The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-04-17
HOW RICHMOND WAS SAVED,
Historians Strangely Ignore Wade Hamp.
toms Part.
Charlotte Observer.

Charlotte Observer.
The South complains, and justly, of
Northern historians for their misrepre-
sentations of facts, and the men Of the
South who made the facts, during the
War between the States.
A man s enemies are they of his own
household, declares Sacred Writ, and
when We come to consider the subject
of this paper, and the inaccuracy of
two of our historians with reference to
it, the question forces itself, What
can we do to deliver us from our
friends /?
A great injustice has been done that
grand old man and soldier, Wade
Hampton, by both Pollard in his
ssLost Cause and McCabe in his "Lee
and His Campaigns" Both Of these
historians recognize the peril that
threatened Richmond and its inhabi-
tants of sack, pillage and murder from
the raid of Fitzpatrick and Dahlgreen
in March, 1864.
Pollard says: SIN general history
there is little space for detached events.
But we must make an exception to
this rule in case of an expedition Of
Federal cavalry directed against Rich
mond in the month of March, 1864 +; a
very small incident in military view,
it is to be taken among the most in
teresting events of the war, as con-
tanning one of the most distinct and
deliberate evidences of the enemies
atrocity that has yet been given to a
shocked and surprised world
McCabe says: can expedition con-
sisting Of four thousand 10000 cavalry
was fitted out with great care, for the
purpose Of capturing Richmond and
releasing the Union prisoners confined
there. The command of this e1pedi-
ton was intrusted to Fitzpatrick. He
was seconded by Ulrio Dahlgreen, a
young officer Of great skill and daring.
The plan of the expedition was as fol-
lows: A column under Gen. Custer
was to make dash on Charlottesville
to draw attention from the main body
which was to proceed to Beaver Dam,
on the Central Railroad I; arriving
there, the column was to be divided,
a part under Gen. Fitzpatrick was to
move on to Richmond along the north
bank of the James river, while the
remainder under Col. Dahlgreen were
to cross to the south side, move down
the right bank of the James, release
the prisoners on Belle Isle, opposite
Richmond; recross the river, burning
the bridges after them, and rejoin Kill
patrick in the city. Richmond was to
be given to the flames and President
Davis and his cabinet killed.
Up to this point in the transaction
both historians are accurate enough
but let us see farther. McCabe says !:
"Kilpatrick approached the city by
the Brook turnpike, and there, with
scarcely show Of fighting, turned off
and kept down the peninsula j. and
/ Pollard says: Fitzpatrick moved down
on the Brook turnpike on the 1st of
March, near the outline of the Rich
mond Notifications and without once
getting in range Of the artillery, took
up,a line Of march down the peninsula,
while Dahlgreen, not venturing to
cross the high water of the James
river, abandoned his enterprise on the
south Of Richmond, and, unapprised
Of the ludicrous cowardice and retreat
Of Fitzpatrick, proposed, by moving
down the Westham plank road, which
skirted the river, to effect junction
with Fitzpatrick, with view of fur
ther operations or add to the security
Of his retreat.
The injustice Of this account done
to Fitzpatrick is not within the scope
Of. this article. But why the splendid
strategy of General Wade Hampton
should be so entirely ignored, by which
the enemy were foiled in their plans,
and the city of Richmond saved from
the impending fire and carnage, is
fact beyond the comprehension OF the
writer; and that this mis-statement of
facts should exist when one of the
historians at least was in Richmond
at the time, a member of the editorial
staff Of the Richmond Examiner,
which paper contained, the day after
the deliyerance of the city, an accu-
rate account of the conflict that
brought such magnificent results.
The true history of Fitzpatrick s
raid and the causes of its failure are
these: On Sunday, the 28th Of Feb
ruary, 1864, General Fitzpatrick cross
ed the Rapidan river at Germanna
ford with about two thousand picked
men from the cavalry force Of the
enemy, and proceeded in the direction
of Richmond, executing the move
ment with such'celerity and skill that
he succeeded in cutting the railroad
in rear of General Lees army, which
was then lying in winter quarters
around Orange Court House, without
serious opposition thus cutting off
the possibility Of sending reinforce
ments to Richmond, which was in an
almost entirely defenceless condition.
After detaching at Beaver Dam, five
hundred men under Col. Dahlgreen,
and sending them around to the north
of Richmond, Fitzpatrick, with the
remainder and main body Of the force,
about fifteen hundred strong, proceed
ed in a southeasterly course, going
into camp on the night Of March 1st,
near Atlee's Station, nine miles from
the city, on the Virginia Central Rail
rood. This raid was so well timed by
the enemy that there were only two
regiments of the cavalry on the right
flank of the Army of Northern Vir-
ginia to oppose them. These were the
First North Carolina, Col. Cheek COM
manding and the Second North Caro-
linz, Col. Andrews commanding, in
winter quarters near Milford Station,
in Carolina county, nearly fifty miles
from the picket lines on the Rapidau
river, and so depleted were they by
details for pickets and other duties,
that the effective cavalry force in
hand with which to operate against
this raiding party, consisted OF two
hundred men from the First North
Carolina Cavalry and fifty men from
the Second North Carolina Cavalry.
Gen. James Gordon, the gallant and
lo~ontoJ Gordon fo uboSn hrirada