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September 7, 1864.

Remain in camp all day. Hear skirmishing in the distance. Orders in evening to be ready to move. September 8, 1864. Remain in camp all day. Nothing new

from the front.

September 9, 1864.

Still in Camp. Police our old camp. Late

in evening orders to be ready to move by daylight. Orders afterwards changed to sunrise.

September 10, 1864. Move at sunrise this morning in direction of Bunker Hill. When near that place hear skirmishing in front. Camp at Bunker Hill. September 11, 1864. direction of Winchester. slightly.

front.

September 12, 1864.

September 13, 1864. post I have ever picketed September 14, 1864.

Move about 10 o'clock taking the pike in Camp some 5 miles from that place. Rains

Remain in Camp all day. All quiet in

Ordered out on picket post. Had the best at before.

Still on picket. Will not be relieved and will be contented to remain here.

September 15, 1864. Relieved from picket and ordered on the Berryville Pike. We go in camp in sight of Winchester on the middle

road.

front.

September 16, 1864.

Still in Camp at Winchester. All quiet in

September 17, 1864. Ordered to be ready to move by light. Enemy reported advancing from Berryville. Move to road and stack

arms.

[Editor's note.-Here the Diary ends, which is much to be regretted, as the battle of Winchester was fought September 19th, when Early's army, after a gallant fight all day long, was defeated, and retired up the Valley. Captain Wingfield was captured on the 19th. The book in which he wrote his diary, however, found its way home to his wife, the subject of many of the omitted portions of the Diary as printed, who, on April 29, 1865, made the following entry:]

April 29, 1865. Here I am at the home of my childhood, but ah! how many changes have taken place here. I am feeling sad and lonely; I sigh for the absent loved ones. I do want to see my darling Husband so so much; poor fellow how much he has endured since I last saw him. I pray God his precious life may be spared and we may soon very soon meet. God only knows the anxiety of mind I have suffered on his account.

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BY JUDGE E. C. MONCURE

OF Caroline County, Va.

A Ride with Gen. Robt. E. Lee

My children have frequently asked me to write some of my personal recollections of the late war between the States, and especially any instance of my connection with the Confederate Army (which I have frequently related to them), and I am sure that they in their youthful days thought that the war tales of their father and his personal touch with the incidents narrated were wonderful, and ought to be written upon the pages of history. I have delayed this for a number of years, until of recent years being urged by others who have heard them, have been requested to write them down for publication in some newspaper or in pamphlet form.

I rather shrunk from the task for two good reasons; first, because there must necessarily be a good deal of self in the narrations; and second, because I feel my incompetency to write an interesting and readable story; however, I have yielded to the requests of children and friends and make the attempt; so much by way of preamble and apology. I entered the war in April, '61, as a private in the Caroline Light Dragoons, afterwards Co. B. 9th Va. Cavalry. I served as a private until the Fall of 1864, when I was promoted to a second Lieutenancy.

The incident of which I now write is concerning a ride with Gen Robt. E. Lee. It was in May of 1864, our cavalry had been operating on the right flank of Gen. Lee's army, at the battle of Spotsylvania C. H. We had been operating about Guiney's Station, in Caroline County, and had been pressed to the South on West side of Mattaponi River, and were guarding the roads leading across the river, and upon Saturday, the 22nd day of May, 1864, my company being then at Welch's, guarding the road leading from Guiney's and also the one leading from Page's and Bowling Green. There we had a pair of cart wheels with a stove pipe laid across the axles to resemble a piece of artillery. This we stationed on an elevation in the road fronting towards Guiney's as a deterrent to the enemy's advance, and it had its desired result, for they came down in full view but advanced no further.

At this point, about 2 o'clock Saturday evening, an order was received by my captain to send several men who were well acquainted with the country and roads, at once to Spotsylvania C. H. to report to Gen. Lee, as he wanted them for guides to his troops on the march. I was put in charge of this detail of several men. We proceeded at once to Spotsylvania and found Gen. Lee at Southworth's house, about one mile and a half from the C. H., on the road to Traveller's Rest and Crutchfield's Mill. We reached this place just at sunset and reported to Col. Taylor, Gen. Lee's Adjutant General. There were a good many Generals and other officers present, most of them

