Page:History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the War Between the States.djvu/75

Rh was now sounded, and our men, breaking through this line, became involved in a hand-to-hand fight to the foot of the hill. Here we reformed and again charged, and were in turn forced down the hill by fresh troops. Just where we had reformed before we met the Second North Carolina Cavalry dashing forward, followed by the Tenth Virginia.

An officer from General Stuart here accosted the Colonel, saying: "The General sends his thanks to Colonel Beale and the men of the Ninth for gallantry in holding the hill, and if you will hold it five minutes longer he will send reinforcements."

The reinforcement promised was in sight, but the Federals were in full and rapid retreat.

The enemy had a body of sharpshooters posted in the woods about two hundred yards beyond the summit of the hill, and also two guns to our right which commanded the ground on which we fought, and as soon as their mounted regiments were driven off they opened fire upon us. This checked the pursuit in every charge, and drove the Second North Carolina and Tenth regiments from the hill. No vigorous pursuit was made, and the commanding generals must have thought we were in peril of being whipped, as a line of infantry skirmishers were seen advancing after the fight was over.

Colonel Sol. Williams fell at the head of the Second North Carolina Regiment on the brow of the hotly-contested hill. About ten men in the Ninth Regiment were killed, including Privates Thomas Barber and Charles Jett, of Company C; James Orgain and F. Nash, of Company G, and Harry Ward, of Company K. We had many men wounded. Some twenty of the enemy's dead were left on the scene of the evening's conflict and buried by us.

The author witnessed in this battle the brim and band of Lieutenant Dandridge's hat cut smoothly from his brow by a cannon-ball without the slightest injury to him. The enemy removed their dead for the most part from the ground of the