by Unknown
“Sergeant Major.” Cecil wandered over. “We will head back tomorrow. This place will be like a hornet’s nest soon.”
“What about the others sir.”
“Hopefully we will see them or get some news of them on the way back but…”
He saw my concern, “Don’t worry sir. They are good lads. Something has happened but they will get out of it.”
His voice told me that he too thought it had ended badly. While he and the others prepared some food I pored over the maps and the papers. It looked to me like the Union was about to launch a major attack. When I reached the third document I froze. They were sending a Cavalry Corps towards Kelly’s Ford. Sergeant James could well have fallen foul of them. Regardless of that this was valuable information. I had to get it to the general.
“Sergeant Major, forget my earlier orders. We have to leave this afternoon. We’ll wait until the horses are rested. Have the men take down the spare tents.” His look was one of puzzlement. “The Yankees are about to attack Kelly’s Ford. It is a major attack. Even now we may be too late.”
“But sir, if we travel in daylight we risk being seen or captured.”
I shrugged, “We have no choice. If their cavalry gets over the Rappahannock then we could well lose the war. General Lee is the only army between Hooker and Richmond.”
Cecil was a simple soldier but even he could understand the ramifications of a Union breakthrough. “Right sir. Make sure you eat too eh sir? We don’t want to lose as well.”
The two officers complained, of course, “Sir, this is not the way gentlemen behave. I implore you to untie our hands. I give you my word that we will not try to escape.”
The major looked overweight and unfit but the captain was little older than me. “Very well. Dawes, untie them but first take away their belts and their suspenders.”
Both looked too shocked to even make a reply but Trooper Dawes grinned. The two men would be going nowhere fast as they tried to hold their pants up. We managed to get the camp down quicker than it was erected.
“Sergeant Major, take the ten most experienced troopers. I want you eleven to guard the horses and the prisoners. Trooper Muldoon can be added to those ten. If we get attacked or if anything happens to me then your orders are to get the plans and the prisoners through to Kelly’s Ford.” I handed him the papers. “I have made a copy of the important points. They must get through. Is that clear?”
I could see that he was unhappy but he would obey orders. “Yes sir.”
“When you have chosen your men, send the rest to me.”
The seven men almost ran up to me. I could see that they were the seven youngest men left. “We are going to make sure that the prisoners, the horses and the plans get through to General Lee. If we are attacked then we hold off the attackers.” Their grins reassured me.
I saw that there were a couple of reliable scouts amongst them. I had seen them operate before. “Dawson and Lythe, you two will be half a mile ahead of us. We are heading for the river but I want to avoid the roads. Use your noses to sniff out trouble. If you think there is anyone ahead then high tail it back to the Sergeant major. The rest of you will be with me at the rear. Make sure your guns are all reloaded.”
As we left the camp, the tents and spare equipment on the spare horses, I remembered when I had been a young trooper and I had been excited when Danny had given me a special task. These boys would acquit themselves well, of that I had no doubt. They might be young but they were the 1st Virginia through and through.
The rain had finally stopped and there was a brighter grey to the afternoon. We had to pass by farms and homesteads but that could not be helped. If they saw us they would still have to send for help. We just pushed on. The uphill parts were not that bad to travel across but as soon as we struck a dip or a hollow then it was as though the ground was sucking our horses down. It was treacherous and we did not make the progress we should have. The two scouts skirted the dangerous town of Warrenton. We all knew that they would be on the alert.
It was getting towards dark when we saw the glow from the Warrenton camp fires. The last town we had glimpsed had been some miles back and it had still been daylight. Suddenly Trooper Lythe galloped into sight. “Sir there is a troop of cavalry ahead and they are combing the woods.”
“Sergeant Major, you take the Unionville road. Head for Culpeper. We will lead them towards Fredericksburg. We’ll catch up with you as soon as we can lose them.”
Even as he saluted and led them off we both knew that it was unlikely that we would be able to do what I had suggested. The best that I could hope for would be to give the men the chance to escape. “Right, Trooper Lythe. Take us towards them. When we see them I want no rebel yells; just three shots from every man and then ride due east as fast as you can.”
I took out my Army Colt in preparation. When the action started there would be no time to think. I was relying on the fact that their attention would be on the ground looking for tracks and the last thing they would expect would be to be attacked.
We moved slowly through the woods. They were coming steadily towards us. We would meet eventually. I signalled for the handful of men I had to spread out. I wanted the Yankees to think that there were more of us than there actually were. I placed myself at the right of the line. I would be the most exposed of us all. For some this would be their first engagement of this type and I knew how frightening it could be.
Suddenly I saw the blue shapes moving towards us. None of them appeared to have a weapon in their hands which gave us the advantage. We kept moving slowly down the gentle slope. I could see my young troopers glancing nervously at me as they waited for the order. When we were just forty yards away and I knew that someone would see us soon, despite the gloom of dusk and the dark of the woods, I raised my pistol and aimed for the middle of the sergeant I could see. As soon as I had fired I cocked and fired twice more. My men all fired three times as ordered. The smoke obscured my vision. Then I shouted, “Ride!”
