Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/529

 528 Southern Historical Society Papers.

REPORT OF GENERAL W. H. STEVENS.

HEADQUARTERS RICHMOND DEFENCES,

March 8th, 1864. Major T. O. CHESTNEY,

Acting Adjutant- General:

SIR, I have the honor to make the following report of the ope- rations of this command during the recent raid of the enemy against this city:

On Monday night, Feburary 29th, 1864, in obedience to instruc- tions from your office, I ordered Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. Lightfoot, commanding the light artillery, to repair to Camp Lee by daylight, with Captain Hankins's and Captain Rives' s batteries, and to send one section of Thornton's battery to the vicinity of the New Bridge, on the Nine-Mile road, and at the same time ordered the forces of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Howard, commanding Second Division, Inner Line, and of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Atkinson, commanding First Division, Inner Line, to be at the intersection of the Brooke 'turnpike, and Intermediate Line by daylight Tuesday morning. Lieutenant-Colonel Howard being ordered at the same time to double his guards, posted at the intersection of the Mechanicsville, the Meadow Bridge, the Brooke and Deep-Run roads and the Interme- diate Line.

On Tuesday morning I proceeded to the intersection of the Brooke turnpike and Intermediate Line, and at half-past ten (10^) o'clock A. M., ordered Captain Rives to proceed to the same place there being no light artillery at that point and in obedience to verbal in- structions from the Major-General commanding, returned to your headquarters.

While there, I received a dispatch from Lieu tenant- Colonel How- ard, stating that the enemy had appeared in his front and driven in his pickets. I immediately returned to the intersection of the Brooke turnpike and Intermediate Line, and upon my arrival there, found out that upon the appearance of the enemy, Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Howard had ordered Captain Rives to push forward one section of his artillery and engage them. This command Captain Rives exe- cuted, being supported by Company D, Tenth Virginia battalion, heavy artillery, commanded by Captain C. S. Harrison. After ad- vancing some two hundred yards, the enemy's skirmishers, closing