79. A Cavalry Raid
By JOHN ESTEN COOKE (1862)
THE order was given, in ringing voice: "Form fours! draw
sabre! charge ! "and now the Confederate people pursued at
headlong speed, uttering shouts and yells sufficiently loud to
awaken the seven sleepers! The men were evidently
exhilarated by the chase, the enemy just keeping near enough
to make an occasional shot practicable. A considerable
number of the Federal cavalrymen were overtaken and
captured, and these proved to belong to the company in
which Colonel Fitz Lee had formerly been a lieutenant.
The gay chase continued until we reached the Tottapotamoi, a
sluggish stream, dragging its muddy waters slowly between
rush-clad banks, beneath drooping trees; and this was crossed
by a small rustic bridge. The line of the stream was entirely
undefended by works; the enemy's right wing was
unprotected. The picket at the bridge had been quickly driven
in, and disappeared at a gallop, and on the high ground
beyond, Colonel Lee, who had taken the front, encountered
the enemy. The force appeared to be about a regiment, and
they were drawn up in line of battle in the fields to receive our
attack. It came without delay. Placing himself at the head of his
horsemen, Colonel Lee swept forward at the
pas de charge, and with shouts the two lines came together.
The shock was heavy, and the enemy stood their ground
bravely, meeting the attack with the sabre. Swords clashed,
pistols and carbines banged, yells, shouts, cheers resounded
; then the Federal line was seen to give back, and take to
headlong flight.
Fitz Lee immediately pressed on and burst into the camp near
Old Church, where large supplies of boots, pistols, liquors,
and other commodities were found. These were speedily
appropriated by the men, and the tents were set on fire amid
loud shouts. The spectacle was animating; but a report
having got abroad that one of the tents contained powder,
the vicinity thereof was evacuated in almost less than no time.
We were now at Old Church.
"I think the quicker we move now the better,"I said, with a
laugh.
"Right,"was the reply; "tell the column to move on at a trot."
So at a rapid trot the column moved.
The gayest portion of the raid now began. From this moment
it was neck or nothing, do or die. We had one chance of
escape against ten of capture or destruction.
Everywhere the ride was crowded with incident. The scouting
and flanking parties constantly picked up stragglers, and
overhauled unsuspecting wagons filled with the most
tempting stores. In this manner a wagon, stocked with
champagne and every variety of wines, belonging to a
General of the Federal army, fell a prey to the thirsty gray-backs. Still they pressed on. Every moment an attack was
expected in front or rear.
The column was now skirting the Pamunkey, and a
detachment hurried off to seize and burn two or three
transports lying in the river. Soon a dense cloud rose from
them, the flames soared up, and the column pushed on.
Everywhere were seen the traces of flight—for the alarm of "hornets in the hive"
was given. Wagons had turned over,
and were abandoned— from others the excellent army stores
had been hastily thrown. This writer got a fine red blanket,
and an excellent pair of cavalry pantaloons, for which he still
owes the United States. Other things lay about in tempting
array, but we were approaching Tunstall's, where the column
would doubtless make a charge; and to load down a weary
horse was injudicious. The advance guard was now in sight
of the railroad. There was no question about the affair before
us. The column must cut through, whatever force guarded the
railroad; to reach the lower Chickahominy the guard here must
be overpowered. Now was the time to use the artillery, and
every effort was made to hurry it forward.
Turnstall's was now nearly in sight, and that good fellow
Captain Frayser, came back and reported one or two
companies of infantry at the railroad. Their commander had
politely beckoned to him as he reconnoitred, exclaiming in
wheedling accents, full of Teutonic blandishment, "Koom
yay! "But this cordial invitation was disregarded; Frayser
galloped back and reported, and the ringing voice of the
leader ordered "Form platoons! draw sabre! charge!"At the
word the sabres flashed, a thundering shout arose, and
sweeping on in column of platoons, the gray people fell upon
their blue adversaries, gobbling them up, almost without a
shot. It was here that
my friend Major Foote got the hideous little wooden pipe he
used to smoke afterwards. He had been smoking a
meerschaum when the order to charge was given; and in the
rush of the horsemen, dropped and lost it. He now wished to
smoke, and seeing that the captain of the Federal infantry had
just filled his pipe, leaned down from the saddle, and politely
requested him to surrender it.
"I want to smoke! "growled the Federal captain.
"So do I,"retorted Major Foote.
"This pipe is my property,"said the captain.
"Oh ! what a mistake! "responded the major politely, as he
gently took the small affair and inserted it between his lips.
Anything more hideous than the carved head upon it I never
saw.
