November 5 — We had a grand review to-day. General Stuart’s cavalry corps and horse artillery passed in general review before General R. E. Lee and John Letcher, Governor of Virginia. We arrived on the field early in the day. A great many of the cavalry were then already arriving on the review ground from two or three different directions, and the whole field was soon covered with bodies of horsemen in their cleanest attire and best appearance, all carefully prepared and trying to look pretty for review. Some of us men tried to blacken our shoes by rubbing them over a camp kettle.
On the east side of the field on a small wave-like hill was a flagstaff with a large, new, beautiful Confederate flag proudly floating in the crisp November breeze. At twelve o’clock the troops were all formed and ready for the grand reviewing exhibition. General R. E. Lee and staff, General Stuart and staff, and Governor Letcher rode in a gentle gallop along the whole length of the line, then quickly repaired to the review station and assembled in the rippling shadow of the large Confederate flag that moved above their heads.
When the resplendent and brilliant little cavalcade, with the grand old chieftain, R. E. Lee, in the center, had settled down for business, the column of horsemen began to move like some huge war machine. The horse artillery moved in front, then came the cavalry in solid ranks and moving in splendid order,— horsemen that have followed the feather of Stuart in a hundred fights. General Wade Hampton’s mounted band was on the field and enlivened the magnificent display with inspiring strains of martial music. The review was held on John Minor Botts’ farm. After the review we came back to camp, when the first section of our battery was detached from the battalion and ordered to report to our old brigade, now commanded by General Rosser.
We immediately prepared to march after we received the order, and at dusk we left the battalion camp and started for Rosser’s brigade. At ten o’clock to-night we arrived at Rosser’s camp near Major’s house on the Rickseyville road, about eight miles north of Culpeper Court House. We had very dark and difficult marching to-night on a cut across the country road; at one place one of our horses fell in a ditch, which detained us some little time to extricate it from its doubled-up, hors de ditch situation.
November 4 — We renewed our move this morning, and joined the battalion in camping about three miles northwest of Brandy Station.
November 3 — To-day we were ordered to rejoin the battalion of horse artillery. This war business is full of mysterious — and to a high private in the rear rank — unaccountable movements. The horse artillery camp is only about three miles from where we were camped to-day, yet we started so late this evening that it will require two moves to reach it, for darkness overtook us before we moved a whole mile, and we stopped by the wayside and camped for the night, about half a mile north of the Botts house.
October 28 — We moved camp to-day, and are now about one mile west of Brandy Station, and not far from the residence of John Minor Botts. His house is situated about a mile and a half nearly west of Brandy Station and about half a mile from the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. It is located on a beautiful eminence which slopes gently down to a level plain that lies in front of the house and extends to the railroad. The house is large and plain, nearly square, built of wood and painted white; it faces toward sunrise and the railroad, and it has a large and stately portico in front. John Minor Botts is an eminent lawyer and politician, and a strong and pronounced Union man.
October 25 — To-day I was at General A. P. Hill’s infantry camp, to see some of my old friends and acquaintances of ante-bellum days ; they belong to Captain Rice’s New Market Battery, which is connected with A. P. Hill’s corps. While I was in their camp General Pendleton held religious services in the woods, and preached from the seventh chapter and seventeenth verse of John. His sermon was genial, mild, and full of unadorned truth, but the cold, raw northwest wind that swept through the woods and moaned a death song to Autumn with an icy breath through the bare leafless branches of the forest trees, rendered the condition of its reception most too uncomfortable and coolish to properly and fully appreciate the grandeur of its intended virtue.
October 21 — This morning we moved away from the Rappahannock, and we are now camped about two miles west of Brandy Station.
October 20 — Early this morning we were on the march for the south side of the Rappahannock. We crossed Silver Run at Auburn Mills, then moved in a southerly direction, leaving Warrenton to the west. Silver Run is a small winding brooklet running through the central portion of Fauquier County. We struck the Rappahannock at Beverly Ford, and crossed to the south side this evening. It was deep fording, as our smallest horses had to swim or tip-toe it, and the current was a little strong, but we all landed safely on this side of the stream.
