Connecticut western news., 1886-11-03
A CAVALRY RAID.
An Incident of the War Told
 by an Ex-Confederate
A Mixed Affair in Which the Captors Be-
 came the Captured Several Times i,

In August, 1864, when Fitzpatrick struck the Atlantic and Macon railroad at Jonesboro' and other points I was attached to Armstrong's brigade of Jackson's division of Confederate cav airy. The Federal raider struck Jones' boro' late one afternoon, drove out the militia stationed there in small numbers and applied the torch to four-fifths of the town. Next morning as they came on up to Lovejoy's station, our division, which had been widely scattered the day before, were massed and ready for fight. Our infantry had been fighting and falling back for an hour, when we moved into the fight, two thirds of the command being dismounted to support one of our batteries, and while lying in the ravine just behind the guns were taken in flank by charge of the Fourth Michigan cavalry. admit that we were badly rattled at the onset, some of the men breaking for the cover of wood few hundred yards away, and being sabered as they ran. A cavalryman rode straight at me with up- lifted sabre, and I hauled up my musket to shoot him off his horse. At that time my regiment was armed with rifles, shot, guns, carbines, rcvolvers, sabres and swords. A few men had carbines and sabres together; all others depended on one weapon alone. Those who had muskets did not have, except in rare in- stances, sabres; those who had sabres had neither muskets nor revolvers. Not over one company in the regiment was as we'll equipped as the Federals. I had an infantry musket with bayonet at tached, and when I sought to fire on the cavalryman at close range the charge would not explode. Then as he rode me down, defended myself with the bayonet, wounding him in the hand and flinging his sabre to the ground. I had the advantage and he saw it and grace fully surrendered and came down off his horse.
 During this time there was fighting all around us. A part of our men used the ravine for a rife-pit and could not be dislodged, and the cavalry were gallop- ing hither and thither through the smoke. I asked my prisoner what con mand he belonged to, and aanswefed Fourth Michigan. Bullets were dipping about us like angry bees, but I could reason that there was no rear. Rebel and Yank were mixed up like beans in bag as far as could see. I stood hold ing him by the arm with one hand, and hanging to his horse with his other, when two Yankee Calvalrymen came riding up. My man appealed to them, and as they raised their sabers at me I surrendered as Q prisoner of war.
 "Watch your chance and run him in- to our lines," said one of the men to my captor, and both rode off at the call of a bugle.
 The Yankee now had hls saber and my gun, and as his horse became very restive he could give me but little attention. He asked me what command belonged to, how the fight seemed to be going, and rather depended on my honesty not to run off. He had just suggested moving along the ravine when dismouated Johnny, who was lodging about in the smoke, came upon us. He took in the situation at glance, and inside of minute Fourth Michigan was again my prisoner. My friend took the saber and mounted the horse and rode away, while I got my musket back.
 'You'll probably be re-captured again, J fI said to the blue-coat as we walked side by side up the ravine.
 ''Very likely" he replied as he walked on ahead and ducked every two seconds for bullet.
 We had proceeded not over hundred yards when crowd of about twenty cavalymen, nearly evenly divided as te friend and foe, came surging down upon us as they cut and slashed. We were both knocked down in jiffy, and got cut on the head from horses hoo which left me unconscious for quarter of an hour.
 When I rallied the fight was over, the | Fedcrals hayino fanked us and nasseC on. As my captor and prisoner was no found on tho ground the conclusion wal that he escaped to his own lines. have always hoped so, for he seemed t( be fairly good fellow.-Detroit Ere Press.