the purpose of handling supplies for the Federal army at Greensboro' and Danville, and other purposes. We were told to take our own men to man the trains and engines, and none of the men who worked for Major Wright in the operations of those roads for the succeeding ninety days will ever forget the uniform kindness of himself and his assistants. When the corps was ordered to the frontiers of Texas, in anticipation of trouble with the French in Mexico, the writer and many of his assistants were urged to go with them. We wanted rest, many of us had families in the South that we had not seen for months, and in the latter part of July we disbanded, as it were, and to-day we are like the survivors in gray-scattered.

Two of the engineers who did faithful service to the Confederacy, and one or more of the conductors who served with me in those trying days, are now trusted employees of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. We are two small a body to think of reunions. We sometimes meet, not as "ships that pass in the night,' but on the car or around the engine of to-day, and discuss those old days of the past—the days that the average railroad man of to-day knows so little about or can comprehend how armies were moved and provisioned by the Southern roads, and how trains were run. We are, like the survivors, fast passing away, and will soon be known no more.

COLONEL J. H. AVERILL.

[From the Richmond (Va.) Dispatch, Sept. 18, 1897.]

SUSSEX LIGHT DRAGOONS.

A ROLL OF THIS GALLANT ORGANIZATION.

Something of Its History.

The following is the original roll of the Sussex Light Dragoons: Captain, Benjamin W. Belshes; First Lieutenant, George H. Dillard; Second Lieutenant, William W. Blow; Junior Second Lieutenant, P. S. Parker; First Sergeant, H. Q. Moyler; Second Sergeant, Thomas A. Dillard; Third Sergeant, E. T. Thornton; Fourth Sergeant, William L. Adkins; Corporals, T. L. Johnson, F. L. Vellines, James E. Barker, Joseph H. Chappel; Privates, A. P. Adkins, J. D. Adkins, B. R. Birdsong, A. S. Birdsong, Henry Birdsong, Jr., J.

A. Bishop, J. L. Chappell, E. T. Chappell, R. A. Cocke, T. E. Dillard, R. L. Dobie, J. J. Dillard, W. H. Dillard, E. M. Ellis, A. H. Ellis, W. H. Gwaltney, B. F. Harrison, R. K. Harrison, T. J. Harrison, James H. Harrison, J. W. Harrison, B. L. Hargrave, L. D. Holt, James R. Jones, L. E. Jordan, William E. Lamb, J. W. T. Lee, Samuel Little, Jesse Little, William H. Marable, J. R. Moore, John R. Morris, J. R. Parham, Nathaniel Rains, Jr., B. F. Rains, George S. Rives, George E. Rives, W. B. Scott, J. L. White, R. W. White, John R. West, A. C. Winston, W. W. Woodson.

These marched into Suffolk on twenty-four hours' notice, and were there mustered into the State service, April 22, 1861. The following recruits joined the company before its reorganization for the

war:

Samuel J. Birdsong, P. H. Thorp, A. T. Dobie, R. H. Holloman, Joseph H. Dobie, R. P. Bendall, A. F. Harrison, A. M. Adkins, R. R. Bain, O. H. Baird, George H. Bailey, A. Briggs, J. W. Cocks, R. M. Dobie, S. T. Drewry, F. J. Ellis, N. B. Ellis, Theodore A. Field, Waverly Fitzhugh, George W. Gilliam, R. J. Gwaltney, S. G. Harrison, Triz. Harrison, R. T. Harrison, James B. Harvel, R. A. Horn, William F. Hansberger, Hathway,

J. H. Jones, H. B. Kelly, J. M. H. Marable, J. T. R. Moore, John T. Morris, J. E. Moyler, Thomas S. Morgan, William E. Norris, William E. Newsome, F. D. Neblett, A. B. Parker, Joseph S. Parker, Joseph W. Parker,. Richard Parker, John Pressom,

Thoroughgood, A. D. White, R. G. West,

ward, H. B. Walker, George B. Walker, P. F. Weaver.

Wood

The roll of this company, with a brief history appended, has recently been sent in to the Adjutant-General's office for preservation as State records. From this record the following is copied:

"The above Company H,' 13th Virginia Cavalry, was originally organized in January, 1861, as The Sussex Light Dragoons,' Captain Belshes commanding, at Waverly, Sussex county, Va. The services of this company were tendered by one of its officers to Major-General Taliaferro, of the Virginia militia, April 19, 1861, he having just taken charge at Norfolk. On April 21st the company marched to Suffolk, and was there (April 22d) mustered into the State service for twelve months by Brigadier-General Shands, of the Virginia militia, and reported for duty the same day at Norfolk. At the expiration of its term of enlistment (twelve months) the company was reorganized for the war with largely increased numbers

W. N. Blow, Captain-at Currituck Courthouse, N. C., where it was then stationed.

"At the evacuation of Norfolk this company brought up the rear of General Huger's command, and was the last company to march. out of Norfolk, as it had been the first to march in.

