Page:History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the War Between the States.djvu/81

Rh Carolina, as the position must be held for a time. Turning to the left and making openings in the stone walls to pass through, we were joined by Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis with another squadron. As we passed into the field a fresh body of mounted men emerged from the bottom to our right. These Lewis was ordered to charge with his squadron, while the other squadrons were directed against the troops who were engaging the North Carolinians. A mixed hand-to-hand fight was kept up for a few moments, when, finding fresh squadrons of Yankees pressing up from the bottom, we got back through the stone walls and into the field beyond as best we could. We reformed near the road on the side next to the mountain, and waited till the order came to fall back, and then retired to the woods at the foot of the mountain, the enemy's guns throwing a few shells after us.

Though we were in this fight only a few minutes, twenty-seven of the small number engaged were missing. We suffered most from the deadly aim of the muskets or rifles fired from the breastwork of the stone fence. Among those who had fallen severely wounded or killed were Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis, Captain Charles Robinson, of Company C, and Acting-Regimental-Bugler Tappscot, of Company D. The latter survived only a few hours, having died at a house at the foot of the mountains. Lewis, shot through the chest and lungs, was left by the enemy in their retreat, to die at Middleburg. He survived, however, and though never able to return to active service, finally well-nigh fully recovered. Captain Robinson fell under the stroke of a sabre across the head, and was taken prisoner. He was confined at Johnson's Island, from which prison he made a daring escape, and, having crossed the frozen lake on foot, found refuge in Canada. Thence he sailed to Nassau, after having received much kind treatment from the Canadians, and finally succeeded in running the blockade at one of our southern ports, and returned to us in 1864.