We wheeled to ride parallel to the Union horsemen. They would have to ride up hill and would make slower progress. Despite what I had told my boys I kept firing until my first gun was empty. I holstered it and took out a saddle pistol and kept firing until that one, too was empty. You could mark the line of our escape by the smoke from our guns. By the time they had begun popping away, we were more than sixty yards from them. It was now a chase.
I could hear orders being barked as well as the sound of pistols and the breaking of branches. It was surreal. As we were heading east we were riding into the dark. The only way they would see us was by our muzzle flashes and we had ceased to fire. We crested a rise and then plunged down the other side. I knew that the land to the east was devoid of habitation and we needed to head south soon. I urged Copper on, relying on his sure feet to get us through safely. I began to overtake my troopers.
“Follow me!”
As soon as I had passed the leading rider I wheeled Copper around. I risked cutting across the Yankee line but I hoped that they would still be heading east. I holstered my empty gun and took out my last loaded one. It was a wise move. As I jinked around a tree a Yankee trooper loomed up before me. I just reacted. I lifted the huge Colt and fired in one movement. He fell from his horse which plunged down the slope after us. The single shot must have thrown our pursuers for I heard orders and questions being shouted behind us. The sounds faded as we lost them in the dark.
We did not slow down until we emerged suddenly into a clearing and the road. I had a trooper grab the Yankee horse. “Reload and let your horses rest a while. We are out of the woods but we, sure as shooting, aren’t in the clear yet.”
The road led to Unionville but that was across the Rappahannock. If they had cavalry patrolling the hills it was a good bet that they would also be on the road. We would have to proceed cautiously.
“Make a column of twos. Keep your eyes and ears open and watch your horses, they can smell a Yankee.”
Miraculousl
y we saw nothing. We left the road and headed across country to find the ford. Dawn was breaking and we were exhausted. I had the men walking and leading their horses. It would not do to be forced to walk later if our horses went lame. Suddenly Copper’s ears pricked up and I took out my pistol. I held up my hand and we edged forwards. Through the gloom of the first light I saw a shape I raised my gun and then lowered it. It was the rest of my troop. We had found them.
“Captain Hogan coming in!”
The trooper on guard said, “Are we glad to see you sir. The Sergeant Major was real worried.”
I relaxed as I walked towards the other shapes. Irish came up to me. “We heard the shooting. Is everyone alright sir?”
“Yes Sergeant Major. How come you didn’t get over the ford?”
In answer he led me forwards to the ford itself. There was no ford, it was a raging river. All the recent rains had swollen it and made it impassable. Although we were stuck on the wrong side at least Hooker could not use the fords for his cavalry.
“So sir, what do we do?”
I could see the looks on the faces of all the troopers; they were despondent. Much of it was down to lack of sleep and food but part of it was to have done so much and be stopped by rain! I couldn’t just give up; I had to try something. “Sergeant Major, take out the map I gave you earlier.” He held the map for me. I could see where we were and how far behind the lines we were. There were bridges that we could use but they were in Union hands. I jabbed a finger at a spot on the map. “Remington. There is a bridge there. We will just have to hope that it is in our hands at the moment.”
“And if not sir?”
“Then you had better pray that my luck is still holding.”
Remington was a small town with a small bridge. I doubt that the wooden structure would have stood up to an army crossing it but my little group would not trouble it. We reached the outskirts of the tiny burg in the middle of the morning. I could see blue uniforms on the bridge but not many of them. There were few Union flags to be seen which made me think that this town had southern sympathies.
I gathered the men around me. “We are tired and we are hungry. The only thing in our way is that little bridge and those few Yankees. I say we can ride through them and reach our camp at Kelly’s Ford. Are you with me?”
“Yes sir!” was their chorus.
“Good. We ride towards the bridge as though we are Yankees. When I give the signal we ride straight through them. In my experience, Yankee soldiers don’t like to get in the way of charging horses. Sergeant Major, I’ll lead with my group and you follow through afterwards. You bring up the rear.”
I heard him mumble, “No change there then!”
As we rode through the town, which didn’t take long, I smiled and waved at the civilians. Most just waved back but a couple recognised our uniforms and just stood open mouthed. The bridge was about a quarter of a mile from the town. I could see the sentries peering down the road at the column which was approaching them. They did not appear anxious and their guns were stacked neatly at the side of the bridge. I waved at them and they waved back. We were within thirty paces when the sergeant became suspicious.
“Ride!” It was a race. We were racing to get across the bridge and the soldiers were racing to get their weapons. We won. Five of the eight soldiers hurled themselves into the river. Two were knocked over by the horses but the sergeant managed to reach his gun. I was in the middle of the bridge and, I was told later, he had a bead on my back until Irish slashed at his back with his sabre. We had managed to cross back into Confederate territory and we had not even fired a shot.
We kept riding. We knew that our camp was a little over five miles away and were anxious to reach home. When we saw the flag still flying we all broke into a canter. I had dreaded finding it captured. As we reined in Sergeant James and Dago came running out to meet us.
Sergeant James was apologetic. “I’m sorry sir we couldn’t get back. We reached the camp and then the river rose. I am sorry.”
