Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 27.djvu/189

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from the battle of " Cloyd's Farm," where General Albert G. Jen- kins, our beloved commander, was killed.

This brings me now to the commencement of the raid on Lynchburg. On June 3d, the combined forces of Averill and Crook left Lewis- burg and marched in the direction of Staunton. Among Crook's men were two soldiers who afterwards became Presidents of the United States Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley. Mc- Causland's cavalry was in Crook's front, never losing an opportunity to harass and annoy him. We had one stiff little fight near the Warm Springs, but there being ten to one, of course we had to give back, and by the night of the 8th we were in the vicinity of Staun- ton, where Crook's and Averill's forces united with the forces of General David Hunter, who had won the battle of Piedmont two days before, and where General William E. Jones and Colonel John M. Templeton, of Rockbridge, were killed.

These two armies, now united, according to the statement of the commanders, numbered 25,000 men 5,000 cavalry and 20,000 in- fantry. To oppose this large number, were the 1,500 cavalry of McCausland, and well they did the work assigned them. In season and out of season they would pinch them in their side, rear and front, and retard them in everyway. On many days not a half-dozen miles' progress was made by the enemy. The enemy's cavalry con- sisted of the ist, 2d and 3d West Virginia; the 8th Ohio and I4th Pennsylvania, and one or two battalions of cavalry. The I4th Penn- sylvania was commanded by Colonel James M. Schoonmaker, a Pitts- burg millionaire, and was a crack regiment of the Union army. In the United States service they had the best men selected from other arms of the service for the cavalry. If a soldier distinguished him- self for gallantry, he was promoted to the cavalry. But they were not invincible. The long, lean and lank Confederate, hair in strings, and tobacco saliva creeping out both sides of his mouth, was always the equal of the most pampered of the Federal soldiers. Around camp he was genial and clever, liberal to a fault, but woe to his an- tagonist when the Confederate looked over a rusty gun barrel at him. He was a dangerous man then.

Well, we left Staunton on the morning of the roth of June, 1864, with our faces towards Lexington. Everything moved along well until we got to Middlebrook, and then there was a little friction. The Federal cavalry attempted to ride over us, but in this they were deceived. We planted a few in the ground, or rather put them in a