USA > Virginia > King and Queen County > King and Queen County > King and Queen County, Virginia (history printed in 1908) > Part 14
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3Ist .- Dined at Mrs. R. P.'s with Thomas Wood of Kentucky. He had to leave his home at Lexington in consequence of sympathy with and aid to Confed- erate army.
Nov. 5th .- Paid State and County tax, which, to- gether with one-tenth of my crops, in money, would
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amount to upwards of six hundred dollars. Bought a mare at public auction, very poor and worn down, with sore back, and paid three hundred and eighty-five dol- lars,-worth thirty.
6th .- Attended drill of home guard, with court- martial.
8th .- Bishop Johns preached at St. Paul's, confirm- ing thirty-four, among them M. J.
14th .- Yesterday evening Logan G., a granddaugh- ter of Mrs. P. B., on horseback with E. B .: the former cutting the horse, it sprang off and both the girls fell backward to the ground. Miss G. sprang up quickly; when, seeing that she was pale, the girls came to her help, but in a few moments she died. It was indeed a distressing affair.
19th .- Dr. T. L. came to court to-day wearing a pair of shoes with wooden soles. They attracted much attention; leather is very scarce.
22d .- Mordecai C. reached home from Charleston to-day, sick. Company K of 34th Virginia has been South now for some weeks.
27th .- Thomas has defeated Bragg at Chattanooga, -thus come the lights and the shades.
Dec. 4th .- Yankees are reported retiring before our army in the West, and so is Meade before Lee.
7th .- Salt has been bought by the county for the people.
I Ith .- Got my share of salt to-day-198 lbs.
17th .- Last night at 7:40 we heard a rumbling sound, which shook the house severely; in two or three seconds this was repeated. Presently other persons from outside the house came in, asking what was the cause. This was repeated again about 4 A. M. ( Probably ex- plosions of magazines at Yorktown.)
25th .- A very dull Christmas, no gaiety or joyous- ness apparent.
30th .- Men hired to-day for $400, women for $100 to $150. At present rates this would make the total cost of a man about $1000.
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1864.
Jan. I (Friday) .- Pleasant to-day, but colder towards night.
2d .- Mercury II degrees.
3d .- Getting ice.
4th .- Mr. J. N. G.'s house burned. Very little saved from the fire, some of the girls losing everything. 7th .- Three Marylanders, Johnson, Childs, and Lithicum, with us.
13th .- R. H. B. was thrown from his sulky yester- day, and again to-day as he rode with Mary R. He was quite badly hurt.
19th .- Left home for Richmond.
Prices : Sugar $5.00, Coffee $18 and $20, Bacon $3.50 to $4.00, Turkeys $2 lb., Eggs $3 doz., Flour $200 bbl., Meal $18 bu., Calico $6 to $8, Domestic $5 and $6. Medicines are enormously high.
22d .- Saw General John H. Morgan and members of his staff. He is a quiet, gentlemanly-looking person, would not strike one as a dashing officer. Charges at the hotel $20.00 per day (Ballard House). Meeting to- night to raise funds for soldiers losing limbs. (Bought a horse about this time, near fourteen years old, for $450.)
27th .- Organized a society, auxiliary to the one in Richmond mentioned on 22d.
3Ist .- Government prices for Corn $20, Wheat $5. In Richmond, Corn $20 per bu., and wheat $30. The times appear to me to be very much out of joint, and I fear the people demoralized. I hear of some dancing in this neighborhood, and more in other neighborhoods.
Feb. 4th, Court day .- Heard a speech from R. L. Montague on the momentous questions before the peo- ple. He exhorted the people to sell everything at gov- ernment prices, and to use and wear only such things as could be made at home; his words were with power. Appropriations were ordered to-day for soldiers' fami- lies. $15,000 in county bonds were sold. A colored man in the woods to-day saw two hawks fighting at top of a tree; in a short time they clinched and fell to the ground. He found they could not extricate themselves
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and killed them both; he pulled them apart with difficulty.
6th .- Mrs. P. Brooke died this morning. She was calm in the prospect of death, and sang with earnest- ness and feeling " 'Tis Religion that Can Give."
7th .- Heard from a picket at Mantua Ferry that the Yankees were in King William in large force; sent mes- sage to Captain B. (This turned out to be a hoax.)
1 5th .- Snowing. One of Yankee officers, named Driscoll, escaped from Richmond; was captured by J. B. and others.
17th .- Intensely cold with high winds.
18th .- Thermometer 6 degrees above at sunrise.
