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  Danny nodded sagely. “Best get ready Jack. Something is up.”

  General Stuart left soon after the aide and the bugle sounded for senior officers to head for headquarters.

  Danny and I had been discussing the new corporals and we stopped to watch the frenetic action. He turned to me, “It looks like something is up Jack, best get the men assembled. It looks like we will be moving soon.”

  “Yes sir. Sergeant Major, find the other officers and tell them we might be leaving soon. Have the men ready to drop their tents and tell the Quartermaster to get as many supplies as he can.”

  Danny ran back to us an hour later, “It’s the Yankees. You were right Jack. They have attacked but instead of using Kelly’s Ford they have come across at U.S. Ford. Every regiment is riding there now to stop them and we are the eyes and ears of the whole shooting match.”

  “Sergeant Major, have the bugler sound ‘Boots and Saddles’.” I smiled at Danny. I assumed the worst.”

  He clapped me on the back with a huge ham of a fist. “I think we will head to Chancellorsville. The initial reports were a little vague. This may be just a raid although your intelligence would suggest this is a major advance.”

  Stuart’s aide found us just as we were leaving. “It’s vital that you find out where the main Union forces are gathered.” He lowered his voice, “The general has just returned and there are small units behind us. We are cut off from Fredericksburg.”

  We headed west with Danny devising a plan as we went. “Harry, you take Jed and scout towards the U.S. Ford. Jack you take Dago and scout towards Ely’s Crossing on the Rapidan. I’ll check out Chancellorsville. Be careful.”

  I turned to Dago and whipping Copper with my hat said, “Come on Lieutenant; we’re burning daylight.”

  We knew the area well and I led us towards Catherine’s Furnace. There were few towns in this area and a lot of woods. The area was known as The Wilderness and with good reason. I hoped that we would be able to move without being seen. “Dago, take your troop and ride a mile parallel to us. You take the southern side of this wood.” I would not be putting all my eggs in one basket.

  It was eerily silent in the woods. We were the only ones making a noise. Suddenly Sergeant James signalled me; there were soldiers to our right. I signalled to keep going. We just had to avoid their scouts and find their main force. We reached the Rapidan River and I halted the column. Dago and his men appear from the woods and he shook his head as he approached me.

  “Dago, take your boys west and then north. I’ll see what Ely’s Ford looks like. I’ll meet you back here. If I am not back by nightfall then head back to camp.”

  He grinned, “It’s like the old days with the Wildcats eh Jack?”

  “We did not have a whole Union Army against us then.”

  I led my twenty men along the river bank. We kept within the eaves of the woods. Across the river I could see columns of infantry and artillery. This was not a raid. I knew that they would have taken Ely’s Ford; how else would they have managed to get men across. I wanted to see how it was guarded. Was it possible to dislodge them? As soon as I saw the crossing I realised the impossibility of retaking this without losing many men. They had pontoon bridges which they were throwing over the river.

  I was so busy trying to identify units that I failed to see the troop of cavalry heading our way. Cecil shouted a warning, “Yankees!”

  Our training took over and we all drew a pistol. I now saw the column heading along the river directly for us. Their bright uniforms and sabres thrusting towards us told me that they were new to the battlefield.

  “Right boys! Show these Yankees that a sabre ain’t no good against a pistol.” We had the advantage that we were in a two deep line and they were in a column of fours. We blazed away with our pistols. It was a wall of lead into which they rode and the leading riders, officers, guidon and bugler were thrown from their saddles. The infantry battalion across the river saw the dilemma of their comrades and they began to fire at us. When two troopers fell dead I knew that we had to retreat.

  “Sergeant Major, take the men into the woods and head back to the lieutenant.” I took out my second pistol and emptied that too. I took off hidden by the pall of smoke from our weapons. By the time we reached the rendezvous Dago was there.

  “Dismount the men and form a skirmish line. We have Yank cavalry chasing us. We can ambush them here.”

