The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-09

rebel chieftains. and has dashed to earth the |
vile hopes OF the anti slavery propagandists. /
The Recent Affair Between MeDonaid's |
Cavalry ind the Enemy.
Editors Richmond Dispatch Having read ii |
several of the city papers alarming accounts
OF the surprise and capture OF Mcdonald
Cavalry regiment, at Romney, togey her with
the death If some Of the superior officers, ana
not having seen n contradiction ct them,
Send EUn tue following extrlct of a letter 81 !
an officer ~ the regiment, which Is perfectly
reliable. iiie i"tter WAS written 10 his wifc
l. You consider 1t worthy place ia yoH}
columns, yOu are III liberty TO publish il.
RaMsRv, Sent 2,ih, I-5i
Last Monday night, hotw"r II and t.
o'clock, our picltets came rushing into camp
with the in ttlligence that the enemy were
marching upon US in two directions, and ;hat
they had been fired upon BIZ the advanced
guards Ia a few minutes the camp was in a
luTora Horses We're sadGied, swords and ps-
tolls buckled on. while the sharp commands Of
officers were startling he mid1ight air az they
ordered their res pective companies TO mount.
Soon pIrt OF the command We're dispatched
to the Hanging Rock, or Northwest pass,
about three ana u half miles from the town,
ana another part To ihe West pass. with
orders to attack The enemy, and hold him III
check if possible. / was ordered to remain
near tho town in comm md 81 three com
p&ntes, 10 act rs cuu.stAncrs might require.
Oar men and tn. lU,ierAliSts reached both
passes at very near the came time, and after
some very heavy firing at the NorthWtst
pass. our men gave way. and the Yankees ga
tered lhe valley: but the fog was SO Il nse
thai they did nOt attempt tn advance, Tie
fog continued until Getr 10 o'clock next day,
and SO dense that You could not SIC an object
over fifty yards. The enemy. like ourselves,
concluded to remain fixed uu til the suns rays
dissipated the fog At last the curtain was
lifted, and We stood opposed TO each ether
About half mile down the branch their
al GhI 1Irrhv tn f,4T
shirmiShrTS, While their infan trY, about
so or i,oD0 strong, were drawn up near by in
ii1e OF battle. | WAS ordered to make an ad-
vance with my company to draw them out.
I sent eight or ten 5nen, under Lieut.. Penny
hacker. To give their cavalry Skirlnishers Il
round of Minnie balls. They lifted some Of
them from their saddles aud the rest soon dis
appeared IN The pine thichets. drew up my
p1ny after thiS III frout of the infantry
skrMisners, and drove them back 10 the re-
serve. The Whole OF them then disappeared
for Il time, and were soon seen crossing y
mountain in our rear, with view, no doubt,
oi gaining the road to Winchester and snr-
rounding rs. We then dashed up the road 10
VI inchcster to give them battle, Dut they OBJ
served the movement and concealed Them
selves in the mo uu t,tin fas Illnesses. About this
time we had to withdraw cur forces from The
" est Pass III order 70 concentrat our treng til
The enemy then approached us on the west
side, aiding their shell and cannon balls be-
fore them, almost into the town. We soon dis
covered that this force was small, and only
Intended, by loud demonstrations, to draw Us
OF. " t. he Ut 4 hOWitZ.r and 81 small party 10
watch them, and employed our main force il
skirmlshing with the principal body.
The day was spent without any collision,
except an occasional encounter between tina
advanced guards. The enemy kept pushed,
and u course We could not charge upon them
Ihe sun Was about setting; they were al!
AROUND Us, and reported 10 BE- J,0pp strong.
| We had 30 cavalry and lja militia TO depend
upon After holding council OF war We con
| ciuded t. fall back five OF six miles upou tn.
WiEches .er road We did so, taking bag aud
| baggage. The next moTEinsa message reached
! us that the scOuudrels had entered EOmneN
and that" few OF the militia were firing upon
them.
BY common consent OF the men ana officers,
and without many commands or words, We
| -aGuied up mounted, and in Il few minutes
| We're ,~Gi:oping back at the utmost speed OF
| our hcrscs, sending clouds OF dust 10 Ike skies
Tue enemy Were BY some means aprTised of
oiI coming short time before we reached
own. and tool mp the double quick. We
dashed into the 20 Wn At lightning speed, shout
| ing 1T the top CT oar voices. and making tha
| air rag with the clasniug of sabres The
Yankees -Epre half q mile ahead The head
| q our column dashed up within one hun
| dred and hity yards, dismOu4ted amt oDeaed
! ire. We sooa cdl0e up with Ike last wing,
! icaped fence, AMI gained / posi- lion nearer
| and i'll front. The first round from BROCK >
| cap mad them t.be up double q uickugain
| lhey sent IA y0lieE or TWO u u.s. which did no
! damage.
The whole of our csvalry now joined and
J purSucd then. to the NCrt!i We 81 pass Il mar
| row Qeti.e, one mile III length. We had no.y
| ascerttuc4 their aunb -rs not 10 exceed ,.Ic0,
| though the d1N previous we had stood Our
ground against the phaIt0m of $500 But
| rits It prudent 20 advance through sucii de-
Hie villa $50 cavalry against ir'o well rlaCd
infantry Ne paused net TO consider hi.t
| sending she'll or Two from u hUWitz+r after
| them, 1T Maj. Funstens command, | dashed
| through, with my company shir.aishcrs
| The enemy We're just beyond, preparing To
| take meal, and not dreaming that would
| follow them through the pass. Upon sight
| OF us they took 10 douoie-Quick again. | fol-
| lowed up pretty closely aud arrested cue man
| who mad fallen back from fatigue, took his
| gun and sent him 10 the rear. Pretty soou
| the Whole command came up and on we
| pushed. few minutes brought us IN sight
| Of the retre&ting foe. They drew up in line
| OF battle, and Cred their yolieys ct Us, which
, we answered IL mnrksrnan style, bringing
| many Of them 10 the dust. They gathered
/ up their dead, and OF they took again.
| We hurried on through the mountains
| through narrow Geiles and thickcts until
| dark tor sixteen miles, lght ing them through
| out the whole day. They were ruu to the
| verge OF death, aud had II not been fer some
| misunderstanding OF orders, which caused ~
! at one time 10 fire upon own men we.
, would have iltnkei them, and in their tired
condition captured the whole OF them, liOu .
| with thrr baggage. ASH WIS, we killed and
| wounded 2reat numbers. took We prisoners,
/ 4 number Of guns, eight or tea horses ard
| run the brok"n-down enemy in sight of their
camp at New creek. reii1hle lady told u
they passed her house with three " - on .oac s
| of dead and wounded Tho b wing r.
serve force "a New creek, We concluded 10 re
| turn 10 KGmney, "a We ana our horses also
| were much fatlgued, and in no condition TO
epconuter fresh troops.
Thus ended an exploit by the mueh abu sed
Mcdonald cavalry, which, ] think, has ret
been &c ualled III daring during the war Our
loss was six horses killed and wounded and
| three men wounded, two OF them by the fire
| from ourselves, inistaking friends for en- eniies
| The enemy wounded but one of our men.
INCREASE or THE FEDERAL F0RCB IN THE Ms.
| stssIPFi.--The Ney7 Orleans Br!lct.i. OF the 30
cont ains the following:
The Lincolnttes Down the river are getting
bold and sauCy, and should be taught q lesson
that would mako them keep alta more respect
ful distance from Louisiana soil. 4 dispatch