2 Ist .- Sent for to see Dr. J. Lewis of King William. River has been frozen for some days, but is open to-day.
24th .- In Richmond. Paid $10 for dinner at Bal- lard House.
25th (Thursday) .- Merchants ask $180 bu. for Clo- ver seed. Saw bacons sold for $8 lb.
March 2d .*- Yankees reported crossing Pamunkey at Dabney's Ferry and coming this way. Capt. Bagby ordered his company to meet at Bruington at 5 o'clock. Capt. Magruder's and Capt. Blake's companies, of reg- ular army, with us. Passing up the road over Dickie's Bridge I met a man at the fork, one mile this side of Bruington (Capt. Charles G.), who reported the Yan- kees at Bruington. We laughed at the report, but in a few minutes heard firing and saw members of the Home Guard fleeing toward us, and Yankees pursuing. The latter halted, and soon began firing at a squad of our men near Butler's old tavern. The interval was a half- mile or more, but one of our men was struck, though not seriously hurt. (Have heard since that Col. Dahl- gren fired the shot.)
Retiring before the Yankees, most of the Home Guard, with Capt. Magruder's command, took the di- rect road towards Dickie's Bridge and Stevensville. As we came down it was suggested to send a scout in the direction of the River road. Capt. Harrison of Ma-
* This and the next following entry give an account of the famous Dahlgren Raid.
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gruder's company volunteered to move across the fields and count them as they passed down the other road. Passed through B.'s & T. M.'s and Philip Bird's into the Cow Trap woods below Belmont. In about five minutes after we reached our point of observation, the Yankees came along and I counted them,-one hun- dred and seventy men, mounted. We gave them a shot apiece, which they returned. Presently they stopped and seemed to be feeding in Gaines' old field, but we have since learned that it was at Hocklineck. We moved back from the woods into the road, and passing by Stevensville, we joined Magruder, augmented by some of the King and Queen cavalry under Capt. Fox, the Home Guard, etc. Capt. Bagby had already drawn up his men at the forks of the road above Man- tapike. Capt. Fox was requested to take charge of the entire force, and arrangements were made to fight them should they attempt to pass. About 10:30 P. M. the enemy were reported moving. Some of our men at the same moment were moving down towards the fork on the Stevensville road, and came in contact with the en- emy just as they reached that point. Col. Ulric Dahl- gren, seeing the men in the road, rode up and demanded a surrender, snapping his pistol. The man, or men, im- mediately fired return shots, and then a fusillade began from the northeast corner of the woody slope upon the head of the Yankee column; the enemy hastily retreated. Then our boys gave a tremendous shout and rushed into the road. I noticed a horse struggling in the agonies of death and a man under him, and in a short time another man lying in the ditch with his feet up against the fence and tree; this last was Col. Dahlgren. Mean- time the Yankees were in considerable commotion,-we on our part expecting another attack,-but as they did not advance, we feared an effort would be made to flank us, and so get by. So Lieuts. Nunn and Acree, Cris. Fleet and I moved out to learn about their intentions. We soon became satisfied they were still in the field. We moved down to where the Mantapike road crosses the River road and raised a barricade, awaiting the enemy the rest of the night. Next morning the whole
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force surrendered,-it produced a thrill of joy. The field presented a disorderly sight,-horses running loose, arms, saddles, haversacks, canteens, silverware, blan- kets, etc., scattered in confusion. Most of the arms and many of the horses were appropriated by our soldiers. I got a broken-down horse marked "U. S.," Spencer rifle, saddle, etc. My little boy brought in another horse. During the day many prisoners were brought in.
5th (Saturday) .- Last night Capt. Bagby sent for me to come to his house to help guard six prisoners captured by him. Maj. E. F. Cooke, Lieut. Merritt, Lieut. Bartley, Privates Hogan, Williams, and Litchen, came to the house of his overseer (McFarland), and asked Mrs. M. to prepare them some supper. She immedi- ately began preparations, but privately dispatched a ne- gro girl to acquaint Capt. B. of their presence. The overseer's house is about one hundred and fifty yards from the dwelling. Capt. B. and his son John, at home on furlough, seized their pistols, ran down to the over- seer's and rushed into the room, presenting their pistols and demanding a surrender. Maj. Cooke hesitated, when Capt. Bagby said, " Surrender, or I will kill you," at the same time presenting his pistol at the major's head. It was indeed a trying moment,-two men against six, and all heavily armed. The major, with great reluctance, threw down his arms, and the rest fol- lowed his example.
As I could not get up last night I hurried to go this morning, and found the prisoners snugly in bed in Capt. B.'s parlor. Soon after reaching there, news came that two more Yankees were in Capt. B.'s woods not far away.
