The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-02-06

ting out plcketS. Inc enemy nedTu vi
their proximity and paid their respects
in n startling manner The surprise was
complete The leader was badly wound
ed in his vain effort to rally his men.
Some were captured, but mOstgot away.
KennOn was among the lucky ones At
IA dinner table not long after, he related
with great yividness the rOut. He was
IA cultivated man, and withal liked to in
dulge the poetic license; to be plain, he
would take liberties with the truth in
his narrations. Said he (. ''If Mosby could
only have been there to rally the men
| thought of those lines in Lady OF the
Lake
"Oh. where was Roderick then?
One blast upon his bugle were worth
thousand men.
There Eat a girl at the table who had
some taste for literature; but, alas had
had but scanty opportunity for improve
ment. She, believing with Lord Bacon
that when one does not know a thing he
should inquire, spoke up; Captain
KennOn, who wrote that?' Scott
Miss. was the rejoinder who ?" said
she. General Winfield Scott7" g Yes, "
replied Kennon. Pardon the digression
wish the reader to get the impression
that ours was a composite band.
Moran and Hibbs-I can see them now
IA they rode in the rear to keep the
column closed up. Mosby, in his humor,
had dubbed Moran 'Brigadier." and
Hibbs as Major, and they spoke to the
younger soldier with as much authority
as il their rank had been real, and not
ianciiul. Good soldiers they were,
though had been in infantry and ar
tilery in the army, and. az was TO have
a new experience, most probably, that
day. i asked an old cavalryman what was
likely to happen to man in cavalry
charge. "Oh." he said. beside the pos
sibility of a sabre stroke or pistol shot,
you havea good chance OF being knocked
from side to side by friend or foe, or
knocked down, horse and rider, and be-
ing run over" 4 pleasant prospect
surely
On we rode till we got tired OF it.
Two or three miles from the Double Toll
Gate, near Chantilly. weleft the turnpike
on the right hand, and then we had
mud. Mosby's idea was to get into
their rear; but their posts were too thick
for that We came in sight OF the videttes,
They hardly looked for us in the day
time. We dashed at them, and caught
four or five. A strong reserve OF about
seventy five men mounted and promptly
rode to the rescue of the captured ones.
We had hardly fifty men. MOsby order
ed us to retire up the turnpike, which we
did at a last trot. The nenemy came on
at great rate. We had to pass through
a wood, and there had been trees felled
in two places across the road to impede
the progress OF any attacking party.
These we rode around without much
trouble. We had gotten past the second
when there was danger
that our retreat would end in panic
fight. Then it was that our leader call
ed out in loud tones: LEFT about, men;
we'll fight 'em here" Most OF us obeyed
promptly. Some few did not seem to APP
prove ofthNse words, and,kept on in their
retreat. met two. and said Aren't
you going to charge with us?' They
shook their heads aud said they were
not going to be caught in such a snap
as that. With this triling exception,
the men rushed most gallantly Mt the foe
in mid-car They broke, and we were
soon mingled with them, shooting and
striking, aud taking prisoners every few
rods. The pursuit was kept up for about
two miles. 1t was now nearly night;
but we could see fresh troops coming up.
Then we retired. and got away safely
with our spoils-thirty-Rve prisoners,
with their horses and arms. Several OF
the enemy were killed and wounded. Our
only casualty was the loss of major
Hibb's boot-heel by pistol shot.
The lapse of long years may have
duled, but by no means destroyed, the
thrilling sensation | had in this first
cavalry charge. In the first Bull Run
battle, when was with the Seventeenth
Virginia infantry, our fate was to be un-
der the fire of infantry and artillery for
two days, with scarcely sight oil the
enemy, so dense was the foliage in our
front. On the Second Manassas field i
was with the battery Dixie command
ed by my brother, W. A. Chapman, that
enfladed Morrel's and Kings divisions
and cut down more than thousand oil
their men in ten minutes; but the fight
at Chantilly was more exciting, il possi-
bic. About year afterwards, had an
invitation to join in fox hunt. The
dogs behaved well-so the old hunters
said-and so did the fox, to my notion.
think he got away. The enjoyment OF
the old hunters, who had not been in the
army, seemed to know no bounds. TO
me it seemed tame enough. | had been
in the cavalry, and only ieltcompensated
for my participation in the hunt by the
good dinner we all sat down to.--Former
Capt Samuel f. Chapman, in Religious
Herald.