St. Paul daily globe., 1888-01-08

There were only a few thousand, but to
our unaccuStOmed eyes tn y ySeemed 1ull
10000 as they filed around the
hills and spread over the country in
view. When they pitched their tents
the hills and valleys seemed covered,
and when their camp fires were lit 1T
would have been a beautiful sight had
1t not been so sad one. Nothing could
look beautiful, though, that meant de-
StructiOn of life and property to us and
to those that were dear to us, and that
was what the enemy IN our midst meant
to as, we thought, All night long we
could hear the whack, whack OF their
axes as they knocked down the fences
and cut them up for their camp fires.
This body OF cavalry was part OF
Gen. Sheridan'S command, Gen. custer
commanding, which came to the Valley
of the James towards the latter part of
the war, and, indeed, it was not many
weeks before that saddeSt of all sad
days to Southern heartS-the 9th OF
April.
THE BOYS LIKED CUSTER.
Gen. Custer made his headquarters at
the parSOnage-the home of the EplscO-
pal minister in the little village of New
Market-and his family were protected.
This gentleman's little boys took quite
a fancy to Gen. Custer and were always
going to his rooms, which greatly pro-
vOked their mother, and she threat
ened to whip them if they did not stay
out, but the general would not let her
touch them. He greatly enjoyed their
innocent prattle and their "COn-
federate talk" She, though, had had
one brother killed IN the war and an
other made cripple for life, and could
not help feeling very bitterly. Gen.
or Inff MI r1l01
here of Virginia, Maryland and some
other states. Gen. Breckenridge sent
for them as soon as he heard of them, as
they were so much better than anything
the COnfederacy could afford. He gave
one OF them, a map of Virginia, to my
brother, and l have it now. 1t is one of
the most correct maps l have ever seen,
and very complete.
Gen. Custer never knew how nearly
his days came to being ended at this
time and place, and but for my father
he would never have lived to fall by the
hands of treacherous Indians. 1t was
thus:
SAVING CUSTER'S LIFE.
We lived on the opposite side of the
river from where they were, in Buck
ingham, just above Tye river dam. 1t
was all important that this dam should
u.
canal with water for many miles and ii
the dam were destroyed the chief source
of RichmOnd'S supplies would be cut
off. So soldiers were hidden behind the
cliffs and trees ready to fire on any one
approaching the Dam. Many inetfect-
ual efforts were made to destroy this
dam but our soldiers guarded it well,
and there it still is.
Tye river empties into the James only
200 or 800 yard above the dam. A
bridge spanned the Tye at its mouth.
so that any one crossing the bridge was
in as much danger from our soldiers
guns as those approaching the dam.
Gen. Custer rode up to this bridge to
cross, but was detained several hours
by the burning of some wagons. Some
of our soldiers were eager to kill Custer,
and had their guns leveled at him, but
at my fathers earnest entreatieS they
were lowered untired, and his life
spared. My father urged that the killing
of one man could do our cause no good,
and killing the commanding officer
would only incense his men and make
them lay waste and destroy more than
ever.
We afterwards learned that Gen. Gus
ter had planted cannon ready to shell
our house, because soldiers had been
below, when he was induced to spare it
by Mrs. R lin whose yard the can
non were planted), who begged that he
might spare us; for she assured him
that Mr.. c., my father. was not at
home and could have no hand in the
shooting OF his men, and told him how
hard she thought it would be to fire
upon women and children because they
were on that side of the river. Gen.
Custer did not fire upon us. How little
did he dream that in sparing us he
spared the family of one who had saved
his life short time before. Mrs. R
had every reason to think my father was
then in Richmond.
A GOOD SCARE FOR THE LADIES.
Fortunately for us we lived on the
south side of the James and that was so
high at the time that they could not
cross with their pOntOon bridge, and
every one along the river took good care
that their boats were either sunk or
sent adrift, and thus all means of COM
municatiOn destroyed, and all we saw of
the invader was from across the river.
They shouted over to my father to come
over and preach to them, but he de-
clined, telling them he preferred to keep
the river between them.
My mother and another lady went
down into the lower part of the yard to
look at them, when they were startled
to hear something go 'Zip!'' by their
heads. They did not know their danger,
but some of the servants called out:
'Run, Miss R, they are pointing their
guns at YOU" My mother had not run
for twenty years, but she ran then, and
her curiosity after that was confined to
the house, and what she could see from
the windows.
There were many heroic deeds during
the war, but none Drawer than that of a
youth of sixteen during this raid. This
boy stopped to take up fallen comrade,
place him ON his horse, hold him on and
gallOp by in the face of an approaching
band of cavalry. They were close upon
him, when his cOmrade-who had lost a