two miles, I reached an elevated position from which the enemy's line was visible, and within artillery range of it. I at
first thought that I had reached his right flank, and was about
making arrangements to attack it, when casting my eye to my
left, I discovered, as far as the eye could reach with the aid of
field glasses, a line extending towards Summit Point. The
position the enemy occupied was a strong one, and he was
busily engaged fortifying it, having already made considerable
progress. It was not until I had had this view that I realized the size of the enemy's force, and as I discovered that
his line was too long for me to get around his flank, and the
position was too strong to attack in front, I returned and informed General Anderson of the condition of things. After
consultation with him, we thought it not advisable to attack
the enemy in his entrenched lines, and we determined to move
our forces back to the west side of the Opequon, and see if he
would not move out of his works. The waggon trains were
sent back early next morning (the 5th) towards Winchester,
and, about an hour by sun, Kershaw's division, whose place
had been taken by one of my divisions, moved towards the
same point. About two o'clock in the afternoon my troops
were withdrawn, and moved back to Stephenson's depot.
This withdrawal was made while the skirmishers were in
close proximity and firing at each other; yet there was no
effort on the part of the enemy to molest us. Just as my front
division (Rodes') reached Stephenson's depot, it met, and drove
back, and pursued for some distance, Averill's cavalry, which
was forcing, towards Winchester, that part of our cavalry
which had been waiching the Martinsburg road.
It was quiet on the 6th, but on the 7th the enemy's cavalry made demonstrations on the Martinsburg Road, and the Opequon at several points and was repulsed.
On the 8th it was quiet again, but on the dth a detachment of the enemy's cavalry came to the Opequon below Brucetown, burned some mills, and retreated before a division of infantry sent out to meet it.
On the 10th, my infantry moved by Bunker Hill to Darkes
