A very hard day, — muddy, wet, and sultry. Ordered at 3 A.
M. to abandon camp and hasten with whole force to General Cox at Princeton. He
has had a fight with a greatly superior force under General Marshall. We lost
tents, — we slit and tore them, — mess furniture, blankets, etc., etc., by this
hasty movement. I was ordered with the Twenty-third, Gilmore's Cavalry, and two
pieces McMullen's Battery, to cover the retreat to Princeton. We did it
successfully, but oh, what a hard day on the men! I had been up during the
night, had the men out, etc., etc. We were all day making it. Found all in
confusion; severe fighting against odds and a further retreat deemed necessary.
Bivouacked on the ground at Princeton.
Mem.: — I saved all my personal baggage, tent
included; but no chance to use it at Princeton.
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 271
No comments:
Post a Comment