Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 32.djvu/129

 A Midnight Charge. 117

[From the Times-Dispatch, May 15, 1904.]

A MIDNIGHT CHARGE

And the Death of General J. E. B. Stuart.

HE PROPOSED TO ADVANCE ON THE ENEMY'S CAMP AT YELLOW TAVERN.

Made a Reconnoisance but Found the Federal Pickets Wide Awake.

[For account of death of General Stuart, see Southern Historical Society Papers, Vols. XXIX, p. 22; XXX, p. 236.]

While the article following deals, in part, with the much contro- verted point as to how Jeb Stuart received his death wound, a far more interesting question is discussed by its author. That is, with respect to a charge Stuart desired to make upon the enemy's camp on the night, or morning, rather, preceding the battle of Yellow Tavern. The adventures of General Stuart made in a scout, de- signed to "locate" the enemy, the cavalry sergeant describes as follows :

I was a member of Company C, ist Virginia cavalry, and will commence my story by relating what happened the night before the killing of Stuart. I will show that he expected the general en- gagement to come off the next day, and also that he knew the odds against him would be very heavy.

The General conceived the idea of charging the enemy's camp that night. Our camps were not very far apart.

About 12 o'clock at night, my captain, C. F. Jordan, came to me and waked me up and said that General Stuart had sent for me, and wanted me to report to him at once, mounted.

I asked the captain what the general wanted. The captain said he did not know. As he wanted me to come mounted, I supposed he was going to send me off on a scout or wanted me to go with him to reconnoiter, as I had done before, so I was particular about loading my pistol and carbine with fresh cartridges. I reported to him as quickly as possible. As I rode up to his tent I could see him sitting in there by himself. He had a light. He could see no one else about, his horse was nearby. As I stepped in front of his tent, I said: "Here I am, General, ready for orders." He came