KILPATRICK’S CAVALRY RAID TOWARD RICHMOND.
February 28-March 5, 1864.
A very daring and successful expedition was undertaken by this intrepid leader on the 28th of February, in which much damage was inflicted on the two principal railroads on which General Lee received supplies for his army, and a great deal of public property was destroyed. The command left Stevensburgh, Virginia, on Sunday night, March 28, and crossing Fly’s Ford, on the Rapidan, proceeded thence by rapid marches to Spottsylvania, Beaver Dam Station, on the Virginia Central railroad, to the fortifications of Richmond, crossing the Virginia Central railroad and the Chickahominy river near the Meadows, and the White House railroad, a little east of Tunstall’s Station, thence to New Kent Court-House and Williamsburgh Court-House.
General Kilpatrick was not without hopes of entering Richmond by a surprise movement, and also of liberating many Federal prisoners, who were confined in that city and its environs.
In order to divert the attention of the rebel commanders from the proposed raid, and also to attract the bulk of their cavalry in other directions, fifteen hundred cavalry, led by General Custer, under cover of an advance by the Sixth and Third corps to Madison Court-House, left Culpepper Court-House simultaneously with the departure of Kilpatrick from Stevensburgh. General Custer, after advancing to within a few miles of Charlottesville, found the Confederates in very heavy force, and hopeful of cutting off his command, which had now advanced twenty miles beyond infantry support. In order to avoid the enemy, he led his men through Luray Valley, by one of the gaps of the Blue Ridge, thus avoiding a very formidable force that was waiting to intercept him at the road by which he went out. Several small bodies of the enemy were encountered, and sixty prisoners taken. Ten or twelve of the Federals were wounded in these encounters, but no lives were lost, and General Custer reached the infantry lines at Madison, in safety.
General Kilpatrick’s force consisted of his own division, a portion of Merritt’s and Gregg’s divisions, and a light battery of six guns, in all nearly eight thousand men. The troops reached Spottsylvania late at night, and a detachment headed by Captain Estes, of Kilpatrick’s staff, one of the bravest men in the army, moved rapidly forward to Beaver Dam on the Virginia Central railroad, reaching that place at five p. m on Monday, when the work of destruction commenced. Small parties were sent up and down the railroad to tear up the track, burn the bridges, and destroy the rails by heating and bending them; this was comparatively an easy task, for there were thousands of cords of pine wood piled along the track. A large new brick freight-house, the telegraph office, passenger-depot, engine-house, water-tank, several cars, and a number of outbuildings, were all set on fire. While engaged in this work, a train loaded with troops appeared, and a portion of them disembarked. A charge was made by the cavalry, in which thirty-two of the rebels were captured.
At Frederickshall, a “court martial” was captured, consisting of a colonel, five captains and two lieutenants.
Detachments were now sent out in various directions, in order to destroy the railroad at other points, while the main body moved forward, and on Monday night crossed the South Anna river. The detached parties encountered small bodies of the enemy in all directions, and skirmished with varied success.
Tuesday morning, at half-past ten, found the command passing the outer earthworks on the Brook turnpike, within three and a half miles of Richmond. Several citizen soldiers were here captured, and many of the inhabitants encountered, who were unsuspicious of the character of the Federal cavalry. When within the second line of defences, the skirmishers encountered the first shots from Battery No. 9, near the third line. Skirmishing was here kept up until between four and five o’clock, General Kilpatrick anxiously awaiting some tidings from Colonel Dahlgren’s command; when relinquishing hopes of the success of that officer in his attempt to reach Richmond by way of the James river canal, General Kilpatrick withdrew in the direction of Mechanicsville, burning the trestle-work of the railroad across the Chickahominy on his route.
Colonel Dahlgren, with five hundred men, was detached at Frederickshall, with instructions to move to the right of Richmond, and destroy as much of the James river canal as possible, and attempt the deliverance of the prisoners at Belle Isle.
Colonel Dahlgren had taken a negro to pilot him to Richmond. His detachment had rapidly moved across the country, destroying barns, forage and everything which could possibly be of service to the enemy. He soon discovered that his negro guide had betrayed him, and led him toward Goochland instead of to Richmond, and on Tuesday night he found himself miles in the opposite direction from that which he wished to take. Exasperated by this treachery, the men burned the barns and outbuildings of John A. Seddons, the rebel Secretary-of-War. Retracing his steps, Colonel Dahlgren marched down the river road, destroying the Dover flour mills, and several flouring establishments and saw mills. His force also did considerable injury to the James river canal, burning canal boats and seriously damaging one or two locks. They did not reach the immediate vicinity of Richmond till afternoon, when everybody was on the alert, Kilpatrick having already made his attack.