Halleck’s reply to Pope’s final dispatch, which congratulated the defeated army corps on a “hard-earned but brilliant success,” must have astonished Banks and his hapless troops.  They might indeed be fairly considered to have “covered themselves with glory."* (* O.R. volume 12 part 2 page 135.) 9000 men, of which only 7000 were infantry, had given an enemy of more than double their strength a hard fight.  They had broken some of the best troops in the Confederate army, under their most famous leader; and if they had been overwhelmed by numbers, they had at least fought to the last man.  Jackson himself bore witness to the vigour of their onslaught, to their “temporary triumph,” and to the “impetuous valour” of their cavalry.  The Federal defeat was more honourable than many victories.  But that it was a crushing defeat can hardly be disputed.  The two divisions which had been engaged were completely shattered, and Pope reported that they were no longer fit for service.  The casualties amongst the infantry amounted to a third of the total strength.  Of the brigade that had driven in the Confederate left the 28th New York lost the whole of its company officers; the 5th Connecticut 17 officers out of 20, and the 10th Maine had 170 killed or wounded.  In two brigades nearly every field-officer and every adjutant was struck down.  The 2nd Massachusetts, employed in the last effort to hold back Jackson’s counterstroke, lost 16 officers out of 28, and 147 men out of 451.  The Ohio regiments, which had been with Shields at Kernstown and Port Republic, and had crossed Cedar Run opposite the Confederate centre, were handled even more roughly.  The 5th lost 118 men out of 275, the 7th 10 officers out of 14, and 170 men out of 293.  Two generals were wounded and one captured. 400 prisoners, three stand of colours, 5000 rifles and one gun were taken by the Southerners, and, including those suffered by Sigel and McDowell in the night action, the sum of losses reached 2380.  The Confederates by no means came off scatheless.  General Winder died upon the field; and the two brigades that stood the brunt of the attack, together with Early’s, suffered heavily.  But the number of killed and wounded amounted to no more than 1314, and many of the brigades had few losses to report.  The spirit of the Valley troops was hardly to be tamed by such punishment as this.  Nevertheless, Northern historians have not hesitated to rank Cedar Run as a battle unfavourable to the Confederates.  Swinton declares that Jackson undertook the pursuit of Banks, “under the impression that he had gained a victory."* (* I may here express my regret that in the first edition I should have classed Mr. Ropes amongst the adverse critics of Jackson’s operations at this period.  How I came to fall into the error I cannot explain.  I should certainly have remembered that Mr. Ropes’ writings are distinguished as much by impartiality as by ability.) Southern writers, on the other hand, have classed Cedar Run amongst the most brilliant achievements of the war, and an unbiassed investigation goes far to support their view.