584 Norra Carona Troops, 1861-’65.

that any cavalry has suffered during the war.” He laugh-
ingly spoke of the run as the “Buckland Races,” and his
troopers, with a smile, always so think and talk of it. On 20
October we leisurely followed the retrogade movement of our
army and established our pickets on the south bank of the
Rappahannock and on the Hazel river. Vol. 48, pp. 451,
452, 461 and 411.

Everything was quiet until 7 November, when dire disaster
came to Hays’ and Hoke’s Brigades at Rappahannock Sta-
tion that fateful Saturday night. Sunday and Sunday night
General Lee withdrew, via Stevensburg, south of the Rapi-
dan, Hampton’s Cavalry, as usual, acting as rear guard.
Near Stevensburg, on Sunday, the 8th, Hampton’s Division
had a fight with the enemy’s advance guard and held them in
check for the protection of our retreating army. The fight
was on when Hampton rode along our lines for the first time
since he was wounded at Gettysburg. The men cheered him
gladly and wildly. The Sixty-third did its part splendidly
at Stevensburg and on to the river as mounted skirmishers.
Lee’s infantry crossed south of the Rapidan that day never to
recross it and again the Sixty-third acted well its part as
“rear guard of the grand army” of Northern Virginia.

THE EIGHTEENTH PENNSYLVANIA PAID OFF IN FULL.

At early dawn of 18 November, Hampton with a small de-
tachment of picked men from the Ninth and Sixty-third
North Carolina crossed the Rapidan at Ely’s Ford on a little
prospecting tour of his own. The Eighteenth Pennsylvania,
by some strange fatality of war, under that inexorable law of
retribution, was on picket at the forks of the roads leading
to Ely’s and Germanna fords, a short distance northwest of
Ely. They were at their breakfast; sixty of them had just
gone down the Germanna road with Lieutenant Whitaker on
an “important” mission for General Custer, “when,” sud-
denly, as that same Federal General Davies reports, “their
whole outpost was driven in upon them, mixed and struggling
with a dense column of rebel cavalry.” ‘Nearly the entire
regiment was captured and among them a Federal paymaster
who had come down there to “pay them off.” The Sixty-
third took him and his pay-roll and his funds, which green-

eee aes

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gcse asnemaeyre

 

Srxty-Tuirp REGIMENT. 585

backs the captors equally divided among themselves; and
thus the Eighteenth Pennsylvania was “paid off” and driven
off in dismay and our old score and sore, made near Botts’
house, was forever settled and healed. Our force then went
down the Germanna road and disposed of Lieutenant Whita-
ker and his sixty men by capture and dispersion. A squad-
ron of the Fifth New York was down at Germanna Ford on
picket. They at once had very and more important business
elsewhere and all escaped down the river. With “83 horses,
10 mules, 1. ambulance, 1 hospital wagon, 1 army wagon, 1
forge” and a host of prisoners, all of the Eighteenth Penn-
sylvania, Hampton recrossed the Rapidan at Germanna Ford
about 10:30 a.m. And the Sixty-third North Carolina and
the Eighteenth Pennsylvania then and there agreed never
again to refer to the affair between us at John Minor Botts’.
It was a final settlement between gentlemen and both sides
prefer to hear no more talk about our matters by outsiders.
The Sixty-third and the Eighteenth are satisfied and all
others must be. Vol. 48, p. 656.

PARKER'S STORE.

On 26 November General Meade made a great display of
force and movement south of the Rapidan, by fords from
Ely’s to Jacob’s. General’ Lee moved to meet him. “Hamp-
ton’s Division, with General Stuart present, preceded the
advance of the main body.” About 9 o’clock next morning
General Stuart pushed forward with Gordon’s Brigade, met
the enemy’s advance near New Hope church and, in an une-
qual contest, fighting on foot, kept the enemy back some dis-
tance from Mine Run till the arrival of Heth’s Division, and
Hampton having come up with Young’s Brigade, the greater
portion of which also deployed as skirmishers, the enemy was
dislodged, the Sixty-third having done its part of the fighting
fully and well. On the 29th General Stuart attacked the en-
emy near Parker’s store with Rosser’s Brigade most success-
fully, but reinforcements coming up against him, General Gor-
don, who was fast marching to the firing on a road intersecting
the Orange and Fredericksburg plank road, about one mile
east of Parker’s store, was ordered by Stuart’s couriers to