Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-16
RAID ON CATLETTS.
ONE OF GENERAL j. T.. Il. STUART
FAMOUS DAsHEs.
PRIVATE SOLDIERS RECOLLECTION
Knew Something Had been Found
A PitiabIe Sight-G1ouccster Never
po,r.d Ouf-The Iudicrous Side
Gathering the P1under.
no ,,o Editor Of the Dispatch:

To the Editor OF the Dispatch:
have been thinking for some time
that / would jot down my recoilecton%
of General J. Y. Il. Stuart's raid on Car
let's Station during the war between th0
States. ] was a private IN Company G
Fourth Virginia Cavalry. but not one o.
those who could fight a battle or conduc.
q campaign, FOR l never knew anythn
about battle except what occurrf'
right in front or pretty near TO me. So F.
shall only try TO describe what ! saw AN,
did. / am a poor hand to recollect date.
and places, but Of circumstances / ca.
remember a great deal. ] see by a mass
OF the battle-felds Of Virginia that there
was a skirmish at Catetts August q
and % and october o. 1854 ! think u
must have been on the two former dates
that the raid Of which l write occurred
FOR 1 know we were in and about there
two days.
On the 2ist we had been marching all
day. and passed through the town Of
Warrenton not great while before night
Ny regiment came to a halt just in th'
town. We were received by the citizens
with open arms. and wha. was much
more 10 our liking with a bounuful sup
ply for the inner man. All We're not able
10 take advantage Of what was offered
as we only stopped for a few seconds.
Fortunately for myself. l halted just OPP
posite a store containing almost every
thing. and the occupant thereof rushed
nut. bearing i'm one hand a plate piled mp
with apple-pies and in the other plate
filled with dried or smoked fish l maze
o grab and got a goodly portion OF PIE IN
one hand and number of fish IN the
other. Many Of the other soldiers ana the
same. Never did viands taste better Inc
pies were consumed then ana there'
and the fish kept for future USE
Soon after leaving the town we were
halted I'm an open field. Night was COM
ing on, and ominous clouds were looming
ND with lightning and thunder Soon IL
began 10 rain in torrents. ] have always
maintained l never saw it rain so nara
before or since. The storm was soon over
and then commenced the fun II was
laughable to see the men standing on
their heads or getting their feet mp IN the
air 10 let the water run out Of their boots.
BY the time we started again II was
pitch dark. and no; one Of us privates. /
will venture to say, knew where we We're
going | surely did not ON we plodded
hour after hour, with the darkness so
dense that you couldn't see your file
leader. We crossed several streams very
much swollen by the recent rains, which
made fording very difficult but on we
went. There We're two regiments In front
Of mine in the line of march. one, l think
was the gallant Firth. led by that DASH
ing officer. Colonel Tom Rosser, now gem
eral.
Somewhere about midnight, when no
thing was TO be heard but the splash,
splash of the horses feet I'm the wet roads,
the stiffness was suddenly broken by
tremendous yell far TO the front. We IN
the rear knew then something had been
found. Orders soon came down the line
TO quicken up. The yelling at the front
became fiercer and ferccr. BY the time
my regiment got upon tho scene Of action
II was pretty much all over. and by the
flashes of lightning we found that we
were standing i'm the midst OF the Fede-
raj tents Just then Colonel Rosser. with
his sword drawn and dripping with blood,
rode up 10 General Stuart, who was
close by, and said in his own emphatic
Language: General, j have been giving
them hill, cutting and slashins right ana
left"
1t was n pitiable sight TO see those
Federal soldiers running here and there,
and clad only in their night garments,
which consisted. Of course. only of under
garments. They had no hats nor shoes,
and wherever one was seen he was soon
captured or cut down. 1t was an aWIul
and exciting time. Soon after my regi-
ment came up Captain William Il. New
ton, OF Company G., was ordered to take
Z squad OF men and proceed 10 the rail-
5oad 10 cut the telegraph wire. l formed
one OF the squad. but what we were to
nut with L could not see Sabres are gOou
bor cutting flesh and breaking bones, nut
they can't cut suspended wire very
easily. Some OF the Gloucester cavalry
got mixed up with US as we proceeded IN
the pitch dark Finally, we reached the
railroad at high embanl1Lent. and II
was well for us that we did. for by the
flashes OF lightning. which were still very
vivid, we could see. by climbing TO the
top OF tho embankment, line OF Federal
infantry drawn up ready for action. cap
tain Newton called for volunteers 10
climb pole ana cut the wire. we hau
all seen the danger and knew the rish'
and as We had nothing 10 cut with. ana d
telegraph pole IS not tho easiest thlhg III
the world 10 climb. we were rather SLOW
10 respond But there was volunteer
lie was small man from the
Gloucester troops that had joined us.
AS he Jumped TO the mont no exclaimed
IL will 20; Gloucester has neve: bacKed
out yet" and up he went. lie had reach-
ed the top OF the pole and was trying MS
best TO get the wire In two, when there
came a vivid fash OF lightning and the
Yankees saw him. They were not slow IN
tring a volley right across the track IL
seemed TO me the whole heaven was fun
OF bullets. The man up the polo dropped
down with thud. We were sure he had
been killed. but the next moment he rolled
down the ernbankment ami Jumped up all
right. We could 90 nothing with the
wire. so Captain Newton took us back to
the company. Out from the tents were
parked all OF General POpe's headquarters |
wagons, and many others. suppose. Sew
eral had been set on fire, which a. |
Illuminated the camp In every direction. |
got permission 10 do a little foraging on |
my own hook and rode down among the |
burning wagons.
There were many langhabls scenes, rs |
well as serious cDes that memorable |
night. don't suppose time can ever
efface them from my memory. AS pass
%, "a Aha rAsr of ens WAGON and ought