Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-03-12
ROUTED By OWN cAvALRYMEN.
Colonel John Mosby Tells How spir-
tied Horse Gave Him Victory.

A donkey created panic In q Scyth-
ian army. but nobody laughed after
1t subsided; all were ashamed when
the cause was discovered. In the rev.
olution a gang Of wolves, bowling at
night on the scent Of butcher. caused
the long roll to be beaten in the Amer
lean army. The examples shall give
of the effect Of the Imagination In war
are as much contrary to ordinary ex-
lperience as the legend Of the panic
lat Marathon, created by a blast on the
Ipipes of Pan.
In March, 1863, a major, Joseph Gil
mer, Of the Eighteenth Pennsylvania
cavalry, conceived a brilliant idea of
putting a stop to my operations by
the total destruction Of my band.
Whether he intended to follow the
example Of the Master Of Stair in ex-
Terminating the Macdonalds Of Glen
coe, is unknown, as his enterprise was
a failure. He had learned that my
men were quartered In the village of
Middleburg, about twenty miles from
his camp, and he started on his ex-
pedition after dark. in order to make
the surprise complete. Probably some-
body had given him this information
to get into his confidence, and to be
allowed to draw groceries from his
commissary.
About daylight he reached the viii
lage The place was Immediately invest
ed with q Gordon Of pickets. The ma
jor took central position and sent out
squads to search the houses and ar
rest every man they could find. A
lot of old men were soon pulled out Of
their beds and taken before him. Not
one Of them was under 80 years old
or had ever been with me. Major Gil
mer held dress parade about day
break, and ordered them to fall into
line and mark time; then he double
quicked them around the town to
keep them warm. After he was sat-
lsfied with his military maneuvers he
ordered the old men to mount behind
his troopers and go with him to camp
as prisoners.
There were also in the town several
negro women, with children, who ac-
cepted his invitation to go with him.
So the women, like the old men, rode
double with the troopers, who took the
babies IL their arms. With such an
incumbrance a pistol or saber was
very little use to a cavalryman. When
the cavalcade started off with its load
of old men, women and children, 1t
appeared more like a procession Of
Canterbury pilgrims than a regiment
of cavalry. I had then been operating
only a few weeks In that region, and,
hearing of this hostile demonstration,
went with seventeen men in pursuit,
hoping to pick up a few stragglers.
Before we reached the town news came
that the enemy had gone. With six
men 1 went On in pursuit at a gallop.
and directed my other men to follow
at a slower gait. We soon met citi-
zen who said he was just from Aldie,
a village on the pike two or three miles
ahead Of us, and that the column we
were pursuing had passed through.
Just as we rose to the op Of a hill
overlooking the place we ran upon, al
most against, two videttes. A few hum
dred yards in front saw two or three
cavalrymen in the road, who, sup
posed, belonged to the rear guard Of
Major Gilmer's party. The two vi
dettes, made prisoners, were sent back
with orders to my men to hurry up,
and we started down the hill In a
charge ! was riding a high spirited
horse we had captured few days
before. This was the first time I had
ridden him in a fight.
Before going far I discovered a
company Of cavalry that had dis
mounted at a mill near the road to
feed their horses. II I could, I would
have halted and turned back, but I
had lost all control Of my horse, and
my men, not knowing that, followed
me- When we got near the mill we
saw about 200 yards ahead another
body Of cavalry. My men stopped
and went for the party at the mill,
To save myself from capture jump
ed off after passing the mill and ran
back on foot to join in the fight. For
tunately those who Of my men had
been left behind came in sight just at
that time over the hill. The body Of
cavalry into which my horse had near
ly carried me started at full speed
down the pike when they saw my re-
endorsements coming. But my horse
chased them to their camp, twenty
miles away in Fairfax. I have never
claimed much credit for this victory
over the Vermont cavalry-it was all
due to the accident of my horse run
ming away with me and creating a
stampede.
The cavalry that had dismounted
at the mill never stopped to count the
number against them. They had no
notice Of our coming. The videttes
were caught before they could fire a
shot and give the alarm. Every man
was for saving himself. Some took
to the Bull Run mountain, which was
near-some ran into the mill and bur-
led themselves in the wheat bins;
while others got into the hopper,
though the mill was grinding. The
first one we pulled out was so covered
with -four that I thought he was the
miller. We got over twenty prisoners,
including two captains, with their
horses, erms and equipments.
The prisoners were sent back and,
with one man, I rode down the pike
to find my horse. We had learned that
the party we had engaged at the mill
was not the only one we had set out
to find. had not gone far down the
pike before met the old men walking
home that Major Gilmer had carried
off from Middleburg mounted behind
his troopers. By a ludicrous streak
of fortune they were indebted to the
Vermont cavalry and not to me for
their deliverance. 1t appeared that
after getting a mile or two below Aldie
Major Gilmer saw the two companies
Of Vermonters coming up the pike.