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THH WAR LIBRARY.
3
rush to see what part of it will bein the
capital first, you will excuse us when I say
ithat wecan only spare ten minutes here,
(and therefore ‘waive ceremony. Your
‘daughters will excuse us, Iam sure,” witha
choice wave of my hand in the direction of
the ladies. ~
This last sentence was an elegant little hit
of mine that only came to me on the second.
One of the ladies was a little beauty, with
flashing black eyes that struck me hard, In
spite of the fact that I wasan army corres-
pondent—while the other was of an uncer-
tain age, a regular spinster as the dullest
could see and without doubt a sister of the
planter,
My shot struck home.
twas afraid some of the boys would be
unable to restrain their laughter und thus
give it away, but by heroic treatment they
controlled their visibles.
The spinster’s face at sight of us had been
like vinegar in its expression, but now it
changed until she was as sweet as sugar.
You may be sure we had everything we
wunted at that table,
he planter scowled and muttered, but it
‘was evident that his sister ran the estab-
lishment and nothing was too good for us.
The girl with the black eyes sat opposite
to me, and more than once | found her look-
ing at mein a singular manner.
\Vho she was, I had not the remotest idea,
and yet somehow or other her face seemed
very familiar. Atanyrate it was destined
to be familiar to me after that, for on the
march or during the lonely night hours in
camp I often saw it before my mental vision.
CHAPTER II.
SHELLING RICHMOND.
Nota word passed between myself and
the black eyed beauty while we hastily de-
voured our breakfast, and yet when I bade
them all good-by with hearty thanks for
their hospitality toward famishing enemies,
I was almost fascinated by the look she gave
me, and something seemed to whisper to
me that we would meet again.
That was no time for thoughts of love.
War was uppermost in our m‘nds, and
springing to the saddle we galloped away,
coming up with squadron after squadron of
our boys in blue, who were scouring the en-
tire country in search of edibles.
During the morning | managed to secure
a better mount.
In the barn of a rank secessionist I found
a fine black steed, and leavingmy own bony
“war horse, I rejoiced in the possession of a
mount that was creditable to the illustrious
journal with which I was connected.
It was early in the afternoon when we
reached Louisa Court House.
Through this place runs the Virgina Cen-
tral railroad, passing fromm Gordonsville,
whither the rebel forces under Fitz Hugh
Lee had retreated, to the capital.
Here we found several hundred rebel cav-
alry, guarding alarge amount of govern-
ment goods stored in the place.
When they learned of our approach they
sent off what they could and then fled.
We bivouacked near the town, and pres-
ently numerous detachments were at work
pulling up the railroad track, burning the
ties, heating the rails and twisting them out
ofshape, destroying culverts and bridges,
and doing all the @amage they possibly
co
uld.
It was a strange spectacle and one I shall
never forget, for though I had been in most
of the battles’ through which the Army of
the Potomac had passed,,this was my first
raid.
Gregg had sent a portion of the famous
First Maine in the direction of Gordonsville
asif about to make a feint toward that
lace, but as they met an overpowering
orce of the enemy, advanced by Fitz Hugh
{ Lee, they retired to the main force, which
4 formed in line of battle, but the rebels hasti-
ly retired.
Having utterly destroyed the railroad and
% rovernment property in and around Louisa
4 Court House, Gregg’s division turned south-
“Yeast, crossed the South Anna, passing
through Yancyville, a small village, and
8reching Thompson's Cross Roads a short
dime before midnight.
2° It was at this place that the object of the
“expedition was first made known to his of-
© ficers by General Stoneman.
5 To General Gregg ‘was given the task of
} destroying the bridges over the North Anna
: and break up Lee’s communications in that
5 quarter. .
; Colonel Davis had command of another
1
detachment which was to do the same work
along the South Anna,
Colonel Wyndham was to proceed to the
James river at Columbia, destroy the bridge
and also the canal.
The order that interested me most was
that directing Kilpatrick to proceed to the
Chickahominy and burn all the bridges he
could reach.
Stoneman himself with the main force,
was to remain where we then were and cover
all the expeditions,
When each commander had accomplished
the task set him, he was at liberty to do just
about what he pleased ere rejoining the
main force.
Early on Sunday morning, May 3, the four
detachments rode off, the moon showing
them the route, for it was about two
o’clock.
Wyndam’s force rode south, Gregg north-
east, Davis east, and Kilpatrick southeast,
and with this latter force I went.
An able writer has thus described the
situation in Virginia at this moment:
“ Lee, hancellorsville, is arranging for
his second attaek on Hooker, Sedgwick pre-
paring to storm the heights ot Fredericks-
urg, Stonewall Jackson mortally wounded,
lies in a house at Guinea's Station.
* Averill is hastening to withdraw from
the vicinity of Orange Court House, where
@ should be moving on toward Gordons-
e.
‘Couriers are flying through the country,
nlong the roads leading to Richmond with
the astonishing intelligence that the Yankees
are coming
“Gregg has the First Maine and Tenth
New York, with two pieces of artillery. He
moves rapidly up the Central railroad.
“There are no troops to oppose him. He
burns the station at Beaver Dam, and An-
derson’s bridge across the North Anna,
about three miles north of the station.
“Fle sends out detachments along the
railroad, burning all the bridges in the
vicinity.
“Another detachment moves to the South
Anna, along the Richmond and Gordonsville
turnpike, and destroys the bridge called the
Ground Squirrel bridge over the stream.
