Fighting for General Lee by Sheridan R. Barringer

Author:Sheridan R. Barringer [Barringer, Sheridan R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
ISBN: 9781611213850
Google: 4tukAQAACAAJ
Publisher: Savas Beatie
Published: 2023-04-15T00:39:42+00:00

Brigadier General James Byron Gordon (1822-1864) commanded the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade. He was one of the finest cavalry commanders of the war. Gordon was mortally wounded at Brook Church near Meadow Bridge, north of Richmond on May 12, 1864. North Carolina Division of Archives and History

After the fight at Meadow Bridge, about 400 troopers of the 1st, 2nd, and 5th North Carolina Cavalry—along with 800 from Wickham’s brigade, 750 from Lomax’s, and a number of the 5th South Carolina—were engaged in an ill-fated action on May 24. Major General Braxton Bragg requested that Fitz Lee’s cavalry attack Union Brig. Gen. Edward A. Wild’s African American infantry at a fortified outpost called Wilson’s Wharf, south of City Point on the James River. After an all-night march of 25 miles from Atlee’s Station, Fitz Lee and his horsemen confronted the fort and found it to be stronger than expected. Federal gunboats fired upon Lee’s cavalry, the shells bursting overhead with terrifying impact. Lee attacked the fort anyway, but lived to regret the decision. The 1,800-man Federal position was too strong to overcome. After further reconnaissance, Lee called off the mission and the Confederate horsemen headed back to Atlee’s Station. His casualties numbered about 50 men, including 20 dead.22

Seeking to outflank the Confederates to the east, Grant’s army planned to cross the Pamunkey River near Hanovertown Ferry on May 28, screened by Sheridan’s cavalry. On May 27, David Gregg’s cavalry division, supported by Alfred Torbert’s, crossed the Pamunkey and pushed rapidly toward the small village of Hanovertown. The Federal horsemen ran into Gordon’s North Carolina brigade, commanded by Col. John A. Baker. For a time, the Carolinians held their ground, but the overwhelming numbers of Federal cavalry forced them to withdraw toward Hanover Court House. Sheridan’s troopers pressed closely, and captured more than 70 prisoners before halting their pursuit.23

On May 31, Wilson’s Union troopers ran into pickets of the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade near Hanover Court House. The Carolinians attacked the advancing Federal column and drove them back into their main force. Nearly the entire brigade was dismounted. Later in the day, the Union horsemen made a frontal assault while hitting both flanks of the Rebel troopers. The Carolinians were overwhelmed and retreated south of Hanover Court House to reform their lines. Exhausted and nearly out of ammunition, both sides halted for the night.24

The next day at Ashland, the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry relieved the 1st. With the 5th North Carolina, they drove Wilson’s Union troopers back about one mile. Thomas L. Rosser’s horsemen, with part of Rooney Lee’s division, attacked the Federal rear and captured numerous prisoners and horses. However, the victory was a costly one. The North Carolina Cavalry Brigade lost another temporary commander. The dashing Brig. Gen. Pierce Young was severely wounded, and Colonel Baker again assumed temporary command of the brigade.25

Barringer recalled that all of these recent fights occurred in thickly wooded areas, where troopers often dismounted and fought with carbines. He remembered: “[A]s the war advanced, the

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