In the retreat from Petersburg the men of the battery, under Captain Lampkin, were near Fort Harrison, on the north side of the James. We had nearly a hundred men in the battery at the time of the last operations, and had been using mortars at Fort Harrison. We left Fort Harrison in the night and crossed Mayo's Bridge at daylight next morning, the day the enemy took possession of Richmond. We were on foot, and eight or ten mortars were carried along with us in wagons. We were attached to Lieutenant-Colonel Haskell's artillery battalion. We had neither swords nor muskets. As we progressed on our march, we crossed the river near Flat Creek, in Amelia county, when a man in Confederate uniform rode up to Haskell's battalion and told them to take the road leading to Paineville. He then rode off.
Attacked from ambush.
As we got nearer Flat Creek a body of Federal cavalry suddenly dashed from the front with a battalion yelling and shooting. There were several hundred of them. I did not then have time to count. We had no infantry support, and one gun of Ramsey's battery, which had been gotten into position to fire, was run over and captured by the cavalry and the battalion dispersed. They also got all of Ramsey's guns, which were four fine English rifle pieces. They also got all of our mortars, and these two bateries, Ramsey's and Lampkin's, constituted the battalion at this time. Captain Lampkin was soon captured. I escaped to the woods, and when the affair was over I went back to the scene, where I found wagons cut down, the teams gone and ten men of my battery.I am satisfied that the man who gave the order for us to take the road to Paineville was a Yankee scout in disguise. Sergeant James F. Wood, of Lampkin's battery, saw him, after he was captured in the affair with the Yankees, and said he was undoubtedly one of them.
