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.
