Today in History:

638 Series I Volume XLIII-I Serial 90 - Shenandoah Valley Campaign Part I

Page 638 OPERATIONS IN N. VA., W. VA., MD., AND PA. Chapter LV.

twenty rods, fired once and sent flag to demand surrender; fired again, deploying his cavalry around the stockade, and again demanded a surrender. This was repeated three times and as often promptly refused, and on the last time he was told that if he sent a flag of truce again it would be fired on. His artillery firing was very wild, and though continued at intervals for over an hour no one was hit. We had one horse killed. A sergeant and two men on picket were captured. Mosby retreated and was pursues by Major Horton whit a detachment from Falls Church. The enemy went out by the Warrenton road.

Respectfully,

H. H. WELLS,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Provost-Marshal-General.

Colonel J. H. TAYLOR,

Assistant adjutant-General.


No. 2. Report of Captain Joseph Schneider, Sixteenth New York Cavalry.

HDQRS. DETACH. SIXTEENTH NEW YORK VOL. CAV., Annandale Stockade, Va., August 25, 1864.

SIR: Inclosed I have the honor to forward a report of the repulse of Mosby's forces in an attack on the stockade at Annandale, Va.:

Wednesday morning, at 13 minutes to 5 o'clock, the camp was alarmed by three shots fired by the picket on the Fairfax Court-House road; immediately after which the rebels who had taken the picket, consisting of one sergeant and three men, fired about three shells into our camp; then a detachment of about 100 men charged up toward our entrance; being received there by a volley, they swerved to the south, surrounding the south and east side of our camp. A flag of truce was sent demanding, in Colonel Mosby's name, the surrender of our camp. Under cover of this flag of truce they advanced their two pieces (field) to within 300 or 400 yards of our camp-one on the southwest, the other on the northwest corner. The question of surrendering being answered in the negative in the most decisive terms they commenced to bombard our camp in good earnest,t one piece throwing shell, the other one grape. After firing nearly a dozen more shots they sent another flag of truce on the northwest side, where Captain Mickles had charge of the defenses, who told them not to come whit any more flags of truce, as the would not respected them, which same answer two bearers of flags of truce received from me on the east side of the camp during a tour of inspection I made around the abatis. Finding their persuasions, both in shelling and negotiating, of no account, they, being probably warned of the approach of re-enforcement, after some further demonstrations, sent their field pieces up the Fairfax Court-House road, and then they themselves slowly retired. I had seen about 250 or 300 men and had no means of ascertaining their correct number, and thought it only a feint when they left; therefore I did not make any demonstrations to pursue them, although Companies B and C had their horses in readiness. The attack lasted nearly one hour and a half, and they fired from thirty to forty cannon shots, besides some small-arm practice. they wounded two horses of Company A and deranged some of our quarters and Company C's stable (old barn). The casualties on the rebel side, as far as we can


Page 638 OPERATIONS IN N. VA., W. VA., MD., AND PA. Chapter LV.