Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-07
llIPR0MPTU BATTLE.
a NARR ALIVE OF THE FIGHT At
sTAuNroy-RIvER BRIDGE.
orc Of the Participants Gives the
Details al the Engagement thirty
One Years After IL Occurred-'h-
fcrcsting Personal Incidents

ird, contributes 10 tHt -
Nountalnec. an interesting account ol "'e
npromptu. battle at siaoh'oh-i''N,'
or,dre on the Richmond and Danv.lle
railroad. which was fought june - i'''
From Il We take the fo.lo"4hs'
Tho cause Of this int Eruption was 500"
.vnl,i,oa which was simply that an ON
cor had bson sent b. the commandment Oh
tho est. Co,oue. r. J.. winners 10 'H'o',
an m. enlisted men for the purpose %
,,,,,r theu 90 some point on the ran
,.,d h, tbe direction Of R.chn,ond. wh'fe
d., ,,ss ,xroctoI 90 ne, the enemy. Marry
an the.c men had been the. army from
a.. start and IT did not take them Job
=, find out that the officer designated was
tot,rv inexperienced, which caused the"'
., i.,.ire vh Their be had been at the
front flis answer revealed the lacl '"''
D.. had never smclt powder on the o"'
tle-0.ld. and the object of coming 10 nv
en-. O., ohiaIu an lnterccsG.on WIN t"c
r..r,r,1ugrnt on their behalf. VIII ~.
enter into the particulars, put "ll 80
s.V that several hours were 1851 j" -,
vinoing colon Nitlcrs ihil '".9o ~
GORE entitled 20 better coH9i1tI" ''D''' Oi-
seoognt Of past services, ana tud1 81 We.
an Injustice for him q place mem u'' 'o.
command az one who was eFl"e""E 49,. 80,
for the u0-iuJn. Finally, IL WAC "N
,.,ot, INV eu.fcsfiQn, tndt an oi"'N' 100
e,.,,t.r state should be put IN chAFse' a'.u
~, tbo r..t of us should go along. 4A4'
'.,,,.rerll-t was not carried OUT no"
49, .s This officer relinquisned the COM
r...,t and insisted upon my taxing 'h"ib''
l.,.,, train brought additions 10 the
So. ,.l,il. ME- were waiting in DanFille'
.,t an entire company of detailed men
nom Richmond. under command Oh M
Gain Ridlick. arrived short ti"e pc'oI
uo lsft They had been down 10 -Ai'el
..n,uio with a lot Of prisoners. ana were
arxiaus % reach Richmond. captain l,iu,
gfet requested that bis COMPANY % Joii.. u
to ours. ard tnis was agreed 10. in1
ty-n cowuauios numbered not over q
burlr.4 and nHy men. aud at cioch
ON Friday afternoon, June 2uh' we III
Ian,fIo ln hoN-Cars with arms, ain'hr-
milton. and raroY5 furnished by Coion.
Njthcrs. Who had hccon" recohclltl 10
IA, situation. We were directed I" Itpoi
to CaY'aiu FaiuHoit. and Re was "ufia' IL
Or our COMING. Between am 0lo-N
th. train halted near tine bridge over
stauutor river fcrty-ticht miles from Dan
willie Tr. men were marched az once 10
81 mace for t.volac. and, with the starry
I'm
heavens Tor canopy, they were soon
asleep.
PREPARING FOR THE ENEMY.
I hold a brief conference with captain
Farnhoit. aud he informed me ihat me
Federais were rot expected until the A'"t
DAY. when IL wac bis purpose 10 oelei'n
the bridge from the south side Wht4e h-
had two pieces Of artillery mounted IN
Tort overlooking .le river, with Wh.'i he
confidently expected % repllse the enemy
across the stream. lie also toli me '-''
there was an oricer on the otntF Sl''
Of the bridge. who had "a part OF his own
,O.,,,narl and with whom be differed as
90 The proper defence of the briuhc ms
Information was gladly received, lor my
IMPRESSIONS already were against the pans
of The c.mmaudaut. and l decided TO IN
1esfir4te tnc matter Without delay III"
next morning. soon aItar daylight i
started across ,he bridge and as 81 was
covered tine way was dark. Aad gone
only "A few st.ps when am oiiiccr met Iii''
and incurred after my purpose IN eros ''s
I'll. bridge. Upon stating That my V"J-o
,-as to meet with Colonel Coleman, ne
80, ,,,. .. cordial grasp of the hand. and
SD that he Was Henry l.. Coleman Oh
t,e twelfth %orth Carolina. l soon learn
81 that hts mother lived in tn nciHAp'i-
hood. and that he was on "a Wouhdti lel-
lcueh. His head was bandageI from
wound received at SpotsylVania ana ne
had rendered his services for this occa-
sion 10 Captain Farinholt re was SANE
i'd that the Fcdcrais coud ieath lhe'r
DURING the day, and would expect 10
burn the bridge. which could 'as"E 80
dome a. there were 30 troops on the hoIth
stae 4, prevent it. lie had taken about lo,
militia. old men and boys. ana had be'H
artreuchinc his position during the hl6h|
but il was very slow Work.
CONFEDERATION or TIE GROUND
Tie result of our conversation was tina,
agreed 20 take my command across
the river. unless Captain larlnhol H'-
riouslV objected 60 their going ana JON
with Colonel Coleman in what was inc
only practicable defence az the bridge. !
found no difficulty in making The trans
Ter. and when a scant breakfast was
finished TIE two compani - were marched
across. The militia. under Colonel Sole-
man WAS evidently much rejoiccd TO
have reinforcements come TO tAeF as
sistauce. especially when they recognized
thst the newcomers were old soldiers.
IL was decided that my two companies
should take position on the rlrht OF Ia
bridge while the militia should occupy
lii. left OF our entertainments. Let me
describe tine cOniEuration OF inc Sfouni
Give I'd better idea OF the strength or our
position. ass well as rs peril:
Roanoke station was within half mile
of tho bridge. and the railroad track
was without O. curve between them. From
q steep tmhangment al the bridge rising
eight or ten feet above the level ground.
the track gradually came nearer TO the
level until. al the station, there was no
grading 20 an. on the right. or east
side of the railroad, looking northwards'
there was piece of meadow-and, Il
hundred wards wide. running 10 the creek,
which cmpticl here into the river. This
creek ran parallel 10 the railroad, and
kept tine same distance from IL, so that
the meadow was 100 yards wide
and $50 yards long. a ditch ran
across the meadow from the railroad-Cul-
vert 10 tnc creek. not more than seventy
nve yards boo front of my line On the
opposite s.oc OF the railroad the ground
was uneven and irregular. and tie river
made a bend above the bridge. so that
There was very lltti, chance 90 manoeuVre
troops on that side as they would be in
n narrow defle with every advantage
i'm favor of the Confelerates just I'm
the rear Of the station there was sue
cession OF hills, upon which we posted
nlckets early in the morning and it was
from these hills IN the afternoon that the
Federal artillery poured shot and shell
I'm and around the bridge. until il was
ANYTHING besides comfortable TO be
within range. our slender and hastily
constructed earthworks formed q semi
circle. with the bridge as the centre. and
each end resting upon the river bank.
.rherc was no possible chance of being
raukod ia this position, but there was
also no avenue Of retreat Failure meant
The capture ~ every man, and this was