Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[560] A woman having informed me that a scouting party came along at seven A. M. daily to the church, I placed in ambush Capt. Allan M. Seymour with his company. He had just placed his men in position, when his alluring detail was suddenly attacked by nine or ten men, supported by some fifty others. Capt. Seymour immediately charged, forcing the advance back upon their supports. I went to his assistance with a small force, leaving Major Chapman and Davies to guard the cross-roads at the church. The enemy was whipped and driven into the river. Lieutenant Kimball crossed and soon returned, reporting that the camp was in sight and the enemy in column of platoons in the road, with skirmishers covering several hundred yards in front.

I ordered up the reserve, and with Major Davies and Captain Walters reconnoitred the enemy. He occupied a good position on the brow of a hill sloping gently toward the river — level in rear and a fine position for a cavalry fight. I determined at once to attack him, leaving Captains Seymour, McIrvin and Grinton to guard the ford. I directed Major Davies to deploy the carbineers of the Harris Light cavalry as skirmishers on the right and left of the road in columns of platoons to charge. Major Davies advanced rapidly with his skirmishers, gaining ground to the right for the purpose of flanking the enemy and forcing his skirmishers back and beyond his column in the road. Major Chapman seeing that this column was about to retire, charged most gallantly, routing and pursuing him to within sight of Hanover Junction, nearly five miles.

His camp was destroyed, tents and stores burned, also seven car loads of grain. Suddenly and almost unexpectedly a large force of cavalry (afterwards found to be Stuart's) came down on the right. I ordered up the reserve, and the enemy, though greatly outnumbering our tired and worn-out soldiers, was promptly met by Majors Davies and Chapman, and forced back in great confusion far beyond the range of Capt. Walters's carbineers. Having accomplished all that could be done with safety, I at once recrossed the river and took up a strong position near the church. The enemy did not have the boldness to follow. At twelve M. we started for Fredericksburgh, and reached camp at eleven P. M. of the same day.

During the long march, and the two skirmishes in the morning, the whole command, officers and men, conducted themselves most nobly. I would particularly mention Major Davies, who deserves great credit for the gallant and able manner in which he handled his skirmishers. He and his officers, Capt. Walters and Lieut. Plum, of company L, and Lieut. Kimball, of company F, were constantly in the advance, and exposed to the sharpest fire of the enemy. Major Chapman and his whole command, who promptly obeyed each order and charged most gallantly — braver and more eager men never met an enemy; Adjutant Benjamin Gregory, who fearlessly and correctly carried orders on the field, and his untiring exertions during the entire expeditions; Sergeants McCutchen, company F, Gribben and Harris, company L, and Regimental Color-Sergeant Alfred Randolph, won praise from all by deeds of daring done by each.

I have the honor to be your obed't servant,

Immediately upon the heels of the brilliant dash upon Beaver Dam, and before the exuberance and congratulations have ceased, another affair, equally daring in its conception and surpassingly successful, has instilled enthusiasm into the ranks and opened the eyes of rebeldom to the new order of things. As our cavalry returned from Beaver Dam on Sunday evening, it will be remembered that the rebels followed them up to within a short distance of Fredericksburgh. Finding that they could not overtake us, they proceeded down towards the Bowling Green road, where they surprised a party of the Third Indiana cavalry, capturing a lieutenant and seven men. On Tuesday evening, at four o'clock, Lieut.-Col. Kilpatrick started out in pursuit of the enemy, believed to be lurking in our vicinity, with one hundred and eighty men of the Harris light cavalry, under Major Davies; one hundred and twenty of the Third Indiana, under Major Chapman; and companies B and E of the Brooklyn Fourteenth, under Capt. Mallory. Sixteen miles from Fredericksburgh, at the junction of the Bowling Green and Newmarket roads, the command bivouacked for the night, and at two o'clock next morning Col. Kilpatrick pushed on with the cavalry, leaving the infantry to guard the ford of the Mattapony, and to act as a reserve in an emergency. Mount Carmel was reached at daylight. Here it was expected the rebels were encamped, and preparations were made for surprising them, but no enemy could be found. Hearing that the rebels passed along there every morning, Colonel Kilpatrick sent Capt. Seymour, with fifty men, to ambush them; but the party had proceeded but a short distance before they suddenly came upon the enemy. The command immediately charged upon the rebels, who broke like sheep, and rushing down to the North Anna River, abandoned horses, arms, clothing, and every thing, and plunged pell mell into the stream. Following them across, the pursuit was continued until Kilpatrick came upon them, drawn up in the road in columns of platoons, with dismounted men, armed with rifles, deployed as skirmishers in the fields to the right and left. Although having an inferior force, Col. Kilpatrick determined to attack them. A number of men were deployed as skirmishers, and the column drawn up preparatory to a charge. In the mean time Col. Kilpatrick, Major Davies, and Capt. Walters rode up towards the enemy, only three hundred yards distant, and opened conversation, the rebels inquiring what he wanted, to which the Colonel replied: “What does it look like?” Returning to the column, the skirmishers, under Major Davies and Capt. Walters, commenced to advance. As yet not a shot