History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1863 BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 571
company C, and four men, while bravely contending with a superior forces
were surrounded, and taken prisoners.
On the 7th of May, company D, with a squadron of the Sixth New York,
under command of Major Hall, of that regiment, was sent to West Point,
where it was joined by a force from General Dix's column, under command of
Generals Keyes and Gordon. The combined force was charged with making a
diversion in favor of Hooker at Chancellorsville. The cavalry was sent out, and
at about two miles from West Point, fell in with a body of the enemy's horse.
Skirmishing at once commenced, which was kept up until it reached King and
Queen Court House. The enemy was driven with the loss of several wounded
and captured. Lieutenant Williams, of the Sixth, was killed near the Court
House. At the stream hard by the town, a guard of cavalry, consisting of one
hundred men, holding as prisoners Lieutenant Eustis, of General Kilpatrick's
staff, and fifteen men who had been sent with dispatches to General Hooker,
were met. By a skillful disposition of his forces, Major Hall succeeded in recapturing these prisoners, together with thirty-eight of the enemy. The whole
party was brought safely into General Keyes' headquarters the same night,
where Major Hall, with his party, received the compliments of the commanding
generals for his gallantry. On the following day, upon the arrival of General
Kilpatrick at Yorktown, whither his command had retired, he for the first time
learned the fate of his aid, and escort, and expressed much gratification at their
rescue from the horrors of a rebel prison.
During the summer months, little of interest transpired. The ranks of the
command had become very much reduced by sickness and casualties. At least
four-fifths of the men, during this period, were in hospitals, prostrated by fever
and ague.
On the 8th of September, the regiment was ordered to report at Norfolk.
Upon its arrival, a battalion composed of companies C, D, F, H and I, under
Major William G. M'Candless, was sent to South Mills, North Carolina, the
terminus of the Dismal Swamp Canal. The march was commenced in the
midst of a terrible rain storm, by which the streams were much swollen and
bridges washed away. After many hardships it arrived on the 13th, and was
immediately assigned to picket duty, the enemy in front. The remaining companies, under Lieutenant Colonel Lewis,went to Great Bridge, on the Albemarle
and Chesapeake Canal, ten miles from Norfolk, where they were assigned to
scouting and picket duty,'guarding the canal as far down as Curituck Sound.
On the 15th, company D was ordered to Indiantown, to capture or disperse a
party of about one hundred citizen-guerrillas, who were engaged in robbing and
murdering Union men, of whom there were large numbers in that neighborhood, and in helping smugglers and rebel mail carriers on their way to Richmond. It promptly attacked, on its arrival, surprising and routing the party,
and capturing its arms. On the same day, companies F and H, were sent
towards Drummond Lake, where, meeting with the enemy, they had a severe
skirmish, which resulted in their taking eighteen prisoners, four of them wounded. Soon afterwards company D was detached from the battalion and sent to
Coinjoick Bridge, on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.
On the 22d, companies C, F, H and I, under orders from Brigadier General
Henry M. Naglee, advanced towards Raleigh. After severe fighting, and sustaining considerable losses in killed and wounded, they succeeded in pushing
out about twenty miles, when, meeting with greatly superior numbers, they