It was now apparent that Gen. Hampton’s style of fighting was a decided success, for he had so invariably whipped the enemy’s cavalry that they were afraid to come from behind their infantry lines, and as a consequence his own people had much less duty to perform than at any time during the long and arduous campaign.
On the 11th of September the General became impatient to hear the news from the Presidential Conventions in the North, and as the Southern papers were deficient, he took a detail from the “Laurel Brigade” and made a raid to the rear of Grant’s lines at Petersburg for Yankee newspapers, in which he attacked and whipped a brigade of cavalry from their camp, with considerable loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, to them, but none whatever to himself, and brought out enough papers to supply his camps for a month with reading matter.
Major Ferneyhough, who commanded the detail of White’s Battalion on the expedition, incurred Gen. Hampton’s displeasure because of a misconception of orders, in consequence of which he resigned on the 13th, and a few days after Capt. Myers, of Co. A, was selected by Colonel White, and by Generals Rosser and Hampton, to fill the vacancy.
On the 14th of September General Hampton marched with a division of his cavalry in the direction of Grant’s left wing, and succeeded in gaining, unobserved, the rear of his army, an operation which was comparatively easy, from the character of the country, which was low and flat, with many swamps and vast bodies of dense pine forest, through which an army might have marched without being discovered, except by accident, as there were few inhabitants in that region, they having been compelled, from the proximity of the two armies, to refugee or starve.
About daylight, on the 16th, when the raiders had reached a point about one mile from the James river, and not more than six miles in rear of the main line of the Federal Army, a strong party of dismounted cavalry was discovered behind some barricades, near an old church, and the 7th and 11th Regiments, of Rosser’s brigade, which was in front, were dismounted and sent forward to dislodge the enemy, which they did after a severe fight, and now the General ordered the battalion forward at a brisk trot, which soon brought them in full view of an immense drove of beef cattle, guarded by a Federal brigade, one regiment of which, the 1st D. C. Cavalry, was mounted near the cattle pens. Gen. Rosser sent a flag of truce demanding the surrender of this force, but the officer commanding, returned for answer, “Come and get us, if you want us,” and at the same time told the truce-bearer that if he came there any more with “that damned thing,” (the flag) he would shoot him. The General at once turned to the battalion, and in his short, solid tone, that always had something of the wicked ring of a Whitworth in it, when he meant fight, exclaimed, “Come down on them, White!” and the “Comanches” did it with such splendid effect, that the Yankees were scattered in wild flight, in less than five minutes, pursued in every direction by the men of the battalion.
Some prisoners were taken, and a large quantity of camp equipage and arms, among the latter quite a number of the “Henry rifles” or “sixteen-shooters,” fell into the hands of the “Comanches,” but what pleased them most and really made this one of the grandest raids of the war, was the capture of the immense herd of broad-horned Western beeves, averaging over fifteen hundred pounds, and numbering two thousand five hundred and thirty-five head, all of which were brought safely out.
On the return, Col. White was sent with a portion of his command to Sycamore Church, on the Jerusalem plank road, to guard that point until the cattle could be driven over the Blackwater, but on reaching his position he was assailed by a force of the enemy numbering about five thousand cavalry and artillery, and after a stubborn engagement, was forced to retire a mile from the plank road, but by strategy in keeping his men concealed, and by moving his flag from one point to another, he succeeded in deceiving the enemy and holding them in check until the arrival of Gen. Rosser with the remainder of the brigade, some two hours after his first meeting with them.
While contesting the Yankee advance the Colonel caused his men to throw up rail fortifications at Monk’s Neck bridge, and here the enemy used artillery upon them severely, by which two men of Company A were killed, viz.: Samuel T. Presgraves, of Loudoun, and William Brown, a native of North Carolina, both excellent soldiers.
After holding the Yankees here until the safety of the cattle was assured, the brigade flanked them and quietly returned to camp near Reams’, highly elated with the splendid success of the expedition, and more than ever convinced of the ability and generalship of their great commander, General Hampton.