Transcribed Newspaper Articles--Augusta County: 1864 Valley Campaign

• The Spectator, March 8, 1864, p. 1, c. 7: "To The Farmers Of Augusta, Rockingham And Shenandoah." Author predicts that the Valley will be subject to enemy raids during the coming planting season. Tells farmers that the plundering of farms can be prevented if they provide feed for the cavalry horses, which could then protect the farms.

• The Vindicator, May 6, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "From the Lower Valley." The most reliable report of the enemy's movement in the Valley indicates that the enemy is encamped at Fisher's Hill, three miles from Strasburg, and has captured Woodstock. This movement up the Valley is believed to have been a cover for Sigel, who is reported to have met up with Meade's army by way of Front Royal.

• The Spectator, May 17, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "Battle And Victory Near New Market." Reports that Confederate troops, including cadets from VMI, successfully drove back the Union army at New Market and in the process took ninety-fiveYankees prisoner.

• The Vindicator, July 8, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "Justice." The editor has heard rumors that a citizen or two took oaths of loyalty to the United States during the recent enemy occupation of the Valley. The editor has been unable to validate the rumors and offers instead a number of examples of how patriotic the citizens of Augusta were during the recent crisis.

• The Vindicator, July 8, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "The Enemy in the Valley." The editor offers a long account of the recent battles in the Valley, noting the desire of the enemy to occupy this important area of the state and detailing the troop movements, advances, and defeats in the Valley in recent weeks.

• The Vindicator, July 15, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "Who Are They?" Discusses the Confederate raid in Pennsylvania, which surprised Northerners who were expecting to hear of the capture of Petersburg.

• The Vindicator, July 15, 1864, p. 2, c. 3: "The "Staunton Spectator.'" The editor and proprietor of the Staunton Spectator, Richard Mauzy, announces that the publication of the Spectator has been suspended since publication of its issue dated May 31, 1864, because of the destruction of its offices by the enemy on June 7. The enemy destroyed everything in the building on all three stories, and only the job press is repairable. Mauzy expresses relief to learn that other editors in line of the enemy's march have not suffered as greatly as he has.

• The Vindicator, July 22, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "Movement into Maryland." The editor notes that Valley people eagerly await news from Confederate forces in Maryland, particularly news of any acts they may have commented in retaliation for the enemy's treatment of the Valley and its people recently. The editor tries to explain why Confederate forces did not attempt to capture Washington D. C.

• The Vindicator, July 22, 1864, p. 1, c. 6: "The Burning of Gov. Letcher's Residence." Describes the burning of former Governor Letcher's residence in Lexington, Virginia, by enemy forces.

• The Vindicator, July 22, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." Provides miscellaneous news from Pennsylvania, Petersburg, and Georgia. The article states that the Confederate army has recrossed the Potomac from Maryland and is once again in Virginia. The front at Petersburg has been quiet, with the exception of the enemy's shelling of the city.

• The Vindicator, July 29, 1864, p. 1, c. 5: "Hunter's Disastrous Retreat." The editor quotes from an article in the Columbus (Ohio) Statesman and comments further on the advance and retreat of Hunter's forces into and out of the Valley and then into western Virginia. While in the Valley, the enemy troops took all food from women and children, destroyed what they did not eat themselves, rifled the library at Virginia Military Institute, and burned the Institute.

• The Vindicator, July 29, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "War News." Provides miscellaneous war news from Petersburg, Georgia, and the Valley.

• The Vindicator, July 29, 1864, p. 2, c. 4: "Office Recorder Virginia Forces." Joseph Jackson, Jr., Recorder of the Virginia Forces, calls for the collection of reports and documentation of vandalism by enemy raids and occupation, by order of Governor Smith. The clerk of the county court in Augusta is authorized to gather such information for the county.

• The Vindicator, August 12, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." The editor summarizes developments in the war in the past week, concentrating on Petersburg, the lower Valley, and the burning of Chambersburg, Pa.

• The Vindicator, August 19, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." The editor surveys developments in the war in the preceding week, particularly in Petersburg and Atlanta. He also reports that, in the Valley, General Early's troops are near Strasburg awaiting the enemy.

• The Vindicator, August 26, 1864, p. 1, c. 5: "Why Chambersburg Was Burned." A letter writer from Maryland summarizes General Early's demands on the town of Chambersburg as recompense for General Hunter's destruction in Jefferson County, Virginia.

• The Vindicator, August 26, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." The editor summarizes developments in the war throughout the Confederacy in the preceding week, including news from the Valley where a clash around Winchester between General Early and Union forces resulted in the capture of four-to-five hundred Yankee prisoners, who arrived in Staunton on Wednesday.

• The Vindicator, September 9, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "War News." Provides war news from Atlanta, Petersburg, and the Valley. The article includes details of the fall of Atlanta.

• The Vindicator, September 23, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." The editor reports the particulars of the engagement three miles below Winchester last Monday between General Early's forces and the enemy. Among those killed on the Confederate side was Colonel Funk of the 5th Virginia Infantry. Major Newton from the same regiment was wounded, and Captain James Bumgardner and Lieutenant William Galt of the 52nd regiment are reported missing.

• The Vindicator, October 21, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "Retribution Will Come." The editor compares the recent enemy occupation of the Valley with a previous occupation. Before, the destruction was not as vast and severe, and the public outcry, including in the North, was against Hunter and his tactics. This time, however, the destruction is of far greater consequence, as Sheridan attempted to carry out Grant's order to make the Valley a "barren waste."

• The Vindicator, October 21, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "War News." Among the war news summarized by the editor this week is a report from New Market that General Early attacked and beat General Sheridan Wednesday morning at or near Cedar Creek. No other information is available at this time.

