y ran into Kershaw marching to join Early
at Brown's Gap. Early, having gone as far as he wished, turned
upon Merritt and drove him across the South Fork, but just then
getting the first inkling of Torbert's movements, divined their
purpose, and, to check them, marched with all speed, in compact
order and with the greatest watchfulness in every direction, on
Rockfish Gap. But Torbert, having a good start, won the race, and
had accomplished his object when the advance of Early's column came
up, and caused him to draw off.

Sheridan, on his part, had gone nearly as far as he intended, but
as he meant presently to begin with his cavalry above Staunton the
work of destroying the value of the whole valley to the Confederate
army, on the 29th he ordered Wright and Emory to Mount Crawford to
support Torbert in this work.

Grant, who, ever since he reached the James, had cast longing eyes
upon the Virginia Central railway, as well as upon the great junction
at Gordonsville, now strongly desired Sheridan to go to Staunton
or Charlottesville, but Sheridan set himself firmly against the
plan on account of the daily increasing difficulty of supplying
his army and the great force that must be wasted in any attempt to
keep open a line of communication longer or more exposed than that
he already had to maintain. As an alternative, Sheridan, who seems
to have thought Early had quitted the valley for good, proposed to
bring the Valley campaign to an end with the destruction of the
crops, and then to move with his main force to join Grant on the
James. Grant, at once agreeing to this, directed Sheridan to keep
Crook in the valley and to transfer the rest of his force to the
armies before Richmond.

On the morning of the 6th of October Sheridan faced about and began
moving down the valley, the infantry leading in the inverse order
of its advance, and the cavalry bringing up the rear in one long
line that reached from mountain to mountain, busied in burning as
it marched the mills, the barns, and everything edible by man or
beast. From the Blue Ridge to the Shenandoah Mountains, nothing
was spared that might be of use to the Confederates in prolonging
the war.

When Early discovered this he followed on the morning of the 7th
of October, with his whole force, including Kershaw, as well as
the cavalry brigade of Rosser, sent by Lee from Petersburg. The
command of all the cavalry being given to Rosser, he at once began
treading o