  The horse holders took the horses to the rear and we all drew our carbines. I rested mine against a tree but others lay down while some climbed into the lower branches of the many trees. We heard the cavalry as they encouraged each other. They had spread out from the column of fours and a hundred and thirty troopers hurtled through the woods cheering and whooping. The bark of our carbines silenced the cheering and turned them into screams as men and horses were cut down. We all fired until we were empty and then emptied our second Colts. The smoke before us hid the carnage but we could hear the moans and cries from their wounded.

  “Mount and let’s ride.”

  Hit and run was the only way we could escape and we left before they could recover. Dago and his men covered the rear while Cecil and I led our little band east towards our camp. When we hit the turnpike I felt a sense of relief for our camp was just four miles away. To my horror I had to rein in Copper for there was a full Union Corps before us marching resolutely towards Fredericksburg.

  I held up my hand and halted the column. If we went north we would hit the enemy force. We had to go south. It was unknown country. I left the road and entered the stream which flowed north. We galloped down it. The overhanging trees provided some cover but we had no idea what lay ahead. Then I saw a gap to the east. It was the bed of an unfinished railroad. I could see the sleepers stacked to the side. The engineers had made a cutting and it was below the level of the woods. I turned Copper and headed down it. There was no point in saving the horses; we only had a short way to go. It was far more important that we returned with the news.

  Hidden by the cutting we made the camp successfully. General Stuart was standing amongst a huddle of officers. I left Dago with the men and galloped over, “Sir!”

  My voice silenced the conversation. Stuart recognised me. “Ah is it my lucky Irishman. What news?”

  “The Union are throwing pontoon bridges over the Rapidan River. They have artillery, infantry and cavalry over in large numbers. Chancellorsville and the turnpike are in their control.” I pointed west. “They have a full Corps over there already.

  “Thank you, captain. That is useful information. Have your troop ready; I may have more work for them.”

  I walked Copper back to our men. Dago nodded to Irish, “The Sergeant Major has managed to find us some food.”

  He shrugged, “They had cooked enough for a regiment and it was just for the general and his staff. It seemed a shame to let it go to waste.” He thrust a plateful of steaming chicken at me. Hot food was a rare treat and we never looked a gift horse in the mouth. I devoured mine in minutes.

  “We will be out again soon. I think we will try to get a prisoner this time. If you see an officer above the rank of lieutenant, grab him.”

  Dago gave me an indignant look, “And what is wrong with lieutenants?”

  I laughed, “Nothing Dago but those above shave tail lieutenant are paid more and so they might know more.”

  “I suppose.” He held up his Colt. “We are running mighty low on ammunition.”

  We both had the same problem; we had Union guns and we needed to capture more quickly. My last two ventures had not given us any. The two officers we had recently captured had had a gun each and just a handful of ammunition. “We’ll keep our eyes peeled then.”

  Stuart’s aide waved me over an hour later. It was dusk and I had thought that we would not be needed until the following day. “Captain, I know it’s late but could you take your troop out and find how far down the pike they are.” He gave me an apologetic look. “General Lee and General Jackson have
n’t decided what we are doing yet and I would hate to end up in a Yankee prison.”

  I smiled, “We wouldn’t want that either sir. Ill just take ten men. It will be easier to get close to their lines that way.”

  “I appreciate this Captain.”

  “Sergeant Major, I need nine volunteers for a patrol tonight.”

  “Eight sir, I’m coming.”

  He was always keen, “Very well. Make sure they are all experienced. This will be no place to learn on the job.”

  Dago walked with me to the horse lines. “I could go you know, Jack.”

  “I know but Stuart asked for me and besides I never ask a man to do something I am not willing to do myself. Make sure you are ready to move the troop at a moment’s notice. We are the nearest troops to the Yanks right now. If they come through you’ll have to get out as fast as you can.”

  “What about the major and the other boys?”

