The National tribune., 1910-11-17
A Cavalry Chase.

/ Editor National Tribune:' In July,
1864. the First Division OF the Cavalry
Corps of the Army of the Potomac,
under Maj.-Gen. Torbert. was marching
in northeasterly direction in Virginia
towards Gordonsville and went into
camp and remained over night at the
! fine estate known as Ingieside. Then
we resumed the march in the morn
: ing. The pickets had ctinmenced firing
and the combat of the day Was thus
uresag"d. Gen. Custer with the Mich
igan Cavalry Brigade led the advance.
We moved to the road upon which we
had come the previous day and found
the rear part of a Confederate cavalry
force passing in the direction of Cor
louisville. II consisted of ambulances
and wagons with ammunition and other
supplies; also caissonS and led horses,
all going in the greatest haste, driving
to escape from our command. =. l.
In the wild, precipitate rush, wagons
and caissons were overturned and n
general pandemonium prevailed. When
IA team approached a tree that stupid
;ly stood in the road the mules did
not show more sense that mules usually
lsGow; one of the leaders would at
tempt to pass on one side of the tree
and the other leader would take the
other side.
Gen. Custer. at the head of the Mich
iean Cavalry Brigade, led the advance
of our column and sent an order for the
first regiment 10. charge the enemy.
This was Col X. A. Alger, of the 5th
Mich. Cav. / received permission to
accompany the regiment. 1t was an
iorder, in fact, to charge the mixed
mass of mules and wagons which was
struggling to get away from us. They
did want to. get out of our way badly.
and their efforts became rout and
n stampede. Our cavalry gallopel
along beside them. requiring surrender
as far as their speed made it practicable
for them to comply. only few shots
being fired.
Numerous wagon roads led to both
right and left in the prevailing woods,
and soon Wade Hampton'S cavalry
swung in from these roads and gave
Clusters brigade enough to do for
considerable time. The artillery was
handled by Lieut.. (nOw ColoneD Carl
Woodruff. One of his guns were cap
tured several times and was as often
|recaptured. We who continued the
pursuit two or three miles finally halt
ed the fleeing teams. and our men grad
ually assembled. There were only forty
odd all told, with officers.
We followed Col. Alger to small
piece of ground near by. while await
ing the result of the battle, over two
miles distant in our rear, still going
on. Very soon we observed a long
column of Confederate cavalry moving
directly toward us on the main road
They were the chief portion of the cav
airy which had passed our front and
who left their train early. The sound
of battle in their rear caused them to
return to join the fighting part of their
force. We remained mounted. facing
them, and when the head of their col
umn was opposite ns they halted and
tho commanding officer shouted to us:
wv hat cavalry is this?" No answer
was given. The question was repeat
ed, but no answer was made. Theirs
was 4 large body of cavalry and we
We're in tight place. Then the third
question was called for a third time.
Immediately one OF our men shouted,
"Hampton's Legion" The reply was,
"All right: why in - didn't you say
so hefore?' Then they passed on.
] have always Wondered why they
did not discover our identity by our
uniforms. when we were so near them
The foliage of the trees WAS neither
heavy nor low. but / have always sur
missed that il must have been suffi-
ciently dense to prevent our discovery.
All the same, il was close call, and
we were luckily saved from Libbey
Prison by the thoughtfulness of a
trooper-Charles Brewster, Kansas
City, Mo. al