courier, he arrived upon the field at ten o'clock, his horse covered with foam, and, like the Twin Brethren at the Lake Regillus, his presence stayed the ebbing tide, and turned it into a destructive flood. Moving like lightning among the retreating troops, he swung his hat in the air, shouting at the top of his voice, "Face the other way, boys! we are going back!" Pushing forward past the stragglers, who at once began to rally, he reached the main body, repeating his fiery words. "Boys," he added, "if I had been here, this never should have happened; we are going back." Arranging and strengthening his lines while the enemy had, most of them, stopped for a time to plunder our camps, he was just in readiness to move forward, when the rebels came in for a new and overwhelming assault. Resisting this manfully, he caught its surge, and hurled it back; assumed the offensive; attacked again in two columns; employed his cavalry in vigorous charges on both flanks; succeeded, with Custer's division, in turning their left and rolling it up, and again routed them. Thus he snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat. And all this-no one can gainsay it was due to the brilliant genius and personal élan of Sheridan himself. The slaughter of the enemy was great. We captured almost every thing they had, including the guns and camps which we had lost in the morning. The rout of the enemy was again complete. They flew to Staunton on wings of fear, while Sheridan pursued as far as Mount Jackson. No one was more gratified than Grant, who, as soon as he heard the news, telegraphed to the Secretary these words:

"I had a salute of one hundred guns fired from each of the armies here, in honor of Sheridan's last victory. Turning what bid fair to be a disaster into a glorious victory, stamps Sheridan, what I have always thought him, one of the ablest of generals.

"U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General."

This was, as it might well be, the last attempt of the enemy to invade the North through the Shenandoah Valley, which was now called, for them, the Valley of Humiliation.

General McClellan having resigned his commission, to take effect on the 8th of November, it was ordered by the President:

"That for personal gallantry, military skill, and just confidence in the courage and patriotism of his troops, displayed by Philip H. Sheridan on the 19th of October at Cedar Run, whereby, under the blessing of Providence, his routed army was reorganized, a great national disaster averted, and a brilliant victory achieved over the rebels for the third time in pitched battle within thirty days, Philip H. Sheridan is appointed major-general in the United States Army, to rank as such from the 8th day of November, 1864."

Such a prestige as that now established by Sheridan enabled Grant to take the Sixth Corps away, and it was ordered to the vicinity of Petersburg.

The historian would fain linger upon such brilliant records as these, but it is necessary that we should now return to take a brief survey of what was being done in the Army of the Potomac.

NAMES OF UNION FORTS AROUND PETERSBURG. (SEE MAP.)

FORTS ON THE PROLONGATION OF THE LINES WEST OF THE WELDON RAILROAD.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

AROUND PETERSBURG.

CEDAR CREEK.-SHERIDAN RIDES POST FROM WINCHESTER.-TO THE WELDON ROAD. -THE CATTLE RAID.-MOVEMENT ON BOTH FLANKS.-THE WESTWARD MOVEMENT. -BUTLER MOVES. THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC IN MOTION. THE DUTCH GAP CANAL. GREGG AT STONEY CREEK.-COMPARATIVE REST.

THE greater part of July and the early days of August were spent in a proper adjustment of the defensive works, and in strengthening them from the Appomattox to the Jerusalem plankroad. The important points were crowned with redoubts, and heavy siege-batteries were erected in the most advantageous positions.

In the early part of August, the lieutenant-general, believing that Lee had detached three divisions from Petersburg to re-enforce the rebel army in the Shenandoah Valley, determined to make a strong diversion north of the James in favor of another movement against the Weldon road.

Let us look at these co-operative movements in their order. To this end the Second Corps was placed on transports and ostentatiously moved down the river, as if proceeding to Fortress Monroe; but, under cover of night, the vessels turned and steamed up the river, and the expeditionary force landed at Deep Bottom on the 14th of August. There it was joined by a cavalry division under Gregg, and a force from Butler's army under Birney, which marched from Bermuda Hundred and crossed the river on the ponton-bridge at Deep Bottom.