the service, and determined to leave wife and children, to devote himself to the defense of his country. Greater should be his meed of fame, because he enlisted and went into the war with the sad foreboding that he should not survive it-that he should never reside again in his native town, after he should have marched with the volunteers for their duties at the front. The writer well remembers, even through all the multiplied cares of that beautiful Sabbath day, when there was a hurried gathering of our Woodbury company to march to Litchfield, the sad parting of Orton with his friends, his wife and children, and his parting remark— "I feel I shall not survive this war. But some must be sacrificed. Some must give up all for the union. I cannot withhold my services for the salvation of the country."

He was permitted to see his native town and loved ones, on furlough, once and again. But his foreboding became prophecy, He received a gun-shot wound, quite through his breast, from right to left, at the battle of Winchester. Singularly enough, he lived on, wrote cheerful letters to his wife, but finally died of secondary hemorrhage, some two weeks after his injury was received. There is another circumstance connected with this case. Orton was commissary Sergeant of his company, and was not obliged, by any rule, to participate with his musket in battle. Pure patriotism, in meeting a desperate encounter, must, therefore, have sent him to his death. The survivors can but weep in remembrance of his gentle virtues.

"CAMP OF THE 2D C. V. A., Charlestown, Va., Aug. 30th, '64.

"FRIEND TROWBRIDGE:-Your letter was received in due season, and as I have a little leisure, being on the sick list, I will eń. deavor to give you the details of our movements since May 15th, 1864. I do not know as it will be interesting, as I shall have to write from memory.

"May 15th.-Had orders to march at 12 o'clock, (noon,) to garrison Forts Albany, Stevens, Gregg, Whipple, Hagarty, Berry and others. 16th.-Orders to pack up for a forward movement to the front. Camped near Alexandria. 17th.-Went aboard transports for Belle Plain. Landed at 5 o'clock, evening. Rained very hard; lay in the mud that night; the regiment was paid off.

troops were rallied, and a slight defence of rails thrown up. The regimental and brigade flags were set up as beacons, to direct each man how to steer through the mob, and in a very few minutes there was an effective line of battle established. A few round shot ricocheted over head, making about an eighth of a mile at a jump,--and a few grape were dropped into a ditch just behind our line, quickly clearing out some soldiers who had crawled in there; but this was the extent of the parsuit. Mackenzie and Hamblin now left for the hospital, to have their wounds dressed, and the whole brigade, (and a very small brigade it was!) was deployed as skirmishers, under Colonel Olcott, of the 121st New York. Three lines of skirmishers were formed, and each in turn constituted the front line, while the other two passed through and halted; and so the retreat was continued for about three miles, until a halt was made upon high ground, from which we could plainly see the Johnnies sauntering around on the very ground where we had slept.

"It must have been after noon when we left that position, and moved eastward through the wood, by Sheridan's order, to join the 2d Division, and meet the enemy. There has always been so much dispute as to whether Sheridan really had anything to do with the afternoon formations, that it is best to give his own testimony in the matter. He says:-

"At about 7 o'clock on the morning of the 19th October, an officer on picket at Winchester, reported artillery firing, but, supposing it resulted from a reconnoisance which had been ordered for this morning, I paid no attention to it, and was unconscious of the true condition of affairs until about nine o'clock, when, having ridden through the town of Winchester, the sound of the artillery made a battle unmistakable, and on reaching Mill Creek, onehalf a mile south of Winchester, the head of the fugitives appeared in sight, trains and men coming to the rear with appalling rapidity.

"I immediately gave directions to halt, and park the trains at Mill Creek, and ordered the brigade at Winchester to stretch across the country, and stop all stragglers. Taking, twenty men from my escort, I pushed on to the front, leaving the balance, under General Forsyth, and Colonels Thom and Alexander, to do what they could in stemming the torrent of fugitives.

"I am happy to say that hundreds of the men, who on reflec

tion found that they had not done themselves justice, came back with cheers."

From a careful examination of all the accounts of this battle, the writer is convinced, that to the hurried return to the front, (after the repulse, and utter defeat of the morning,) and efficient generalship of Sheridan, was this glorious and decisive victory due. And this can be said without detracting from the praise due the brilliant deeds of the other glorious men who fought that day. There is an irresistible magnetism and fascination exerted over the men in the ranks, by the bravery and skillful daring of a loved, and trusted, and successful leader. Such is Sheridan.

In the quiet routine of civil life, we can little imagine what an electric and irresistible impulse would be given to brave men, who had voluntarily ceased to retreat, and were making a noble stand, to see a beloved leader, whom they supposed to be twenty miles away, riding in mad haste into their midst, with the cheering and thrilling words," Steady, Boys! You are going back to your old Camps! Charge bayonet! Forward, March!" Does any one doubt that some such inspiration as this turned the sad disaster of the early morning, into the glorious victory that proved the salvation of Washington?

