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DAHLGREN'S RAID ON RICHMOND. 611
would have rendered Lee's position untenable. Colonel Johnson was at
once informed, by telegrams from General Lee, of this movement. The first
information reached him just before midnight of February 29th, that a
body of cavalry had passed the right of the army, accompanied by orders
to find it without delay, ascertain its force and the direction it was moving, and its intentions and object, fight it if possible, and to save the bridges
at all hazards. He immediately sent orders to his pickets to destroy the
boats on the Pamunkey, between Hanover Court House and the White
House, in order to prevent the escape of the enemy in that direction,
and at the same time sent out an expanding circle of scouting parties,
to the North and West, to ascertain the movements of the enemy.
It was soon ascertained that they were moving on Hanover Junction,
and that there was a large force. The extended pickets and necessary scouts
had only left about sixty men of the 1st Maryland Cavalry present for duty,
and these, with the infantry and artillery, were prepared to receive the
expected attack. Moving out with the cavalry and. two pieces of the Baltimore light artillery, just before light, on March 1st, Johnson struck a force
of the enemy near Taylorsville, two miles from the junction, and drove them
off. Pushing on, he found that the main body had moved rapidly on Richmond, and were at least an hour ahead of him. He followed quickly on their
line of march, and at the Yellow Tavern, five miles from Richmond, found
them, under Kilpatrick, in line of battle a mile beyond him, preparing to
attack the city, upon whose outworks they had already opened with artillery.
Just then a straggler was captured, and finding there were forces in the rear,
Johnson drew his squadron off on the side of the road, and posted a picket in
Federal uniform on the road itself. In a few minutes a squad of five men
rode into the ambuscade, who proved to be the guard of a bearer of a dispatch
from Dahlgren to Kilpatrick. It was a verbal one, but the officer who bore
it was forced to give it up. It was information that Dahlgren had failed in
his attempt to cross the James, but would charge into the city from the
river road at dark, and asking Kilpatrick's co-operation in a joint attack
at that time. Immediately on getting this information, Colonel Johnson
charged Kilpatrick's picket and rear guard, which he had left behind him
on the Brook Turnpike, and drove, them in on the main body. Whereupon
Kilpatrick at once desisted from his attack, took horse and drew off his troops
in the direction of the Peninsula, evidently aiming to escape over the
Pamunkey, or down toward Williamsburg. Colonel Johnson with his sixty
men followed close on his heels, and that night Kilpatrick camped on the
eastern side of the Chickahominy, only four miles from Richmond, with
Johnson on the other side of that river, between him and Richmond. During
the night, Hampton came on Kilpatrick's camp and drove him from it with
loss in prisoners and horses.
At daylight of the 2d, the Confederates were again on his track, and
for the whole, diy kept harrassing him, constantly driving in his rear
| Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000646 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | DAHLGREN'S RAID ON RICHMOND. 611 would have rendered Lee's position untenable. Colonel Johnson was at once informed, by telegrams from General Lee, of this movement. The first information reached him just before midnight of February 29th, that a body of cavalry had passed the right of the army, accompanied by orders to find it without delay, ascertain its force and the direction it was moving, and its intentions and object, fight it if possible, and to save the bridges at all hazards. He immediately sent orders to his pickets to destroy the boats on the Pamunkey, between Hanover Court House and the White House, in order to prevent the escape of the enemy in that direction, and at the same time sent out an expanding circle of scouting parties, to the North and West, to ascertain the movements of the enemy. It was soon ascertained that they were moving on Hanover Junction, and that there was a large force. The extended pickets and necessary scouts had only left about sixty men of the 1st Maryland Cavalry present for duty, and these, with the infantry and artillery, were prepared to receive the expected attack. Moving out with the cavalry and. two pieces of the Baltimore light artillery, just before light, on March 1st, Johnson struck a force of the enemy near Taylorsville, two miles from the junction, and drove them off. Pushing on, he found that the main body had moved rapidly on Richmond, and were at least an hour ahead of him. He followed quickly on their line of march, and at the Yellow Tavern, five miles from Richmond, found them, under Kilpatrick, in line of battle a mile beyond him, preparing to attack the city, upon whose outworks they had already opened with artillery. Just then a straggler was captured, and finding there were forces in the rear, Johnson drew his squadron off on the side of the road, and posted a picket in Federal uniform on the road itself. In a few minutes a squad of five men rode into the ambuscade, who proved to be the guard of a bearer of a dispatch from Dahlgren to Kilpatrick. It was a verbal one, but the officer who bore it was forced to give it up. It was information that Dahlgren had failed in his attempt to cross the James, but would charge into the city from the river road at dark, and asking Kilpatrick's co-operation in a joint attack at that time. Immediately on getting this information, Colonel Johnson charged Kilpatrick's picket and rear guard, which he had left behind him on the Brook Turnpike, and drove, them in on the main body. Whereupon Kilpatrick at once desisted from his attack, took horse and drew off his troops in the direction of the Peninsula, evidently aiming to escape over the Pamunkey, or down toward Williamsburg. Colonel Johnson with his sixty men followed close on his heels, and that night Kilpatrick camped on the eastern side of the Chickahominy, only four miles from Richmond, with Johnson on the other side of that river, between him and Richmond. During the night, Hampton came on Kilpatrick's camp and drove him from it with loss in prisoners and horses. At daylight of the 2d, the Confederates were again on his track, and for the whole, diy kept harrassing him, constantly driving in his rear |
