The Major now went on to Winchester, whither most of his men had preceded him, while Capt. Myers, with a small party, waited by their wagon until the horses were brought back, which was about dark, when they too rode on up the pike, and met General Jones and staff at the Opekon, who made them turn back and go to Berryville to learn if the enemy was still there; but on arriving at that place they found the Yankee rear guard retiring towards the river. The miserable affair was over, but it left its influence upon the command, and their pride in the battalion was clashed by the shame of the surprise.
The surgeon, Dr. Wootten of Maryland, who had never seen the battalion, but was just on his way to join it, was met by the Yankees and carried off with the others.
As before stated, Capt. Grubb was in his tent sick, when Gen. Stahl’s people (for that Dutchman was in command) came up, and many of them crowded around, asking questions, among which they wanted to know what was the matter with him. "I don’t know," said Dick, “but they tell me I have the small-pox.”
After that he wasn’t disturbed at all for some time, but finally an Adjutant who was seasoned to it came to see him, treating him very kindly, however, and assisted him to move to some negro quarters near by, where he took his parole and left him, while the officer returned and set fire to his tent.
The enemy was about twelve hundred strong and all superbly mounted, especially the advance column, so that all the men in Company A who were on indifferent horses were easily picked up in the three-mile chase from Castleman’s, where the only error of their commander was committed, in keeping his men at the river until the Yankees were nearly over.
Lieut. Conrad related, that on their run up the pike, he having staid in the rear as long as it was possible to do without letting himself be taken, he passed Lieut. Barrett, who was mounted on a large racking horse that had the name of “John,” (and “John” had no motion faster than his rack, either,) and was doing what Conrad called his “level best.” Just as Conrad rode by, he called out, "You must go faster than that, Lieutenant, or they’ll get you." But Barrett, casting an eye over his shoulder, and giving at the same time an extra dig with his spurs, coolly remarked, "No they won’t; they’ll never catch me while old John racks this way." Lieut. Conrad says that in three minutes they were all around him, and soon after he made an unconditional surrender of “old John” and all.
Lieut. Barrett wore a pair of U. S. A. lieutenant’s shoulder straps, and on the way down the pike some of the Yankees cut them off for him, saying no rebel had any right to wear their officers’ rigging.
The next morning, Major White got his command together and made a scout over into Loudoun, but the enemy had all disappeared, and for many a day Gen. Stahl considered this exploit of whipping “dat dam Bob White,” as he called him, the chiefest plume in his cap; and some of his men, who were afterwards captured, say that he insisted on being made General-in-Chief[General-in-Chief] of the U. S. Cavalry for it.
Two days after Stahl’s expedition, Gen. Jones ordered his brigade to assemble at Winchester, and when dark came down with night, he marched it to Strasburg, where he halted for a little time.
It was here that the old General tried to teach White’s men how to bivouac in winter nights with no comforts but fires and their blankets. Said he, “Lie down by the fire on the opposite side from where the wind blows, and the fire keeps the wind from you while the smoke blows over you and keeps off frost or dew.” “Oh, but,” said one of the men, “the smoke is a little too bitter for me.” “Yes,” replied the General, “you get some of the bitter, but you get a damned sight of the sweet, too.” There is good philosophy in this, apart from the profanity—and all who are compelled to camp out would do well to practice it.