622 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

nel Cheek’s copy, is correctly “the 25th ultimo” in “Official
Records,” Vol. 88, p. 1206. And the Sixty-third respect-
fully claims her “part in the operations of the cavalry,” men-
tioned in that letter by General Lee.

Fee 23
HAMPTON S BEEF RAID.

This was the greatest and most successful achievement of
the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia during the en-
tire war and in it the Sixty-third, as always, bore a gallant
and prominent part. To the wearied reader, may be a mere
short outline would be sufficient with a reference to Hamp-
ton’s report but most of our people can never see ‘“Hampton’s
Report” and I could not do justice to the Sixty-third by such
a mere outline alone. And again it is best just to let Hamp-
ton tell it by extracts, made here and there, from his report
on page 944, Vol. 87. His report is dated 27 September,
1864, and, in part, is as follows:

“On the morning of the 14th instant I moved with the
division of W. H. F. Lee and brigades of Rosser and Dearing
and Colonel Miller, of South Carolina, with 100 men, down
the west side of Rowanty Creek to Wilkinson’s Bridge and
bivouacked that night. The object was to capture a large
herd of cattle near Coggins’ Point, on the James river. It
was necessary to pass to the rear of the enemy and force his
lines at some point. I selected Sycamore Church, in Prince
George County, as the point to attack, as being the most cen-
tral, the nearest to the cattle, and the one where the largest
force of the enemy was camped. By dispersing them here I
made it impossible for them to concentrate any force in time
to interfere with the main object of the expedition. Left
Wilkinson’s Bridge at an early hour on the 15th and by a
rapid march reached the Blackwater at Cooke’s Bridge. The
bridge had been destroyed, as I was aware, and I chose that
route on that account, as the enemy would not look for an
approach from that quarter. The command halted here to
rest. and feed, while the engineer party constructed a new
bridge. The command moved at 12 midnight. General Lee
was directed to move by the Lawyer’s road to the Stage road,
at which point he would encounter the first pickets of the en-

Srxty-Tuirp REGIMENT. 623

emy. ‘These he was to drive in, and to move, then, to occupy
the roads leading from the direction of the enemy to Syca-
more Church. With Rosser’s Brigade I moved on by-roads
direct toward Sycamore Church. Rosser was charged with
the duty of carrying the position of the enemy here and was
directed after accomplishing this to push forward at once to
secure the cattle. At 5 a. m., on the 16th, Rosser made the
attack. The enemy had a strong position, and the approaches
to it being barricaded he had time to rally in the roads around
his camp, when for some time he fought as stubbornly as I
have ever seen him do. But he was completely routed,
leaving his dead and wounded on the field and his camp in
our hands. As soon as the attack was made at the church,
General Lee on the left and General Dearing on the right at-
tacked the enemy most successfully, and established them-
selves rapidly and firmly at the points they were ordered to
secure. Having captured the whole herd of cattle, I with-
drew everything before 8 a.m. The different columns were
united before reaching the Blackwater, and all dispositions
made to protect our captured property. General Lee brought
up the rear. After seeing everything across the Blackwater
I moved toward the plank road, but before reaching it was
notified by General Rosser of the approach of a heavy force of
the enemy down that road. I ordered him to hold the road
at Ebenezer Church and I at once sent the cattle by Hawkins-
ville, crossing the plank road two miles in rear of my line of
battle and placed them quickly across the Nottoway river at
Freeman’s Ford. The enemy attacked Rosser, I sent Mil-
ler and Dearing to him. I determined to pass to the rear of
the enemy with General Lee’s division, in order to attack him
there. But it became too dark to make the movement advan-
tageously, and I directed General Lee to reinforce Rosser and
to protect our right. These orders were promptly carried out
in the midst of an attack from the enemy, who were repulsed
along the whole line. Several assaults were made on me, but
always with a like result. I moved the command to their
former bivouac, on the Rowanty, halting for the night.
“The next day the command returned to their old quar-
ters, after an absence of three days, during which they had