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

150 THE MAINE BUGLE.
thick blinding, stifling dust; the dust being so dense at times as
to completely hide the heads of our horses; yet on and on we
went at the highest speed of our horses, following close on the
heels of those vidcttes, who were straining every nerve of their
horses to carry the news in advance of the approaching Yanks,
to their own comrades. Past their line of pickets, flew the pur-
sued and pursurers and into their reserve who were found to be
lying on the ground and a part of them unsaddled. Our boys
made lively work for a few minutes with their sabres killing
three, wounding five, capturing seven, and many good horses,
while the Johnnies were making the liveliest kind of move-
ments to get away from such society.
When the firing was heard in front. Major Vought ordered a
halt, and excitedly rode up and down that little column enquir-
ing for a fresh horse. "Who's got a fresh horse?" " Is there a
bugler on the ground, sound the recall." While this scene was
being enacted, the enemy's pickets were running past in the
field on either side of us, and the advance, through lack of ex-
perience and a knowledge of what course to pursue under such
exciting circumstances, came back to the column, having lost
Adjutant Hasbruck their commander, and Sergeant Whitcomb,
captured, Ashleal A. Spencer, killed, and William Mills wounded.
Sergeant Whitcomb however was only retained a few minutes
as a prisoner of war. His quick perception revealed an opportu-
nity which he improved to escape almost as soon as captured,
and he returned to the command in time to hear the Major en-
quire for a fresh horse and volunteered the information that a
fresh codfish could be found as readily. The command im-
mediately returned to camp at New Market, where they received
the plaudits of their fellow soldiers and a grand serenade by
Gen. Bank's headquarter band, and flattering eulogistic articles
from the pens of the army correspondents, eager for crumbs of
army news that one year later would not have been considered of
sufficient magnitude to deserve a passing notice. But this little
afi'air caused a great deal of talk in army circles, for the reason
that little was expected of cavalry, because McClellan had said