Page:History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the War Between the States.djvu/49



Our regiment, after crossing the Potomac at Shepherdstown and halting for a few hours, moved for some distance on the Charlestown road, and, then changing direction to the right, camped not far from Leetown. We had now less than two hundred men for duty.

Early on the following morning we marched rapidly back towards Shepherdstown, and were placed in position on the extreme right of Major-General A. P. Hill's line. The enemy in some force had crossed the river, and General Hill, facing his troops about, marched back to meet them. The opposing forces met less than a mile from the river. Our troops charged with great impetuosity, broke the enemy's line, and drove them panic-stricken over the river. Many in their flight leaped from the precipices overhanging the road leading from the ford up to Shepherdstown, and were killed. We lay on our arms guarding the fords of the river here until the following day, and then leisurely followed the infantry, and pitched our tents some three miles from Shepherdstown on the road leading to Newcomer's Mill.

We remained in the vicinity of the Opequon till the close of October, our longest stay being on the banks of that stream. Green food cut from the fields of growing corn was the only provision that could be obtained here for our horses,