The Maine bugle ... campaign; 1-5 Jan. 1894-Oct. 1898 - Maine.gov

124 THE MAINE BUGLE.
The bright June sunshine was flooding the fields and woods
as our regiment, two hundred and eighty strong, moved out of
camp to obey this remarkable order, to march through the cen-
ter of the rebel cavalry. At Thoroughfare Gap we struck the
rebel pickets, and by our sudden and rapid advance cleared the
pass before the main body of the enemy could advance to sup-
port the picket line. After passing through the Gap we skir-
mished with the enemy, losing a few horses by rebel bullets and
then took the road to Middleburg fifteen miles away, leaving
behind us some twelve hundred of the enemy under Col. J. R.
Chambliss. At 4 P. M. our troops struck pickets and charged
them at once, driving Stuart and his staff out of Middleburg,
who escaped capture because their fresh horses could run faster
than ours, weary with the long days march. We were then only
five miles from Aldie where for two hours the battle had been
raging between Kilpatrick's troopers and Fitz Lee's brigade, and
had we turned the head of our column in that direction we
would have struck the rebel rear, hurling ruin and disaster on
their battle lines and giving the First Maine an open road
through the pass. The glorious opportunity for such a blow
warms an old soldiers heart, even in these piping days of peace,
but this is imagination, not history; the order was to camp at
Middleburg for the night and communicate with the head-
quarters of the Second Cavalry Brigade.
Col. Uuffic was a veteran French offtcer and went into camp
in the center of this rebel hornets' nest as calmly as though sur-
rounded by the Union Army, and the following report shows
how he obeyed the second part of his order for that day.
Camp First Rhode Island Cavalry,
Alexander, Va., June 22d, 1863.
Col. a. N. Duffie,
Sir:— I have the honor to report, that about five o'clock p.
M., on the evening of the 17th inst. I was sent from Middleburg,
where the regiment was then engaged with the enemy, to carry
a despatch to General Kilpatrick at Aldie, accompanied by two