Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-10-05


Dranesville and Miskeps '~V
The presence of the Northern army in
Fairfax county had unsettled and perverted
the loyalty Of 4 portion ofthe people Among
these, was a woman who lived at Herndon
station. Intent upon mischief to the South
ern cause, as Mosby passed that place in the
afternoon she counted the number of his men,
and when her brother returned home at
night, posted him off to the camp of the LIST
Vermont cavalry on Difficult Run, with this
information, coupled with. the fact that they
had been marched il the. direction Of Dranes-
vile. As soon as this intelligence wascom-
.municated to the officer in command, he re
solved not to allow so favorable an opportu-
nifty to escape for the destruction Of his trop-
blesome enemy. ,a0ls.tgfta >, sai,,f ,s.r,
=; Captain Flint for his bravery and skill,
was chosen for this important service and a
call was made for volunteers from the regi-
ment, which, in SO gallant command, he
found no difficulty in obtaining. Two hundred
men. were selected from those who came for
ward and were divided into ,two, sauadrons,
the first being armed with the revolving pis-
toll, the second with the carbine and sabre.
/ About daylight Captain Flint, after pass
ing through Dranesville, stopped at Green's
house, where he learned that Mosby was then
camped at Miskels. .','' go. W
AS the confident officer moved off, he ex-
claimed, g All right, boys,-we will give
Mosby an April fool p'a and was answered by
cheers from the men AS soon as the sur
prise party had passed, Moran, who had
been concealed in his friends house, speed
ly mounted his horse and rode through the
intervening farms to apprise. his friends of
their impending danger.
About sunrise, one of the command in
formed Major Mosby that the enemy on the
Maryland side of the river were making sig
nails He arose and went out to make obser-
vations, when he heard Dick Moran shout,
as. he rode towards the house Mount
mount! The Yankees are coming! In
moment the camp was alive with excitement,
and the men hurried to resume their arms
and saddle their horses Mosby passed out
Of the house by. the front door which looks
towards the barn, and as he did SO, beheld
Capt. Flint's first squadron marching through
the gate into the field which separates the
barn-yard from the wood He at once called
to his men to rally. and told them they had
to fight Mosby's horse was unsaddled, and
as he gained the barn-yard, the first squad
ron was pressing forward and extending it.
self in semi-circle so as to prevent, as they
hoped any of the guerillas from efecting
their escape.
/ AS the Federals came within pistol shot of
the fence which encloses the barn-yard on the
SIDE towards the wood, they opened rapid fire
| upon Mosby' s men who were engaged in sad
| ding and bridling their horses The fire
was warmly returned by the partisans, and
when Captain Flint called out to his men to
r: shoot the id towards, he fell from his
horse pierced by eight balls. 1...5 aoa {
But the. decisive blow was not struck at
this point, AS the left wing Of the Federal
squadron was pressing down on the barn
yard gate, which is near the house, making
| the air resound with their cries and shots,
/ Mosby still on foot, but with twenty men
mounted and ready for service, with rare in
4 trepidity and presence Of mind, threw open
the gate and advanced pistol iii hand, at the
same time ordering charge s The twenty
dashed through the gate, and engaged the
enemy in a hand to hand combat. Harry
thatcher, Of Fauquior, a private in the Sew
enth Virginia cavalry, seeing his commander
on foot, with noble generosity which ever
distinguished his character, sprung from his
I horse in the melee, and offered it to him -
In moment Mosby was in the saddle, and
with wild pleasure in his heart plunged in
4 to the thickest Of the fight whilst Hatcher,
4 mounting a Yankee horse whose rider had
I been shot, soon followed him. The impetu-
4ous charge Of Mostly, who was'each moment
reinforced, broke through theselnis circle, and
the assailants at once, gave way. The left
wing OF. the first squadron These, instead
I Of advancing. to restore the fight, wheeled
their horses and united in the headlong re-
treat, whilst the right wing passed 4, around
!. the barn towards the river, and were ,ulti1
mately all captured ,rtf.,o, IN, Il ,treu s,e+ s
! W hen the flying enemy had reached the
4 wood, they were brought to a halt by an
] obstacle of an unusual nature, and Of their
own contriyance. Captain ntllad ordered
a, detail from the second squadron, j after it
! had passed through the gate on its route to
Miskel's house, to obstruct it with rails, SO as
to enable him the more efectually to destroy
the doomed party. The obstacle. was GER
tainly of formidable nature, for on each
side of the gate the fence, was both high and
strong. Here the slaughter Of the Federals
was the greatest, Mosby's men riding among
them as they herded to this corner, shooting
right and left. Before 50 great q pressure
the gate at last gave way, and the disordered
and frightened men scattered through the
woods and along the road leading to the
turnpike. a4.g M a.tv
Dick Moran overlook in the wood a Fed
eral trooper, and demanded his surrender
j But the man was made of better stuff, and
being an accomplished swordsman, he closed
with Moran, who would certainly have gone
down in the conflict had not Harry Hatcher
come to his relief, and by a blow from his
pistol, terminated the combat ri, a.an II
4 A portion of Captain Flint's, party sues
ceeded in reaching the GAINESVILLE turnpike.
but the partisans hung fercely upon their
rear. The Rev. SAM Chapman on this oc-
casion illustrated his faith by, his works
With flashing sabre he was among the fore
, most Of the pursuers, and having already