n the heels of Torbert. On the 9th, at Tom's Brook,
Torbert, under the energetic orders of Sheridan to whip the
Confederate cavalry or get whipped himself, turned on Rosser, and,
after a sharp fight, completely overwhelmed him and hotly pursued
his flying columns more than twenty miles up the valley. Several
hundred prisoners, eleven guns with their caissons, and many
wagons --tersely described by Sheridan "as almost everything on
wheels"--fell into the hands of the captors. But more important
even than these trophies, confidence in Rosser's cavalry was
destroyed at a blow, and its early prestige wiped out forever.

On the 10th of October Sheridan once more crossed Cedar Creek and
went into camp, Emory holding the right or west of the valley road,
Crook on the left or east of the road, and the cavalry covering
the flanks. Wright took up the line of march by Front Royal on
Washington.

The first intention of the government was that he should take
advantage of the Manassas Gap railway, which was again being restored
under the protection of Augur's troops; but this work was not yet
completed, and while Wright waited at Front Royal, Grant once more
fell back on his first and favorite plan of a movement on
Charlottesville and Gordonsville. To effect this he wished Sheridan
to take up an advanced position toward the head of the valley, and
to this the government added its favorite notion of rebuilding the
railways in the rear. Halleck even went so far as to instruct
Sheridan to fortify and provision heavily the position Grant had
directed him to occupy. All these ideas Sheridan combated with
such earnestness that he was summoned to Washington for consultation.
Grant at the same time reduced his call on Sheridan for troops for
service on the James to the Sixth Corps, and Sheridan, having on
his own motion stopped the work on the Manassas Gap railway, ordered
Wright to march on Alexandria by Ashby's Gap. Wright set out on
the 12th.

Sheridan having lost touch with the main body of the Confederates
in returning down the valley, he, in common with Grant and with
the government, now thought that Early had quitted the region for
good. Sheridan's information placed Early variously at Gordonsville,
Charlottesville, and in the neighborhood of Brown's Gap; but in
truth, though nothing had been seen of Early's troops for some
days, they had never gone out of the valley, but had slowly and at
a long and safe interval been f