"About two o'clock we were posted, in two lines, in the southwestern edge of a piece of woods, in front of which was an open, side hill field, at the top of which along a stone wall, was the rebel skirmish line, while the main line was not a great distance back of it. Their assault had already been made, and repulsed by the 19th Corps. About three o'clock, we could hear the cheering to the right, as Sheridan rode along the line,-but that personage did not get within sight of our regiment. By this time Hamblin and Mackenzie had returned to take part in the 'left half-wheel,' which had been ordered, The lines moved forward over the ascending ground, under a galling, but not very destructive fire from the rebel skirmishers, who soon gave up the stone wall to us, and retreated to their main line. A square musketry fight was kept up for ten minutes, when the enemy left-not, however, before inflicting considerable damage on us. Here Colonel Mackenzie was again struck by a solid shot or shell, which just grazed his shoulder. A remarkably large number of our officers were wounded at this point, but none fatally, nor even severely. (In the morn

and halted.

Companies F and D were here detached and taken off to the right, on a small reconnoisance, but were soon brought back, and the regiment proceeded to the right of the woods and partly through them, and advanced to a rail fence which ran along the side of an extensive field. Here, for the first time during the whole of this bloody day, did the regiment have orders to fire; and for ten minutes they had the privilege of pouring an effective fire into the rebels, who were thick in front. Then a flank move

ment was made along the fence to the right, followed by a direct advance of forty rods into the field. Here was the deadliest spot of the day. The enemy's artillery, on a rise of ground in front, plowed the field with canister and shells, and tore the ranks in a frightful manner. Major Rice was struck by a shell, his left arm torn off, and his body cut almost asunder. Major Skinnner was struck on the top of the head by a shell, knocked nearly a rod, with his face to the earth, and was carried to the rear insensible. General Upton had a good quarter pound of flesh taken out of his thigh by a shell, and was laid up for some weeks. Colonel Mackenzie's horse was cut in two by a solid shot, which just grazed the rider's leg, and let him down to the ground very abruptly. Several other officers were also struck and from these instances, as well as from the appended list of casualties, some idea may be gained of the havoc among the enlisted men at this point. Although the regiment had been under fire and losing continually, from the middle of the forenoon until now, it was almost sunset, yet the losses during ten minutes in this last field, were probably equal to those of all the rest of the day. It was doubtless the spot referred to by the rebel historian, Pollard, when he says, 'Early's artillery was fought to the muzzle of the guns.' Mackenzie gave the order to move by the left flank, and a start was made; but there was no enduring such a fire, and the men ran back and lay down. Another attempt was soon made, and after passing a large oak tree a sheltered position was secured. The next move was directly into the enemy's breast work. They had just been driven from it by a cavalry charge from the right, and were in full retreat through the streets of Winchester; and some of their abandoned art llery, which had done so much damage, stood yet in position, hissing hot with action, with their miserable, rac-a-bone horses attached. The brigade, numbering less than half of the muskets it had in the morning, was now got into shape, and after marching to a field in the eastern edge

of the city, bivouaced for the night, while the pursuit rolled miles away up the valley pike.

Roll call revealed the fact that the regiment had lost one hundred and thirty-six in killed and wounded,-fourteen of whom were officers. Company A, out of its entire list of officers and non-conmissioned officers, had left only 1st Sergeant Henry Williams, who had command of the Company during nearly the whole of the fight, and two corporals. Company H had three noble officers killed, including Captain Frederick M. Berry, of whom Colonel Kellogg once said, that he was the most perfect officer, gentleman, and man, all things considered, in the regiment. Companies A, B, and E, suffered heavily, C and G still more; and D, F, and I, most of all.

"But, unlike Cold Harbor or Petersburg, there was victory to show for this fearful outlay. And it was the first cup of palpable, unquestionable, unmistakable VICTORY that the 2d Connecticut, with all its marching and fighting, had ever tasted."

In summing up his operations in the Valley, Sheridan afterwards adds:

"At Winchester, for a moment, the contest was uncertain, but the gallant attack of General Upton's brigade of the 6th Corps, restored the line of battle, until the turning column of Crook, and Merritt's and Averill's divisions of cavalry, under Torbert, 'sent the enemy whirling through Winchester.'"

On the morning of the 20th of September, the army moved rap-. idly up the valley in pursuit of the enemy, who had continued his retreat, during the night, to Fisher's Hill, south of Strasburg, which Early considered the very Gibralter of the Valley.

Vaill thus describes the part taken by the 2d Conn. H. A. in this battle:

"But Sheridan's report merely considers the affair as a whole; and it will therefore be necessary for us to review it from a regimental stand-point. The regiment moved from bivouac near Winchester before daylight on the 20th, and by the middle of the afternoon, encamped just south of Cedar Creek, remaining until the afternoon of the next day, when it moved off to the right of the pike, taking a circuitous route through wooded ravines and over wooded hills, and at length came out upon open fields about