The National tribune., 1899-06-08

are on the SOutn sac near tiie poil-'
toon bridge, and asks if he cannot
assist in catching the raiders on the
Danville Road. Lee replies to Fitz
Lee that the cavalry on the south
side will march to Swift Creek.
(War Records, Vol. 81, p. 69o)
This last dispatch is dated the same
day and directs that the cavalry on
the south side champion and Cham
Bliss camp that night at Swift
Creek.
This force, therefore, had the 27th'
and 2Sth of June to march from
Swift Creek, which is few miles
north of Petersburg, to Stony
Creek to meet Wilson. This 1t
could easily do, although it was not
so easy to guess where Wilson
might be. The probability is that
the entire rebel cavalry, after re
pulsing Sheridan north of the
lanes, was stationed at convenient
points south of Petersburg waiting
for Wilson when he should arrive
to get through the lines. There
fore, our best way of getting
through would have been by Jar
rott's, for it was much the shortest
line, and by continuous marching
daylight of the 29th would have
found us far to the east of Stony
Creek and clear of the Nottoway
River and its crossings. They
were not able to do much with US
under the much more favorable cir-
cumstances that did occur, and we
could, no doubt, have saved all our
wheeled vehicles and artillery by
making night march direct to
.Jarrott's. !
While we had a right to expect
that Gen. Meade's left was occu-
pving the Weldon Road, the pres
ence of the enemy at Stony Creek
should have dispelled that expecta-
ton, but he was within supporting
distance if he had been on the look
out for us. The cannonading at
Stony Creek continued through the
night of the 18th, and was heard In
the lines of the Amy Of the Poto-
mac. as | afterwards learned, but no
action was taken in regard to 1t.
Capt. Whitaker succeeded IN cut
ting his way through to Meades
Headquarters, where he arrived
with half his escort about $50
a. m. of the 29th, and caused the
first action that was taken by Gen.
Meade looking to our safety.
ADVANCE CHECKED BY INFAN-
When my advance reached the
vicinity Of Ream' S Station and was
confronted by infantry, the fact
was determined by gallant effort
ON the part of Col. Spear to open the
wav. and his failure was followed
by a charge of the enemy's line OF
skirrnishers, which Spear met by q
counter-charge with a mounted
reserve of the 18th Pa. and captured
D.
about so prisoners.
The information obtained from
these prisoners and from other
sources revealed the fact that not
eniy was the enemy too strong to
permit the cavalry to proceed, but
that he was being reinforced con-
tinuously until the hour when Gen.
Wilson decided to Withdraw. He
waited patiently for his reinforce
ments- to envelop us, but when his
capalry closed in on us and wished
10 drive us into the arms of the in
fanry, we had disappeared, and
histroopers lost their opportunity to
do us further damage by their Gu
pidity for our train and baggage,
which they pillaged, and by their
recapture of the runaway negroes,
who were exhausted and helpless,
after the continuous march of more
than "a hours.
1t was fatal day for these poor
unfortunates, who had yielded to
their desire for freedom at the first
appearance of the Union forces.
The Richmond papers and the re-
ports of refugees for weeks after
wards revealed the fact that they
were very severely dealt with by
their captors.
WILSON'S ARDUoUS MARCH.
Judging from our own experience
in the retreat, the troops that fol-
lowed Wilson had a most arduous
march to avoid capture and rebel
prisons. We reached our lines
between 9 and 10 clock of the 29th.
We had been without sleep for
about 10 hours under a great strain,
and after we had gotten beyond the
reachof the enemy the remainder Of
that 2o-mile ride is very dim in my
memory, except the intense longing
for rest. | was asleep on my horse
the greater portion of the way.
The tantalizing visions that haunt
ed me are my only vivid recollec-
tons. | thought we were march
y II