• The Vindicator, October 28, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "The Battle of Bell Grove." The editor offers a summary of the battle between General Early and General Sheridan near Cedar Creek on Wednesday, October 19, 1864. In spite of Confederate losses, the enemy cannot claim victory.

• The Vindicator, October 28, 1864, p. 2, c. 3: "Gen'l Early's Address to His Army." Reprints the text of General Early's address to the army of the Valley on October 22, 1864, in which he criticizes them for abandoning their position and plundering the enemy's camp. Their actions, Early claims, caused the men to fail to achieve what would have been "one of the most brilliant and decisive victories of the war."

• The Vindicator, November 18, 1864, p. 1, c. 4: "A Modern Antaeus." The Chicago Times cannot decide whether to admire the many victories the North has had in the Valley of Virginia or to admire the Confederate forces there who have suffered so many defeats yet continue to resist and fight back. Each time General Early fights back more quickly and more deadly, only to be defeated more severely each time.

• The Vindicator, November 18, 1864, p. 1, c. 6: "Failure of Grant's Recent Advance." General Grant was to have assembled a large number of troops in order to take Richmond from all sides, but was still unable to capture the city. In the end, some of the troops he had hoped to assemble were engaged elsewhere, including in the Valley. The current theory is that Grant will wait until spring to try to take the city again.

• The Vindicator, November 18, 1864, p. 2, c. 4: "Rockingham's Losses." The latest Yankee raid resulted in the following damage to Rockingham County: 30 houses, 450 barns, and 31 mills burned; 100 miles of fencing torn down; 100,000 bushels of wheat, 50,000 bushels of corn, and 6,232 tons of hay destroyed; 1,750 cattle, 1,750 horses, 4,200 sheep, and 3,350 hogs carried off; 3 factories and 1 furnace burned; an immense number of farming utensils destroyed; and countless household furnishings wrecked.

• The Vindicator, November 25, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." The editor reports that rain for several days has stopped temporarily the military operations at Richmond and Petersburg, with the exception of the capture by General Pickett of an enemy picket line. The Confederate loss in the encounter was one killed and nine wounded. Enemy attempts to recapture the position and reestablish picket lines were unsuccessful. The editor includes also reports from east Tennessee, Georgia, and the lower Valley.

• The Vindicator, November 25, 1864, p. 2, c. 2: "'While We Dislike . . .'" Even though the subject of the enemy's treatment of people in the Valley has received much attention already, the editor is compelled to comment further because of the extent of the destruction in Augusta County. The editor questions how the people of the United States can claim to be in the forefront of civilization and still act with the "malicious inhumanity" and "wanton barbarity" evident in recent transgressions in the Valley. The editor calls upon the county court of Augusta to follow the example of Rockingham county court and appoint a committee to gather information on the full extent of local damage.

• The Vindicator, December 2, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "A Word to the Wise." The feeding of the troops is of utmost concern to all southerners, but the recent destruction in the Valley leaves insufficient produce to feed the local people, much less supply the troops. The editor joins his voice with others raising the concern that supplies are not being managed properly. The many areas of the state that have suffered so much less than the Valley and that, in turn, have more abundant produce should be called upon to provide produce for impressment and to provide food for people in the Valley.

• The Vindicator, December 23, 1864, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." In a weekly recapitulation of developments on all fronts of the war, the editor reports that picket line skirmishes continue in Petersburg and, in late-breaking news, that General Rosser launched an attack early Wednesday morning at Mellrose, about five miles below Harrisonburg. Rosser succeeded in driving the enemy from its position and in capturing about forty prisoners. Most of the Yankee Cavalry in the lower Valley have crossed the mountain and are heading towards Gordonsville. General Early will be able to head them off in whichever direction they head.

• The Vindicator, January 27, 1865, p. 2, c. 2: "War News." The editor cites information from the Lynchburg Republican regarding the aftermath of the battle at Winchester on September 19, 1864. A Confederate surgeon in charge of the Confederate wounded states that the army left about 400 wounded from the battle and another 260 previously sick and wounded in the hands of the enemy. From the battle on September 19 until the close of the campaign, the enemy captured 864 sick and wounded, far fewer than previous estimates. Yankee surgeons at Winchester stated that after the fight on September 19, they buried six Union soldiers for every one Confederate and that local hospitals were filled with six thousand wounded. These large losses indicate the skill with which the Confederates fought, in light of the overpowering odds against them.

• The Vindicator, February 10, 1865, p. 2, c. 1: "War News." The editor reports that skirmishes have occurred between Northern and Southern pickets near Petersburg but that no engagements have occurred yet. In the Valley, the enemy surprised the Confederate picket at Edinburg, captured a lieutenant and fourteen men, only to be pursued by twenty men from the 12th Virginia Cavalry and overtaken. The Confederates regained their picket and took sixteen prisoners and twenty horses.

• The Vindicator, March 24, 1865, p. 2, c. 2: "Sheridan's Raid." Sheridan's troops left Winchester on Monday, February 27, 1865, reached Staunton on Thursday morning, moved on to Charlottesville on Friday, then divided into two columns when they moved on Monday. They encountered General Early's small force in Waynesboro while they were on their way to Staunton and captured six hundred or seven hundred of Early's men, according to people who saw these prisoners pass through Staunton. Sheridan's troops destroyed canals, rail lines, and bridges along the way, in addition to large quantities of government supplies and personal property. Sheridan met little resistance because the Confederate troops were so scattered. The editor hopes the forces will be kept more concentrated in the future and insists that farmers of the Valley and in counties east of the Blue Ridge must be willing to supply the army if they want to keep the army nearby for protection.

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