July 24 — Early this morning we renewed our march and crossed the mountain and moved in the direction of Luray. At the Shenandoah we found the Yankee pickets posted on the east bank of the river. We silently and unobserved approached the heights on the west side of the river which overlooked the picket post that was held by about a dozen Yanks. We unlimbered one gun and landed a twelve-pound shell right in the midst of them, which was a regular astonisher from the way in which the Yanks, in the twinkling of an eye, scattered. It was an utter surprise to them, and in two minutes after we fired I did not see a single bluecoat. They all disappeared in the direction of Luray, without taking time to reconnoiter and ascertain where the little howling monster hailed from that came plowing through their picket post without permission and so unceremoniously. After we fired we fell back to a piece of woods about half a mile from the river and waited to see what else our shell would stir up beyond the Shenandoah. In about half an hour after we fell back a four-gun battery appeared on a high hill on the opposite side of the river, thoroughly commanding our position. They opened on us with all four guns. We did not return their fire, but fell back about a mile out of the range of their guns. They shelled our cavalry for a while and then ceased. I saw one of their shell tear up the ground and pass through right under Colonel Harman’s horse, without doing the least damage to man or horse.
I think that the object of our scout was merely to let the Yanks know that some of us are still around. After the firing had all died away and we found that the Yanks would not venture to come to our side of the river, we fell back to the foot of Massanutten, and camped.
