Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-08-27

of the victory by the cavalry, for Bragg
had the merest handful of troops, for
the most part undisciplined home
guards, force ridicnlously inadequate
for Richmond's defence. Pity indeed,
that Stuart could not have heard the
aged men, and sick and wounded, and
the sweet women and dear children,
thanking God and us, his willing SER
wants for their great deliverance from
the vandalism of Sheridan's troops, and
the horrors of the torch he knew so
well how to use-not to mention the
demoralizing effect to the whole South
the capture of the capital Of the Con-
federacy would have produced.
Let us turn our attention now more
particularly to the fight at High Bridge
which some of you have expressed a
desire to hear about. Grant wanted it
burned in order to head off Gen. Lees
retreat. The actual fighting strength
of the Confederates was little, if any,
in excess of the Federals, because it
must be remembered that one-fourth
of every company or regiment became
non-combatants when the command
fought dismounted, one in every four
taking care of the horses. l noticed
that Capt. Mcdonald and MI. Bushrod
Washington History of Laurel Brig
ade) after careful investigation, place
the Confederate force at about twelve
hundred. Our cavalry had been very
greatly reduced by loss in battle and
hard marching and insufficient food
for men and horses, many of our regi-
ments were mere skeleton organiza-
tions, more like good sized companies
than regiments. But it must be ad-
mltted that those who did constitute
the skeleton companies and regiments,
who in spite of the many strong temp
tations from hunger and fatigue, to
wander off from their commands,
which could have been easily done
amid the confusion of a retreat, yet
stuck it out, were apt to be men and
boys of high principle and strong con-
victions, and it was not any good for
tune for the 123d Ohio and the 54th Pa.
infantry to have been pitted against
them. Many of them had earned
among their bravest companions an
enviable reputation for absolute fear
lessness. Maj. Jimmy Thompson of
the horse artillery ian integral part of
the cavalry was one of these, who on
this occasion, the guns having been
left behind, was so eager for the fight,
his arm in sling because of wound
received in fight the day before, that
he asked the privilege of leading the
7th regiment in charge, and did lead
them, and was killed considerably in
advance of them: | did not see him
when he was killed, soon afterwards,
however, | saw his body where he fell
and cut from his coat a button and
sent it to young lady friend of his.
There must have been few, if any,
among those 1900 cavalrymen, who
did not welcome on that bright April
day fight with Federal infantry, very
nearly equal in numbers, off by them
selves, each side away from the rest of
their own army, our infanty fully five
miles away-to show what they could
do. But after all it did not fully turn
out that way, that is, showing what
they could do, for, happily for the saw
ing of many lives, the infantry gave up
surprisingly soon, otherwise there
would have been terrible destruction of
life, hemmed in as they were by dis
mounted cavalry successfully charging
them in front and the mounted forces
of Dearing and McCausland smashing
through their right flank, and thus
completely gaining their rear.
Those infantry regiments were la
boring under the disadvantage of hav-
ing been fighting for months, with
rare exception, behind mountain-like
breastworks, and probably they had
not yet gotten used to. fighting comfor-
tably out in the open, and, in conse-
quence Of this, were perhaps little
gun-shy, and possibly, they had been
indulging in that fatuous habit OF un-
tried infantry, untried in fighting cav
airy, of saying, "Boys they are nothing
but cavalry, let us give it to them."
1 have known such an unfortunate
habit to be thoroughly and effectually
cured by having just one real good
fight with cavalry. The 123d Ohio and
the 54th Pa. infantry furnish a strik-
ing example of this, and while much
sadder soon became very much wiser,
men on that particular subject.
However this may be, they had evil
dently before this occasion, seen enough
OF war to recognize when the psyche
logical moment for advantageous sur
render arrived, and this they did, al
most every last man of them except a
portion of the three cavalry companies
perhaps 80 or 3s, who temporarily es-
capped when the two infantry regiments
surrendered.
In Gen. Fitz Lees report of this en-
gagement at High Bridge April 6, '65,
he says: "The enemy's force was a
picked body of infantry and squad
ron of cavalry; acareful investigation
confirms this assertion. The squadron
of cavalry consisted of companies l, l..
and M, eleven officers mot counting
the surgeon and chaplain, who were
present, however, and 81 men of the
4th Mass cavalry, commanded by Col.
Francis Washburn of that regiment,