by Unknown
The regiment rode out in a long column which snaked down the road. We had wagons with us containing tents, spare tack and ammunition. Luckily, the rest of the corps had wagons even more wagons than we did and we would not be unduly held up; we would be able to move at the same pace. Until we reached the area of the Rappahannock we would ride with the corps but once we crossed the Blue Ridge we would be doing what we did best; sticking our noses into the Union camps.
There was a little snow on the Blue Ridge as we rode through and I was grateful for the newly issued greatcoats. The colonel had been insistent that we look like regular cavalry despite our new role. I took the opportunity of speaking with my corporals about how we would operate. “We have twenty five men in our section and there are four of you. I need you to be responsible for looking after six men each. We are fortunate and there are four Wildcats in our section so only twenty one will need training.” I smiled, “On the hoof so to speak. Some of the ones who have been in other cavalry regiments may want to use their sabres. Discourage them. Cecil, make sure that all their pistols are in good working order and try to collect as many Union guns as we can when we can.”
Cecil cocked his head to one side. “I thought we weren’t Rangers any more?”
“You mean you thought we wouldn’t forage?” He nodded. “We still forage. We still collect Yankee horses. The difference is we don’t get paid for them; we just use them.” I lowered my voice. “Cecil, I have put Pickles in your section. Keep your eye on him. He has been quiet since he got hurt but I don’t want him making others as unpleasant as he is. The hard time will be when you are away on your own with the new men. Just remember how we worked as the Wildcats and you should manage.”Cecil gave me the serious look and nod he affected when he was showing that he meant something.
As we dropped down towards the Sperryville Pike the colonel halted the column. I saw him talking to the captain who then rode up to me with Harry alongside him. “Right, gentlemen, take your section and scout out Sperryville. We need to know how many, if any, Union troops are there.” He was grinning. “I envy the two of you. This is the first action of the 1st Virginia Scouts. Enjoy!”
I turned in the saddle. “First section, Yo!”
Copper almost leapt down the road and I had to rein her in to avoid leaving Harry behind. “A little keen, sergeant.” He said somewhat ironically.
I laughed, “I think it is Copper, Lieutenant Grimes, she likes the freedom.”
“Don’t we all,” He turned in his saddle. “We might as well try out the new boys.” He looked for a Wildcat, “Corporal Jones.”
Davy trotted next to him. “Sir?”
“Take four men and ride around Sperryville. The road goes to Culpeper. Wait on the other side with your boys. If there are only a few Yanks in there we may flush them out and they might try to get to Fredericksburg along the east road. You can stop them.”
“Sir!” He galloped away looking eager to be the first to meet with the enemy.
I was pleased to see that two of the men with Davy were Wildcats. They would be fine. They galloped hard as they would have to leave the road and go across country to reach the other side unseen. I wondered if this was the way regular cavalry operated. We were all learning from each other; the regular cavalry and the Rangers. Together we would make a potent combination.
Sperryville lay at the bottom of a valley and was surrounded by hills and crags rising to sixteen hundred feet. I knew that we could see a great deal before we ever reached the town. If this was the old days I would have made a suggestion or two to Harry but I would have to wait and see what ideas he had; he was the officer. When we were two miles from the town we halted. He turned to the men. “We will leave the road here and travel in the woods to the north. I don’t want us seen until the last minute.”
I heard a mumbled groan from one of the new men. “What was that Trooper Hargreaves?” I remembered First Sergeant Foster’s advice.
“I just asked why we have to ride though the trees. There is snow on some of them and it will be more uncomfortable getting wet branches in the face all the time.”
“Well isn’t that a pity. I didn’t know you were so fragile. Tell you what. Why don’t you ride in front of me on point and then I can look after you.”
There were sniggers from his friends as he rode in front of me. I could see the grin on Pickles’ face. He had obviously been working on the young trooper. He would be even wetter now as he would be the one riding though the trees first. It was slightly harder going but we were travelling downhill which made it easier. “Right, Trooper. Halt there.” I could see that we were now less than a mile away from the town. It was at the junction of three roads and I could see a Union flag flying. That meant that there were some soldiers in the town. Civilians rarely identified their leanings until they saw the colour of the army approaching them. This part of the world was constantly being retaken by one side or the other. “It looks like there are some troops there, lieutenant.”
“Right boys. We’ll give the corporal a few more minutes to get into position. Check that your pistols are ready. We will not be using sabres today. If there are Yankees there we will use our revolvers. I hope you know how to use them.” Even though I had checked mine already, I pointedly took it out to go through the motions. His familiar English voice shouted, “Sergeant Hogan, lead off!”
