Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-12-03
Letter From Capt. Barrett-the 9Th
Ohio Cavalry.
CHANTILLY. Nov. %. ]

CHANTILLY, Nov. %, 1862.
Dear UrOnick.-It is the close of a dull
dreary Sabbath, with the 9th o. V. c.
Our camp situated on the western edge
of a tract Of woodland, exposes US to the
fury of the wind which comes bowling
down from the Blue Ridge as though it
were in league with Stuart, or Stonewall,
to drive US from the State.
Since l last wrote we nave been ranging
far and wide through this section of the
State. After lying in camp at Centerville
till We began to despair of ever moving
again, an advance movemant was made.
We took the lead down the Orange and
Alexandria R. R. driving in the rebel
pickets and patrols, and scouting and
picketing on the front and TANKS. day
and night. Thus passed the time till we
reached Warrenton Junction, when we
received an order from Gen. D. E. Sickles,
under whose command we were, compli-
menting US for our vigilance and daring,
and expressing a desire that we should
have a short time rest, and truly We need
ed it. For seven days and nights we had
been almost constantly in the saddle, and
many of US had slept lone at all for three
consecutive nights. Just as we were about
to go into camp congratulating ourselves
on the prospect of a good nights rest, up
came Gen. Sigel's Body Guard, fresh horses
and fresh men, with an order for us to &C.
company them on an expedition we knew
not where. There was no alternative
''Ours not to reason why"
We went-but there were curses loud
and deep. All night long we sped away
through the pine forests of eastern Vir-
ginia. The night was black as Erebus, its
darkness relieved only by the falling
snow which whitened the narrow fields
over which we occasionally passed.
Toward morning we learned that our
destination was Fredericksburg. We in
tendedt to reach it by daylight, but through
the drunkenness, or incompetency of our
guide, we did o reach our destination
till two hours later.
We found the tide up and the water
five feet deep on the usual ford. We
were ordered back from the river to await
the falling of the tide, but the guide dis.
covered a narrow and difficult passage
higher up. Surprising that there were
but sixty of the enemy across the river,
the body guard slipped off privately, tax
ing with them some ten of our men who
had been left to guard the ford, and made
a dash into town. Soon a party of them
came back reporting that the enemy were
six hundred strong, and hat the body
guard had been all killed or taken priso-
ners.
They advised us to leave if we wished
to avoid capture, and three or four of
them, including a Lieutenant and Sur
geon ingloriously skedaddled, reaching
camp a day before us. and reporting that
we were all taken.
Though we numbered but sixty men,
Major Steadman refused to withdraw, hop
ing to a some who might yet straggle
off and escape. Soon we had the satisfac-
ton of seeing our friends return and COW
ering their retreat across the river. They
had had a desperate encounter. The en-
envy were some four or five hundred
sfronu hnt NOT dannta1 h., III, ..-
Der, our boys charged and drove in all di-
rections. They captured some thirty or
forty prisoners and two carts laden with
uniform cloth for the rebel army.
Our loss was one killed, and three or
four prisoners, but We left eight or ten
dead rebels in the streets of the city.
When the body guard came back, we
learned for the first time that orders had