The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-04-10
Guerilla Mosby's Big Raid.

4 confederate army, known as I)afIIsau
ranger, but called guerilla all the same,
talked thus:
I'm April, 1868, General J. E. B. Stuart,
/ the dashng Prince Rupert of the Con
! federacy, recommended that l be pro-
NOTED to the rank of major, which
/ promptly received the endorsement of
the Secretary of War, J. A. Seldom. In
| order to signalize my advancement
I proposed to go on rather a big raid and
bag small army of Union cavalry.
sAbout three hundred cavalry were at
| Dranesville and had harassed them so
much that they did not put their picket
line in a half mile from camp. | wrote
/ to General Stuart and advised him to
send a small force and capture them, but
he was busy watching for Hooker to
cross the Rappahannock and could not
spare any troops. / resolved to scoop in
/ the three hundred by surprising them.
ION the 31st of March l was met at
Rector's Cross Roads, in Loudoun coun-
ty, by SO men, the largest force l had
ever had under me up to that time.
They were motley crowd, though
somewhat better dressed than Falstaff's
/ famous regiment. Some of them had
been wounded and were unable to do in
fantry duty, and others had absented
themselves from their regiment without
leave. But never investigated a mans
military record when he fought under
me any more than l would his pedigree
THE men got prizes in the way of
booty captured, and somehow they
seemed to like to go ON expeditions that
were hazardous and often richly reward
ed them
Getting near Dranesville l learned
that the enemy had broken camp and
gone beyond Difficult Run, several miles
below. Passing through Dranesville we
travelled to Miekel's farm, which was in
the forks of Goose Creee and the Poto-
mac river. Snow was on the ground,
although it was the last day of March,
and we were glad to rest and warm our
selves
/ The enemy were camped about fifteen
miles below and did not think it pos
sible that they could hear of my pres
ence before morning. We fed and picket
ed our horses inside the barnyard, which
was surrounded by strong fence. Sen
tinels were stationed as guard over the
! horses and to arouse us in the event OF
alarm. Many of the men went to bed
in the hayloft, while others, including
myself, lay down ON the floor in the front
room of the dwelling house before big
log fire.
There were Union camps across the
river, but l had no fear of them that
night. When woke up next morning
one OF my men came in and said the en-
envy were making signals across the river.
| went to the back yard to reconnoitre,
when | saw one of my men, Dick Moran,
running across the field, waving his hat
and calling out that the yankees are
coming" Not a third of our horses
were then bridled or saddled. l had
huckled on my arms coming out of the
house. AS soon as got to the enclosure
where our horses were I saw the enemy
coming through gate about two hun
| y u,
and so ordered my men to get ready to
fight.
''They saddled and mounted and re-
served their fire. | did not have time to
saddle my horse and had to lead the
charge on foot. Captain Flint was so
sure of bagging us that he ordered the
gate shut after passing through, in order
to prevent us from escaping. Another
squadron was in the open field, moving
in our rear. 1t looked blue for me, and
the many sabres flashing in the hands of
the cavalrymen as they dashed toward
us made me think that at last my Wa
terloo had arrived. We were cooped up
in the angle of two streams and sur
rounded by over four times our number,
with half my men unprepared for fight.
Captain Flint, by dividing his command,
increased my chances of escape at least
fifty per cent.
In previous engagements | had
learned the superiority of the pistol over
the sabre and ordered my men to use
this weapon. When Captain Flint ar
rived within fifty yards of the barnyard
gate advanced, pistol in hand, opened
the gate and ordered my men that had
mounted to charge. With wild yells they
dashed into the ranks of the Union cav
alrymen, and tell you it was conflict
that meant life or death to us all. When
| got through the gate Harry Hatcher, a
brave and valiant soldier, dismounted
and gave me his horse. which l mounted
quickly and rode into the fray.
Our tactics completely surprised Cap
tain Flint, who evidently thought we
would remain on the defensive. In a
few seconds the Captain was shot dead,
and before his men hardly knew it we
were among them with the death dealing
revolver Their swords were no more
effective than wooden weapons and in
nell. When they reached the closed
gate they could not open it, and many
persisted before it was pushed down.
All my men performed wonders, but
| wish to speak of a young artillery Off
Ger, Samuel F. Chapman, who quit the
oCuuy VI Wv iulty 1ul, Ike GIlC 0OunQ-
heads of old, went into battle singing
psalms. He was with me to go on that
special raid, and when saw the Union
soldiers closing in upon that April morn
ing, thought that young Sam would
never sing again except in heavenly
choir. Armed with two revolvers and
sabre he dashed into the ranks of the
enemy like a wrathful Achilles, a pistol
in each hand, and every time he fired,
either to the right or left, a saddle was
emptied.
Before the enemy had got back to
the gate, retreating, Sam had emptied
both of his revolvers and was using his
sabre. He got right in front of me, in
deed in front of us all. and rising in his
stirrups swung his sabre from left to
right, slaughtering in wholesale man
ner. The reverend Sam was not satisfied
with the effective work he did at the gate.
but he continued the chase some three
miles. He got separated in the woods
from the rest of us and dashed along