I kicked Copper and we returned to the road. “Hargreaves, you can ride at the rear now. You have done your duty for the day.” I saw the relief on his face as he wheeled to the back. My position was now the most dangerous. If there were soldiers down there and they fired a volley and fled then it would still be me who would be hit. I took out my revolver. I could fire quickly and I had learned that being the first to fire often meant being the one to survive. I could see the town clearer now. It looked to have houses and buildings on each of the three roads which suggested prosperity. Fortunately there appeared to be no barrier to halt us. I saw a handful of blue uniforms race from a building when we were less than eight hundred yards from the edge of town. Even as I wondered what type of troops they were I saw the horses being led from the barn. There was flash from their muzzles and then the crack of carbines. I shook my head. They were too far away to be effective and they had just wasted a ball. The men were either novices or badly led. The eight men leapt on their horses and galloped along the Sperryville Pike towards Culpeper. “Corporal Mulrooney, bring your section with me.” I knew that Harry would need the rest of the patrol to secure the town and Davy was up ahead with his ambush; he might need some help with eight men to contain.
The citizens had wisely decided to stay behind their doors as we galloped through the town. We were soon beyond the last house and I heard the crack of pistols and then the pop of carbines in the distance. The ambush had worked. “Ready your revolvers!”
Up ahead I saw three horses wandering around and they had no riders. I also saw some blue uniforms and splashes of blood on the frosty road. As we reined in Davy came towards me with a black look on his face. “Sorry sir. They got away.” He glared at one of the troopers who had the good grace to look shamefaced. “Trooper McIntyre decided to fire too early and they were warned. There’s one dead and two wounded.”
“Never mind, corporal, I am sure that a week of shovelling horse shit will help Trooper McIntyre to mend his ways. Corporal Mulrooney, get the body buried. Corporal Jones, take your prisoners back to the lieutenant. I will be along later.”
While Cecil’s men dug the grave I searched the body of the corporal who had been shot. They were the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry. I wondered where Rhode Island was. My knowledge of America was limited to South Carolina and Virginia. There was a picture of a stern looking couple and I assumed they were his parents. They looked to be his only personal items apart from a pocket knife and a few dollars. He had an Army Colt and some ammunition which I took. His boots also looked in good condition. “Corporal, take his boots and see if they fit any of the boys.” Some of ou
r men had crudely made shoes and boots. Rhode Island gave its sons decent one.
“Sir!”
I wandered over to the horse. Like most of the Union cavalry it was a good mount. It was our first spare. His carbine was just a single shot but it was better than some of the ones my men had. The sabre was also in better condition. With the two horses of the wounded men and their guns our troopers would be better equipped. When the body was laid in the grave and covered with soil and stones I suddenly realised that the men were looking to me to say something. I removed my hat and the men did the same. “Lord, here is a young Yankee from Rhode Island. He did his duty and I hope he gets a welcome up there. Amen.”
“Amen.”
I knew I had not said the right words but I hoped that the dead corporal would forgive me. I would need to find the right words to say the next time.
By the time we reached the town the people were out and greeting our men as though we were returning heroes. I was becoming more cynical in those days and I imagined that they would have given as warm a greeting to the Union soldiers who had fled. We made the most of it however. Harry sent two sections to watch the Warrenton Road while my section was sent, with Cecil and Davy to guard the road to Culpeper. He secured permission to use a field to the west of the town for the camp which we assumed the colonel would wish to establish. This was a good base of operations. The town controlled one of the routes through the Blue Ridge and gave us good access to the Rappahannock Valley. We both hoped that the colonel would approve.
The rest of the regiment reached us a couple of hours later. I did notice the look of dismay on some of the good citizens of Sperryville as the long column and wagons pulled into their home. They should have realised that they would be a strategic town because it had fine and prosperous businesses and was one of the larger towns in this part of Virginia. That was to be expected. No one wanted two hundred soldiers camped on their doorstep. Harry smartly saluted as Colonel Cartwright halted. “Sir the town is secured. We have two prisoners. Five of their men escaped towards Culpeper. Sorry sir.”
The colonel shook his head, “That happens son. How many casualties on our side?”
Harry looked perplexed, “Why none at all sir.”
“Excellent. That is the kind of news I want. Now we shall need a camp…”
“Sir, I took the liberty of getting permission to use that field there, to the west of the town.”
“Well done First Sergeant Hogan. I like resourceful men. Sergeant Major, see to the camp will you? I will go and see the town elders and let them know that we will not be imposing military law on them. I suspect they will be worried that we will be taking their chickens and the like.”
“Yes sir! B and C Troop. First Sergeants to me.” As the men galloped down the road, he nodded to me. “Well done First Sergeant Hogan.”
I enjoyed the praise but I knew that my duties were not finished. “Corporal Mulrooney, when the horse lines are established, then please ensure that our designated shit shoveller gets to work as soon as possible.” I saw the trooper’s shoulders sag. He had thought that I had forgotten my decision. He would learn.
That evening the officers and First Sergeants were summoned to the command tent. The colonel had a bottle of whisky open on the table. “I thought just a glass each would take away the evening chill.”
We raised our glasses, I wondered where they had come from, and we all said, “To the regiment” as though we had rehearsed it.
“We made a good start today. Tomorrow the real work will begin. Captain Boswell you and your men know this region. What can you tell us about it? We have the maps but you have travelled the roads and eyes on the ground are always more informative.”
