The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-29
Who Can Give Anything Of the
Il Startling Particulars?

Editor Of The Timos-Di spntch:s N
a Sill desire to inquire through your
iConfed ernte Column nbout the. pnrttcc.iI--
pants lin "a lit tie hand to hand encounter
which witnessed iii the llst days OF the
war. u tfs S{g & 3s. NJ ss
4 It happened about two days before the
slirrond er, whio We were lhurriedly re-
treating wcstwnrdly from III Petersburg.
sPnyne's brigade of cavalry Ito which |
ibelonged) was marching along one OF
tho roads of retreat, in tho nelghbor
hood 4 OF $tl,c Appolnattox River Unex-
jrectedy 81 Il brigade of Federal infantry
was reported In our front They had
5outmnrched us md cut ns Off, they oc-
8cupicd a low ridge to our west, hal + q
milo distant and wero ma ed by timber
on the crest of the ridge. IA a
Our brigade was formed IN line for q
fight In an open place, and held there,
Inactive. some little time, q waiting for
orders, while the Yankees fred atlBus
from tho wood, doing little damag ow-
ing to the great distance. Tho ground
between us and tho enemy was slightly
ascending toward them. wi til smooth sur
fade, and the view was lll,obstructed,
ssavo by tho wood shelterlng the enemy
on tho crest Of the ridge. sf et2 III Y
i}5 Gazing IN tho direction; Of the enemy,
Il not Iced NJ four mounted @ Confederntcs.
resting quietly on their steeds. about
midway between the lines. Then four
Yankees suddenly dashed from
the wood OF, tho ridge, straigh r. down
toward the four Confederates. Here they
came at a sweeping gnllop down 1.-THE
gentle slope. three hundred yards ncross
tho open field a sligllt&movementgo f the
-four Confederates showed that the en- q 4
counter would be where they sat. Right
up into tllelr faces the Yankees rodo,}h 8
<1{<,. Jp,,r, fl<s1,p
Twenty puffs OF smoke, II men tlmblling
out OF saddles, pop, pop, pop, n pop, pop,
from the distant pistols, rideless horses
dnshing mady over the field and it was
over. Some We're dead, but who were
they? The distance was too great to.
discover. Just them the order camel
"Irorward marcel, "'$I It 50 happened that
my position In line carried me exactly
over the scene Of the conflict and four
dead Fcderals lay on the ground, within
Il space Of twenty feet square, but no
Confederate. a64s: sg ING AZ
1t only remains to state that we drove
the enemy from their position, and cap
tured nearly all OF them furthcr|on,9 only
TO DO retaken from us a day or two
afterwards at the general surrender, &
Who were tho four Confederntcs Who
killed tho four Yankees. and who Wero
the four Yankees 50 killed? In passing
over them ! had not time even to note
whether emblems OF rank were worn by
any Of, them. it85 u .3I.
Perhaps some reader OF your paper
witnessed the incident, or was told or IT
after the fight, and can give the names
Of some Of the combatants
4 IT was common In the army for soldier
to discuss with soldier every incident
Of Il battle after 1t was nll over and they
had time to talk. But at this .juncturoA
the events of tho days and nights were
SO strenuous. our movements so con-
tinuous, our condition so distressing, and
our danger so great, that never heard
Of this hand-to-hand COMBAT
though It must have been witnessed by
five hundred men,
Respectfully, tx
y. nj, Redo,
Company G., Sixth Virginia Cavalry,
Reidsville, N. C,.%July. 1906.