The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-08-06
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What0ur Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns
BATTLE OF FAIRFIELD, PA
Another Confederate Account Of the Fight with
fIe 9th 4. 4 Cav.

tlte 9th 4. =. Cav,
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: There APP
poarcd in your paper of April 80 an article
from Lieut.. John III. Connoll, co. d. ath Va
fCOnfeder8tc) Cav, now q resident OF ooicVlle'
Cal nurporting to give an account OF The
battle Of Fairfield Pa, july 3, 1863, which ac-
count Is 80 grossly incorrect ms 10 call Tor a
renlv. I'm order that the true facts Ia the case
may appear
In this article the Lieutenant says the battle
was a square fight between his regiment lthc
9Th Va Cav aud the 9Th Il. S. Cav, and that
il there were any other troops engaged he
never saw them, aud yet he says he was IN the
fight
In the light Of the true facts Of tho case and
this remarkable statement we certainly need
the assurance he Lieutenant gives us that he
was in the fight, for he might have been IN
Colevillo Cal, July 3. 1868 and written as true
an account OF the battle Of Fairfield as he has
given IN The NATIONAL TRIBUNE.
] do not wish to pluck any laurel from the
9TH Va Cav, for lt was rs good regiment as
the best, but that they were badly whipped by
the 9th Y. $. Cav. at Fairfield is fact beyond
dispute
On the morning of July 3, 1868, our regiment,
the 9th Va. Cav. Confederate was ordered
towards Fairfield. About two miles from that
place we heard firing in our front, and soon
met the 9Th Va. Cav. retreating ia great con-
fusion. Idistiuctly remember the demoralized
appearance Of the men aud their remarks rs
they passed Boys, you arc going TO catch II
we have beer badly beaten" When we reached
the summit Of the hill the enemy was IN iull
view advancing in good order with a force Of
dismounted men on the right of the road sup
ported by mounted force in the road, with
about q squadron IN an orchard and behind
barn, a little Ia advance OF the main force.
Maj. G. +. Fournoy, commanding the 9th Va,
formed his regiment in squadrons and made
4 f1a flRaf
we were fronting the 9Th 4. s. Regular Cav,
one OF the best regiments ia the Federal army,
and appealed 10 his men to do their duty that
day thcn gave the command, Draw sabers-
charge!' The men went forward with a wild
yell, aud after a severe fight completely routed
the enemy and killed, wounded and captured
great portion OF the command.
j have underworld in brief TO give the true
facts ia this matter, and in order 10 make no
mistake have interviewed and also written 10
number OF officers and men Of the 9th Va.
and 9th Il. S, Cav. whose statements coincide
with mine as they appear in this article, which
claim are borne out by the official reports.
] copy in full a letter received from Sid nj.
Davis, Go. j, 9th u. s. Cav, now Il resident Of
No 300 ID street northeast Washington, ID. c.,
as follows:
The company 10 which was attached Troop II,
OH II. - Cav WAS the advance guard of the regi-
nent iu tlIe march from Enmitsburg. Md, TO The
Marshall farm, one and n half miles west Of Fair
field, Pa, OF Juy 81 1863. We left the column
after the command was IN motion and pushed
ahead rapidly. Al Fairfield We received iulOTmR-
ton that "A small train Of orHgers had just gone up
the roud. and our movements were much hRstened
in consequence. About hail mile from Fairfield
we came 20 erOssroad, al the junction Of which
stood small EClIOolhOuse. Here we left the road
we had been following and turned southwark. A
tcw hundred yards from the schoolhouse we found
large house aud on the lawn la front stood "a
farmer. Lieut. Bladder, who was iR command. held
short conversation with this man, aud then we
returned TO the schoolhouse aud resumed orr
march westward. One mile further on, at slighs
bend lu tite road, we sighted the f0ragers. There
we've, think, Elk eight wagons. We attacked
immediately On tie right OF the road There WAS
a large stone house, and on the lefi great barn.
Into the yard OF tliis barn, Enclosure which
not much over an acre in extent the company
passed through gate ana deploycd rapidly, the
men firing Hl tlie train they came Into line. AZ
the western limit % tiis BARNARD there was a
email apple orchard. Ne here broke through the
fence into tie orchard, and passed into a small
meadow that extended along the road between
5JO and 800 yards. and came up 10 the flank 0f the
irnln. A. tine moment large force % tle ,nemy
appeared up the road beyond Tie wagons and
Troop u fell back through the meadow and or
cilnrd. hnd took post iH the baruyard. Tie enemy
charged sword ln hand te head Of the column
passing tlie baTuyHrd 81 few rods aud then hating
and iIe rear 81 ihe charging party closed up with
tlc crushing that D. usual under such Clrcunl-
stances "A the time Troop WAS firing Into the
eeniys column a short range from NJ position Ia
thc hafnynra, Hud we naturally supposed this 20
le ts c"lse 81 ice battling 81 tie charging column.
lhere were tlc HHuni slgus 81 democrat atOn--men
wheeling hilis Way hNu fllHt WAY, the roadway
jamnsd with the mass. A bugls was blown the
notes ~ which sounded like Lhc charging cali. bat
tile effect upOn tie struggling crowd was not no.