The Yankees have good earthworks and rifle pits on the north side of the Rappahannock, commanding Beverly Ford. The country we passed through to-day is all rolling, with a little narrow level strip along Silver Run, and that is about all the level land we saw to-day in Fauquier.
General A. P. Hill’s troops are camped in Culpeper County near Beverly Ford. We are camped to-night near Beverly Ford, and in sight of A. P. Hill’s camp.
October 19 — Rained fast this morning until ten o’clock, and the remainder of the day was clear and pleasant. Early this morning we moved back toward Warrenton, unpursued by the enemy; we fell back to Auburn Mills on Silver Run five miles east of Warrenton, where we halted and fed our horses.
After we were at Auburn Mills about two hours we heard cannon firing in the direction of Bull Run Mountain; I afterwards learned that the cannon we heard were General Stuart’s guns. As quick as we heard General Stuart’s opening gun we were ordered to move in the direction of its foreboding boom, and when we arrived within about a mile of Buckland we encountered the enemy, with cavalry and artillery posted right on the road. We instantly wheeled our guns in battery and opened a spirited fire on their cavalry, which was drawn up in column in the road. Soon after we opened fire the crash of small arms from our cavalry ran along our line, to which the Yankees responded with promptness, and in a moment after we opened fire the fight was in full bloom, carbines and pistols answering each other all over the field, and bullets zipping and whizzing in every direction; now and then the odious din of the fray was interspersed with the deep boom of cannon. Our cavalry fought valiantly and the enemy did not long withstand the vigorous and determined attack of Fitzhugh Lee’s veterans, but soon began to waver, and at last broke away in full retreat, with our cavalry in hot pursuit. We followed them, and by dusk this evening we had driven them back to their infantry, when we abandoned the chase.
The main fight was near Buckland. General Stuart drew the Yankees after him, then General Fitzhugh Lee came in on their left flank, and as soon as General Stuart heard our guns in the rear of the column of Yanks that was following him he turned and pressed them toward Fitzhugh Lee’s command. General Fitzhugh Lee is a gallant, doughty, and fearless commander, ever careful and always ready to meet the foe and measure swords.
We are camped to-night on the Warrenton and Alexandria pike eleven miles below Warrenton.
October 18 — We forded Broad Run this morning and marched to Bristoe. Immediately after we arrived there we put our guns in battery, and about noon we first saw the enemy in the distance, advancing on us slowly from the direction of Manassas. They advanced on us steadily and very cautiously, with their indispensable, everlasting line of dismounted sharpshooters in front.
They came on and on, but we reserved our fire until their line arrived within about four hundred yards of our position, when we opened fire on them with four pieces and repulsed them speedily, and they retired toward Manassas. We remained in battery till dusk, then moved back to Cattle Run and bivouacked for the night. Cattle Run is a small ditch with water in it that crosses the Orange and Alexandria Railroad a few miles south of Bristoe. From our position to-day we saw the village of Brentsville, the county seat of Prince William; it is situated about two miles east of Bristoe Station.
October 17 — All quiet in front. We moved back about six miles this evening and camped on Broad Run, three miles northwest of Bristoe Station. Broad Run is a small miry stream traversing the western part of Prince William County. This is Saturday evening, and we drew rations to-day for the first time since we crossed the Rapidan last Sunday morning. Our company has subsisted on the spontaneous productions of the country all this week, which means that we have feasted on acorns and first-class persimmons ever since last Monday morning. The principal reason why we drew no rations all week is that we left our brigade commissary wagons behind the Rapidan when we started after the Yanks, and we have been moving so rapidly all week that the man who furnished filling for our haversacks lost sight of us entirely until to-day.