“Well sir, the Rappahannock is not the Potomac and you can ford it in many places. That makes it easier for groups of men to slip across the river unseen. Fredericksburg was well fortified when we were there but other smaller towns like Falmouth weren’t. If the enemy is planning something then the smaller towns may give us some softer targets. The land immediately around Fredericksburg is hilly and forested. It is an easy place to sneak small groups of men in and out of.” He grinned. “That was our speciality.”
“And the railroad?”
“That is to the north; up towards Manassas. There are more patrols in that area than further south. It would be more difficult to hide the regiment there. The trouble is that you never know which side the people are on; a little like here. They cheer and welcome you but you don’t know what is going on behind their smiles.”
“Quite. Well I plan on using this area for a little while so tomorrow the Sergeant Major and I will take some of your problematic soldiers. We need latrines digging and the like. I want the three troops to go north, east and south. Get as far as you can and bring back as complete a picture of the troops in this area as you can.” He smiled and he looked, once again, like the kindly uncle. “If you could leave your armourer corporal and your medical corporal than would help us immeasurably.” That would do both men good as it would show them that the colonel had selected them and would raise their self esteem. That was really important for someone like Cecil who had had such a poor start to his military life.
It almost felt like old times as we headed towards Culpeper. We had all of the Wildcats and twenty of the more reliable men. Cecil and David had been amazed that the colonel had asked for them. I suspect it was the colonel’s way of getting to know some of his men. He had been a colonel for a long time and some things didn’t change. We had no idea which way the town of Culpeper would go. It was a large town with an important court house. They were on the border and I knew that if I lived on the border I would be loath to show my true colours. Dago led his men into the town and we were relieved when he quickly returned. “Not a Yankee in sight. The four men Davy and Jack chased warned the ones who were stationed here and they lit out for Manassas. Culpeper is free from the enemy.”
We all knew that they could change their allegiance at any time. “Sergeant Smith, take your section and secure the town.” Jed’s eyes showed his surprise at the order and the captain gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “If the Yanks come back then you skedaddle and let us know. I don’t want any casualties. I just need early warning. We will head on towards Warrenton just to see if they are sending any help. Try to find some rooms. The Confederacy is paying. We’ll be back before nightfall.”
As we left Culpeper the captain turned to Danny. “Take Sergeant Spinelli and get as close as you can to Warrenton. We will not be far behind you.”
When the two men left I rode with Harry and the captain. Captain Boswell turned to me. “Does this feel strange to you two?”
Both of us looked at each other and nodded. “Yes captain. This feels like we are taking money for nothing. We took far greater risks when we were Partisan Rangers.”
“I agree with Jack sir. I thought that being in the regulars would be different to this.”
“I think you are both right. This will change and we should not become complacent but this is so easy, it is frightening.”
When Dago and Danny returned from the Warrenton Road it was almost an anticlimax. The Yankees had fled. They were moving everything east. We passed through Culpeper and stopped briefly to speak with Jed. “There should be no Union soldiers within forty miles but keep a good watch.”
The colonel was delighted with the news. “You have confirmed what the others have told us. The Yankees have pulled back. Tomorrow we head for Culpeper. I have sent the news back to General Stuart. I think we have the Union on the run. We appear and they decide to evacuate the vicinity.” He smiled. “They must have heard of us.”
The Sergeant Major stroked his chin. “I know these soldiers are not Mexicans but they are behaving like the men we fought. The thing is, colonel, we fought alongside some of their officers and they are not this bad. I think we should proceed cautiously. They may be making us think they are weaker than they are.” He stared at the three First Sergean
ts. He was not talking to the officers; he was talking to us.
The next day I was mindful of his words. This was too easy. Why would they let us get this close to Washington? Were they laying a trap? I was not stupid. We were an under strength regiment and our loss would not hurt the Confederacy. A horrible thought passed through my head. Were we the bait? I could not rid my mind of that thought as we collected Jed and carried on to the east. Once we cleared the town we had two choices. We could head north east or south east. A patrol to the south east would take us towards Fredericksburg and north east towards Washington. Neither was an attractive prospect as there would be huge numbers of soldiers in both vicinities. I was learning that, old though he was, the colonel was not afraid of a challenge. He took us towards the wasp’s nest that was Fredericksburg.
After their defeat before Christmas the Union had fortified the town to prevent any more advances by the Confederacy. Burnside had been sent back to Washington in disgrace and Hooker was in temporary command. We had learned this through the Yankee newspapers and intelligence from spies in Washington. Hooker was in no mood to be beaten by the rebs again and the town bristled with guns and defences. The colonel decided to take us, as there were no Union forces close by, to the outskirts of Fredericksburg. We would use the experience of the Wildcats. We were to lead the regiment north towards Warrenton and then head south east so that we approached the fortified Fredericksburg from the north. General Stuart had made it quite clear that he wanted the Union forces to be nervous about where we would attack. By approaching from the north the colonel was making Hooker think that, perhaps, there was an army heading from that direction. Where General Lee would attack next was anybody’s guess but we all knew that he had to keep the Union away from Richmond and that meant defeating them one more time before we could invade the north.