I held up my hand. “Nothing to apologise for. I am just glad you got back. Did you lose any men?”
“Two sir but we captured a hundred head of horses.” He grinned cheekily, “We took the best and delivered the rest to General Stuart. He was happy.”
“Well done. How did it go for you, Dago?”
My old friend’s face looked pained. “We were ambushed. We lost ten troopers.”
“Dead?”
“I don’t know. We were chased by a full troop of cavalry. We got back just after the sergeant and we had to swim the river. The Yanks weren’t as stupid as us and they halted.”
I then told them my news. “We need to fortify the ford. There could be a whole corps heading this way. Dago, you are fresh. Take the prisoners and the documents to the general. He will need to know what is going on.”
As Dago led the prisoners away the major held out his hand. “Sir, you may be an enemy but I have never seen anyone take so many risks as you did. Can I ask how old you are?”
“Let’s just say, sir, that I have been fighting for most of my adult life and it is second nature not to give in.”
“I admire that sir.” He shook his head, “I am just sorry that I will now be a prisoner of war.”
“No sir. You and I know that you two will be exchanged. It’s the likes of the troopers who get prison.”
He nodded, saluted and rode off behind Dago. I had no time to waste. “Sergeant James. Get your boys to rebuild the barricades and trenches at the ford. Dig a couple of ditches too. It will be cavalry who are coming and we need to make life difficult for them.”
“Yes sir.”
“Irish, make sure our lads get to bed. They will need all their energy when the Yankee cavalry comes. The river will be getting lower sooner rather than later.”
“Sir and Captain Hogan?”
“Yes Sergeant Major?”
“Take your own orders too and get some rest.”
I nodded but I would not. I took Copper to the horse lines and rubbed her down. I found a couple of carrots for her and put a bag of grain over her head. She deserved it. I then went to the quartermaster sergeant. “Winthrop, do we have any artillery left?”
“No sir. The infantry took it to Fredericksburg.”
“Any gunpowder?”
“A couple of barrels.” He looked intrigued, “Any reason sir?”
“I’d like to make some bombs. Put your mind to it eh?”
I strolled down to the ford. I could see the high water mark and the river’s level was falling. “Sergeant put some stakes in the ground to the right and left of the ford. I want to force the cavalry into a killing ground here.”I pointed to the forty foot gap.
“Yes sir. There are plenty of fence posts in the timber yard. We’ll get them.” He looked at me, concern written all over his face, “Sir, the Sergeant Major is right. You need sleep.”
“Don’t you worry, sergeant, I will sleep when I am happy that we have plugged this gap.” All of us worked until we dropped although I am sad to say that it was me who dropped. I found that I had been put to bed by the Sergeant Major and the guard on my tent given instructions to shoot or cold cock any bastard who disturbed my sleep. I did awake refreshed.
When Dago returned it was with two six pound cannon and a hundred Louisiana infantrymen. “The general was delighted with your intelligence and he sent these men because he thinks he might need us. I have been given orders to send riders to find the major and the others. It looks like we are rejoining General Stuart.”
Chapter 4
It was a couple of days before the rest of the regiment arrived back at our camp. They too had been knocked about a little. In all the regiment had lost forty men it could ill afford to lose. Danny was as pleased as anyone with my success, especially the horses. “It was a miserable time Jackie Boy. It was like being in Ireland again. It never stopped feckin’ raining.” He pointed to the sky. “I am just glad the sun has finally come out.”
&
nbsp; “Yes sir, but that means that the Yanks will probably come as well.” In the end we left before they came.
We left Kelly’s Ford for the last time in the last week of April 1863. We had had great success there but it still held the memory of Colonel Beauregard shooting Colonel Boswell. We had camped there for the last time although we passed over the fateful ford more times than I can count.
General Stuart’s aide brought us a jug of fine whisky as soon as we had set up our camp amongst the hundreds of other cavalrymen. “The general is pleased with your intelligence and your horses. He thanks the 1st Virginia Scouts.”
After he had gone Danny opened it and poured us all a healthy glass. “I have to say boys that we had nothing to do with this; it was all down to Lucky Jack again.”
Jed toasted me and then said, “I am beginning to see that it isn’t so much luck it’s more that he takes more chances than we do.”
“Aye you could be right.”
I hated it when they spoke of me. I changed the subject. “We are a little short of corporals, sir. It makes it harder to move in smaller groups. I used responsible troopers to help organise the men but it isn’t the same.”
“You are right. I’ll get Irish to sort some out. The trouble is we need more men. I’ll write to the colonel and see what he can do.”
“How is he doing?”
“There was a letter waiting when we arrived.” He patted his pocket. “He is almost ready to travel.” His wound had been life threatening but we had all expected him back sooner.
If we thought we would have time to recover from our exertions we were wrong. We knew there was something up when one of the 5th Virginia Cavalry came galloping along the road as though the devil himself was after him. He almost threw himself from his horse before it had stopped. He was in the headquarters buildings but a matter of moments before one of the general’s aides mounted his horse and rode in the direction of Fredericksburg. As the last camp along the Confederate lines we knew that whatever was coming would hit us first.