a graduate of West Point, served for several years in the Mounted Rifles, and is skillful, brave and zealous in a very high degree. It is enough to say that he is worthy to succeed J. É. B. Stuart. For the lieutenant-colonelcy I repeat my recommendation of Capt. Fitzhugh Lee. He belongs to a family in which military genius seems to be an heirloom. He is an officer of rare merit, capacity and courage. Both of these officers have the invaluable advantage at this moment of knowledge of the ground which is now the scene of operations.

Stuart soon became brigadier-general of cavalry, later major-general, and then lieutenant-general, and the famous commander of the cavalry corps of the army of Northern Virginia until he fell in action. Fitz Lee soon became colonel, then brigadier-general, and finally the distinguished leader, as major-general, of a cavalry division in the same army, and in 1898 a famous consul-general of the United States and a major-general in its army in the Cuban war. Jones became colonel, later brigadier-general of cavalry, and fell on the battlefield.

General Longstreet, who was in command of the "advanced Confederate forces," reported that he had arranged to move a heavy force during the night to cut off the enemy at Lewinsville, but Stuart did not receive his instructions, and himself "drove the enemy back to his trenches at once." He added:

The affair of yesterday was handsomely conducted and well executed. . . . It is quite evident that the officers and men deserve much credit for their handsome conduct, one and all. It is difficult to say whether the handsome use of his light infantry by Major Terrill or the destructive fire of the Washington artillery by Captain Rosser and Lieutenant Slocomb, is the most brilliant part of the affair. Colonel Stuart has, I think, fairly won his claim to brigadier.

Captain Rosser became the colonel of the Fifth Virginia cavalry, a brigadier in Fitz Lee's division of cavalry of the army of Northern Virginia, and a major-general in command of a cavalry division in the same army; Major Terrill became colonel of the Thirteenth Virginia infantry; Captain Patrick became major of the Seventeenth battalion of Virginia cavalry and fell, in the brave discharge of duty, in the second battle of Manassas.

On the 15th of September a Confederate force of cavalry and artillery scouted the south bank of the Potomac from Harper's Ferry up to the mouth of the Antietam, and had skirmishing at various points during the day with Col. J. W. Geary's Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania

across the river. On the 16th a Federal detachment that crossed the Potomac at Seneca creek was driven back by Stuart's cavalry pickets. On the 24th General Evans sent a detachment to opposite the Point of Rocks, which fired across the Potomac upon Geary's camp and then withdrew; that officer reported, "Our enemy, if not so savage as the Indian, purposes to emulate his vigilance. He also stated that he had taken possession of Heter's and Noland's islands and proposed to occupy all the other islands in front of his lines, "and where Nature has not provided shelter, to make it by art.

On September 24th Col. J. E. B. Stuart received his promotion as brigadier-general of cavalry. His brigade, as nearly as can be ascertained, consisted of the First Virginia cavalry, under Col. W. E. Jones; the Second Virginia cavalry, under Col. R. C. W. Radford; the Fourth Virginia cavalry, under Col. B. H. Robertson; the Sixth Virginia cavalry, under Col. C. W. Field; the First North Carolina cavalry, under Col. R. Ransom, Jr., and the Jeff Davis legion of cavalry, under Maj. W. T. Martin. Of these, Jones and Robertson subsequently became brigadier-generals, and Field, Ransom and Martin, major-generals in the Confederate army.

On September 25th, Gen. W. F. Smith, United States army, marched from his camp, near the Chain bridge, to Lewinsville, with 5, 100 infantry, 150 cavalry and 16 pieces of artillery, guarding a train of 90 wagons to procure forage. He not only took the precaution of having advanced guards and flankers, but left detachments of infantry and artillery along every mile of the road as special guards. After loading his wagons and as he was preparing to retire, about 3 p. m., Stuart vexed him with small bodies of cavalry and three pieces of artillery all along the way as he withdrew. On the 28th the same officer started two of his regiments, with two days' cooked rations, toward Munson's hill. They marched at midnight, but when about halfway to their destination, in a thick body of woods, they were fired into from ambush, with considerable loss; in the confusion that followed one portion of the command fired into another. This led to a halt and the forming of a line of battle, which rested on its arms during the night. These two regiments returned to their camp the next day, after a loss of 4 killed and 16 wounded.

On October 3d, 300 infantry, of the Twenty-sixth New York, were ordered to fall upon a body of Confederate cavalry at Pohick church, 12 miles from Alexandria, and capture them. Instead of obeying orders, this force, as soon as it got beyond the Federal pickets, as General Slocum reported, "was converted into a band of marauders, who plundered alike friend and foe." The same day an expedition to Springfield Station drove away the Confederate pickets and brought away 32 carloads of wood and ties. On the 4th Gen. N. G. Evans tried his artillery on the Federal battery on the Maryland shore near Edwards' ferry, to which reply was made. On the 15th a small body of Confederate cavalry attacked and routed the Federal picket near Padgett's tavern, on the Little river turnpike.

