| From the Richmond Dispatch |
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| September 21, 1864 |
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| The Yankee raid in Culpeper county has
proved a ludicrous failure. It appears that a body of seven hundred
Yankee cavalry came from Warrenton and reached Rapid Ann station,
where the Orange
& Alexandria
railroad crosses the Rapid Ann river,
Sunday morning. They crossed the river there and came as far as
Holliday's mill, which they burnt, with a considerable quantity of
grain, stored there by the Orange & Alexandria Railroad
Company. Here they captured a large number of government
horses, which were grazing there. At this point the successful portion
of the raid ended. A short distance from the road an engine was seen
coming slowly towards them; and after dispatching a party to the
station to burn the railroad bridge, the
main body of the Yankees proceeded down the road to catch the train.
The engineer tried to escape, but, apparently, for want of steam, made
a slow business of getting away, and the exultant Yankees had nearly
gotten to him, when the discharge of a regiment of rifles into their
ranks showed them that they had been tolled into an ambush. A wild
scene of confusion ensued, every Federal making the best of his way
out of the trap, leaving the dead and wounded in the road. Forty
prisoners were captured, besides a quantity of horses. Our men pursued
the flying enemy, who made for the station and got safely across the
river. |
| The party who had been sent to burn the
bridge were so alarmed at the hurried return of their comrades, that
they ran off without completing their work, only a small portion of
the bridge being injured. The regiment of Confederates which executed
this little piece of work was an infantry regiment stationed in the
neighborhood, belonging to a brigade which it would not be prudent to
name, but which can be found by the Yankees by applying in that
neighborhood. The commander, hearing of the proximity of the enemy,
used the locomotive device to bring them in, and succeeded. Some of
the prisoners captured arrived by the {Virginia}
Central train last night. A large number of the horses captured
by the enemy were recaptured by our men. |
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