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

by Frank M. Myers

There was a strong force, of all arms, at this place, but the General conducted everything so rapidly that almost before they knew it he had surprised the fort where the infantry were stationed, making prisoners of the garrison, and capturing all the artillery. A charge was then made upon the Station, and all the horses of the cavalry and artillery taken at the first dash, besides a number of prisoners, but the greater portion of the Yankees, who were outside of the fort, crossed the Rail Road bridge and escaped into the mountains.

A large quantity of stores of all kinds fell into the hands of the raiders, and they were busily employed in securing them when a tremendous firing was heard near by, causing almost a panic, but it was soon learned that the depot building had been set on fire and the flames had reached about fifteen thousand rounds of fixed ammunition for artillery that had been stored there, which caused a sound very much like as if a heavy cannonade had opened in that quarter.

As soon as everything was attended to the Division set out for the Valley again, having destroyed the Rail Road for some distance, captured about six hundred prisoners, seven pieces of artillery, over a thousand horses and mules, and secured a large quantity of plunder of all sorts, making it a highly successful raid, without the loss of a man on the Confederate side, as the enemy were pushed so close that they did not fire a gun.

The return was effected without difficulty, and the camp reached on the 2d of December, where all remained quiet until the 15th, when Colonel White started with the battalion for an independent raid among the Swamp-Dragons of Western Virginia.

The weather was very cold, the ground covered with snow, and both men and horses were badly prepared for such an expedition, nor could anybody form an idea of what it was intended to accomplish, and as a consequence the “Comanches” were rather savage at the prospect of a useless winter campaign among the mountains, and in order to get any the company officers were obliged to take all the men in camp, who had horses lit to travel at all, which broke seriously into the wagon-train escort, and left Co. “Q” with a small force.

Marching by Moorfield the Colonel halted opposite Petersburg, where he was joined by the Company of the famous Capt. McNeill, of the Moorfield Valley, and by Captains Woodson and Kirkendall, with their companies, from the brigade, but all did not make his force more than three hundred men.

The 18th was a rainy day, and the Colonel permitted the regiment to lie in camp, but the camp was not more comfortable than the march. About noon Henry Simpson, sometimes called the “reckless babe,” started with three or four men to visit a shooting-match which some citizens had told him of, and where it was supposed that some of the “Swamps” could be found, but getting lost in the mountains they brought up at a cabin where some of the aforesaid “Swamps” were visiting. Henry and his party forced them to surrender, after which, by blowing a horn, yelling, firing, and other equally characteristic operations, they induced the people in the neighborhood to believe that they were the crazy advance guard of an army of lunatics about to be turned loose upon the country, and securing whatever of rations they wanted, the scouts returned with their prisoners to camp without being molested by the “Dragons,” a performance which no other man than Henry Simpson could have accomplished.

The command marched out the next morning on the Franklin grade, and during the day were fired at frequently, but at too great a distance to do any harm; however, about noon a party of them came too near, and were attacked by Mobberly, who killed one and chased the others into the mountains, as he said, “as far as the devil went,” and being asked how far that was, he replied, “as far as he could get for the rocks.”

These “Swamp Dragons” were a different people from the “bushwhackers,” the latter being only citizens armed with their sporting guns, while the former were a sort of home organization, armed by the United States, and who operated just as the Highland outlaws of Scotland, in former days did, by coming in forays upon the citizens in the low country, and appropriating whatever of their property they pleased to their own use, supplying themselves and families with bacon, beef, corn and flour from the defenseless inhabitants, and if the latter objected to this blackmail proceeding or attempted to follow their plunderers, they were unhesitatingly shot by the “Swamp Dragons.” Whether or not they were in the pay of the Government for such work as this, I do not know, but there is no question of the fact that the United States furnished them uniforms, arms and ammunition.

The road led by the house of a man named Bond, who was a Captain among the Dragons, and on approaching it, the Confederates discovered his Company on the side of the mountain, about a mile distant, and from their appearance, the Colonel judged that they would attack him, but after waiting on them awhile, he gave Mobberly permission to make another charge, and the Dragons scattered, soon disappearing entirely, when the command moved forward once more; but Captain Bond had no reason to complain that the Scripture law of “What measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again,” had not been fulfilled, for White’s people took everything about the premises they wanted, and if the whole truth must be told, a good many that they didn’t want, as they passed his residence.