The Fayetteville (N. C.) Road Fight.
By John W. Du Bose, Allenville, Ala.

Confederate Veteran
Volume, Number 2, Page 84
February 1912

On March 5, 1865, General Wheeler, accompanied by McKnight and Nance, privates in a Texas regiment, swam the Yadkin River, then in extraordinary flood and about a mile wide, leaving the command on the Southern side. The anxiety of the General was to know the respective routes that had been taken by Hardee after crossing the Pedee at Cheraw and by Sherman's cavalry under Kilpatrick. It was believed at Cheraw that Sherman intended to reach the rear of Lee at Petersburg by way of Charlotte and Lynchburg. But after Hardee crossed on the Cheraw bridge, immediately burned by Gen. M. C. Butler, it was ascertained that Sherman was marching for Fayetteville, and not for Charlotte. Wheeler, therefore, considered it his duty to communicate with Hardee at all hazards. The oldest river men had never seen higher water nor a more angry current. No boat could live in it. The flats had all been taken away, in fact, to prevent their use by the foe.

On the 7th Wheeler found that Captain Shannon, commander of his scouts, with about thirty five men, had crossed at a ferry higher up. He took command in person, and, coming upon a marauding party of Kilpatrick's, charged them and killed a considerable number.
The river subsided rapidly, and on the 8th the entire command crossed. Up to this time the two commands, Wheeler's and Butler's, had never operated as one. Hampton, among other South Carolina officers of distinction, had been ordered to his State from the Army of Northern Virginia for political effect, and Hampton was promoted over his senior, Wheeler, for political reasons. It was Lieutenant General Hampton, commanding Maj. Gen. M. C. Butler's division, about 800 strong, and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler's corps of several divisions, about 4,000 strong.

It must be said in acknowledgment of the high bred courtesy of Hampton that he studiously avoided any show of authority over Wheeler that was avoidable. He assumed the duties the government had assigned to him without his consent, but he gave Wheeler free rein. He never went into a fight to command him, and always treated him with studied consideration in personal and official contact. It was only one among other evidences of his greatness.

On the 9th it was ascertained that Kilpatrick was between Hampton, on the march, and Hardee at Fayetteville. Something had to be done, and done without delay. Kilpatrick had been passing from one detachment of his command to another during the day of the 9th. A part of the time he rode in the carriage of the gentleman in the low country of South Carolina whom he had robbed. In the carriage was the girl he had brought out from Savannah to escort home in security to her friends in the North. Lieut. H. Clay Reynolds, of Shannon's Scouts, had been captured during some daring feat on the night of the 8th. All next day his captors made him march afoot and a part of the time trailing behind the carriage of the invading general, who lay with his head in the girl's lap for greater consolation in troublous times. Reynolds wore a pair of hightop boots, the like of which it would not be easy to find in any shoe store in the Confederacy. His captors removed them and put on him a pair of brogans that blistered his soles and wore off both big toe nails. On the night of the 9th he escaped, as was usual with him, and he rejoined his command for the serious work it was to engage in at dawn of the 10th.

In the gloaming of the evening of the 9th General Butler, riding at the head of Humphrey's Regiment of his own troops, saw in the short distance some troops approaching on a fork road. Speaking low, he inquired of the colonel who they were. Humphreys did not know. He had out no detachment. Quick as thought Butler halted Humphreys and rode alone to the junction of the two roads. "Who comes there?" he shouted. "Fifth Kentucky," answered the officer commanding. "Ride forward, sir. I would confer with you." The officer, with an orderly, approached. Butler turned his horse, requesting the officer to follow. As the two struck the head of Humphreys's column Butter drew his revolver, pressed it against the head of the captive officer, and commanded his surrender. Humphreys was required to go with his command to surround the 5th Kentucky, which was captured without firing a gun. General Kilpatrick himself was with that detachment at that moment, but escaped with his staff.

General Butler immediately reported this occurrence to General Hampton. Scouts were sent out, and on their report Hampton ordered all his command. Wheeler and Butler, to attack the enemy's camp at dawn next day.
Kilpatrick reported: "Hampton had marched all day and rested his men about three miles from Colonel Jordan's position at two o'clock in the morning, and just before daylight charged my position with three divisions of cavalry, Humes's, Allen's, and Butler's. Hampton led the center division (Butler's), and in less than a minute had driven back my people and taken possession of my headquarters, captured the artillery, and the whole command was fleeing before the most formidable cavalry charge I ever have witnessed. Colonel Spencer and a large part of my staff were virtually taken prisoners."

