Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2) : $b A complete and reliable history of the war from its commencement to its close ... together with a complete chronological analysis of the warStephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
History
Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2) : $b A complete and reliable history of the war from its commencement to its close ... together with a complete chronological analysis of the war
Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
On the night of the 4th, General Gregg
moved near Yanceyville, and was followed the next day by General
Stoneman and General Buford’s command. On the 5th, the retrograde
movement commenced, and crossing Racoon Ford, on the Rapidan, the
command arrived at Kelley’s Ford on the North Fork. Meantime, the
advance of Colonel Kilpatrick was made, and thus subsequently reported
by him:
“By directions from Major-General Stoneman, I left Louisa Court House on
the morning of the 3d instant, with one regiment (the Harris Light
Cavalry) of my brigade; reached Hungary, on the Fredericksburg railroad,
at daylight on the 4th; destroyed the depot and telegraph wires and
railroad for several miles; passed over to Brook turnpike, drove in the
rebel pickets; down the pike, across the brook, charged a battery, and
forced it to retire within two miles of the city of Richmond; captured
Lieutenant Brown, aid-de-camp to General Winder, and eleven men within
the fortifications; passed down to the left of the Meadow bridge on the
Chickahominy, which I burned; ran a train of cars into the river;
retired to Hanovertown on the peninsula; crossed and destroyed the ferry
boat just in time to check the advance of a pursuing cavalry force;
burned a train of thirty wagons loaded with bacon; captured thirteen
prisoners, and encamped for the night five miles from the river.
“I resumed my march at 1 P. M. of the 5th; surprised a force of three
hundred cavalry at Aylett’s; captured two officers and thirty-three men;
burned fifty-six wagons, the depot, containing upwards of twenty
thousand bushels of corn and wheat, quantities of clothing and
commissary stores, and safely crossed the Mattapony, and destroyed the
ferry again just in time to escape the advance of the rebel cavalry
pursuit. Late in the evening I destroyed a third wagon train and depot a
few miles above and west of the Tappahannock on the Rappahannock, and
from that point made a forced march of twenty miles, being closely
pursued by a superior force of cavalry, supposed to be a portion of
Stuart’s, from the fact that we captured prisoners from the Eighth,
First, and Tenth Virginia cavalry. At sundown discovered a force of
cavalry drawn up in line of battle about King and Queen Court House.
Their strength was unknown, but I at once advanced to the attack, only
to discover, however, that they were friends—a portion of the Tenth
Illinois cavalry, who had become separated from the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Davis, of the same regiment.
“At ten A. M., on the 7th, I found safety and rest under our own brave
old flag within our lines at Gloucester Point. This raid and march
around the entire rebel army—a march of nearly two hundred miles—has
been made in less than five days, with a loss of one officer and
thirty-seven men, having captured and paroled upwards of three hundred
men.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account