I hurried off, along with McF., J. N. Gresham, Jr., and John Lawson, to look after the two. Taking a position which commanded a view of the meadow just below, I awaited their appearance. In about fifteen minutes they came in sight, and coming up to a small stream of water, stooped to drink. I drew up, halted them, and demanded a surrender, with which they com- plied. I carried them to Capt. B.'s, where we all got breakfast, and marched the eight prisoners to Stevens-
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ville, there awaiting the arrival of the other prisoners, who had been carried to Camp Exol. In the evening they were taken forward toward Richmond, number- ing ninety-one. Three were unable to travel, one on account of a wound through the knee, and two from being hurt by horses. These three were Daniel Denis, from Lafayette (or Marshall), Indiana; a second was Michael Madden; the other John H. Remsen. Rem- sen was the man whom we found lying under the horse when Dahlgren was found lying in the road at the corner.
7th .- Rumors of the advance of the enemy, and Home Guard ordered out.
8th .- Home Guard assembled at Stevensville about sunrise, but learning that the enemy had retired, we disbanded. Two of the men wounded came to my house and were cared for, and one of them was lodged with Rev. I. Diggs.
9th .- Yankees were certainly at Centreville yester- day.
Ioth .- Home Guard met again at sunrise, and very soon we could see smoke arising from houses burning at the Courthouse. Our scouts came in and reported that the Yankees were advancing. Scouts further reported that they had burned the Courthouse, jail, clerk's office, tavern, storehouses, barns, stables, and mill, and the pri- vate residences of Wm. Martin and Robt. Pollard. After perpetrating this vandalism, they moved to Carl- ton's store, where they did other mischief, then went to Camp Exol and burned that. Soon after, Col. Beale came up with the Ninth Regiment and skirmished with them, but the Yankees retreated so rapidly towards Lit- tle Plymouth that Col. Beale failed to do them any serious damage.
I Ith .- Ground saturated from the rain of yesterday. Everything in disorder, horses in the woods, cows and hogs loose in the field, and negroes indisposed to do anything. Got dispatches that Col. Beale wanted all the information he could get, as the Yankees were lin- gering below. Capt. Bagby went to Richmond with prisoners and has just returned.
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12th .- Company out and under arms all day. Bought fifteen bushels of oats at $10 per bushel.
18th .- Winds south, high and warm.
22d .- Very cold, windy, and unpleasant. Com- menced snowing about one o'clock, and continued for some hours. Wind blowing a severe gale from N. E. It is now positively certain that Gen. U. S. Grant has been made lieut .- general, and has succeeded Gen. Hal- leck as commander-in-chief of the Yankee armies; that for the present he will be in command of the Army of the Potomac. Indeed, there seems to be a general change of commanders of Yankee armies all around, and, among others, Sherman is to succeed Thomas at Chattanooga. General Forest has just defeated Grier- son and Smith with their cavalry forces, they having seven thousand against his twenty-four hundred.
23d. Snowing all night, but about nine o'clock this morning sun came out and it grew pleasant. In some places it was from three to five feet deep. Shad are just beginning to run.
26th (Easter) .- A very blustering day. Almost all the snow melted.
27th .- Called to see Mr. P. Bird, who is sick.
28th .- John W. Deshazo died yesterday.
3 Ist .- Home Guard are to meet second and fourth Thursdays at 10 A. M., Pyne's old shop. Dined at T. H.'s with Maj. John Henley and his wife and sister (Mrs. Susan Copeland), refugees from Williamsburg, who have suffered very much by the Yankees.
April 5th .- Miss Kate M. is ill at W. D. G.'s, and P. Bird at his own home. Wind very high.
IIth .- Had the pleasure to-day of meeting Alex- ander C. Jones, formerly of this county, now of Arkan- sas; he is just from the army of Gen. Longstreet.
12th .- Mr. Philemon Bird died this morning about day. His physician worked hard on him, but failed to arrest the disease.
20th .- Sent a hog to Richmond weighing 2733 lbs., which brought me $ 1094.
22d .- Hear to-day that Maj. J. R. B. is in Peters- burg, suffering seriously with dyspepsia. News that
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Gen. Hoke has captured Plymouth, N. C., with twenty- five hundred prisoners, thirty-five cannon, one hundred thousand pounds of bacon, etc.
26th .- Dentis, a Yankee prisoner at my house, left for Richmond. He seemed reluctant to go, and we were sorry to part with him, though he was an enemy. His education is limited, but he has considerable natural shrewdness .- A few shad.
