Capt. Dowdell, with fifty-five men, marched to St. Paul’s church below Neersville, at night, and waited quietly in the woods for his game, but no blue-jackets put in an appearance until about noon the next day, when Dowdell’s scout, who was none other than the famous John Mobberly, reported about one hundred Yankees coming from Harper’s Ferry. Soon after this, the pickets on the Short Hill side came in at a gallop, saying the enemy was in their rear, which caused the Captain to wheel about and march his command in that direction, and he soon came upon an interesting little fight between Lieuts. Sam. Grubb and Ben. Conrad, who, while reconnoitering, had run upon two of the enemy’s scouts engaged in the same business, and had attempted their capture. After this was over they started back to the grade, but the Yankees there had heard the firing and were retreating towards the Ferry, and owing to difficulties presented by the rough and broken country, considerable time was lost by Capt. D.’s command in reaching the road, but those of the men who were best mounted soon came up in the enemy’s rear, and chased them under cover of the batteries on Maryland heights, wounding two and capturing five, together with eight horses of the enemy, who proved to be a scouting party of Means’ command, numbering about seventy-five men, with three days’ rations, on an intended scout, but owing to Capt. Dowdell’s interference with their plans, they did not get more than two miles from their headquarters.
On their arrival at Harper’s Ferry, a brigade of cavalry was sent out, which followed the Confederates to Hillsborough, but travelled too slow to overtake them.
Col. White with his party had, in the meantime, passed through Fairfax, by Hunter’s Mill, Lewensville and Vienna, to Green’s Store, where he succeeded in taking Amey; and on his return was told by “Jack” Dove, who got his information from Albert Gunnell, that a strong force of the enemy had passed up after Col. Mosby, who had been troubling them, as was the custom of that gallant and enterprising officer; and Col. White turned out by Thornton’s Mill, but just before reaching that place, about midnight, the prisoner, who was riding behind one of the men, leaped from the horse and escaped into the woods.
Several shots were fired at him, but with what effect no one could tell, and the party moved forward again, and just before reaching the mill were fired upon by a party hid behind a fence. The Colonel, supposing them to be citizens, wheeled about and rode up to the fence, but some of his men told him they were wounded, and the firing being kept up, he turned to his guide saying, “They shoot too well for citizens; show us the way out of here.” They now passed a barn, from behind which a party of about one hundred opened another fire upon them, at very short range, and Col. White ordered his men to cross the Rail Road, but in attempting it were met and fired upon by a third party of Yankees, when they turned to go up the Rail Road and in a few yards were again exposed to a galling fire from a fourth party. It now seemed that escape was impossible, but the Colonel determined to make one more attempt, and his men following, he rode over the Rail Road bank and got clear of the trap into which they had so unwittingly wandered.
They lost two or three horses killed, but managed to get all the wounded men out, and making the best time possible, were five miles from Thornton’s when daylight came.
It was afterwards ascertained that the force of Yankees engaged in this affair was over four hundred, and that the captured spy and guide knew of the ambuscade, which induced him to risk so much in his escape.
The next affair of importance was the raid to Lewensville, which occurred about the 10th of October. One of his scouts had reported to the Colonel that a cavalry camp of about two hundred men and horses was located near that place, and taking with him about sixty of Companies A and B, he secured the services of George Tramell as pilot, and started on the hazardous expedition.
On arriving within five miles of the camp, about noon, the Colonel halted his command to wait for night, and on cross-examining his scout, elicited the fact that he had never seen the camp and knew nothing except what citizens had told him, and not having anything at all reliable from this source, upon which to base a plan of attack, the Colonel resolved to find out for himself the enemy’s situation, and putting on a Yankee uniform, he, with his guide, started about sunset for the camp, leaving orders for the command to meet him about 9 o’clock, at a designated point near the camp.
He reached the place at dark, and walked around it, finding where the pickets were stationed, and the best way to get in, so that by the time the men came to him he had his plan all arranged. Promptly at the hour his people came, and dismounting about half of them he placed them under command of “Jack” Dove, Co. A, and William Shehan, Co. B, (than whom braver men never breathed,) with instructions to march directly upon the camp, while, with the mounted men he made a circuit and came in the enemy’s rear.
While the vedettes were halting the Colonel’s party, the dismounted men had gone, unnoticed, into the camp and made their presence known by firing a volley among the tents, which caused a general stampede among all the Yankees who were able to run, and now White’s command coming in, the camp was captured with about thirty prisoners and sixty-three horses. The enemy lost about fifteen killed and wounded, but none of the Confederates were injured, and with horses, prisoners and plunder, the raiders retired to their camp at the Trap.