Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/271

 Cl<> N ties of /'//>/ Munassas.

maiiding Captain David's Company, had proceeded to the brid-i on Cul) rrrrk." There was no more gallant soldier or officer than Colonel Scott; and I neither there nor anywhere else during the war found any occasion to criticise him. But, as touching the contention raised by W. F. R., that no command, except the Albemarle Troop, led by Captain Scott, had anything to do with the capture of the artillery and spoil at Cub Run bridge, I am enabled to avoid the necessity, at all times unpleasant, of a laudatory mention of my own deeds, by introducing the following disinterested witnesses namely, Colonel R. C. \V. Radford, of the Thirtieth Virginia Cavalry, who on that day commanded the First Brigade, and Colonel John B. Kershaw, commanding the Second Regiment, South Carolina Vol- unteers. Colonel Radford' s report will be found on page 532 of the same volume of "The War of the Rebellion, Official Records," to which I above referred. In that report he says:

' ' I have no hesitation in saying that the charge made by my own command, in connection with that made by the command under Lieutenant-Colonel Munford, composed of Captains W. H. Payne, Ball, Langhorne, and Hale, caused the jam at Cub creek bridge, which resulted in the capture of fourteen pieces of cannon, their ammunition and wagons, five forges, thirty wagons, and ambulances, and some forty or fifty horses. I base this opinion on the fact that we were in advance of all our forces, and by our charge the enemy were thrown into wild confusion before us, their vehicles of all sorts going off at full speed, and in the greatest disorder."

Colonel Kershaw, in his report, at pages 524-522 of the same vol- ume, says:

"Arrived at the house on the hill, which was occupied by the enemy as a hospital, having made many prisoners by the way, we found that a portion of our cavalry (Captains Wickham's and Radford's, and Powell's and Pitzer's), had had an engagement there with a bat- tery of the enemy, which they had taken, but had retired after being fired on by the heavy reserve corps, which intervened between them and my command. This cavalry had come into the road by Lewis' Ford, below the stone bridge, and neither of us knew of the posi- tion of the other until some time after."

"Reluctantly, I ordered my command to return; but, directing Colonel Cash to remain, I went with a detachment of twenty volun- teers from his regiment to the bridge, where I found Lieutenant- Colonel Munford, with a portion of the Virginia cavalry, extricating