The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-08
FITZPATRICK ALMOST CAUGHT.
How he Escaped En- Dishabille.
From the Charleston Sunday Ne,us.

especially appropriate, as quite mum
bl,r of troops from Georgia particlpa
ted in the attack, and I do not remem
Der to have seen an account of ii
outside of the official reports.
Our cavalry consisted of Wheeler
and my own division, under the com
mand Of Gen. Wade Hampton. On
the 10th Of March our column, on the
march, was in about one days march
of Fayetteville, N. G. My old bri-
gade, at that time commanded by Gen
3. NJ. Law, Of this State, was in-front,
Young's brigade, commanded by Col
). G.. Wright, next, with Wheeler fol
lowing
Humphreys squadron, Of the 9th
South Carolina cavalry, Law S brigade,
constituted the advance guard. By
the sale usually observed on such oc-
ecasions, Young's (Wright's) brigade
would have taken the lead the next
day. You are no doubt aware that
while marching in the neighborhood
of the enemy, advance and rear guards
are thrown ont well to the front and
rear, with ss5tire, vigilant scouts and
>yidettes operating on the fanks, front
and rea::. It rained in torrents the
whole day of the 10Th of March.
Sherman army was to the south and
east Of our line Of march, Kilpatrick's
cavalry covering his left flank. About
nightfall Humphreys halted his squad
ron at the intersection Of aroad lead
ing from the south.
On inquiring Of Capt. Humphreys
the cause Of his halt, he informed me
that the road he had intersected mad
recently been travelled by heavy
column Of mounted troops. On exam
ination.I found this to be true, and
concluded we had run into Fitzpatrick s
track. While we were discussing the
situation / discovered 9 detachment
/ Of cavalry following in the wake OF
lKilpatrick's march, and rode sout into
the, forks of the road aboutforty yards
and balted with the usual challenge,
sWhc comes there r Tt was then
getting too dark to distinguish be-
tween friend and foe. The answer
came, s5th Kentucky" Knowing this
to be one Of Kilpatrick's regiments,
I directed the commander Of the de-
tachment, who turned out to be lien5
tenant, to ride up, asI wanted to talk
with him. Evidently not knowing
who we we're, he. advanced with his
orderly and when / had led him into
the ranks Of Humphreys squadron it
was the work Of few moments to dis
arm and place him in arrest.
fr
This done, I whispered to Hum
phreys to send out squad and take
in the detachment Of the 9Th Ken
lucky. he promptly surrounded them
and made them prisoners, twenty
eight in number, without firing gun.
You will pardon what appears to be
aiiinor, unimportant details, but they
have an important bearing upon what
followed.
Ais soon as Gen. Hampton 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 SO more ad-
yartageously, the whole column NOV
ed forward from where We captured
the detachment, in columns Of fours,
cautiously and quietly, about four
miles, where we halted and dismount-
ed ON the roadside notwithstanding
and without fires. The night was dark
with cold, drizzliug rain. I can
never forget that night as welay with
out shelter or food for man or horses,
each man with his bride on his arm.
II -.
/ threw out some distance in our
front, on each side of the road, line
Of dismountcd skirmishers. They had
scarcely deployed when one of kilpat-
rick $ 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 lock for broken down wagon, and
had walked unawares into the picket
lines. He was not inclined to be
communicative, but [ learned enough
to enable me to locate fitzpatrick S
camp pretty accurately. On the
strength of this information we recon-
NOTED his camp about midnight, rid
NJ