May 4th .- The horses, saddles, guns, etc., captured from the Yankees were appraised to-day, so as to make an equal distribution among the men engaged. The men who held the horses should be allowed to retain the minor articles.
5th .- Sent to Mr. B. Carlton 199 lbs. bacon for families of the soldiers.
8th .- Mercury 89 degrees.
9th .- Great anxiety to learn issue of battle between Lee and Grant.
Ioth .- Hear that Yankee army landed at Bermuda Hundred, advanced towards Petersburg Railroad, and were driven back with some loss. [About this time the Yankees had constructed a high tower at a point some ten miles from Petersburg, from which to spy over into the city. One morning General Butler, who was in com- mand, had gone up to the top of the tower to see what he could see. While he was up there a cannon ball from a Confederate battery two miles away came over and struck the tower. The people around said, "The old general came down quicker than he went up."] Medi- cal Board assembled here yesterday.
12th .- Attended drill, and Home Guard was ordered to rendezvous at St. Stephens.
13th .- Most of the company from St. Stephens were ordered out on picket at Walkerton, Ayletts, and Dun- kirk. Spent the night in the church.
14th .- Went to Ayletts to picket the ferry, along with H. Cox, J. McF., A. C. Coleman, and Z. Carlton.
15th .- Spent last night in the ferry house and was relieved this morning. Mr. T. W. L. Fauntleroy, John and Joseph Ryland, Mrs. P. Smith, Edwin Watkins,
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W. H. Berkeley, etc., were very kind and liberal in send- ing provisions.
16th .- Got home tired and sleepy. Heard yester- day, to my deep regret, of the death of Capt. E. C. Fox, Polk Watkins, Jos. Wayne, and Robt. Davis, all of the King and Queen cavalry, in a battle with Sheri- dan at Yellow Tavern. Alex. Acree is very badly wounded,-and others.
17th .- Gen. Beauregard had a heavy fight with the Yankees below Drewry's Bluff yesterday, and drove them back, taking a large number of prisoners (Gen. Hickman, etc.). It is said also that Gen. Breckenridge has whipped them at New Market in the Valley, and Gen. Joe Johnston driven them back from an attempt on the fortifications at Dalton.
18th .- Put up herring and a few shad at Mantapike this morning.
About this time there were strong indications that the enemy would cut us off from Richmond, and per- haps overrun all this part of the State. Grant was com- ing down from Spottsylvania Courthouse in the direc- tion of Cold Harbor, and already a cavalry force of some 3000 men had appeared in upper King William. A very large infantry force passed through the upper part of the county, together with, as it would seem, the entire wagon train of Grant's army. They crossed over at Dunkirk and other points above. The Home Guard was called out, and moved up towards Clarkston, but finding the enemy in very strong force, they were smart enough not to attack, yet, as far as was in their power, to prevent straggling. We camped at Shuter's Hill, be- longing to John Ryland, Saturday night, and Sunday night on Joseph Ryland's land. Saturday John A. Fleet and myself were sent on a scout, and reaching a certain position, saw a large number of wagons, some, on each side of the river, with cavalry and infantry. They had camped on John Fauntleroy's field beyond the ferry. Some two hundred or three hundred cavalry had before this crossed to our side of the river; having built a good bridge, we supposed the whole body intended crossing, but next morning the two hundred recrossed, the bridge
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was taken up, and they went on their way. There is no doubt that Burnside's corps passed down by Newtown and crossed the Mattapony below. The Home Guard watched them, and there were but few stragglers.
