pursuit.
The same evening Sheridan took up the Clifton-Berryville position
in the old order; the cavalry, now strengthened by the arrival of
Wilson's division, covering the rear and flanks. At Berryville,
at midnight, Grover joined Emory, from Washington by Leesburg and
Snicker's Gap, with the remainder of the Nineteenth Corps from the
James (1); and since the receipt of these reinforcements formed
Sheridan's only reason for staying at Berryville, on the 18th he
fell back to Charlestown, holding the roads leading thence to
Berryville and to Bunker Hill.

On the 19th and 20th of August, Sheridan stood still while Early
occupied Bunker Hill and Winchester; but, on the 21st, Early from
Bunker Hill and Anderson from Winchester moved together to the
attack. Rodes and Ramseur had a sharp fight with Wright, which
caused Sheridan to bring up Crook on the left and Emory on the
right; but neither came into action, because Merritt and Wilson
stood so stiffly that Anderson got no farther than Summit Point.
During the night Sheridan fell back to Halltown.

In retreating from Cedar Creek Sheridan began to put in force
Grant's new policy of making the valley useless to the Confederate
armies by burning all the grain and carrying off all the animals
above Winchester. "I have destroyed everythin