"At the organization of the Confederate States Cavalry under Major-General Stuart, June, 1862, this company was assigned as Company M' to the First Virginia Cavalry, Colonel Fitz Lee commanding, and was soon after transferred to the Fifth Regiment, Colonel Rosser commanding. After the battle of Malvern Hill this company was ordered to Petersburg, and there became Company 'H,' Thirteenth Virginia Cavalry, as part of this newly organized regiment under Colonel Chambliss. The regiment was made up of two companies from Petersburg and two from each of the neighboring counties-Prince George, Sussex, Nansemond and Southampton. "Under the head of Remarks,' the history of the company is outlined. The names of 178 men appear on the roll. Fifty-one were killed and wounded. Of these, twenty-one were killed on the battle-field, or died in hospital; sixteen were discharged, being disabled by wounds, and fourteen returned to duty. Thirteen men were captured and released from prison at the surrender; twenty-one were discharged, or did not re-enlist at the reorganization of the company; nine were transferred to Company 'K,' of the Thirteenth, at the reorganization of the regiment; twelve men were promoted and commissioned in the regiment and other branches of the service; twelve others had permanent details. Fifty-seven men laid down their arms at Appomattox Courthouse.

"The company always having more than the legal number on its roll, could only enlist non-conscripts-viz: boys under 18 years of age; hence the average age was under twenty years in 1863-'64. No substitutes were accepted.

"WILLIAM N. BLOW,

"Captain Company H, Thirteenth Virginia Cavalry."

[From the Richmond, Va., Dispatch, July 16, 1897 ]

MARYLAND CAMPAIGN.

THE CAVALRY FIGHT AT BOONSBORO' GRAPHICALLY

DESCRIBED.

The Ninth Virginia and Eighth Illinois Regiments Cross
Sabres The Former Suffer Severely, but Cap-
ture Some Prisoners.

During the campaign in Maryland in 1862, the 9th Virginia Cavalry was attached to the brigade commanded by General Fitz Lee. After nine days spent among the fine hay and rich yellow cornfields of Montgomery and Frederick counties, the regiment crossed the Catoctin mountain at Hamburg, at dawn on the morning of September 14th. Hamburg was a rude and scattering village on the crest of the mountain, where the manufacture of brandy seemed to be the chief employment of the villagers, and at the early hour of our passage through the place, both the men and women gave proof that they were free imbibers of the product of their stills, and it was not easy to find a sober inhabitant of either sex.

To our troopers, descending the western slope of the mountain, the peaceful valley below, dotted over with well-tilled farms, with a bold stream winding down among them, presented a scene of unusual beauty and loveliness. Near a large grist-mill the command was halted, after a march of several hours, and here rested beneath the shade of a large apple orchard until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The distant boom of artillery assured us of the bloody conflict going on at South Mountain, the issue of which we were in suspense to know. The march in the afternoon brought the command to the vicinity of Boonesboro, where a brief halt was made after nightfall to rest and feed the horses. Near midnight the march was resumed in the direction of the mountain pass above Boonesboro. The disaster to our arms in the fight of the previous day was now made manifest, as artillery, ambulances and infantry were met retreating down. the mountain. The brigade, having ascended a mile and a half, perhaps, above the town, was held in readiness to charge in column of fours. The nature of the ground was ill-suited to the operation of

cavalry, and much relief was felt when, at dawn, we began to fall back towards Boonesboro. Our retreat was none too early, for already the columns of the enemy, with their bright muskets gleaming in the morning light, could be seen as we entered Boonesboro. More than once we were faced about as we retreated, as if to repel a threatened charge by cavalry.

Having been halted in streets of Boonsboro, the men, after being so long in the saddle, were allowed to dismount, and for some time remained in this way, the men standing by their horses or sitting down on the curbstones and holding their bridle reins. Suddenly

the order "Mount!" "Mount!" resounded down the street, and simultaneously a rapid fire of pistols and carbines was heard near at hand. Before the men could mount and form ranks, the rear guard, retreating at full speed, dashed into our already confused column, and in an incredibly short time the street became packed with a mass of horses and horsemen, so jammed together as to make motion impossible for most of them. At the same time the upper windows in some of the houses were hoisted and a volley of pistol shots poured down on our heads. The Federal cavalry, quickly discovering our situation, dashed up boldly and discharged their carbines into our struggling and helpless ranks. When the way was opened, and retreat became possible, a general stampede followed, our whole force rushing from the town down the 'pike at a full gallop. This disorderly movement was increased by the discovery that some of the enemy's infantry had almost succeeded in cutting off our retreat, and were firing from a corn field into our flank.

We had scarcely gotten out of the town before our colonel's (W. H. F. Lee) horse was killed, and he, falling heavily on the 'pike, had to take flight, dust-covered and bruised, through the field on the left. Captain Hughlett's horse fell in like manner on the edge of the town, and he, leaping the railing, found concealment in a dense. patch of growing corn. In the middle of the turnpike were piles of broken stone, placed there for repairing the roadway. On these, amidst the impenetrable dust, many horses blindly rushed, and falling, piled with their riders one on another. Here and there in the pell-mell race, blinded by the dust, horses and horsemen dashed against telegraph posts and fell to the ground, to be trampled by others behind.

When the open fields were reached and we were beyond the range of the infantry, a considerable force was rallied and the Federal horsemen were charged in turn. In this charge our lieutenant-col