At first Sheridan paid little attention. Then he began to be
disturbed. He writes: "I tried to go to sleep again, but grew so restless
that I could not and soon got up and dressed myself." Eating a hurried
breakfast, he mounted his splendid coal-black steed, Rienzi, and started
for the battle-field of Cedar Creek, where his army was. This was the ride
that afterward became famous as "Sheridan's Ride."
[Illustration: Sheridan Rallying His Troops.]
As he rode forward he could hear the booming of cannon. Then he saw a part
of his army in full retreat, and fugitives told him that a battle had been
fought against General Early's Confederates and everything lost.
With two aides and twenty men the gallant Sheridan dashed forward to the
front as fast as his foaming steed could carry him. On meeting a
retreating officer who said, "The army is whipped," Sheridan replied: "You
are, but the army isn't."
As he pushed ahead he said to his soldiers: "If I had been with you this
morning this disaster would not have happened. We must face the other way.
We must go back and recover our camp."
As soon as his troops caught sight of "Little Phil," as they liked to call
him, they threw their hats into the air and, with enthusiastic cheers,
shouldered their muskets and faced about.
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