The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-26
Scraps from the Signal Corps-No, 4.
REsERyE SIGNAL CAMP,

b r of DAYS pas. TO stea few moments in which
20 drop you line, but The rapidity of our " ad-
vance on Washing on" has prevented the pos
sbilsy Of my committing any theft Of the kind
until The present moment: and even now can
only safely rely on few minutes as my own,
though think the ''skedaddleH is pretty much
over
was assigned to duty on the 9th inst, and
with the very party which, Of all others, most
wished to JOIN, that at the headquarters of Gen.
Fitzpatrick, commanding the LIST Division of
Pie santon's cavalry corps. number Of men
were sent out that day TO reinforce stations ana
parties, and at my own request | was sent TO
Fitzpatrick 5 division. Arriving at headquar-
ters near James City, at the foot OF Thorough
fare Mountain about dark. reported to the
officer in charge Of the party, Capt. Gloshoski,
Pole, and a man who bears the reputation Of
being perfect stranger to fear.
Reports having been received from the Thor
oughfare Mountain Station that the rebels were
advancing toward the Rapdan, we were obliged
to keep pretty vigilant watch during the night,
but received no message, owing to the fog which
hid the station from our view. Early on the
morning of the 10th the Mountain tagged US
that the enemy were entering Madison &. Ii. in
force, and that was the last message we re-
ceived from that party, for few minutes after
wards squad of enterprsing "Johnnies" as
cended the south side, while We men of signals
hastily descended on the north side, many of
them minus their blankets and other " dry
goods.
About noon the cavalry and light artillery
of tha enemy appeared in the vicinity of James
City, and commenced skirmishing with our
cavalry, which continued at intervals, until
dark, amounting to but little, however, as our
forces seemed contented with holding them there
and driving them under cover whenever they
showed their heads.
On tue morning of the | th the division moved
off on the Culpepper road. What service they
performed during the forenoon am unable to
state, as our party did not start until the main
body had been gone nearly an hour, and did not
join the column until 1T lett Culppepper, on the
road to Kappahannock Station but in the at
tenoon it covered the retreat of column Of in
lantry, falling slowly back from hill to hill and,
though badly pressed, taking its own time for
all its movements. Being obliged to hold the
first range of hills east of Culpepper while the
infantry got out of the way, the enemy took
advantage of the delay, and sent thanking COL
umn 20 our right, and when within about mile
of Brady Station, they pourel out of the woods
other force came in on our left, from Stevens
burgh, and opened upon US with battery, while
still another appeared upon the hill in our rear
Gas we were 6ghting) Thus we were actually
enclosed in a hollow square, with two batteries
playing upon us, and in such close quarters that
unless our first charge upon their lines should
prove successful in breaking us way out, we
must have been captured before we could have
had ever been in, and in spite of my confidence
in Fitzpatrick and his brave division, began to
think it would be my last, and that we were
certainly " gone up" But when did Kilpat-
rick ever get into scrape be could not get out
of? and then, as ever before, he proved himself
equal to the emergency His division occupied
meadows on both sides of the railroad, which
ran from rear to front, and was graded up some
ter or twelve miles above the level of the mead
ows. iie spurred his horse up the grade, on to
the track, where he could have an unobstructed
view of his own troops and the " Johnnies, and
in that exposed position, calm and collected, with
our band playing Yankee Doodle, while the reb.
els she'll and bullets were playing some d" foreign
air " more lively, he formed the division for a
charge on the mass OF cavalry which occupied
the hill in our rear When everything was
ready, he shouted {" Boys, are you ready tc
give 'em help" A vel! which tor the moment
drowned the roar of the al tillery was their reply
and the air vas blue with crcling ssbres With
out awaiting further orders they started. The
General rushed to their front and succeeded il
stopping them but the rebels had seen enough
they didn i care to wait for the finale of thai
charge. and had broke for the woods and go
under cover of their battery on our left Gus
tar's flying battery was then sent forward to oc
cupy the hill they had left, which he did to such
good advantage that in five miutes after reaching
the position be silenced their aanking battery