ding party. When he found
two thousand men in line of battle he retreated, fighting, to the
church again. There, as the doors were barricaded, and the walls
loopholed, the rebels could make no impression, and were obliged
to fall back to a respectful distance. In the night Morris managed
to steal away, and soon rejoined the main body at Winchester.

The arrival of these reinforcements seriously embarrassed Milroy;
and it will be seen hereafter that it would have been much better
for all concerned if they had retreated to Harper's Ferry at once.
They acted, however, strictly in obedience to orders.

Rodes' division, after the taking of Berryville, kept on towards
Martinsburg, and bivouacked at a place called Summit Point.

On the morning of the 13th Milroy had sent out a detachment under
General Elliot on the Strasburg road, and another under Colonel
Ely on the Front Royal road, to reconnoitre. Eliott found no enemy,
and returned. An attempt was made to cut him off from the town,
but it was repulsed. His troops were then massed on the south side
behind Mill Creek and a mill-race which ran parallel to it, and
were protected by stone fences. Colonel Ely had a brisk artillery
skirmish with Ewell's advance, and then fell back to Winchester,
taking post at the junction of the Front Royal and Strasburg roads.
The enemy did not attempt to cross the creek that night, but at 5
P.M. they advanced and captured a picket-post which commanded the
Strasburg road, but were soon driven out.

From a prisoner captured in this skirmish Milroy learned the highly
important intelligence that he was confronted by Ewell's corps and
that Longstreet was rapidly approaching.

The most natural course under the circumstances would have been
for him to retreat at once, but McReynolds' brigade had just arrived,
exhausted by their forced march, and could go no further, without
some hours' rest. To move without them would be to sacrifice a
large part of his force. He still cherished the hope that Hooker's
army would follow Lee up closely and come to his relief.

Ewell at night directed Early's division to attack the works on
the north and west of the town at daylight the next morning, while
Johnson's division demonstrated against the east and southeast.

Early on Sunday, the 14th, Milroy sent out a detachment to see if
the enemy had established themselves on the Pughtown or Romney
roads. The party returned about 2 P.M. and reported the