Page:History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the War Between the States.djvu/141

Rh Colonel Phillips in rear. When approaching Perkins' Phillips discovered a column of the enemy coming down a by-road to his front and left. Concluding that the force was too strong for him, he moved to the woods on his right. The enemy proceeding to the bridge, were there met by a party of the Ninth and Tenth regiments, who demanded their surrender. The demand was promptly granted. We were a few hundred yards over a hill beyond, moving in front of two guns, when we heard a volley behind. Just as the Tenth Regiment charged a body in front, a column of the enemy dashed down into our line from an obscure road in the woods on our left. They entered the road just as one of our guns was passing, and within a few feet of General Hampton and his staff. The General, facing about on one side of the road, commanded: "Unlimber that gun." Our regiment was instantly faced about, and made ready to charge. Calls were made to the enemy to halt and surrender; and the rattling of falling arms told that they were prisoners. They were the leading squadron of Colonel Spears' Pennsylvania Regiment. A motley gang of fugitive slaves had swelled his numbers, and many cannoneers whose guns had been captured, were riding the artillery horses.

Their leader, in a desperate endeavor to escape, had allowed this part of his command to approach beyond a hill, while he, with the remaining men and negroes, after crossing the Rowanty, turned to the right and fled along the by-roads skirting that stream. Three of our squadrons were thrown out on the left of the road on the lookout for the approach of other bodies of the enemy, and one squadron was detailed as a provost guard to hold the prisoners. General Hampton ordered the writer, with the remaining squadron, to follow Spear, who was now a mile or two ahead of us. After going about three miles as rapidly as we could gallop the rear of the fugitives was seen in the distance, raising volumes of dust as they fled. Our men with the fleetest horses were now borne far ahead of the others. Some of the enemy's horses