A friend from the Valley has described a successful attack
made by Mosby on a Federal wagon-train near Berryville. It was on its way to
the army near Strasburg, and Mosby was on the other side of the Shenandoah. He
crossed in the night with one cannon and about seventy-five men, and at
daylight surprised the drivers and guard as they were beginning to hitch their
mules, by a salute from the cannon and seventy-five pistols. There was a
general stampede in an instant of all who were unhurt. As quick as thought, 600
mules were turned towards the river, and driven to the command in Loudoun. In
the mean time, the wagons were set on fire, and most of them and their contents
were consumed before the luckless drivers could return to their charge.
It is said that our new steamer, the “Tallahassee,” has been
within sixty miles of the city of New York, very much to the terror of the
citizens. It also destroyed six large vessels. I bid it God-speed with all my
heart; I want the North to feel the war to its core, and then it will end, and
not before.
SOURCE: Judith W. McGuire, Diary of a Southern
Refugee, During the War, p. 292
No comments:
Post a Comment