In an hour the column moved again. Meanwhile a little
incident had happened which still makes me laugh. There was
a lady living some miles off in the enemy's line whom I wished
to visit, but I could not obtain the General's consent. "It is
certain capture,"he said ; '.'send her a note by some citizen,
say Dr. Hunt; he lives near here."This I determined to do, and
set off at a gallop through the moonlight for the house, some
half a mile distant, looking out for the scouting parties which
were probably prowling on our flanks. Reaching the lonely
house, outside the pickets, I dismounted, knocked at the front
door, then the back, but received no answer. All at once.
however, a dark figure was seen gliding beneath the trees, and
this figure cautiously approached. I recognised the Doctor,
and called to him, whereupon he quickly approached, and
said, "I thought you were a Yankee! "and greeting me
cordially, led the way into the house. Here I wrote my note and
entrusted
it to him for delivery— taking one from him to his wife, within
our lines. In half an hour I rode away, but before doing so
asked for some water, which was brought from the well by a
sleepy, sullen, and insolent negro. This incident was fruitful of
woes to Dr. Hunt! A month or two afterwards I met him
looking as thin and white as a ghost.
"What is the matter? "I said.
"The matter is,"he replied, with a melancholy laugh, "that I
have been starving for three weeks in Fortress Monroe on
your account. Do you remember that servant who brought
you the water that night of the raid ? "
"Perfectly."
"Well, the very next day he went over to the Yankee picket
and told them that I had entertained Confederate officers, and
given you all information which enable you to get off safely.
In consequence I was arrested, carried to Old Point, and am
just out! "
At the first streak of dawn the Chickahominy was in sight, and
we were spurring forward to the ford.
It was impassable! The heavy rains had so swollen the waters
that the crossing was utterly impracticable! Here we were
within a few miles of an enraged enemy with a swollen and
impassable stream directly in our front-the angry waters
roaring around the half-submerged trunks of the trees— and
expecting every instant to hear the crack of carbines from the
rear-guard indicating the enemy's approach! The situation was
not pleasing. I certainly thought that the enemy would be
upon us in about an hour, and death or capture would be the
sure alternative. This view was general.
The scene upon the river's bank was curious, and
under other circumstances would have been laughable. The
men lay about in every attitude, half-overcome with sleep, but
holding their bridles,, and ready to mount at the first alarm.
Others sat their horses asleep, with drooping shoulders. Some
gnawed crackers; others ate figs, or smoked, or yawned.
Things looked blue, and that colour was figuratively spread
over every countenance.
The column was ordered to move on down the stream to a spot
where an old bridge had formerly stood. Reaching this point, a
strong rear-guard was thrown out, the artillery placed in
position, and we set to work vigorously to rebuild the bridge,
determined to bring out the guns or die trying.
The bridge had been destroyed, but the stone abutments
remained some thirty or forty feet only apart, for the river here
ran deep and narrow between steep banks. Between these
stone sentinels, facing each other, was an "aching void "
which it was necessary to fill. A skiff was procured; this was
affixed by a rope to a tree, in the mid-current just above the
abutments, and thus a movable pier was secured in the middle
of the stream. An old barn was then hastily torn to pieces and
robbed of its timbers; these were stretched down to the boat,
and up to the opposite abutment, and a footbridge was thus
ready. Large numbers of the men immediately unsaddled their
horses, took their equipments over, and then returning, drove
or rode their horses into the stream, and swain them over. In
this manner a considerable number crossed; but the process
was much too slow. There, besides, was the artillery, which we
had no intention of leaving. A regular bridge must be built
without a moment's delay.
Heavier blows resounded from the old barn; huge timbers
approached, borne on brawny soldiers, and des~ending into
the boat anchored in the middle of the stream, the men lifted
them across. They were just long enough ; the ends rested on
the abutments, and immediately thick planks were hurried
forward
and laid crosswise, forming a secure footway for the
cavalry and artillery horses.
At last the bridge was finished; the artillery crossed amid
hurrahs from the men, and then the General slowly moved his
cavalry across the shaky footway. A little beyond was another
arm of the river, which was, however, fordable, as I ascertained
and reported to the General; the water just deep enough to
swim a small horse; grid through this, as through the
interminable sloughs of the swamp beyond, the head of the
column moved. The prisoners, who were numerous, had been marched over in advance of
everything, and these were now mounted on mules, of which
several hundred had been cut from the captured wagons and
brought along. They were started under an escort across the
ford, and into the swamp beyond. Here, mounted often two on
a mule, they had a disagreeable time; the mules constantly
falling in the treacherous mud-holes, and rolling their riders in
the ooze. When a third swamp appeared before them, one of
the Federal prisoners exclaimed, with tremendous indignation,
"How many Chicken-hominies are there, I wonder, in this
infernal country!"
The gentlemen of the county, we afterwards heard, had been
electrified by the rumour that "Stuart was down at the river
trying to get across,"and had built a hasty bridge for us lower
down. We were over, however, and reaching Mr. Cutter's, the
General and his staff lay down on a carpet spread on the grass
in the June sunshine, and went to sleep. This was Sunday. I
had not slept since Friday night, except by snatches in the
saddle, and in going on to Richmond afterwards fell asleep
every few minutes on horseback.