en nor provided for, gave time for Early to call in the strong
divisions of Generals Gordon, Breckenridge, and Rodes, from the vicinity
of Stephenson's Depot several miles away. They left Patton's Brigade of
Infantry, and a part of Fitzhugh Lee's Cavalry to oppose Torbert.

Hearing nothing from Torbert, who had now been gone seven or eight hours
on his circuitous route, Sheridan suddenly changed his whole plan of
action, a perilous maneuver in the face of an active enemy while the
battle is already raging intermittently. Instead of flinging Crook's
Army of West Virginia, 17 regiments and 3 batteries, across the Staunton
pike, to front northeasterly and cut off all possible retreat of the
Confederates, he determined to move it to our right and deploy it in
line with the Nineteenth. Doubtless this was best under the
circumstances, though it left to the enemy the broad smooth highway as a
line of retreat up the valley.

Grover's Division (2d of the Nineteenth Corps) in four brigades formed
line of battle in front and to the right of the gorge. In touch on the
left was Ricketts' Division of the Sixth Corps, and resting on Ricketts'
left was Getty's Division of the same corps. Getty had 16 regiments in
line; Ricketts, 12 with 6 batteries; Grover, 20 with 3 batteries.

Had Sheridan been able to strike Early by half-past eight with the Sixth
and Nineteenth, he would have crushed him in detail. Had Early massed
the divisions of Gordon, Breckenridge, and Rodes, and hurled them at the
mouth of the canyon at ten o'clock while half of the Nineteenth was
still entangled in it, he would probably have split our army into three
parts, and destroyed those already arrived.

It was now eleven o'clock, and the Army of West Virginia at last emerged
from the defile. To make room for its movement in our rear behind
Grover's Division, and to hold the enemy in play until it should have
taken its place on the right of the Nineteenth, and perhaps to await
there the appearance of Torbert's Cavalry, it was desirable that Grover
should advance. Sheridan of course meant the whole front of the Sixth
and Nineteenth to keep in a continuous line. At first it seemed to me
that the regiments of the Nineteenth overlapped; but the lines of
advance were slightly divergent, and wide breaks began to appear between
battalions. Especially on the left of the Nineteenth a large and
widening gap appeared; for Ricketts had been instructed to guide on the
Berryvill