Page:History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the War Between the States.djvu/17

Rh numbers. To many it seemed apparent that this was to be the only big fight, and, missing this, no other chance of flashing a maiden sabre would ever occur.

The infantry marched rapidly, making thirty-one miles by nine o'clock that night, and reaching Manassas Junction.

The battle was won! We remained under arms on the 22d, and on the 23d moved near the headquarters of Brigadier-General T. H. Holmes, en route for Brooke's Station.

We remained at the latter point drilling and marching in detachments to various places until the latter part of November; then moved to Shaw's Mount, in Westmoreland, and near the close of the year went into winter quarters near the Hague.

Various changes had occurred among the officers of the company. Our captain, Thomas S. Garnett, had been made lieutenant-colonel in July, and assigned to the Forty-eighth Virginia Infantry. Captain Beale, who succeeded him, had been made major by Governor John Letcher in October. Lieutenant Walker had resigned in May, and the company in January, 1862, was commanded by Captain John Murphy and Lieutenants John W. Hungerford, A. G. Dade, and William Murphy.

During the winter we were employed in picketing the lower Potomac under orders of Major Beale, provost-marshal, and thus far had acted as an independent company.

Breaking our camp in March we moved to St. Paul's church, in King George; then to Office Hall; then to King George Courthouse, at which point, about the 1st of April, we joined Colonel Johnson, assigned to the command of the Ninth Regiment of Virginia Cavalry, with W. H. F. Lee as lieutenant-colonel, and R. L. T. Beale as major.

The regiment was composed of ten companies, viz: Company "A," of Stafford, E. M. Henry, captain; Company "B," of Caroline, Samuel A. Swann, captain; Company "C," of Westmoreland, John N. Murphy, captain; Company "D," of Lancaster, Meriwether Lewis, captain; Company "E," of