Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1910-05-20
A DARING RIDE.
Feat of a Union Officer That Won Con-
federate Cheers.


One morning In February, said Gen
eral Wesley Merritt, my division of
cavalry started with instructions to
discover the extent Of Lees forces on
the Rapidan without bringing on a
general engagement. In due time we
found ourselves face to face with the
enemy and the river between. A live
ly skirmish with small arms began,
but the result was insignificant. The
enemy declined to show force beyond
what was necessary to engage our
skirmish line. The breastworks were
long and formidable, but whether they
were occupied by few or many soldiers
u ingenious plans failed to discover.
1t was finally decided that the only
way to make the enemy show force
was to try to cross the ford in our
front. If this succeeded, the enemy
WIS To- be drfver u Of MS works
possible: If not, he would drive us
back across the ford, probably with
severe loss to our troops. Reluctantly,
under these conditions, the division
al organized for the work.
Leading the advance guard, which
consisted of a squadron of cavalry,
was Captain Ash. His Instructions con
templated that only his advance guard
should cross. 1t was hoped that this
maneuver would draw the enemy from
behind the breastworks and cause him
to display his force. Ash advanced
with his squadron amid the stiffness
of death. The skirmish firing was
hushed, and the silence which prevail
ed showed that the enemy was intent
on keeping us in ignorance of its
numbers and determined to make us
pay heavily for information.
The anxiety was intense. We knew
that when the enemy opened fire at
short range our loss would be great
and that the advance guard must be
the first and greatest sufferers. Ash,
with his small command, moved on.
The works in front, gloomy, silent, de-
nuded, seemed deserted. The men
started to cross the ford, and Ash
pushed on ahead. He gained a point
of vantage where. because of a turn
in the river, he could see the interior
of the breastworks.
Just then the C~onfederates opened
fire with a whitening yolley. Sudden
ly Ash commanded his squadron to re-
treat, while he. bending forward on
his horses neck. rode at a rapid gallop
along the river bank parallel to the
breastworks, followed, as he came OPP
posite each new part of the works,
with yolley after volley.
There seemed no hope for him, and
we waited in intense anxiety. On he
kept in spite of the storm of lead.
Then, as he reached a point where his
view of the Confederate lines was still
more extended, he raised his hat and
waved it over his head. 1t was a
signal of triumph.
To our amaZement the Confederates.
moved by admiration, ceased firing.
Instead, they mounted on their breast
works as thick as they could stand
and, throwing their hats into the air,
cheered him again and again.
Ash refined up his horse and. turn
ing toward the Confederates, raised
his hat in a graceful salute. Then he
rode ~leisurely into our own lines,
amid the cheers of both sides. He
had accomplished the work without
the loss of a man and had for him
self seen and displayed to every one
else a full force of infantry occupying
the Confederate works.
Captain Ash said afterward that he
had not thought of the scheme of
drawing out the enemy's force until he
mad reached the brink of the river
and seen the great number who occu-
pied the works. To go on meant GER
tain death to many Of his command;
to retreat in the direct line of fire
was equally disastrous. and the In
spiration to act suddenly seized him.