The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-12-11
THE GREATEST CAVALRY FIGHT
OF THE WAR.
By JOHN ESTEN COOKE.

At day light long thunder came up
from the woods of the Rappahaunock.
The greatest cavalry combat of the war
had begun.
At that sound Stuart leaped to the
saddle, and rode rapidly towards the
| front. Fifteen minutes afterwards his
| Headquarters had vanished. On the
green slope of Fleetwood not tent was
visible.
Is the reader familiar with the coun-
| try along the Upper Rappahannock?-
| If so. he will remember that the river is
crossed i'm Culpeper by numerous fords.
! The MISUNDERSTANDING on the left,
| that is to say, up the river-are We'll
| ford's, Beverly's, the Railroad bridge,
and Kelly's fords.
Stuart's left, under William III. +,
Lee, was opposite Welfor1's his centre,
under Jones, opposite Beverly's, his
right, under Hampton, toward kelly's;
and force under Robertson was posted
in the direction of fStevensburg, to guard
| the right flank.
This force amounted to seven or eight
| thousand cavalry.
Y'he Federal column which now ad-
| vanced to attack it, is said to embrace
| all the cavalry of Gen. Hooker's army;
and must have numbered more than
| twelve thousand sabres.
Stuart rode on rapidly down Fleet
wood Hill, and was soon opposite BeV-
erly's Ford where the enemy had cross
| ed i'm force. Gen. Jones was heavily
| engaged, and the Napoleons of the
horse artillery were roaring steadily
| Every moment the round shot crashed,
| or the shell tore through the woods a. .
! bout tirce hundred yards in front of thG c
| pieces where the dIsmouilted cavalry OF
| the enemy had effected lOdgment.-
| They kept up hot fire at the cannon
eers, and the steady rattle OF carbnes
further up the river told that Lee was
| also engaged.
In face of the bursting shell, the blue
| tirailieWS could not advance; and Stuart
sent an order to Hampton to move in
| and attack on the right.
The troopers of the Gulf States adj
vanced at the word; their dense column
was seen slowly moving, with drawn
sabre, across the plain; the moment of
| decisive struggle seemed rapidly ap-
preaching, when suddenly a heavy blow
| was struck at Stuart's rear
had been directed by him to ascer-
| tain if '"every thing had been sent of
| from Fleetwood" and to see that no
papers had been dropped there in the
hurry OF departure, Going back at a
gallup soon reached the hill, and rode
Over.the ground recently occupied by
! the headquarters. The spot seemed
swept. Not paper was visible. All
| that could see was a withered bouquet
dropped by some young officer of the
| staf1-a relic, no doubt, of the last
nights ball at the village.
| had already turned to ride back to
| Stuart, when my attention was attract
ed by q column of cavalry advancing
| straight on B Brandy-that is, upon Stu
| arts rear. What force was that? Could
| it be the enemy? 1t was coming from
the direction of Stevensburg; but how
could it have passed our force there?
"Look !" [ said to an officer of the
horse artillery, one battery Of which
was left in the reserve Of the hill, "look !!
what column is that?"
sit must be Wickham's," was his re-
ply.
81 am sure they are Yankees ~
"lmposs:ble ~ he exclaimed.
But our doubts were soon terminated.
| From the rapidly advancing column
| two guns shot out and unlimbered.-
| Then two white puffs of smoke spouted
| from their muzzles, and the enemy S
| shell burst directly In our faces.
The horse artillery returned the fire,
and fastened back with the intelll-
| gence to Stuart.
sit is only a squadron suppose" he
replied with great coolness. "Go back
and get all the cavalry you can, and
charge the guns and bag them pa
1t is impossible to imagine any thing
calmer than the speakers voice
knew, however, that the attack was
more critical than he supposed; hasten
ed back came up with two regiments;
and then assembled the hill at full gal
lop, leaping the ravines, and dartIng
| toward the crest.
| Suddenly it blazed with staggering
volleys. The Federal cavalry had rush
| ed straight across the fields toward the
hill-ascended it's western slope as we
assembled the eastern, and met us COM
ing on, in squadron front, they struck
the Confederates advancing in column
| of fours, and in confusion from the rough
| ground---they recoiled--were theu
| thrown into disorder; and with loud
cheers the enemy sWarmed all over
| Fleetwood Hill.
The battle seemed lost. Stuart was
cut OIL. and hemmed in between two
powerful bodies of Federal cavalry, sup.
ported by infantry and artillery.
All that saved us at that moment, was
the ''do or die" fighting OF the cavalry
and horse artillery.
On the crest of Fleetwood took place
bitter and obstinate struggle. 1t was
one of those fights Of the giants, which
once witnessed is never forgotten. The
cannoneers of the horse artillery fought
as savagely, hand to hand, as the regu-
lar cavalry; and the crest became the
scene of mad wrestle, rather OF wild
beasts than men.
All at once the form of Davenant ap.
peared amid the smoke. He had come
rapidly from the front, and now threw
himself into the combat like the blood
hound to which Stuart had compared
him. His sad smile had Disappeared
! =. : =. L.