He was not killed, but he
darted back without shooting. I handed back the gun. Then, with my right
arm around the man, I was with my left arm pointing out the enemy when
he fired at us and broke the arm of my comrade that was pressed between
us.

Seeing another regiment of cavalry in front, hearing their bugle sound
the charge, and knowing that our ammunition was nearly exhausted, I
directed all the men to retire as quickly as possible to their former
position. I had not once looked back, and I supposed that the two
divisions were where we had left them; but they, taking advantage of our
defense, had gone across the river. All of a sudden it flashed through
my mind that we could neither fight nor run. Further resistance was
vain; escape, impossible. I felt angry because we had been sacrificed,
and chagrined because we were about to be captured. I had known all
along that I might be killed or wounded, but it had never entered my
mind that I might be made a prisoner. As we were scattered upon the
field and the squadrons came charging among us, a group of men gathered
about me were asking, "Captain, what shall we do?" "Stand still," I
replied, "and cast your muskets upon the ground." At the same time I
unbuckled my useless pistol and sword and cast them from me. After we
had surrendered, I regretfully record that a cavalryman discharged his
pistol in our midst, but fortunately no one of us was struck. An
officer, indignant at an act so cowardly and barbarous, threatened him
with death if he should do the like again. That day the Yankees captured
on this field and in other places about thirty-five officers and seven
hundred men.

The prisoners were escorted to the rear, huddled together, and
surrounded by a cordon of armed men. That night I slept with Lt. W.
Peyton Moncure on the blanket of one prisoner and covered by that of
the other. In the afternoon of the next day, as I was standing near the
living wall that surrounded us engaged in conversation with Col. William
S. Christian, of the 55th Virginia, and Capt. Lee Russell, of North
Carolina, some Federal officers approached and began to talk with us.
One of them was the colonel of a New York regiment, (I think it was the
122d); another was the captain of one of his companies, and another was
an officer on the staff of General Meade. The Colonel invited us to take
supper with him and some of his friends, and the kind and unexpected
proposal was gladly accepted, for rece