The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-05-16

1 the hotel at Ashland, a couple of shots were
fired at the engine, which was stopped. =
The Yankees were the 18th Illinois Regi-
ment, five hundred strong, and command
ed by Col. Davis, who said he was origi-
nally from King George county, Virginisi
and claimed kin with President Davis. BY
order of the Colonel the engine was I'M
coupled and burned. All the. sick and
wounded and passengers were the paroled.
No interference was made with private
property. Just as the train was first hailed
by the Yankee cavalry several persons who
were in the back car, among them bearer
of dispatches from Gen. Lee, jumped of
and succeeded in escaping, are supposed to
have made their way to our forces at the
/ Yankee Colonel was disposed to be very
chatty. He said he knew the country
around about Ashland like book, that he
had fox hunted over it many a time. The
privates were not so complacent; they SEEM
ed rather uneasy, fearing surprise. Oneof
them was heard to ask the other how he
liked the country. The fellow said he did
not like it altogether; he feared it was un-
healthy for people from so far North. The
| Yankee horses were first rate and all in
good order. The sick and wounded on the
train were Immediately taken into the
houses of the residents OF Ashland and the
vicinity and attended by the ladies. The
only property destroyed by the raid makers
was the engine of the ambulance train, an
| old engine lying at Ashland and sons two
hundred yards of the railroad track.
| At eight o'clock A. NJ, courier repor-
! ted at headquarters that the Yankee cav
airy, to the number Of five thousand, were
at Warwick's farm, five miles from the
city. About the same time another courier
brought information that the enemy had
appeared at Hungary Station, a station ten
miles up the Fredericksburg Railroad
There announcements, of course produced
some excitement, though persons who had
the accounts with many grains of allow
ance. All, however, believed that the
Yankees,a part or whole of the same who
had been at Ashland on the day before,
were in the vicinity of the city, with the
design, not of attacking the capital, but of
| inflicting still further damage upon our
railway communication with the army of
Northern Virginia.
AT seven o'clock a. M, a telegraphist had
been sent, with an engine and tender, up
the Central road to repairthe wires. Upon
the receipt of the above news, much un-
easiness was felt for the safety ofathe above
party. About eleven o'clock, youth who
had ridden in from Atice's, brought infor-
nation that the engine had been captured
by the Yankees at the railroad bridge over
the ChickahOminy, five miles north of this
city, a locality made memorable by the
fact that near here, on the Goth of June, 1862
Gen. A. p. Hill begun the great battle of
Richmond.
Between eleven and twelve O clock yes
terday morning. Major John f. Wrenn,
with about eighty men of his cavalry bat
talon, whe on Sunday started to Hanover
Junction, returned to this city by the Me-
chanicsville turnpike. From one of the
men we learned the adventures of the COM
pany during their brief absence from the
city. On their way to the Junction, when
three miles this side of Ashland they met
on the mountain road a considerable BODY
of Yankee cavalry. Major Wrenn at once
drew up his men in line of battle, but the
enemy showing no disposition to make an
attack, he advanced upon him. A Skin
mish at long range ensued, in which forty
or fifty shots We're fired on each side. One
Yankee was seen to fall from the saddle
No one was struck on our side. Major
Wrenn, finding that the enemy's force was
superior to hisown, fell back slowlyttowards
Richmond. During the night, Gen. Pryor
rode out from the city alone and Joined
Major Wrenn. The men remained in the
saddle all night, falling back slowly, and
watching the enemy. At 5 o'clock this
morning, the retreating party came in sight |
of the Brooke bridge, on the Brooke turn
pike, three miles from the city, when, to |
their surprise they found it occupied by a |
detachment of several hundred Yankees. |
Seeing his retreatin that direction cut Off |
and the Yankees pressing on his rear, Ma |
jor Wrenn wheeled his column to the left, |
and made across the country for the Mead |
ow Bridges, which, on nearing, he discov-
cred to be also in the possession of the enc
my. Without loss of time he bore still |
further east, and by dint Of urging his ia
ded horses to their utmost, was enabled to |
reach and cross in safety the Mechanics
vile bridge, from which point access to the
city was unobstructed. Gen. Pryor and
fnyN lsafn $,NN 10
of the battalion at the old fair grounds, and
set, about collecting fresh horses with which
to resume the field.
Between one and two O'clock o. NJ, John
L.. Phillips and James Crone, the telegraph
operator and engineer, who had started out
Central Railroad, returned to this city on
foot. They give the following account of
their expedition: They left the city at sew
en- o'clock a. M, with an engine and ten
der, having with them two negro fremen.
They proceeded as far as Peake's, eighteen
miles from Richmond, without seing any
signs of the enemy, At this place they
were met by a section master of the road,
who informed them that the Yankees were
at Hanover Court House, where they had
staid all night. Upon the receipt of this
information they Immediately reversed the
engine and started to return. On nearing
the bridge over the Chickahominy the en-
gineer discovered the Yankees employed
in burning that structure. Leaving the
free negroes to shift tor themselves, Crone
and Phillips leaped from the engine and
plunged into the dense underground of
Chickahominy swamp. The Yankees pur-
sued them a short distance, and gave up
the chase. They then made the negroes
put full head of steam on the engine and
run it into the stream over the broken span
OF the bridge. Having done all the dam
age they conveniently could to the bridge
and railroad, they robbed one of the ne
groes OF his hat and silver watch, and,
leaving behind them a couple of horses
that were too much jaded to keep up with
their hasty movements, took UP their de-
parture in an easterly direction The ne
groes jumped upon the horses and rode
into town.
made by hostile Yankee was accomplished
on yesterday morning. When Mcclellan
beleagured the capital of the Confederacy
twelve months ago, and son to Richmond