Ncctble. Then there was a mighty movement 10
tIc rear, aud the throng swept back up tie road
with Troop II upon its flank ont of the baruyard
hna through t.Ie orchard aud along the meadow
side al The road until iIe osl-aHd-IHil fence which
lurIuea De- western boundary reached
Dpto tlis point do uol believe we lost a man.
Oniy iirce o. four ~ Troop j were in the road
sefE Brown, nnd possibly two or three more, who
had been te feelers Of the party. and they had
ninple tone o. get out 81 The way. Tie balance 81
the regiment must have been q considerable die.
lance toward Fairfield yet, since hardly five
minutes had elapsed from tlE time had sighted
the wagons until the last trooper OF tic cliafp 10
column disappeared from our immediate front
But oBr people soon arrived aud the euemy reap
Iienred. Some Of our troops held tie road mount
"a, o ieW occupied tlie orchard. and one company
vac dismounled ~ a small field or the right Of the
road Tie enemy made another charge down tie
road. aud hauking parties passed 10 our eft south
of tie orchard aud into tie Fields our right our
nen ln the road were driven aud the TANKS Of our
tkirmizllcrs were tIus exposed 10 assaults from
tIc road aud fields. Tie distnouuied men scat.
tered over the heid, aud were picked up nt leisure
Two shots were fired from tie ououys cannon
bat did DO damage. IAis BE- outline Of the affair
careful reading % Tie reports 81 the officers on
both silcs makes clear the following facis. ON tle
Ahlon hat MeFe Wac present ono regiment 81
nf'fhkt HlfeHgliii huo ths strength was weakened
by ilie h0seHcc " one squadron, Or two companies
a. mil laf hHVe since HaceriHined by inquiry
iWo mlles from tlc scene ~ action. These two
companies were niterwnrd engaged with tic Dur
ruers Of their defeated c0uirass and were In teir
turn beaten. On The Confederate side there were
present NlFee cavalry regiments Of VlIich were
engaged and t'tc third wHs held in reserve only
being "a iunrnl FORCE, FAR liIc fight Wac con-
crTiIed. lH tlte Halter category there was also a
battery u artillery tuot mentioned in any refortl
hha number ~ uisWouuted cavalry pFoJubiy De-
longing 20 thc brigade aud endorsed during tic
match from Virginia into lenuss lyunia Tie r..
porte % so show THAT regiment tlie gtl Va Cav
~ regiment Wus 80 badly WoTrtcd as 10 e Brac-
tehli3 oui ~ tie Held Tor the tiuIe though many
lUi H. a.i
ig % uc rtntcneut 81 Gen. Jones aud thut 10 Inc
b.h Va. Cav belongs the credit 81 routing one III
thr besl 4 fliicn States rcRimeutsn We WHO were
beaten don get uuch satisfaction out OF tliis Dlnse
81 iiie ALTAR, yea we know now that IL Wasn't AL
fault
have not been able 10 locale The other brigade
anN battery which Col. Mostly in hls controversy
will Gen. B. n. Robertson cave W. held Ia fltst
uciglborAood. They may have been on Tie road
that lHtcTtccit tie Chnmborsburp pike al Al iIIo,,
Tavern " think lhnt is ihc nntnc) Two miles west
81 AhahtVMu. Tile road connects the Chamber
bnfg pike with the Fairfield road aud the l,eofle
WHO i've along "a toll me that large body al
mounted inen phz-ed that way, and Jouess report
sa3h lih brigade came through Cashtown. which
would seem 40 show the forces 10 BE- distiu,tlv
different am also told ~ "a heavy force being
tnhhse1 near tlte mountains forming tine s0uti,-
western boundary ~ Carroll inner II rot % slto1
tlilc from where tle fight occurred. j have moi
seen tlie pHpcIs 81 tIe controversy before men.
uOned, Which may throw some i. .sln ga tli, 1,Iat-
agency lu tiis combat al Mars44hIiH
sID d. DAVIS.
When the city n Richmond Va, feu into
the hands Of tue Federal army al the Tupora III
the War Department ~ TIC Confectionery fll