The command marched on from Sangster as rapidly as possible, and on reaching Bull Run, about two miles from Centreville, found that stream almost impassable from the continuous rain which had been pouring down for nearly twenty-four hours, and with the greatest difficulty the crossing was effected, but just when the rear guard reached the stream a party of Yankees came down from Centreville, which produced a panic, and in the confusion some of White’s men were knocked from their horses into the stream. The night was excessively dark, and the country totally unknown to the men, and as the head of the column had waited for nothing, but marched quickly on as soon as the swollen stream was passed, the panic was increased by the fast riding of those who got across, and when Col. White got his men over there was no sign of the brigade nor any indication of the route it had taken, while the firing in the rear showed that the Yankees were coming up.
The Colonel sent a courier to the General for assistance and on reaching the turnpike found the 12th regiment waiting for him, and order being now restored the command marched quietly on; but the wind had sprung up keen and cold from the northwest, causing the rain to freeze as it fell, and almost depriving the men of the power to keep their saddles, so intense was the cold, but as best they could the dismal march was continued, and at daylight the command reached Middleburg, in Loudoun county, and pushing on to Upperville halted to feed and rest, having traveled over ninety miles during twenty-four hours, with no halt except at Sangster, where one man was killed, and several wounded in the 7th and 11th regiments, and about two hundred Yankees killed, wounded, and captured.
When the brigade reached Upperville the run-away boys from the battalion, who had come by way of Greene county and Luray Valley, were just coming in, and not wishing to risk so much to get home and be met and arrested by their command at the door, they had to go back into the mountain and wait awhile; so that those who came around with the brigade got home earlier than they who had been on the road four days longer.
Many hardships were experienced in reaching the Valley, even when so near it, because the Shenandoah was too full to cross with safety, and the General marched to a ford above Swift Run Gap before he could get his people over, and after this came down the Valley to Mount Jackson, where he encamped, in the coldest weather, for about a week, when he set out for a raid in the Moorfield Valley and on the B. & O. Railroad, but owing to the extremely bad roads and intensely cold weather his command was unable to execute the General’s plans, and he returned to camp with the fruits of some slight successes, including a number of prisoners and a few wagons, captured near Burlington, and with many of his men frost-bitten, some of them badly. The camp was now at Timberville, in Shenandoah county, and here the Colonel exerted himself to induce the deserters from Co.’s A and C to return to the battalion. These men had been told that it was the intention of the officers to arrest and bring them before a general court martial that would certainly sentence some of them to be shot, and when Col. White sent a messenger to them entreating them to return to their duty, they returned for answer that they were willing and anxious to do so, and had no idea of escaping punishment, but that they would never come back if there was a prospect of any of them being shot, and that if the Colonel would send Captain Myers to them with an assurance that they should not go before a court martial that had power to inflict the death penalty, they would all return with him; and accordingly, Capt. M. was detailed to proceed to Loudoun and Fairfax counties to gather up the deserters, which he did, reaching camp a few days after the brigade had started out on what was familiarly known as the "Patterson’s Creek raid."
The facts of this expedition have been principally obtained from Messrs. T. H. Vandevanter, Co. A, White’s Battalion, and Jas. T. Robinson, 12th Virginia Cavalry, who were couriers for Gen. Rosser, and from Lieut. Conrad and Sergt. E. L. Bennett, of Co. A.
The command moved from camp to Moorfield about the 25th of January, 1864, where it remained until Gen. Early, with a brigade of infantry and battery of artillery, came over, when it was resolved to attempt the capture of Petersburg, where a strong force of the enemy was reported to be located, and in pursuance of this plan Gen. Early marched up the right bank of the South Branch while Rosser, with his cavalry and one piece of artillery, crossed the river at Moorfield and gained the rear of Petersburg; but on reaching the top of the mountain and getting a view of the road leading to New Creek it was discovered that a long train of wagons, guarded by about 1,000 infantry, was quietly moving along towards Petersburg, and as such game was far more to Rosser’s notion than laying siege to a town, he prepared to “come down on it” (to use a familiar expression of the General’s).
His first step was to throw a few shells into the head of the train, which brought it to a full stop, and then to charge upon it with his “people,” an operation which was entirely successful, and the whole train of ninety wagons and teams was captured, together with about two hundred of the guards, which were all the troopers could catch, as the others made such fast time to the mountain that it was given up to be folly to attempt their capture.
The train was carrying fifteen days’[days’] rations to the garrison at Petersburg, but there were also some sutler wagons along filled with the dainties and delicacies that these traveling merchants bartered to the soldiers for their pay, and Rosser’s men had a “roaring night” of it.
The first squadron of the battalion, under Lieut. Conrad, was sent forward to drive a party of the enemy from Ridgeville, which was done in the same gallant style that characterized all the performances of Conrad, and the brigade moved forward in the morning to Petersburg, but found that the enemy had evacuated it by a mountain road during the night, and that Gen. Early was gone back to Moorfield, whither the captured wagons and Yankees had been sent, and now Gen. Rosser turned his column towards Patterson’s Creek, sending Lieut. Conrad forward with twenty-seven men as advance guard. On arriving at Franklin, Conrad says, they “took on wood and water,” in other words, got a drink or two of whiskey all around, and here “Jim” Robinson came up with an order from Gen. Rosser to Lieut. Conrad, the substance of which was, "Go ahead to Patterson’s Creek and run over every thing you come to," to which Conrad replied, "All right; I’ll do it;" and sending out his advance guard, composed of Robinson, Mobberly, H. C. Sellman, Bicksler, and Douglass, he moved forward briskly on his reckless mission.
Just here it is necessary to briefly call attention to Major Harry Gilmor’s statement of this affair, in his “Four Years in the Saddle,” by way of making a correction. The Major says, that by Gen. Rosser’s order he commanded White’s first squadron in the attack on Patterson’s Creek Station, but Lieut. Conrad and his men say that he did no such thing. Conrad says that Gilmor came to him on the road saying that Gen. Rosser had sent him there to get a detail of eight men to go with him to procure artillery horses, and Conrad refused positively to let him have a man until he had got through with his business, which he told him was to whip the Yankees at Patterson’s Creek, when Gilmor remarked, "Very well; come on, and I’ll lead you;" to which Conrad replied, "No you won’t! You nor no other damned man can lead me and my men now;" and ordered his command forward again, and coming in sight of the Station the advance squad was discovered charging the Yankee vedettes, when Conrad ordered his whole party to charge, but Gilmor exclaimed, "Hold on, Lieutenant; you don’t know what’s there!" “No!” said Conrad, "and we don’t care a damn! Forward, boys! Charge them!" and dashing in among the blue-jackets they made quick work of it, killing four, wounding six, and capturing forty-two of the fifty-two infantry soldiers stationed there.