Here, with May, 1864, this interesting journal closes, with the exception of a few items that would not interest. Events ripened so fast from this time on that the jour- nalist suspended his writing and seems to have turned his attention more in other directions. It was during the month of July that Sheridan, with a cavalry force of some ten or twelve thousand, moved out from General Grant's lines, flanking Richmond first northward, and then westward along the line of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. His objective was to join General Hunter, who was moving southward towards Lynch- burg, with a view to capturing that city. Each of them failed of his object. Early was sent to Lynchburg to head off Hunter, and General Hampton intercepted Sheridan some ten miles above Louisa Courthouse, the latter making haste to get out of his way. In retiring, Sheridan came down into our county, bringing with him the largest force (save Burnside, who simply passed through ) that ever set foot on our soil. He came down as far as King and Queen Courthouse, where he camped. Naturally there were a great many stragglers, and im- mense mischief was done by parties along the line of their march. Fortunately for us, it was of brief dura- tion, for next day being Sunday, they passed back up the county and retired across the Mattapony and Pa- munkey, rejoining General Grant. These fellows vis- ited well-nigh every house of note on all the roads within five miles of the Mattapony River. They got pretty much all they wanted at each place, and in some in- stances behaved very rudely towards women and chil- dren. Many of them were foreigners, as one could easily detect from their speech. We were certainly as glad to be rid of them as they were to quit us. This was the last raid into our county, but we shared to the full in the distresses about Petersburg, doing what we could to alleviate the sufferings of the poor fellows in
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the trenches; and when Richmond was evacuated-es- pecially when Appomattox came a week later-we were as much distressed as any of our unfortunate people. One Monday afternoon (it was, I think, the third day of April, 1865) the author had walked across the road to visit his wife's father. As he came back, entering the road to recross, he saw a negro man coming down the road, dressed in a fantastic costume, and reporting as he passed down, " Richmond has gone up." It was to very many hearts like a wail from the lower regions. Still, we were not without hope that the matchless man who was leading our armies would find some way to save our declining cause. Appomattox, of course, set- tled the matter, and left us struggling in the waves of Reconstruction. Our county people had acted their part wonderfully well. We had surrendered husbands, brothers, sons, and treasure to sustain the banner of General Lee, and when Reconstruction came it just happened in the good providence of God that we suffered less than very many of our fellow-citizens of less fortunate communities.
Such incidents as that of the Dahlgren lock of hair- given on a previous page-are an index of the feeling and motive of our people in their part of the great con- flict. They were not actuated in their defensive meas- ures by feelings of malice, or jealousy, or a vindictive spirit, but they stood manfully for the defense of their rights as they saw these, under the Constitution of the United States.
CHAPTER XI
FROM RICHMOND TO APPOMATTOX
A Narrative of the Operations of the Twenty-fourth Regiment of Vir- ginia Cavalry,-Gary's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia,- April 3-7, 1865.
By S. BIRD.
After the stirring campaign of the summer and fall of 1864, the cavalry brigade of General M. W. Gary, A. N. V.,-composed of the Hampton Legion, the Seventh South Carolina, Seventh Georgia, and Twenty- fourth Virginia regiments of cavalry, and Harkerson's Battery of artillery,-found itself in the month of Jan- uary, 1865, at " Camp Gary," about four miles below or east of Richmond City, near Fair Oaks station on the York River Railroad.
This cavalry brigade was at that time about the only Confederate force of consequence to offer resistance to any advance which might be made by General Ord's corps of the Federal army, which occupied Fort Harri- son on the north side of James River, several miles be- low our camp.
In February, I think it was, a part of General G. W. C. Lee's division of infantry moved to that side of the river. Fortunately for us, the enemy seemed content to remain quiet for a time, at least during this severe winter, and we improved the time left us from the vig- orous and trying picket duty along the White Oak Swamp, in making rude tents with pine poles, splitting the poles as best we could for roofs, which we supple- mented with strips of any and all kinds of cloth or old blankets that we could gather to protect us from the freezing and almost incessant rains of that trying winter.
Rations for the men, as well as food for our horses, grew sadly and feelingly less with each succeeding week, until about the middle of February, I think it was, we
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learned that our regiment, the Twenty-fourth Virginia Cavalry, would probably be allowed, as a matter of necessity, to move by companies to localities nearest the homes of the men, from which points the men would go to their respective homes to recruit both themselves and horses, for a week or two at least, so as to return in good shape for the spring campaign, which we all knew would be desperate and decisive. The sequel proved that it was more than that; it was "short, sharp, de- cisive," and ended in despair.
In pursuance of this plan, our company (F), com- manded by the venerable and chivalrous Captain L. W. Allen (who at the age of sixty years and more shared all the hardships and dangers of camp and march and battle with a degree of cheerful endurance surpassed by none of his men in the ranks), received orders late in the evening of one of the coldest days in February we ever felt, to move the company to Taylorsville, in Han- over County, a distance of probably twenty miles.
Just about sunset we were ordered to "saddle up," and in thirty minutes or less we were on the march. Who of our number could ever forget that night? Our line of march was directly over the ground nearly every foot of which had been cut and worked up by the two armies during the preceding summer, in the campaign from the Wilderness to the James River, followed dur- ing the fall and winter by our wagons in quest of sup- plies for our army, until the surface was now a frozen mass of mud, spikes, and gullies. I have never been able to determine which suffered the most that night, the men from the piercing, freezing cold,-poorly clad as they were,-or the horses literally treading on spikes at every step, until many of them could go no further; when their riders would stop, kindle a fire in the woods, and wait for daylight to enable them to choose the way, if indeed there was any choice even then.
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