580 NortH CArontina Troops, 1861-’65.

the result of our strange situation. The horses and mules
seemed to feel the necessity for quiet and, though they had
not been fed since morning, refrained from their usual de-
monstrative cries. All waited for the morning; and, oh, the
wild waking of that morning!”

Just before day General Warren’s Federal Corps and
Gregg’s Division of cavalry came to Auburn with orders to
eross the run behind the Third Corps, turn to the right and
move on the read to Catlett’s immediately on our left, thus
adding to the difficulties of the mill race and run, his column
along the base of the triangle. He first crossed over Gen-
eral Caldwell’s Division, with the batteries of Captains
Ricketts, Arnold and Ames, and placed all just in our
front, facing Warrenton and rear to us, on a hill top which
was soon blazing and lighted up with their camp fires
around which they were plainly seen, cheerfully preparing
their breakfasts, and then General Hays’ Division crossed
and took position immediately on our left. The cordon was
closing. The heavy mists and fog of the morning still con-
cealed us in the gray dawn while by their big camp fires we
eculd see the enemy below us as plainly as at high noon. Af-
ter the bright breakfast scene had progressed some time, vol-
leys of musketry were heard on the road towards Warrenton
and Stuart thought that General Lee, on his night messages,
had attacked. Feeling that the hour had come as well as the
man, still totally unobserved and absolutely unexpected,
Stuart opened his seven guns, all at the same moment, upon
Caldwell’s Division of infantry and artillery and, as Stuart
himself reports, “rained a storm of cannister and shell upon
the masses of men, muskets and coffee pots.” It was an awful
sight, a fearful sound of shrieking shell and screaming sol-
diers. One shell killed seven men at the first fire, General
Warren himself reports. But, bad for us, what was thought
to be, and in fact were, Lee’s guns entirely ceased their firing
as soon as Stuart opened. For some cause Lee’s advance was
not hastened. Caldwell’s veterans soon splendidly recovered
from their consternation and his lines moved out on our front
and each of our flanks, while Rickett’s Battery fired furiously
on our seven small guns, which thunderingly answered back,

Srxty-Tuirp REGIMENT. 581

Hays attacked on our left and we beat his skirmishers back
badly with the Sixty-third’s dismounted men, who fought des-
perately. Among our killed was George Andrews, of Com-
pany I. Hays then moved forward the Twenty-sixth New
York and the Twelfth New Jersey Infantry. Our position
was clearly untenable; but for us to escape, that advancing
infantry must be stopped. Gordon ordered the old Ninth to
charge and, as General Hays reports: “The rebel cavalry,
led by Colonel Thomas Ruffin, charged furiously.” That
was a famous but a fatal charge. The gallant Ruffin was mor-
tally wounded and about fifty men were killed and wounded,
but its purpose, to allow our escape, was effected. The seven
guns were limbered up and, at the héad of our two little bri-
gades of cavalry, were galloped to the rear and then to the
right of Hay’s Division before he could attack again; the
mill race was bridged by us, the Run crossed as best we
could and turning up it to our right again, we crossed
the Fayetteville and Greenwich road where Warren’s
Corps had lately marched and captured a number of
his stragglers. We brought out safely all our artillery, every
ordnance wagon and ambulance and, if the infantry lines
from Warrenton had advanced, as Stuart expected, we would
have captured that whole corps or its annihilation would have
been complete. Of this affair General Stuart wrote General
Lee: ‘My extrication from this embarrassing situation with
the comparatively small loss which I sustained is due, under
Providence, to the gallant officers and men of my command,
who, upon this trying oceasion, which thoroughly tested their
soldierly character, exhibited nerve and coolness which en-
titled them to the highest praise from their commander.”
General Warren reports to General Meade: “Its result
was alike complimentary to my own command and the force
I encountered.” Vol. 48, pp. 288, 239, 289, 357, 447, 461.
On the morning of the 15th, Stuart’s entire cavalry com-
mand, except Young’s Brigade, pursued the retreating en-
emy to Manassas Junction. Near the junction the Sixty-
third, dismounted, with other regiments, made a fierce at-
tack on them, which lasted till late in the afternoon, and
drove them across Bull Run, their dead and wounded being