Page:History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the War Between the States.djvu/106

100 Captains Pratt and Bolling were wounded, and Lieutenant Love, of Company G, badly so in the shoulder. Private Richard Corbin, of Company B, and several others were killed. The author, after being wounded, was taken to Orange Courthouse, where the bullet was extracted. Thence he was taken to Charlottesville to the care of a sister (Mrs. Davis). His wound, with several painful and serious complications, confined him for many weeks. He reached home in October, and returned to the command in November, but was sent back by General R. E. Lee as unfit for duty. He did not resume command of the regiment until the 25th of December. It was then encamped on the mountain above Charlottesville. During his absence the movements of the regiment were carefully noted and recorded for him by another hand.

On the day after the retreat to the Rapidan the command moved down the river and camped near Raccoon Ford, in which vicinity we remained until about the l0th of October. We then followed our infantry, which had been passing for two days, and, proceeding up the river, were halted at the Madison House, in the fork of the Rapidan and Robinson rivers. Early next day we began to retrace our steps to the camp we had left. Here we halted but for a night, and then moved down to Morton's Ford. At this point the enemy had crossed to the south side of the river, and were occupying a line of rifle-pits which our infantry had evacuated. As we approached, their sharpshooters opened on us from these works. They used their artillery, also, with some injury to our men.

A squadron was dismounted under Captain Boiling, and put in line with detachments from other regiments, and a small force of infantry which had been left on guard. This party, under Colonel Rosser, made a vigorous and determined attack, carried the position, and drove the enemy across the river. The artillery commanding the approaches to the river checked our efforts for a time to force a passage. By noon,