Headquarters, Camp Hayes, Raleigh, Virginia,
March 14, 1862.
Sir: — A
scouting party consisting of Sergeant A. H. Bixler, and seven men belonging to
Captain George W. Gilmore's Company C, First Virginia Cavalry, was this morning
attacked about seven miles from Raleigh on the pike leading to Princeton, by
about fifty bushwhackers. Sergeant Bixler and Private James Noble were killed.
Privates Jacob McCann and Johnson Mallory were dangerously wounded, and Private
Thomas B. Phillips was taken prisoner. Three escaped unhurt. The attacking
party rendezvous on Flat Top Mountain. Major Hildt will, perhaps, recognize the
names of some of them. Christ Lilley, Daniel Meadows, and Joshua Rowls were
certainly of the party.
On hearing of the affair I dispatched Captain Gilmore with
his cavalry, and Captain Drake with three companies of infantry to the scene of
the occurrence. They found that the bushwhackers had instantly fled to their
fastnesses in the hills, barely stopping long enough to get the arms of the
dead and to rob them of their money. Captain Drake followed them until they
were found to have scattered. Two horses were killed, one captured, one
wounded, and one lost. Vigilant efforts will be made to ascertain the
hiding-places of the bushwhackers and when found, unless orders to the contrary
shall be received, all houses and property in the neighborhood which can be
destroyed by fire, will be burned, and all men who can be identified as of the
party will be killed, whether found in arms or not.
Will you direct the brigade quartermaster to procure tents
enough for Captain McIlrath's Company A, Twenty-third Regiment O. V. I., as
soon as practicable, and send that company here as soon as the tents arrive.
There will be no quarters for them until the tents are obtained.
I desire to have your views in the premises.
Respectfully,
R. B. Hayes,
Lieutenant-colonel
Twenty-third Regiment O. V. I.,
Commanding.
[general J. D. Cox
(?)]
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 208-9
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