Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 22.djvu/167

 Gei*. \\'" //inn/Am's Cattle li't',,1. 155

at daylight his pickets and reverses between the James and the Black- water were strongly attacked, and that at the same time a dash was made for the cattle herd at Coggin's Point, and he feared that the herd had fallen into the enemy's hands.

GENERAL MEADE's FEARS WELL FOUNDED.

General Meade was certainly correct in his report. General Meade says he had feared this raid for some time, as, with the limited force of cavalry at his command and the great extent of country to be watched, he had always considered Coggin's Point an unsuitable point for the cattle herd, it being liable to capture at any time by a coup de main of the enemy in force.

Now, I thought it was a beef raid, and all the time it was a " coup de main." I have heard of them, but here I was face to face with one " in force."

General Grant telegraphed General Meade from Harper's Ferry, at 9 A. M. on the i8th, that if the enemy made so rich a haul as the cattle herd, that he would be likely to strike far to the south or south- east to get back with it, and that their cavalry should recover what was lost ,or else, in the absence of so much of the enemy's cav- alry, that they should strike the Weldon road. General Meade reports to General Grant on the i6th, at 10:30 P. M., that Kautz re- ports the enemy retired as soon as he got the cattle, and that he was in pursuit on the Prince George Courthouse road, and Davies on the Jerusalem road, but that Hampton's force was so far superior to their's and he had so much the start of him that he could do no more than harass us. Well, I will testify that he did harass us. I did not (at one time) see how we could get out of the trouble. From this on everybody began to make reports, and they seemed to think that we would certainly attack Port Powhatan on the river James. They did not know how anxious we were to get away from that river.

THE FORCES PURSUING HAMPTON.

Now let's see who they sent after us. First, General Humphries, General Meade's chief of staff, sent General Davies with all his cav- alry; then came a brigade of infantry and a battery of artillery to the Jerusalem road. Next came General Kautz, with his cavalry, to the Prince George Courthouse road. Next, General Humphries ordered Colonel Smith, of the Second Division, Second Corps, to send a strong brigade to the Prince George Courthouse road. Next,