The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-21
ny T.. ). WHITE.


patch gives an account OF a fight In
Nowtown. Frederick county, Virginia.
November Il. 1864, between the Firth
virginia Cavalry and the Eighth IL
l!nois Cavalry. and also mentioned the
death Of Circlnnatus Ware ard the
venture of young John W. Tubb, a
member OF Wares company and regi-
Inent, into town TO see his dying com
radc. The account is in the main cor
rect, but there arc n few particulars 1t
might be ns well 10 mention.
The fight was not only between the
Firth Virginia Cavalry aud Federal
ioIccs but between our brigade com
Inanded by General William II. Payne.
of three regiments. possibly $50 men
bll told. and the Yankee cavalry. Gem
cral Jubal Early having determined TO
make another advance and TO offer
battle to General Sheridan, We loft
our camp at Forestvillc and were put
IL. front Of the infantry. then sdvanc-
Ing on the Valley Turnpike FROM New
market, In Shenandoah county. Viz
Einia. After march OF about thirty
i've miles, VIC passed Strasburg, and
our ridcttes reporting that the crcmy's
cavalry were close Il, hand. we Eal;ci
and concealed ourselves Just beyond
Cedar Creek on the valiey Turnpike,
sending out again five v!dcttes deploy-
ed IN tho open nclds. They went ahead
about one mile TO M!ddlctown. There
they were seen by Federal squadron
and chased back to u3 as fast IA they
could ride. The Yankees were so in
tent upon capturing our vidette., one
OF whom was struck ny o bullet. but
did not fall off his horse. that several
OF them ran Into our regiment Nhcn
advancing rapidly before they could
turn. Some made for the woods closes
By on one aide; one was Knocked off
~.
several were caught, and those who
could turn In time rode for the!- lives.
Waiting ct Middletown for our infan-
try to como UP. We then followed them
TO Newtown. about Blk miles further
on At the southern edge of the VIII
laEe they made n stund, and there was
some sharp firing across little Lridge
there where the Valley Pike enters the
town on that side. While tle Sixth,
and Fifteenth Regiments were pop.
ping away at this point. tho Fifth Eir-
S!nin Regiment was moved to the left
and wcst OF the town. and some wha
concealed by the hills and traea. at
tempted TO head off those who were,
still ut the bridge by riding into town
on 4 cross street from the west, and
so got TO It's Junction with tho Vnlloyi
Pike before the YankceB could do so
However. the movement was seen by
the Federals as our regiment was
crossing the open Oats just before the
village upon tho wings OF the wind
AS they passed by the cross street up
on which the regiment was Rd ;aacing
they fred down upon II and kille 4
"Natus" Ware. as he was called, and
possibly some otherG may havs been
wounded, but ] do not now recollect.
Al the whole Federal army Of moro
than 10000 men was drawn up in line
OF battle on the northern edge OF thet
town. 1t was evidently trap set to-
sobble UP our whole brigade ana would
have succeeded IL tho men had gons
any further. While the Fifth Reg-
rlent was making this funk move
1nent, the Sixth Virginia was, as II
said before. having u busy time a the
bridge with the enemy and lost some
NJ It's members. one recall ~ tho
name of Lumford was killed ,..~ wasi
buried in the front yard of a house on
the west side of the pike and In full
Sisw and close by the place where In
eight took place. did not see young
Yebb when he went into town 10 sec
his dying comrade but I well recall
the bitter grief and cries of anguish
and distress of ''Dinky' Ware Tor his
brother while they were burying young
Lumford.
The Same writer also speaks OF two
young ladies who supplied our men
with cottraScS In cigar boxes for our
Spencer rifles we passed through,
Strasburg and halted for Il while. WEI
were dependent upon the Yankees lori
this kond of ammunition, as none tni
suit these guns was made by the Con
fcderatc government. The Spencer re
peating rifle (seven-shooterl was u
great advantage to the troops using
them. and went far to noutrhlizc the!
great disparity Iii numbers. There Is
= strange misconception in this mat
ter 4 Confederate nrtillerymai Gun / !
that may account for it, as / aEn suroi
no caivaryman would have said so
in addressing Lee Camp recently stat
ed that when his battery arrived at
AppomattoX Courthouse, they were
confronted by Sheridpn's 10000 oalvaryi
armed with repeating rifles, '':ne first
time they had been SO equipped dur
ing The war" when the fact is they'll
had been using them For abou; twoi
years. and 1t was from this source, byI
capture that all of the Confederate re-
pcating rifles and ammunition was
obtained.
All methinks, Spottsylvania, Yellow
Tavern, Trevillian's, Winchester, Ceda :,
Creek, Five Forks and many othersi
bear witness to the deadly repeating
Spencer rifle: with the Irishman l am
very much inclined TO soy that If they
we're never used until Appomatt
was reached there never would have
been any APPROXIMATIONS
After tho affair Mt Ntwiawn abovel
alluded to. General Early dcployod his
whole army across the turnpike in linei
81 battle close to tho southern side or
The town and invited attack. and so
remained all day, but with tho excep-
lion of some sharp cavalry nghtinE on
pur right and left, IN which VIC lost;
several valuable officers General,
Sheridan showed no disposition TO at-i
tack with his main body. We there
fore returned to our former camps.
Paraphrasing the language of one,
, and quoting in part that of another,