. Redeeming the republic : the third period of the war of the rebellion, in the year 1864 . boro. It is only a good days inarch from that town to can now see that if General Hunter, instead of moving to Stauntonafter the battle of Piedmont, had vigorously followed the fleeing Confed-erates he would have reached Waynesboro on the next day before thearrival of Breckinridge. Then tearing up the railroad between Charlottes-ville and Lynchburg, he would have been free to move on; but by turn-ing towards Staunton, waiting for the arrival of a wagon-train, and thetarry at Lexington
. Redeeming the republic : the third period of the war of the rebellion, in the year 1864 . boro. It is only a good days inarch from that town to can now see that if General Hunter, instead of moving to Stauntonafter the battle of Piedmont, had vigorously followed the fleeing Confed-erates he would have reached Waynesboro on the next day before thearrival of Breckinridge. Then tearing up the railroad between Charlottes-ville and Lynchburg, he would have been free to move on; but by turn-ing towards Staunton, waiting for the arrival of a wagon-train, and thetarry at Lexington, enabled Lee to send Early, and thus foil him at Lynch-burg and compel him to retreat down the Great Kanawha. Thus an armyof fifteen thousand men was rendered useless for service for several weeksat a moment when, if he had taken the route to Charlottesville the dayafter the victory at Piedmont, he would have been of inestimable serviceto General Grant. The time had come for a bold movement on the part of the Confeder-ates. When General Lee sent Early to head off Hunter he contemplated. THE VALLEY OF THE SHENANDOAH. 277 a larger movement, the menacing of Washington. Hunter was retreatingdown the valley of the Kanawha, towards Ohio; there were no Uniontroops in the Shenandoah. Early had seventeen thousand troops, veter-ans who had been in many battles, and who were inured to hardships, fourdivisions—Ramseurs, Echolss, Rodess, and Gordons—between forty andfifty cannon, and a large force of cavalry, with few Union troops to opposehim. General Early saw that he could choose his own course and madequick preparation. He issued orders to take very little bag-gage, compelling the officers to carry whatever clothing theymight need. He knew that he would find cattle, flour, corn, and suppliesin abundance, and so was not hampered by long trains of wagons. On the27th he started from Staunton. The roads were in excellent order. Im-boden, with his division of cavalry, swept on in advanc
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