“}iaving accomplished the object of the
expedition without any loss, Gregg returns
and rejoins Stoneman at Thompson’s Cross-
roads on May 5, having madeaforced march
of seventy miles and doing great damage.”
new when we left camp and started
upon our route that we would see the great-
est danger.
There was reason to believe that this
course had been especially marked out for
Kilpatrick, as he was known to be one of
the most dashing cavalry officers in the
service.
I gloried in this thought, for there was
nothing that suited me better than danger,
no matter what the shape in which it was
presented to me.
We could see the column of Davis for some
time, as our line of march was almost par-
allel with theirs.
When, after a long ride, we made our first
halt, we Jearned that we were only thirteen
miles from the rebel capital, and there were
those among us who knew full well that we
would be much closer to Richmond before
we drew rein again.
There was something intensely thrilling in
the very thought of thus bearing down upon
the city where the rebel government held
orth.
Everywhere we could heur signs of the
most intense excitement.
Bells were wildly ringing in every village
and hamlet, signal fires blazed here and
there, and the whole country was ina state
of commotion.
Atdaybreak on May 4, we were again in
the saddle.
There were large forces of the enemy on
all sides of us at Ashland, Hanover Junction,
and others issuing forth from the city to in-
tercept us, so that the only thing which
could save us was the most rapid action.
Our route was now directly toward Rich-
mond.
At Hungary station we struck the Freder-
icksburg railroad, and, destroying this, we
pushed down the Brooke pike until the
church spires of Richmond were in sight.
How that spectacle aroused the enthusi-
asm of the bold cavalrymen.
It was likea sight of the towers and min-
arets of Mecca appearing to the eyesofa
pilgrim who has traveled over the desert
waste for many weary weeks.
We greeted the sight of Richmond with
tremendous cheers that must have struck
terror to the hearts of the inhabitants,
Weknew there must be tremendous ex-
citement in the city,a rushing of officers
and couriers, mustering of the militia, and
hurrying them out to the intrenchments.
The surrounding farmers dashed madly
into Richmond, each bearing a story to the
effect that the whole Yankee army is bear-
ing down upon the devoted capital, and
Lee with his army miles away. ©
To many in the city it seemed that the
Day. of Judgment had indeed come.
ells clanged wildly, and presently a com-
pany of artillery, heavily: supported by in- ,
fantry, moving out of the city upon the
same road over which we were advancing
came in sight of our column, and, turning,
rushed panic-stricken back into the city. ,
The confusion in Richmond at this time,
when it was not known how large our force.
might be, as described byfeye-witnesses, was.
something fearful.
Citizens hid _ their valuables, believing the
doom of the city was sealed. ,
Women and children were taken over the
river to Manchester to be out of harm’s way
when the shelling of the city began.
The wretched Union prisoners in Libby
heard the terrible confusion and looking:
through the grated windows of the old to-
bacco warehouse could see the rush of
frightened people through the streets. . °
When they heard the booming of our guns
they were almost frantic with joy, believing
their hour of deliverance had come.
Alas! that we had not the power to carry
out such a plan.
There was nota man present but whose
heart yearned to burst in the door of that
hated prison and free the wretched thou-
sands who were crowded within its walls.
We actually invaded the outer fortitica-
tions before they could be manned, and
captured an officer and some men.
<ilpatrick paroled them, dating the parole
at the city of Richmond.
In his report, Kilpatrick, says the officer,
who was an aideof the infamous General
Winder, the keeper of Libby Prison, and
subsequently of Andersonville, said:
“You are a daring set of fellows, but
you'll certainly be captured before sun- |
own.’
‘““That may be,” said Kilpatrick in reply,
“but we intend to doa mighty deal of mis-
chief first.”
I stuck close to the colonel, for I was
bound to see all that was going on.
Our artillery was now engaged with the
rebel batteries, and leaving part of his men
with the guns, Kilpatrick with the remain-
der of the Harris light cavalry, of which his
command was formed, moved through the
fields to the railroad, where we destroyed a
bridge, sending a train of cars into the
river.
All this had been done with a single regi-
ment of cavalry.
He had entered the outer fortifications,
defied and engaged the rebel batteries, capt-
ured officers and men, thrown shells even
into the city of Richmond itself, destroyed
communications with Lee’s army, burned
bridges, cut railroad and telegraph lines, and
finished by running a train loaded with sup-
plies for the army of Lee, into the river,
while all the time he was surrounded on all
sides by thousands of his foes,
Nothing but the dash of the expedition
had made it successful, and now that Kil-
patrick had shown his daring he must prove
is other soldier-like qualities by success-
fully accomplishing a retreat in the face of
all these difficulties.
e could see heavy columns of the foe
moving down the Brooke pike and Mechan-
icsville road to cut off our retreat and it was
evident that we had now reached the end of
our rope and having thoroughly stirred up
the hornet’s nest nothing could save us but
immediate retreat.
Kilpatrick has given up all intention of
rejoining Stoneman; I can see that in his
manner before he tells me that we shall
have to cut a new swath through the heart
of rebeldom in making our escape.
I watch him closely as he draws out his
map and consults it.
There is great danger, yet Kilpatrick is
calm.
His face lights up and I know he has struck
the right idea.
We
‘*To horse, men!
are safe yet!’*
With these words he dashes to the head of
the column, and with a darky as his guide,
passes over 2 new route, through forests and
over meadows, riding in a northeasterly di-
rection until Hanover Town is reached:
We know all the while we are being hotly
*Kilpatrick and Our Cavalry,
We are all right.