mounted, and Gen. Lee seemed to be giving them directions as to marching. I recollect that there were present Gens. A. P. Hill, Early, Anderson, W. H. F. Lee and others. I heard some of the conversation between Gen. Lee and his Generals in the course of which he directed Gen. Hill to withdraw his last troops from the front of the enemy at 9 o'clock unless they should leave his front before that time. Gen. Early asked Gen. Lee if he should remove his troops down the Mattaponi in front of Milford, and Gen. Lee replied at once that Gen. Hancock had been at Milford since early that morning and had possession of the hills on the South side of the river and is fortifying same. (Milford is at least 18 miles nearer to Richmond than Spotsylvania). After some other few directions from Gen. Lee the other Generals with their aides left for their several commands and Gen. Lee with his staff mounted. I asked Col. Taylor where in the group I should ride? Gen. Lee hearing my question, said to me, "You and your comrade come here and ride by my side." Mr. W. G. Jesse, now living in Hanover County, was my comrade. I rode up by the side of Gen. Lee and Jesse to the rear with Col. Taylor. The General asked me what was my name and what was Jesse's name. I told him. He then asked me if I was acquainted with the roads and country around Spotsylvania C. H. and back through Caroline. I replied that I was quite familiar with them. A portion of Longstreet's corps, with a great quantity of artillery, had preceded us several hours. We marched five miles down the road to Traveller's Rest, (but we did not rest there); we then took the road and proceeded to Mud Tavern, at the junction of the Telegraph road and the road to Guiney's. At this point I told Gen. Lee that some of the enemy were down that road about a mile. He asked me "how do you know?" I told him that we were there about noon and were forced back on a cross road to Welch's. Gen. Lee halted a moment and told Col. Taylor to tell Gen. Anderson to send a regiment down that road to protect the troops passing at that point. We proceeded then along the Telegraph road and crossed the Ta river at Jerroll's Mill. (It must be remembered that this was a night's march in the latter part of May and our march was on a muddy road filled with artillery and troops). At a point half a mile South of Jerroll's Mill the artillery and wagons, some of them broken down, caused a jam and congestion in the road, whereupon some "cuss words" were used, and Gen. Lee spoke very kindly to some of the infuriated men and officers, who by intuition seemed to recognize him, and the road in a few minutes was clear and all hands moving along. We got ahead of the bunch of wagons and artillery and continued until we reached the intersection of the Bethany, Welch's and Bowling Green roads. At this point I told Gen. Lee that the enemy were about a mile down the road, and again I was asked how I knew. I told him I was with my command at that point about two o'clock that day when I was detailed to attend his orders. He then told Col. Taylor to stop a courier there and direct Gen. Anderson when he came up to send a regiment down that road to protect the passing troops. We then continued on our march, and seeing a crowd of soldiers who had preceded us on the march lying on the roadside sleeping and resting, (we had then gone some 15 miles from Spotsylvania), Gen. Lee rode out

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to where they were lying down and very kindly spoke to them, saying "that he knew that they did not wish to be taken prisoners and that he knew they were tired and sleepy, but that the enemy would be along before or by daybreak and that if they did not move on they would be taken." Some of the men lying down seemed in a bad humor and spoke back to the General and said that "well he might order them to move on, move on, when he was mounted on a horse and had had all the rations that the country could afford." Then some of the party seemed to recognize him, and I heard them say "Marse Robert," and immediately every man rose, and I have never heard such a shout, and the voices saying, "Yes, Marse Robert, we will move on and go anywhere you say, even to h. itself."

We then proceeded and arrived at Dr. Joseph A. Flippo's residence about 2 o'clock Sunday. Gen. Lee here dismounted to have a few words with Dr. Flippo, an old acquaintance, and for a few minutes I dismounted and held old "Traveler," and thought it an honor to have that privilege. We then moved on to the northside of Stevens' millpond, four miles from Carmel Church. There we rested an hour or two. Gen. Lee's camp equipage had preceded him, and two tents had been erected, one with a cot upon which the General was to rest and the other a clerk's tent and dining saloon combined. Gen. Lee asked me if I had any rations. I rather hesitated to tell him and not waiting for reply he told us, me and Jesse, to tie our horses and get a feed for them from his quartermaster and go into his tent and get something to eat and then to lie down and rest in hearing, for he might need us before morning. I think this must have been three o'clock A. M. Sunday. We accepted this invitation to supper and went into his tent and got a couple of very bad biscuit and a cup of very inferior coffee without sugar. I could see Gen. Lee then in his tent lying down, so Jesse and I proceeded to make our bed under a cedar hard by. I think I got into a doze, am sure I lost consciousness for the nonce; when I heard my name called it was after daybreak. I went immediately to Gen. Lee's tent. He met me at the entrance with a dispatch in a yellow envelope unsealed and directed to Gen. Wade Hampton. He then asked me if I was acquainted with the roads and country from that point to the Caroline poor-house. I replied that I was very familiar with the country. He then said that the enemy are there and have possession of the country all around there, and that Gen. Hampton and possibly some other Generals are in the neighborhood, but he could not tell me exactly where I could find Gen. Hampton. He asked me the distance from where we were to that point and I told him that it was about four miles. He seemed surprised and said that he thought it was much farther. He gave me the dispatch and told me to take it at once to Gen. Hampton and not to let the enemy take me for they were all about the country; to destroy the dispatch if I saw that I would be taken, but under no circumstances to let the enemy know where he was; to take the dispatch and to show it to any general (cavalry or infantry) that I might see on the road and to bring him a reply from Gen. Hampton: that he would be on the road to Hanover Junction. I started with this dispatch and as soon as I was out of sight of Gen. Lee opened it and read it. It was about as follows: "Gen. Hamp

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