Pretty soon he met some of the men from the latter place, who informed him that Hillsborough also was occupied by a strong force; and counter-marching, the little battalion took the road to Wheatland; but on arriving at Smith’s, about a mile from that place, firing was heard in front, and soon the advance returned at a gallop, closely pursued by a body of Yankee cavalry.
Capt. Grubb now gave the order “by fours right about,” and the Confederates retreated rapidly to Maj. Geo. L. Moore’s gate, where Grubb turned the column into the field. All this time the Yankees were firing rapidly, and the halt made here in passing the gate enabled them to come up with the battalion, and here a party, with Lieut. Marlow and Sam. Grubb, left the command and struck for the mountain. Reaching the barn-yard gate at Moore’s the Yankees were in thirty yards, and Lieut. Myers, who in the “right about” on the grade had been thrown in rear of the command, found it a difficult matter to get the gate shut and chained again after the command had passed, for the “blue jackets” fired fast at him, but he finally succeeded, and on the hill in the field joined Capt. Trayhern, who, with Captains Grabill and Grubb assisting him bravely, was endeavoring to rally the men and make a stand until an opening for escape could he made in the post and rail fence, but only twenty men could be got in line. In a few minutes the Yankees came through the gate, and about two hundred of them charged the little force on the hill, but received a volley which checked and caused them for a moment to retire; but now, notwithstanding the efforts of Capt. Trayhern, who displayed great gallantry, and of other officers, the men broke and crowded down into the corner of the field, and the Yankees coming on again captured twenty-two of them and about thirty horses. They could just as easily have gotten the whole party, but on charging with drawn sabres to about ten yards of the crowd in the corner, and receiving a fire from a few men with pistols, they halted and commenced firing in return. The fence was now broken open, and the Confederates began leaping their horses over. Here one man was killed and one wounded, but by good horsemanship the others all got clear. The pursuit was continued as far as the mill of Mr. Caldwell, on the Waterford road, and during it a Yankee Lieutenant, in the attempt to capture Lieut. Myers, who was poorly mounted, was mortally wounded.