The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-11-16
GENERAL MiPATRICK'S NARROW ESCAPE,
GEN. Nj. @. BUTLER TELLS THE
STORY.
The Federal Camp Surprised at
Daylight and Four Hundred and
Seyenty-Five Prisoners Taken Near
Fayetteville N. o.

y Daylight and Four Hundred an
a Seyenty-Five Prisoners Taken Ne.
:. Fayetteville. N. O.
: Gen. Nj. @. Butler has recently give
an account OF the narrow escape
4 Gen. Fitzpatrick, the gallant Fedora
- whose command was surprised at day
y break near Fayetteville, N. c., Just
: month before the surrender o. Lee
= army. IL Is one OF the most nntabl
! Incidents OF the war, and Gen. Butle
: has rendered q good service in recount
> Ing the facts for the pre- sent geners
, tion:
Our cavalry consisted OF Wheeler
/, and my own division, under the com
mand OF Gen. Wade Hampton. On til
10th OF March our column, on th
march, was in about one days marc
: of Fayetteville, N. G. My old brigade
Law, OF this State, was in front
Young's brigade, commanded by Col
j.. It. Wright, next, with Wheeler
following.
Humphreys's squadron, OF the 6tf
South Carolina cavalry, Laws brigade
constituted the advance guard. b,
the rule usually observed on such oc
casions, Young's (Wright's) brigade
would have taken the lead the next
day. You are no doubt aware tha,
while marching in the neigh borhood
OF the enemy, advance and rear guards
are thrown out well to the front and
rear, with active, vigilant scouts and
Vldettes operating on the fianks, front
and rear. 1t rained in torrents the
whole day OF the 10Th of March Sher-
mans army was to the south and east
OF our line OF march, Kilpatrick's s
cavalry covering his left flank. About
nightfall Humphreys halted his SQUAD
ron at the intersection Of a reod .ead-
ing from the south.
| On inquiring Of Capt. Humphreys
the cause OF his halt, he informed me
| that the road he had intersected had
recently been travelled by a heavy
column of mounted troops. On exami-
nation L found this to be true, and con-
cluded we had run into kipatrick's s
track While we were discussing the
situation | discovered detachment of
cavalry following In the wake of Kill
patrick's march, and rode out into the
forks of the road about forty yards and
halt I'd with the usual challenge, "Who
comes there ~ 1t was then getting
too dark to distinguish between friend
and Zoe. The answer came, 18th
Kentucky" Knowing this TO be one
of Kilpatrick's regiments, | directed
the commander OF the detachment,
who turned out to be lieutenant, to
ride up, IS | wanted to talk with him.
Evidently not knowing who we were,
he advanced with his orderly and when
| had led him in:o the ranks OF Hum
prey's squadron it was the work OF a
few moments to disarm and place him
in arrest.
This done, | whispered to Hum
phreys to send out Il squad and take in
the detachment Of the Sth Kentucky.
lie promptly surrounded them and
made them prisoners, twenty eight in
number, without firing a gun.
You will pardon what appears to be
minor unimportant details, but they
have an important bearing upon what
followed.
AS soon as Gen. Ham pton had been
apprised OF what had occurred, after
consultation between himself, Gen.
Wheeler and myself, it was decided to
attack Fitzpatrick the next morning at
daylight. In order to do 50 more ad-
vantag eously, the whole column moved
forward from where we captured the
detachment, in columns of fours, eau
tiously and quietly, about four miles,
where we halted and dismounted on
the roadside without unsadilng and
without fires. The night was dark
with cold, drizzling rain. | can
never forget that night as we lay with
out shelter or food for man or horses,
each man with his bride on his arm.
l threw out some distance in our
front, on each side Of the road, line
OF dismounted skirmishers. They had
scarcely dcployed when one Of KilDat-
rick's lieutenants walked or rode into
the line. He was brought to my head
quarters, pine log on the roadside,
and on being interrogated as to why
he was there at that time Of the night,
he replied that he had been sent back
to look for b.oken down wagon, and
had walked unawares into our picket
lines. de was not inclined to be com
municative, but | learned enough to
enable me to locate K lpatrick's camp
pretty accurately On the strength Of
this information We reconnoited his
camp about midnight, riding up almost
to his camp ires. Not a picket was
posted, nor other precaution taken as
far as we could discover, to protect his
camp against surprise. My conclusion
at the time was, (Which was confirmed
by Gen. Fitzpatrick in a conversation
l had with bin since the wary that the
detachment of the 5th kentucky was
expected to perform that duty, and in
stead they had been made prisoners of
war without firing u shot and without
his knowledge. So you see the inn
pOrtant bearing of their capture.
Fitzpatrick had moved around the head
of the swamp, and bivouacked with
tho swamp behind him, and the order
of the attack was arranged as follows !:
My division, Wright's brigade now
being in front, was to be closed up in
| column OF regiments before Daylight,
SO as to enable Wheeler, stretched
back the full length OF his large divi-
sion In columns Of fours, to close up.
| was to follow up the line OF march
taken up by Fitzpatrick, move around
the head OF the swamp, and enter his
camp from the left. Wheeler was to
turn to the right from about the point
where the head OF my column was
located, and move to the right through
the open pine woods and come from
the rear, as nearly simultaneously
with my attack 90 possible. Accord
ingly, when | learned that Wheeler
had turned Off to the right, | moved
forward up the road.
Meanwhile | had directed Col
Wright to select squadron, whose
commander he could vouch for. and
order him to report for instruction
My recollection is that he selected
Capt. BOstick, OF the Cobb Legion (anC
III am In error in this | trust tha
some survivor of that splendid gallan