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by cavalry, infantry and artillery on the 21st.
Hampton and
Jones received the attack gallantly, but were compelled to retire.
Here, said
General Stuart in his report, βone of the pieces of
Captain Hart's battery of horse artillery had the axle broken by one of the enemy's shot, and the piece had to be abandoned, which is the first piece of my horse artillery that has ever fallen into the enemy's hands.
Its full value was paid in the slaughter it made in the enemy's ranks, and it was well sold.β
The fight was renewed at
Upperville, before
Ashby's gap, and there, said
Stuart, β
General Hampton's brigade participated largely and in a brilliant manner.β
On the night of the 24th,
Stuart's brigades rendezvoused secretly neat Salem Depot, and started toward
Washington, encountering
Hancock's corps marching north, at
Gum Spring.
When
Hancock had passed they moved to Fairfax Station, where
Hampton's advance had a brisk fight on the 27th.
Stuart was now between the
Federal army and
Washington, and
Hampton, in advance, crossed the
Potomac near
Dranesville, and on the 28th started northward.
At
Rockville a Federal army train, about 8 miles long, was captured, and the subsequent movements of the cavalry were embarrassed by the attempt to convoy the train to
Lee's army.
Ewell, meanwhile, taking a more easterly route than Longstreet and Hill, on the 27th camped at Carlisle, Early's division of his corps marching to York, and menacing the Pennsylvania capital.
General Hooker did not cross the Potomac until the 25th and 26th, and on the 28th General Meade was placed in command of the Federal army.
On the 28th, General Lee learned from a scout that the Federal army was marching to Frederick and was in part located at the base of South mountain, and he changed his design of marching up the valley to Harrisburg and ordered Hill eastward toward Gettysburg.
Heth took the lead, and the South Carolinians, with Pender, reached
