circumstances. One of
the non-commissioned officers of my old company came to me and asked
if I would like to have my canteen filled with some very fine old
apple brandy. One of General Lee's couriers had found a barrel of it
covered up with leaves in an adjoining piece of woods, and let a few
of his friends into the secret. Would I? Of course I would, and if we
ever came out ahead I would recommend him for promotion. The canteen
came full, and proved to be of the same tap as the "long swallow" was
of which I had partaken so unexpectedly. That canteen of apple brandy,
like Boniface's ale, was meat and drink for the rest of the time I was
a soldier of the Southern Confederacy.

We got off about eight o'clock in the morning, not having been
disturbed, as we expected, moved back across the creek that runs
through the meadows at the foot of the hill below the hotel at
"Amelia Springs," halted and formed line, facing to the rear along
the creek, from the ford at the road down the creek to the mill,
destroyed the bridge, and held the position as rear-guard, until
General Lee, whose camp was above us on the hill, around the hotel,
formed his column and moved, we following slowly in the rear.

We marched that day, until the afternoon, among the infantry,
artillery and wagons, going towards Farmville, on the Appomattox river
and the Lynchburg railroad. There was a bridge across the river, at
which, as was afterwards shown, it was General Lee's purpose to cross
his infantry wagons and artillery.

We had been having a very tiresome march on our worn-out horses,
through the fields on the side of the road, giving up the road proper
to the wagon trains and troops, sometimes dismounting and leading our
horses, to relieve them as much as possible.

About two or three o'clock we saw the infantry in front of us breaking
from the line of march by brigades into a large field on the left of
the road, and rapidly forming into compact masses in proper position
and relation with one another, to be used as might be required. We
halted and did the same, being the only cavalry at that point. We soon
heard heavy firing on another road over to the right, two or three
miles from us, artillery and small arms, and nearer to us--not a
mile--was a lesser fight going on, to which we moved at once. The
last, which was over before we got to it, was between General Lee's
division of cavalry and a body of the enemy's infantry. They were, as
we were told