Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1886-11-05
A CAVALRY RAID.
An Incident OF the War Told
by an Ex-Confederate.
A Mixed Aff,ir in Which the Captors Be-
came the Captured Several Times

came the Captured Several Times
In August, 1864, when Fitzpatrick
struck the Atlantic and Macon railroad
at Jonesboro and other points | was
attached to Armstrong; 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-filths OF
the town. Next morning as they came
on up to Lovcjoy's station, our division,
which had been widely scattered the
day before, were masscd and ready for
a 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 ratified at the onset,
some Of the men breaking for the
cover of a wood few hundred yards
away, and being sabered as they ran. A
cavalryman rode straight at me with up
lifted sabre, and hauled upmy musket
to shoot him off his horse. At thar time
my regiment was armed with rifles, shot
guns, carbines, revolyers, sabres and
swords. A few men had carbines and
sabres together; all others depended
on one weapon alone. Those who haG
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 well equipped as the Federals. l Ihad
an infantry musket with bayonet at
tachcd, and when ! 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
lllnging his sabre to the ground. 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 rille-pit and could not be
dislodged, and the cavalry were gallop-
ing hither and thither through the
smoke. asked my prisoner what com
mand he belonged to, and he answered
Fourth Michigan. Bullets were tipping
about us like angry bees, but | could
not take him to the rear for the simple
reason that there was no rear. Rebel
and Yank were mixed up like beans in a
bag as far as l could see. | 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. Ny man appealed to them,
and as they raised their sabers at me l
surrendered as 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 his saber and my
gun, and as his horse became very restive
he could give me but little attention.
He asked me what command
l 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 ravino
when dismountcd Johnny, who was
dodging 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 l got my musket
back.
you'll p, obably be ere-captured again, Z"
l said to the blue-coat as we walked side
by side up the ravine.
every likely" he replied as he walked
on ahead and ducked every two seconds
for a bullet.
We had proceeded not over a hundred
yards when a crowd of about twenty
cavalymen, nearly evenly divided as to
friend and foe came surging down upon
us as they cut and slashed. We were
both knocked down in jifTy, and / got
a cut on the head from a horses hoof
which left me unconscious for a quarter
of an hour
When l rallied the fight was over, the
Federals having flanked us and passed
on. As my captor and prisoner was not
found on the ground the conclusion was
that he escaped to his own lines.
have always hoped so, for he seemed to
be a fairly good fellow.-Detroit Free
Press.