captain, Doby, in immediate
command of the party.

The colonel rode in front of the halted column some forty or fifty
yards, with his thirty men, after directing the officer next in
command to ride down the flank of the regiment, form, and speak to
each "set of fours" separately. Each set of fours waited for the word
of command to be given to themselves specially, and as the order was
given "to close up and dress," they did so steadily and firmly, and I
looked into the eyes of each man in the regiment, and they looked
into mine. There was little left for words to say.

There we sat, waiting to charge the battery that was momentarily
expected to unmask in front of the house--something over two hundred
men of the thousand on our muster roll, and all the cavalry of the
army of Northern Virginia, looking on to see how we did it.

The shells from the battery whistled four or five feet above our
heads, for they had discovered our line on the hill and turned their
fire on it. The shells went over our heads, but struck a few feet in
front of General Lee's dismounted line, making gaps in it as they did
so.

Just then information was received that our marching column had
crossed the bridge--our charge was not to be--there was nothing to
wait for. General Lee mounted his men, formed, and moved off promptly
to cross the river at a ford some two miles farther up, leaving
General Gary with his brigade to cover his retreat. We drew off from
the position we had taken to attack the battery, the regiment resuming
its position at the head of the brigade, with the exception of Colonel
Haskell, Captain Doby, and the thirty men before chosen--this party
remained in the rear of the brigade, all moving off slowly, the last
of General Lee's division having by this time gone out of sight over
the top of the hill.

We had not yet been able to perceive that the bridge was on fire.
General Gary said that General Lee had left it to his discretion to
cross at the bridge if he could, as he expected we would be pressed
very closely at the last; so, instead of following General Lee's line
of retreat, we turned down towards the town again and halted in the
street while the General himself galloped down to the bridge to see if
it was practicable. The shells were bursting over the town, and in the
street occasionally, while the good people of Farmville, in a state of
great though natural alarm, were leaving with their goods forthwith.
We told them