The Comanches: A History of White's Battalion, Virginia Cavalry

by Frank M. Myers

After moving about a mile, Ed. Oxley reported that he had found in a wheat field, the frying pans, blankets and other articles of the skirmish line. So halting the command, the Lieutenant made a reconnoissance, in which he discovered about, as he thought, two thousand infantry and a regiment of cavalry, on the road, which he reported to the General, and was very much astonished that an advance was not made at once, but after waiting some time, and seeing the enemy retire slowly, he resolved to see where they went, and taking Ed. Wright with him, the pair got into the mill-race which passes into Halltown, and hid from view by the high banks and bushes, waded safely to the miller’s house, which is right in town, and going to the upper windows had a full view of all the force there, which did not consist of over six hundred cavalry and a regiment of infantry; and, deeming this information of importance, they returned to Gen. Ewell and reported; finding both the Generals, Ewell and Jackson, on a hill about half a mile from the town, and on the same position the enemy had occupied in the morning.

The officers both expressed themselves highly pleased with the information and the manner in which it was obtained, but Gen. Ewell thought it would have been better if the scouts had returned to him immediately on getting it, instead of stopping at the miller’s house to eat a good dinner, which was on the table when they came down stairs; but it was too late then, for they had the dinner, and mentally resolved to do the same thing, when the opportunity presented itself, whether the General liked it or not, but they also resolved, in the same manner, not to tell him next time.

It appeared that General Jackson had no intention of making a fight here, but only to demonstrate upon the Yankees along the river until he could get his immense quantities of captured stores and baggage away from Winchester and the railroad, and he now had only a small force of infantry with a battery at Halltown.

While lying here watching the enemy, five of them came on the road, in good gunshot of the battery, and annoyed the men there very much, but were themselves perfectly safe, and, at the solicitation of Ed. Wright and Norman Smith, Lieut. Myers went to Gen. Ewell for permission to go and drive them away, which, for some time, he refused, but finally, on the third application, he rather testily exclaimed, "Yes; go on, go on; but you’ll come back faster than you go;" and away went the three with their new carbines to try their luck.

They managed to get a good position unperceived by the sharpshooters, and as only one of them could be seen, and he very imperfectly, it was decided that Myers, who was supposed to be the best shot, should fire first, and Smith and Wright take theirs when the Yankees raised up. They were all successful, and left three of the boys lying on the ground, but no sooner had they done so than they found themselves in a perfect hornet’s nest, for two companies of infantry, who had been lying all the while concealed among some trees on the hillside, just beyond the pike, opened a hot fire upon the three scouts, and they being now in an open clover field, had to run for their lives. Smith and Wright ran to a hollow and escaped easily, but Myers started directly up the hill to the battery, and being dressed in a new red shirt, had a lively time of it, and would scarcely have escaped at all but for the General opening on them with his artillery; as it was his red shirt got three balls through it, and his fright was well nigh mortal.

This affair brought on a heavy cannonade, which kept up nearly all the afternoon, and when night came the Confederates fell back, which they continued to do until they reached Winchester again, and the company of White had a long and hard scout to find Gen. Ewell’s ordnance train, which by some means had got off the road at Smithfield; and during this scout they found a box of sabres at Stevenson’s depot, which was sent back by a detail for the purpose, and the Yankees coming up about this time gave the boys carrying the arms a chase, in which several sabres were lost, but they boasted that all the scabbards were saved.

On reaching the division the train was found to have been in camp all the time, and now the fact that Fremont was coming down on one flank, and Shields on the other, both moving on lines that would unite them in Jackson’s rear, impelled that commander to move up the Valley, not thinking it very desirable to form a junction with the Generals named so far away from the Blue Ridge, which was always the great commander’s wall of defense under his faith in the Great Jehovah.

Sunday morning, June 1st, 1862, the army reached Strasburg, and at this point Gen. Fremont attempted to flank “Stonewall,” but the latter preferred not to be flanked, and to prevent it unlimbered his batteries and after an hour’s conversation by the brazen lips of these interpreters, Gen. F. decided that if Jackson didn’t want to be flanked, why he wouldn’t do it, and gave up the job, but from now on the Yankees closely pressed the rear, and Ashby with his cavalry and Chew’s battery fought them from every hill.

It was while on this march that Col. Sir Percy Wyndham bagged Ashby, an exploit by which he hoped to win a Brigadier’s commission, and undoubtedly would have done so if he had taken Ashby to Washington instead of allowing Ashby to take him to Richmond.

The couriers had extremely severe work on this march up the Valley pike, but the army encamped regularly every night, and never for one moment did the march take the appearance of a retreat, for the rear guard always held its positions as long as it was necessary. On arriving at Mount Jackson, Gen. Ewell established headquarters, and pitched his tent at the end of the bridge and on the bank of the river, but during the night a tremendous storm of rain came down and the stream raised so rapidly that before headquarters knew what was going on it was on an island, with the water rising every moment, and no boat to get out in. Everything was soon in confusion, but Gen. Ewell mounted his old gray horse, “Rifle,” and taking the little Indian, “Friday,” behind him, plunged into the water without coat or hat and swam over to the camp of his cavalry, leaving the staff and wagon to get out as they could, but the company went to their assistance and soon had the whole business moved over.