Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/37

 ,iinl Hull,,'. 81

to his own son. 1-Yoin the DuBose house Lieutenant McQueen \v.is sent to ("anulen, and there it was that Dr. Porter nursed him. Alter leaving Cheraw we had a pretty hot skirmish at Rockingham, N. C, and the next day charged a regiment of cavalry, just after they had opened a barrel of wine. I led this charge, simply because I lost control of my horse he being young and afraid of a gun fortunately our men, making as much noise as they did, created a panic among the Yankees and they stampeded, thereby saving me from death or capture. While our command was in Chesterfield county. Pink Brantley, General Butler's orderly, got permission to visit the house of a friend, where the Yankees captured General Butler's satchel, containing among other things his comb and brush, and old Pink, too. While we felt sorry for Pink we could not refrain from laughing when we heard of it, because when Pink left us he said no ten or fifteen Yankees could catch him, he knew the country too well, he was raised there. Little did he think that he would be raised again so soon by the Yankees.

The gallant Colonel L. P. Miller commanded the Sixth cavalry from the date of General Dunovant's death, October ist, 1864. Colonel Miller was one of the best disciplinarians in the army, and is now the only surviving field officer of that historic regiment. Major Fergusson was wounded on the loth of March, 1865, and a few years ago went to his reward full of honors, both as soldier and citizen.

On the gth day of March, 1865, General Hampton rode ahead of the command all day by himself, and the men would look at each other and say: "Look out, boys, Old Wade is fixing a trap for them; we will be into it to-night," while others would say: "We will give it to them to-morrow," which forcibly reminded me of what General Mart Gary said to a Yankee general in Virginia one day after they had arranged some matter, under a flag of truce, and had separated, but before the general in blue was fifty yards away, the "Old Bald Eagle" called to him and said: " I am coming over to- morrow and give you hell," and sure enough he did.

About sundown of this black, cheerless, drizzling day, we caught up with General Hampton, who consulted with General Butler, and just at dark General Butler paralyzed the pickets of the Fifth Ohio, I'nited States Cavalry, not by shooting at them, but by simply com- manding them to surrender not a shot was fired. It was the coolest thing I ever witnessed, and within ten minutes more, he had captured fifteen or twenty bummers, in the same cool and deliberate