On October 16th, Col. Turner Ashby, who held the front of Harper's Ferry, determined to punish the Federal forces that had for several days been making incursions into Virginia, seizing wheat and committing other depredations, their larger force enabling them to push back his smaller one as they advanced. Ashby had in his command some 300 militia, armed with flint-lock muskets, and two companies of cavalry. He asked General Evans to co-operate with him from Leesburg by sending a force to Loudoun heights, which could prevent the sending of Federal reinforcements across the Potomac, and could drive the enemy from the shelter of the houses at Harper's Ferry. Ashby was reinforced, on the 15th, by two more companies of McDonald's Virginia cavalry, Captain Wingfield's, mounted and armed with minie rifles, and Captain Miller's company, about 30 mounted and the rest on foot, armed with flint-lock guns. He also had a rifled 4-pounder, and a badly mounted 24-pounder, which broke down during the engagement and which he had to spike and abandon. His force, on the morning of the 16th, was 300 militia, parts of two regiments commanded by Colonel Albert of Shenandoah and Major Finter of Page; 180 of McDonald's cavalry, Captain Henderson's men, under command of Lieutenant Glynn; Captain Baylor's mounted militia, about 25 men, and Captain Hess', also about 25 men. Captain Avirett had charge of the rifle gun and Captain Comfield of the 24-pounder.

Ashby attacked in three divisions, drove the enemy

from their breast works on Bolivar heights, without loss to himself, as far as lower Bolivar; there the 24-pounder carriage broke down, much to his detriment. Its detachment was then transferred to the rifle gun, and Captain Avirett was sent to Loudoun heights with a message to Colonel Griffin, who commanded the detachment from General Evans. About this time the enemy rallied in a countercharge, but were repulsed by the militia. At that moment Colonel Ashby ordered a cavalry charge, led by Captain Turner, which was handsomely made, killing five of the enemy.

After holding his position on Bolivar heights for four hours, when the enemy was reinforced by infantry and artillery, which had been left on guard at the ferry, and which Griffin, from the position he had taken, had not been able to keep back, Ashby withdrew to the position, near Halltown, which the Federal pickets had occupied in the morning, and which he called "Camp Evans." That night the Federals recrossed the Potomac and encamped on the first terrace of Maryland heights. Ashby reported his loss as I killed and 9 wounded, and that he had captured 10 prisoners, besides a large number of blankets, overcoats and a dozen muskets. In concluding, he reported: "I cannot compliment my officers and men too highly for their gallant bearing during the whole fight, considering the bad arms with which they were supplied and their inexperience."

On the 18th of October, Brig.-Gen. I. B. Richardson, reconnoitered to Pohick church and Accotink village, drove in the Confederate pickets, and on his return advanced his own pickets to Windsor's hill, some 5 miles southeast of Alexandria. On the 20th, Major Whipple made a reconnoissance from Dranesville; near Hunter's mill had a skirmish with Confederate pickets, also one near Thornton Station.

CHAPTER XI.

BATTLE OF LEESBURG-OPERATIONS ON THE LOWER POTOMAC AND EAST SHORE-ACTION AT DRANESVILLE.

A

FTER the first battle of Manassas, Col. Eppa Hunton had been ordered to reoccupy Leesburg with his regiment, the Eighth Virginia; a little later Col. William Barksdale's Thirteenth Mississippi, Col. W. S. Featherston's Seventeenth Mississippi, a battery, and four companies of cavalry under Col. W. H. Jenifer, were sent to the same place, and these were organized into the Seventh brigade of the Confederate army of the Potomac, which, early in August, was put under command of Brig. -Gen. Nathan G. Evans, who had been promoted for his brave conduct July 21st. General Beauregard's object in locating this strong force at Leesburg was to guard his left flank from a Federal attack by way of several good roads that led from the fords of the upper Potomac, near that town, directly to his Bull run encampment; to watch the large Federal force that McClellan had located on the opposite side of the Potomac; to keep up a connection with the Confederate force in the lower Shenandoah valley by a good turnpike that led from Leesburg across the Blue ridge, and to save for his army the abundant supplies of the fertile county of Loudoun.

On the 15th of October General Banks' division of the Federal army was located at Darnestown, Md., about 15 miles due east from Leesburg, with detachments at Point of Rocks, Sandy Hook, Williamsport, etc.; while the division of Brig.-Gen. C. P. Stone, composed of six companies of cavalry, three of artillery, and the infantry brigades of Gens. W. A. Gorman and F. W. Lander and Col. E. D. Baker, was located at Poolesville, 8 miles north of east from Leesburg. The object in this disposi tion of so large a force was, not only to guard the right of the big Federal army that General McClellan was gathering at Washington, but especially to cover the important approaches from the northwest to Baltimore and the Fed