  That thought had been worrying me too. “They might just be trying to get back to our lines. If we hadn’t found that railroad we would have still been trying to find a way back here wouldn’t we?”

  I put on my deer hide jacket. It gave me a little more protection, especially from swords and it made me harder to see at night. “Ready sir.”

  I took my pistol out and held it in my right hand. We needed to be quicker than any enemy we met. I was the lead rider and so I had to be alert and quick witted. I did not take the patrol down the road; I rode through the fields and woods to the side. It made us harder to see. I could see the flickering of fires in the distance but I had no idea of distance. They could be a hundred yards away or two miles. The night was deceitful.

  Once again it was Copper who alerted me to the presence of the enemy. I halted the patrol. I signalled for them to dismount and we led our horses forward. None of my men smoked and I could smell the pipe tobacco from their sentries. I tapped Irish on the shoulder and held up five fingers. He tapped five of the others and we left the horses with the other four. We slipped silently through the woods taking advantage of the trees and the undergrowth. I could see the glow of the fire from their camp and it illuminated the sentries. There looked to be about six of them and there each had a hundred yard section of the perimeter. I worked out that the men at the end furthest from the road would be our best chance and I led the patrol in that direction.

  I took out my cosh and gestured for the others to do the same. Cecil and two men slipped through the woods to reach the man furthest from us. We would, at least, have two prisoners. They might not know much but we might glean some information from them. I nodded to the two troopers and they crept up on the sentry who was peering back at the camp fires. He was knocked cold and trussed up. We tied the two of them together and they were taken back to the horse holders.

  The remaining four of us crossed through their picket line and into their camp. We crouched low and headed for their tents. I held up my hand and we halted. I saw four men detach themselves from the fire and head into the woods. We would avoid that direction; that would be where they had their latrines. We turned left towards the large tent. There were a number of officers gathered around a table lit by an oil lamp. We lay down under the bushes which were close to the tent. I had no idea who was speaking but I could hear everything.

  “Looks like we caught Lee napping, general.”

  “I know that wily old bird. I served with him. It doesn’t do to underestimate him. Where are General Stonehouse’s cavalry?”

  “They have surrounded Jeb Stuart’s cavalry.”

  “And the bridges?”

  “We have pontoons across both rivers. General Sedgwick is ready to cross at Fredericksburg and the other corps will be ready to attack by noon tomorrow.”

  “Excellent. Make sure those pickets on the pike keep the Rebs at bay until tomorrow. I want our attack to be a complete surprise.”

  We had heard enough and I crawled backwards through the undergrowth. Suddenly I heard a voice above me say, “What have we here?”

  I rolled on my back and drew my Colt in one movement. I shot the sergeant who was peering down at me. There was no point in hiding any longer. “Run!” I turned and fired three shots at the general’s tent. The others all popped a couple of shots off and then we ran. We ran directly for their pickets. We knew there were just four of them and they would hesitate when they saw us for fear of hitting their own men.

  Trooper Harris was a fast runner and he streaked ahead of me. It was he who saw the sentry and he fired as he ran. The sentry was thrown to the ground but a second sentry, less than thirty yards away fired at Harris. Cecil shot his assailant and Trooper Crow and me grabbed Harris and carried him towards out horses. I hoped the others would have our horses ready. We would have to forego the prisoners. We had to escape.

  I heard the sounds of pursuit. The worst thing you can do when pursued is to turn around; you waste time and risk tripping. I just ran faster. “Here sir; to your left.”

  We edged left and saw the horses and our men. “Leave the prisoners where they are. Fire a volley at the Yanks while we get Harris on his horse.”

  Harris was conscious but in a bad way. We put him on his horse. “Crow, you watch him. Now ride.”

  I jumped on to Copper and drew one of my saddle pistols. I fired at the sea of white faces which raced towards us. “Come on, let’s go!”

  We wheeled around and galloped away. Balls buzzed around us like angry bees. We soon overtook Trooper Crow. “Sergeant Major, head for the road, we’ll have to risk it.” Our pursuers were making almost as much progress through the woods as we were. We needed the road to increase our lead.

