Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/287

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of James river, while the remainder under Colonel Dahlgreen were t.i rrov, to the south side, move down the right bank of the Jam->, release the prixnu-r^ on Belle Isle, opposite Richmond; recross the rivrr, burning the bridges after them, and rejoin Kilpatrick in the city. Richmond was to be given to the flames and President Davis and his cabinet killed."

Up to this point in the transaction both historians are accurate enough but let us see farther. McCabe says: "Kilpatrick ap- proached the city by the Brook turnpike, and there, with scarcely a show of tightinin. turned off and kept down the peninsula"; and Pollard says : " Kilpatrick moved down on the Brook turnpike on the ist of March, near the outline of the Richmond fortifications and without once getting in range of the artillery, took up a line of march* down the peninsula, while Dahlgren, not venturing to cross the high water of the James River, abandoned his enterprise on the south of Richmond, and, unapprised of the ludicrous cowardice and retreat of Kilpatrick, proposed, by moving down the Westham plank road, which skirted the river, to effect a junction with Kilpatrick, with a view of further operations, or add to the security of his re- treat."

The injustice of this account done to Kilpatrick is not within the scope of this article. But why the splendid strategy of General Wade Hampton should be so entirely ignored, by which the enemy were foiled in their plans, and the city of Richmond saved from the im- pending fire and carnage, is a fact beyond the comprehension of the writer ; and that this misstatement of facts should exist when one of the historians at least was in Richmond at the time, a member of the editorial staff of the Richmond Examiner, which paper contained, the day after the deliverance of the city, an accurate account of the conflict that brought such magnificent results.

The true history of Kilpatrick' s raid and the causes of its failure are these: On Sunday, the 28th of February, 1864, General Kil- patrick crossed the Rapidan river at Germanna ford with about 2,000 picked men from the cavalry force of the enemy, and pro- ceeded in the direction of Richmond, executing the movement with such celerity and skill that he succeeded in cutting the railroad in rear of General Lee's army, which was then lying in winter-quarters around Orange Courthouse, without serious opposition; thus cutting off the possibility of sending reinforcements to Richmond, which was in an almost entirely defenceless condition. After detaching, at Beaver Dam, 500 men under Colonel Dahlgren, and sending them