The battalion passed on, and soon met some of the Yankee skirmishers from a division of infantry on Rocky Creek, whom they captured and sent back, and in a short time Gen. Gordon marched his brigade to the support of the cavalry.
About this time a battery, from the Cemetery Hill, was fiercely shelling White’s men, and as Gordon’s skirmishers appeared on the field a storm of shot and shell ploughed the ground along the line, causing part of it to falter; but the Major who commanded was a splendid officer, and brought his people up to it handsomely; once, indeed, he displayed almost more than human coolness and daring—in reforming a part of his line that had broken under the fire, and just as the Major reached it a heavy shell exploded exactly under his horse, causing both it and the rider to roll over on the ground in a cloud of dirt and smoke, all who saw it thinking that they were surely both killed, but amid the cloud the beautiful bay sprang up, with the gallant Major still in the saddle exclaiming, “Steady men, steady; no use to break; keep the line steady;” and the men were steady after that.
At dark the troops encamped, and in the morning the battalion was broken up into scouting parties for the Generals of the left wing, the Colonel sending Captains Myers and Grubb with six men each to find the right flank of the Yankee army. They crossed the creek, and separating, scouted through a rough, broken country, for probably two hours, when they united exactly in rear of the enemy’s right wing, and sent a courier to inform the Colonel that they had found it; Myers having gone around the right flank, while Grubb passed through an opening in their line without knowing it until he found himself in the rear. Here they saw a long train of wagons, and determined to capture some of them, but on arriving in about two hundred yards of the train found that a cavalry force had passed along in their rear, while a line of infantry was marching directly towards them, and from this interesting situation they agreed to retire, without wagons, if they could.
It was a very particular business, but by passing off for Yankee scouts, which Captain Grubb could do to perfection, they got clear, taking five prisoners with them.