  We burst on to the road and, mercifully, we were alone. I knew that there would be pickets on the road and they would have heard the noise. I took out a fresh pistol. “Sergeant Major, you ride next to me.”

  He grinned, “Yes sir. The mad Irish again eh sir?”

  I nodded. He knew what I intended. We would just charge the guards. We trotted along the road. We would save our burst of speed for the last few yards. I saw the two braziers up the road. There were just four guards and they peered, through the darkness at the shapes which approached. Our casual gait disarmed them and they looked to be unconcerned. As soon as they saw our uniforms that would change. When we were a hundred yards away I kicked Copper and he leapt forwards. Cecil followed a heartbeat later. As soon as we did so they recognised us and their rifle muskets came up. A horse can cover that distance really quickly and the four men were struggling to hold the rifles steady. When Irish and I began firing their aim went altogether and the four shots whistled over our heads. One man was down and the others were knocked out of the way by our horses.

  I slowed down, “Keep them going!” I turned and fired at the soldiers who were struggling to their feet. As Trooper Harris galloped past me I followed and we rode down the road. It was with some relief that I heard Cecil shout to our own pickets, “1st Virginia Scouts coming in.”

  I left the Sergeant Major to see to Trooper Harris and I went directly to Stuart’s tent. The sentry saluted. “The general said to wake him when you returned.” He put his head around the tent flap and said, “General Stuart. Captain Hogan has returned.”

  I heard a sleepy voice say, “Send him in and get me some coffee.”

  As the sentry emerged he said, “You can go in sir.”

  “Make that two coffees eh trooper?”

  “Sir.”

  The general had slept in his uniform. He lit the oil lamp and got directly down to business. “Well?”

  I filled him in on all that I had overheard. “We are surrounded by General Stonehouse’s cavalry. There is at least one Corps ready to attack Fredericksburg and the rest will attack from Chancellorsville.” I paused, “Sir it is a big army. I think we are outnumbered.”

  “I think so too.” He rubbed his beard, “General Stonehouse eh? Well I think we can extricate ourselves from this little trap this morning. If there are just cavalry then we can give the
m a bloody nose eh?” He looked up as the sentry came in with two cups of steaming coffee. “Have this and then get some rest. I think we will soon be in action again.” As I sipped it he said, “The major and your comrades arrived last night. We have the 1st Virginia Scouts back together again.”

  Dawn was just an hour away when I finally crashed into my tent and fell asleep. Despite the coffee I was so tired that a cannonade would not have kept me awake.

  The bugle brought me from my comfortable dream. I had not bothered undressing; I had merely taken off my two jackets. I raced from my tent, donning my shell jacket as I did so. Danny strode over. His hand outstretched, “Glad you made it. That was a little hairy out there.”

  We shook hands. “Did Harry and Jed make it?”

  He nodded, “We all lost a couple of men but it could have been worse. I understand from Irish that we have a couple of Corps facing us?”

  “It looks that way but I think we are going to take on the Yank cavalry today.”

  Sergeant James led our mounts over, “We need more grain for the horses sir. The grass around here is almost done with so many cavalry regiments eating it.”

  “Well I guess after this battle we can look for some. Hopefully it will be Yankee grain.”

  The courier found us and saluted Danny. “General’s compliments and the 1st Virginia are on the left of the field. He says to stop them outflanking us.”

  After he had ridden off Danny said, “Easier said that done.”

  “From what I have seen Danny, they still favour the sabre over the pistol.”

  “I know but we are short of ammunition.”

  I remembered that I had planned on acquiring some but we had not done so. I hoped that would not come back to haunt us.

  Our regiment rode towards the unfinished railroad. We were next to the 5th North Carolina. They were an experienced regiment and it showed in their uniforms and low numbers. The troopers engaged in good natured banter as we rode to our allotted position.