Wheeler and Butler in personal letters to this writer say that General Hampton was not on the field. Wheeler was the ranking officer on the field. I attach here a personal letter written by one of Shannon's Scouts, a sergeant of that command. He is a gentleman of the highest standing in the business world, one of several brothers, natives of Alabama, who were prominent Confederate soldiers and later distinguished civilians:

DALLAS, TEX., August 15, 1911

Shannon's Scouts were in the lead (of the column in order of attack, when General Wheeler came forward in the darkness and ordered Captain Shannon to go out and capture the pickets, and to do so 'if possible without firing a gun. This was done. We captured the videttes and then the reserve. Captain Shannon was anxious to locate General Kilpatrick's headquarters and to locate 118 of our men who were prisoners. He sent Joe Rogers and B. Peebles [Bulger Peeples] into the camp on foot, and they located both. As Rogers and Peebles came back they brought two horses each. General Wheeler rode up just as they came back, and Captain Shannon told him that two of his men had just been in the enemy's camp. General Wheeler had them to tell him all about where the prisoners were and where General Kilpatrick's headquarters were. He seemed astonished that they could bring out the horses.

General Wheeler then ordered Captain Shannon to place his scouts around close up as pickets, which was done. Burke, from the 11th Texas, and myself, from the 51st Alabama, were placed on the right about one hundred yards from the sleeping enemy. While sitting on our horses and keeping a strict watch for any movement, we heard some one coming from the direction of our command on horseback. We sat alert, with pistols cocked, waiting for him to ride up, as we were too close to the enemy to challenge him. When he rode up, we discovered that it was General Wheeler, and as he knew each member of the scouts by name, I said: 'This is Hardie, General.' He asked: 'Where are the enemy?' Pointing to them, I said: There they are, General.' 'What, that near and all asleep?
he said. 'Won't we have a picnic at daylight?' 'What brigade is in front, General?' I asked. 'The Alabama brigade,' he answered. I said: 1 wish it was the Texas brigade because they are armed with six shooters. 'The Texas brigade is just behind the Alabama and will charge on the right,' he replied.

The Alabama brigade, with the escort, General Wheeler and Shannon's Scouts, charged the center, where were General Kilpatrick's headquarters and where our men were held as prisoners.

The Texas brigade ran into a marsh and had to turn back, but they were turned to the left and soon came up and joined in with the others, but still a little to the right of the Alabama brigade.

As soon as our men who were prisoners heard the shots they told the guards: 'That is Wheeler charging, you had better save yourselves.' The guard dashed away and the prisoners began to help themselves to arms, horses, and whatever they wanted. They secured all of General Kilpatrick's personal horses. He had two fine stallions one a little spotted horse and the other a large black. The spotted horse was secured by a man named Scales, of the gist Alabama, who also got General Kilpatrick's sword and pistols. * * * * General Kilpatrick left his hat, coat, pants, sword, and pistols, etc. Butler's Division charged on our right and entered the enemy's camp as soon as we did.

A. F. HARDIE.

A continuation of the narrative is made from the account of Edward Kennedy, then a youth and member of Shannon's Scouts, now a responsible man of business in Alabama. Among other things of interest, he tells how the bugler of General Kilpatrick's headquarters stood while it was not yet light with the mouthpiece at his lips and breath drawn. At the instant Pelote, Wheeler's bugler, riding by the General's side, sounded the charge. "To day I feel the blood tingle in my finger tips as that bugle call returns to me," writes Kennedy. Kilpatrick's bugler never sounded the note.

General Kilpatrick told General Butler in Washington that he had just stepped from his door to walk around, as was his habit, to see his horses fed in the early morning, when he saw the gray cavalrymen in full charge. Perhaps so. Did major general on a damp and chilly March morning ever before walk out without boots or hat, without trousers or cloak to see his horses fed? Some Alabamians saw the commander of Sherman's Cavalry leap dishabille from the low window of his bedroom, and five Alabamians claim to have shot at him as he ran.

Lieutenant Reynolds tells how in the fighting General Wheeler rode up to him, saying: "Come with me. I have neither staff nor escort" The Lieutenant remarked: "General, we are between our line and the enemy's, and both are shooting this way." "Never mind that, we must keep our men advancing," said the General, and the two rode on, cheering as they went.

[This account of the fight at Fayetteville, N. C. is contributed by Mr. DuBose from his book on "General Wheeler and the Army of Tennessee," now in process of publication. Much has appeared in the Veteran about this Fayetteville fight in the last year or so, and the vivid account here given of what was but a minor engagement of that command promises much for the book. The Nance mentioned as having swum the river with General Wheeler was not an Alabamian, but a Tennesseean, a resident of Nashville, and when in Nashville General Wheeler would always see him. He was a bugler. —Editor Veteran.]

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