Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/229

 Account of the Skirmish at Swift Creek. 223

memorial of its appreciation of genuine courage and unshrinking patriotism.

" Resolved, That a copy of these proceedings be transmitted by the clerk of this court to Private James Pleasants, of the Goochland cavalry, and also to the editors of the Richmond newspapers, with a request that they publish the same in their respective papers. ' ' A copy Teste :

"WM. MILLER, Clerk."

Account of the Skirmish at Swift Creek. By Lieutenant- Colonel GEORGE C. CABELL, Eighteenth Virginia Infantry.

About the gth of May, 1864, the Eighteenth Virginia, tempora- rily attached to Corse's brigade, was ordered from Kinston, North Carolina, to Petersburg. On the loth, we reached Stony Creek late at night and left the train at that point, finding that the track had been torn up by the enemy. The regiment marched from this point, and about daylight on the nth reached Meherrin depot and river, a point some fifteen or more miles from Petersburg, where we- were met by a train of cars and taken to Petersburg. On the nth we reached Petersburg; remained there a few hours, drew provisions, marched out in the direction of Richmond and bivouacked on side road. On the I2th, resumed march in the direction of Richmond; had been marching an hour or two when a violent storm arose, suc- ceeded by a remarkably heavy rain; troops were halted just after crossing Swift Creek in direction of Richmond storm abated. On the Petersburg side of the creek our rear guard was very heavily attacked by some regiments of the Yankee general, Baldy Smith, of Butler's command. My regiment was sent to the creek, and just below the ford, to reinforce our rear guard and to check the enemy. The enemy came up in large force and made a number of efforts to cross the creek, but were as often repulsed; the skirmishing, or rather fighting, along this line was, at times, very heavy. Our troops were well posted and were able to inflict much more loss on the enemy than they could on us. Every effort to cross the creek by the enemy on the evening of the I2th, proved fruitless. Firing ceased about nightfall. At 9 P. M., I was ordered quietly to withdraw in the direction of Drewry's Bluff, which I did, retiring to our fortifica-