The Washington herald., 1914-05-17

to Confederate supremacy in the saddle.
When Gen Lee learned Of Stuarts death
he was according to, one of his stan offi-
GERS, plunged in the deepest meian-
choly" Although the South had many
able cavalry leaders. Lee believed that
none equaled Stuart. II can scarcely
speak of him without weeping" he said
to one OF his aids.
This great stroke against the Confed-
crate cavalry was more than Gen. Sheri-
dan had hoped to accomplish when leav-
ing the Army of the Potomac on May 3.
although from the first day of the raid
he had drawn Stuart away from the
scene of operations at Spottsylvania
Courthouse where his presence with 5000
troopers was a menace to Grants TANKS
and the great wagon trains Of his army.
Torpcdoes I'm the Road.
After the engagement at Yellow Tavern
Sheridan's command had kept on to-
ward Richmond. by the Brook road.
marching through the night and arr:v-
ing before daylight on May l. in front
of the outer works northeast of the
Confederate capital.
Sheridan found this line of works un-
defended and passed them. cutting across
country by woods road, heading in
the direction of the battlefield of Fair
Oaks. or Seven Pines. 1t was his pur-
pose to proceed to the James River. in
order to draw supplies from the trans
ports that had accompanied Gen. B. :.
Buffers army of the James. which had
landed at Bermuda Hundred on May s.
The progress of the column through
the night had been slow. The weather
was rainy and the roads bad. As Rich
mond was neared the Federals found
that tho Confederates had anticipated
their coming and had planted torpadoeS
in their path.
These were percussion shells that Were
fired by a wire led to the side of the
road. AS soon as a horses legs strIc.
the wire there YVES an explosion. Sew
eral horses were thus killed and several
men wounded Then the Federals tooS
from their prisoners of the Yellow Tav-
ern fight number of men whom they
Obliged to trace out the torpedoes. TIE
prisoners, fearing for their lives. were
forced to grope about on their hands
and knees in the dark until wire was
found and then follow 1t to the torpedo
and remove it. In this way the road
was cleared.
One Of the prisoners declared that a
certain citizen living in the neighbor-
hood had planted the torpedoes. \ de-
tail was sent to the mans house. and
he and his family were reused before
then planted ir the cellar Of the house
with a wire leading across the road. II
the enemy followed Sheridan's column,
IL was expected this shell would be ex-
ploded and the house destroyed.
In a Tight Place.
Gen. James ii. Wilson's division was
leading the Federal column. in the I'M
certain light Of dawn, when it suddenly
came upon a lire of earthworks, guard
In the Mechanicsville pike.
A farmer who was guiding the column
warned Gen. Wilson of the presence OF
the works in time for the order to be
given to halt An aid was sent for
ward to investigate. Just as he dis
appeared from the view of his COM
panions," writes Gen. Wilson. the whole
side Of the heavens seemed lit up with
flash. followed instantly by the roaI
Of cannon. and the rush of hot air and
round shot down the road" The shots
struck amidst Gen. Wilson and his staff
Several horses were disembowled but none
Of the men were seriously hurt
The division was at once dismounted
and prepared for action. Daylight show
ed that Wilson had come upon an i'm
passable barrier. The works of Rich
mond. strongly built and heavily man
was q portion of stuart's command that
and seemed disposed, to give him bat
River. now high from the rains and
passable only at Q single point nt
Meadow Bridge