Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-04-02
Guerilla Mosby,s Bic Raid.

1 OucIAA4d nospJ Us 2soAet'
Coloue John s. Mosby, late of the Con
( federate army, known as partisan ranger,
but called guerilla all the same, talked
thus:
"In April, 1863, General ] E. B. Stuart,
the dashing Prince Rupert of the Confedera
cy, recommended that be promoted to the
rsnk OF major. which promptly received the
Endorsement of the Secretary OF Wsr, J. a.
Seddor. La order to sigualize my advance
ment I proposed to go on rather big raid
and bag small army of Union cavalry.
ABOUT three hundred cavalry were at
DranesviIle and l had harassed them 60
much that they did not put their picket line
half mile from camp. | wrote 10 General
! stuart and advised him to send email force
and capture them, but he was busy watch
ing for Hooker to cross the Rappahapnock
| and could not spare any troops. resolved
to SCOOP in he three hundred by surprising
! them.
Goa the 3lst OF March was met at Rec
| tor's Gross Roads, in Loudoun county, by So
men, the largest ioice had ever had under
me up to that time. They were a motley
crowd, though somewhat better dressed
than Falstatf's famous regiment. Some OF
them had been wounded aud were unable to
Dc infantry duty, and others lad absented
themselves from their regiment without
esve But [ never Investigated mans
military record when he fought under me
anv more than I would his pedigree.
'Tne men got prizes 10 the way of booty
captured, and somehow they seemed to like
! to 60 on expeditions that we're hazardous
aud often richly rewarded them.
| Getting near Dranesville L learned that
the ensmy had broken camp and gone be-
yend D tficult Ruu, several miles below.
| Passing through Dranesvile we travelled to
! Miskel's farm, which was in the forks OF
| Goose Creek and the Potomac river. Snow
| was on the ground, although it was the last
dag OF March, snd we were glad to rest and
| warm ourselves.
THE enemy were camped about fifteen
| miles below and die not think it possible
that they could hear of my presence before
morning. We fed aud pcketed our horses in'
| side the barnyard, which was surrounded by
strong fence. Sentinels were stationed as
guard over the horses and to arouse US in
the event of alarm. Many of the men went
to bad in the hsyoft, while others, including
| myself, lay down on the floor in the front
room OF the dwelling house before big log
| fire.
| "There were Union oampa across the river,
| woke up next morning one OF my men came
10 and said the enemy were making sig
GALS 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 aud calling out that the
! Yankees are coming Not third of our
| horses were then brdled or saddled. l had
| buckled on my arms coming out OF the house.
| As soon as | got TO The enclosure where our
| horses were l saw the enemy coming
throngha gate about two hundred yards oil.
| II was loo late 10 retreat, and so ordered
my men to get ready to fight
THEY sadded and mounted and reserved
their fire. 1 did not have time to saddle
my horse and bad to lead the charge
on foot. Captain Flint was so sure of
baggng 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 10 our rear. 1t looked
| flashing in the hands of the cavalrymen as
they dashed toward US made me think that
| at last nv Waterloo had arrived. We were
cooped up in the angle Of two streams and
surrounded By over four times our number,
with half of my men unprepared for fight.
Captain Flint, by dividing bis command,
| increased my chances of escape at least fifty
per cent.
"In previous engagements I had learned
the superiority of the pistol over the sabre
and ordered my men to use these weapons
When Captain Flint arrived within fifty
yards of the bsrpyard gate l advanced, pis.
| tol in hand, opened the gate and ordered
nv men that had mounted to charge. With
wild yells they dashed into the ranks of the
Union cavalrymen, and tell you it was
conflict that meant life or death to u5 oil.
When got through the gate Harry Hatch.
er, brave and valiant soldier, dsmounted
and gave me his horse, which l mounted
quickly and rode into the fray.
"Oar tactics completely surprised Captain
Flint, who evidently thought we would re-
main on ths defensive. In 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 o few minutes they began
TO retrea. pell-mell When they reached
the closed gate they could not open it, and
many perished before 1t was pushed down.
call my men performed wonders, but
wish to speak of young artillery officer.
Samuel F. Chapman, who quit the study of
divinity. and, like the Roundheadi of old,
went into battle singing psalms. He was with
me to 90 on that special raid and when saw
the Union soldiers closing in upon us that
bright April morning 1 thought that young
Sam would never sing again, except in a
heavenly choir. Armed with two revolyers
and sabre he dashed into the ranks of the
enemy like wrathful Achilles, a pistol in
each hand, and every time he fred, either
! to the right or left a saddle was emptied.
nBefore 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, indeed in trout OF
Us all. and rising in his stirrups swung his
sabre from left to right, slaughtering in q
wholesale manner. The reverend Sam was
mot satisfied with the effective work ne did
at tl,e.ynte. but he continued the chase some