Year: 1871

wire rope stretched across the river,
which, owing to the force Of the swol.
len current, broke several times during
the day. 70 reduce the space to be de-
Tended as much US possible, al! the wag-
ons and animals were packed close to-
gether on the river bank.


Believing that all attack would soon
be made upon US, ordered the wagon
ers to be mustered, and. taking three
out Of every four, organized them into
weapons Of the wounded men found in
the train. By this means added to my
effective force about 500 men. Slightly
wounded officers promptly volunteered
their services to command these impro
vised soldiers !; and many, of our quar-
tcrmasters and conmissaries did the
same thing. We were not seriously mo.
lested on the 5th; but next morning
about 8 o'clock information reached me
that large body of cavalry from Fred
erick, Nd, was rapidly advancing to at
tack us. AS we could not retreat further,
it was at once frankly made known to
the troops that unless we could repel
the threatened attack we should all be.
come prisoners, and that the loss of his
whole transportation would probably
ruin Gen. Lee; for it could not be re.
placed for many months, if at all in the
then exhausted condition of the Confed-
crate States. So far from repressipg the
ardor of the troops, this frank announce
ment Of our peril inspired all with the
utmost enthusiasm.


Men and officers alike, forgetting the
sufferings Of the past few days, pros
claimed their determination to drive
back the attacking force or perish in, the
attempt. All told, we were less than
5000 men. The advancing force we
knew to be more than double ours, con-
sisting, as we had accertained, of five
regular and eight volunteer regiments
of cavalry, with ls guns, all under the
command of Gems. Buford and Kilpat-
F, rick.


We had no works of any kind; the
country was open aud almost level, and
there was no advantage of position we
could occupy. 1t must necessarily be
square, stand.up fight, face to face. We
had q field guns of various calibre, and
one Whitworth. These were disposed
in batteries, in semicircle, about one
mile out of the village, on the summit
of a very slight rising ground that lies
back of the town. Except the artillery,
our troops were held out of view Of the
assailants, and ready to be moved
promptly to any menaced point along
the whole line of neatly two miles i'm
extent. Knowing that nothing could
save us but a bold bluff game, orders
had been given to the artillery as soon
as the advancing forces came within
range to open fire along the whole line
and keep it up with the utmost rapdity
A little after o'clock they appeared on
two roads in our front, and our batteries
opened. They soon had their guns in
position, and very lively artillery fight
began. We fired with great rapidity,
and in less than all hour two of our bat
teries reported that their ammunition
was exhausted. This would have been
fatal to us but for the opportune arrival
at the critical moment of an ammuni-
tion train from Winchester. The wag-
ons were ferried across to our side as
soon as possible, and driven OH the field
in gaIlop to supply the silent guns
Not having men to occupy half our line,
they were moved up In order of battle,
first to one battery, then withdrawn
and double quicked to another, but out of
view of our assailants till they could be
shown at some otEer point Oh our line.
BY this maneuvering We made the i'm
preston that we had a strong support
ing force in rear of all our guns along
the entire front. To test this Gems. Bu-
ford and Fitzpatrick dismounted three
regiments and advanced them on foot
Oh our right. We concentrated there
all the men we had, wagoners and all,
and thus, with the aid of the united fire
Of all our guns directed at the advancing
line, We drove it back, and rushed for
ward two Of our batteries four or five
hundred yards further to the front.
This boldncss prevented another charge,
sunset with the artillery.
About that time Gen. Fitzhuyh Lee
sent message from toward Greencastle,
that if we could hold out all hour he
would reinforce Us with 1900 men. The
intelligence elicitetlsa loud and long
continued cheer along our whole line,
which was heard and understood by our
adversaries, as we learned from prison.
ers taken. A few minutes later Gen. J.
+. b. Stuart, advancing from Hagers-
town, fell xpectediy upon the rear Of
their right wing, and in ten minutes
they were in rapid retreat by their left
flank in the direction of Boonsborough.
Night coming on enabled them to es-
cape. ~. -s.. -o#s. .ss=.g..r aa. ~
BY extraordinary good fortune we had
thus saved all of Gen. Lees trains. A
bold charge at any time before sunset
would have broken our feeble lines, and
we should all have fallen an easy prey
to the federsls. This came to he known
as ''the wagoners' fight" in our army,
from the fact that SO many Of them were
armed and did such gallant service in
repellinS the attack made on our right
by the dismounted regiments.


Our defeat that day would have been
an irreparable blow to Gen. Lee, in the
loss of all his transportation. Every
man engaged knew this, and probably