The Bloody End Of The Civil War            Cedar Creek - Beginning of the end: In September 1864, the 2nd US Cavalry had just 176 enlisted and 3 officers present for duty. 13 Officers and 96 enlisted were on detached duty, with 153 absent sick. Company A had just 24 enlisted present, and no officers. In October, at the time of Cedar Creek, the regiment reported 2 officers and 185 men present, with 14 officers and 79 men detached, along with 141 absent sick. Company A still had just 24 enlisted and no officers present for duty. The regimental numbers had steadily declined since the early spring of that year through the hard, long campaigning in Grant's southward push. The numbers of sick had more than doubled during this period, while the number detached went down slightly. Casualties for the period through September totaled 85 wounded, 26 killed, and 15 missing.  Trevillian's Station (June 11-12) alone had accounted for 36 wounded, 8 killed and 3 missing. Captain R.S. Smith had commanded the regiment since Captain T.F. Rodenbough's wounding at Trevillian's Station. On the evening of October 16th, the regiment camped along Cedar Creek. Ordered to stand ready to move at 03:00 on the morning of the 19th, the regiment was treated to the rapidly growing sound of battle in their front, as Joe Early's attack had begun. The whole First division moved to support the Union right flank and the battle mostly developed on the left. Eventually, Confederate forces pressed the cavalrymen who, dismounted, held their skirmish line for two hours. As the Union forces fell back on the left, the Reserve Brigade troopers were ordered to fall back and support the Union left before Middletown. Dismounted again, the regiment held this line through numerous attacks from 09:00 until 16:00. Lieutenant Wells was wounded very early leaving Captain Davis the only officer present with the Second regiment.  As General Wright had reformed his forces, and General Sheridan arriving on the scene, the Union counter-advance began. Sheridan's cavalry rushed forward with the entire army, jarring and jolting the Confederates from line after successive line. Colonel Lowell of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry, commanding the Reserve Brigade, fell mortally wounded in the charge. The Second's only officer, Captain Davis, wounded in the advance, lay on the battlefield all night. Four enlisted men suffered wounds. With the further reduction of the already small regiment, command devolved upon Captain Baker, commanding the 1st US, and the joined units pursued the retreating enemy as far as Woodstock.  Returning to Cedar Creek the next morning, the 2nd US Cavalry Regiment was nearly finished with war in the south. After Cedar Creek in October 1864 the Second US Cavalry was a much-reduced regiment at less than 300 present for duty, including no officers. Other than a brief, ineffective, forward and then rearward movement by Joe Early's confederates on November 11, there was little of consequence happening in the valley. General Sheridan's report states, "During this campaign I was at times annoyed by guerilla bands, the most formidable of which was under a partisan chief named Mosby who made his headquarters east of the Blue Ridge, in the section of country about Upperville.  I had constantly refused to operate against these bands, believing them to be, substantially, a benefit to me, as they prevented straggling and kept my trains well closed up." Be that as is may, Sheridan decided to act now that more pressing matters were put aside. He further reported, "In retaliation for the assistance and sympathy given them, however, by the inhabitants of Loudoun Valley, General Merritt, with two brigades of cavalry, was directed to proceed on the 28th of November, 1864, to that valley, under the following instructions:..." Sheridan's order to Merritt said in part, "you will consume and destroy all forage and subsistence, burn all barns and mills and their contents, and drive off all stock...", and "This order must be literally executed, bearing in mind, however, that no dwellings are to be burned, and that no personal violence be offered the citizens." Of real interest is the report of Lieut Col Casper Crowninshield of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry, who commanded our own Reserve Brigade during this period. As his report shows, the brigade left their camp at Stephenson's Depot on the 29th at 3 AM. Upon arriving at Snickersville (now Bluemont) he left the 6th US and a company of 2nd Mass guarding the gap and proceeded south and east to Bloomfield, Union (now Unison), and Philomont before returning to Snickersville where the rest of Merritt's force had arrived. On the 30th, the 2nd US and 2nd Mass were sent north through Wood Grove (just north of present day Round Hill) and on to Hillsboro. From there the two regiments continued north to Cave Head on the Potomac, "and thence along the river road to Lovettsville, destroying all grain, forage, mills, distilleries, &c., and driving in all stock in that part of the country; at Lovettsville they joined Brevet Brigadier-General Devin's brigade." Crowninshield included the following table with his report: List of property. Number Average Value Total Value Captured       Horses 87 $100.00 $8,700.00 Beef-Cattle 474 30.00 14,220.00 Sheep 100 6.00 600.00 Total     23,520.00 Destroyed       Barns 230 100.00 23,000.00 Mills 8 200.00 1,600.00 Distilleries 1 1,000.00 1,000.00 Hay (tons) 10,000 30.00 300,000.00 Grain (bushels) 25,000 2.50 62,500.00 Total     388,100.00 Total Captured and Destroyed     411,620.00 So the Old Second can rightfully be called "Barn Burners". On December 19 General Torbert, with Merrit's and Powell's divisions pushed through Chester Gap to strike the Virginia Central Railroad at Charlottesville or Gordonsville. An intended link up with Custer didn't come off and Torbert failed to reach his goal. The weather was dismal. According to Sheridan, "I heard from General Torbert last night; he was then near Sperryville. The weather is so very bad - rain, snow, and sleet - that I feel a great deal of anxiety about the horses." Tobert's report confirms that for 6 of the ten days on this raid, "it rained, hailed, or snowed, and sometimes all three." There was a fight at Liberty Mills in which Torbert pushed back two confederate brigades and captured two guns and some prisoners. Just above Gordonsville, however, he ran into a determined defense and before he could flank it Confederate infantry (Pegram's division) arrived to replace the cavalry he faced. Our troopers were back in camp on the 28th. Remember that Pegram was a Lieutenant with company I in New Mexico when the war started On January 20, 1865 our Second Cavalry started from camp near Winchester, arriving in Hagerstown, MD on January 24 and replacing the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry. The regiment, under Captain Norris, left Hagerstown March 22 and arrived at Point of Rocks MD (where US 15 now crosses the Potomac) on March 24. Their orders read "establish your camp of reorganization...and you will be charged with the duty of patrolling and picketing the fords in the vicinity [from there to the Monococy River - about 5 miles downstream]. Staying only until April 4th, they were back in camp near Winchester on the 6th. It was a quiet end to a long, hard war. "The war is over and our land is free, Thus rebaptised to God and Liberty! Beside the Stars and Stripes of radiant light, Floats a broad flag of pure, unsullied white. Bury the past! Let memory's snowy wing, Brush all the darkness from the days we sing." Gen'l Van Zandt, for the Society of the AOP.