In the wake of Confederate Lt. Col. Charles Dreux’s death, a Union foraging party’s bold venture beyond their orders sparked a swift and decisive skirmish with Maj. John Bell Hood’s Confederate cavalry, resulting in Union losses and Confederate triumph.
On July 5, 1861, a failed ambush near the farm of Nelson Smith resulted in the death of Confederate Lt. Col. Charles Dreux, commander of the 1st Louisiana Infantry Battalion. Dreux was the first Confederate field officer killed in the war, and his death was mourned throughout the South, especially in his hometown of New Orleans.
Eager for revenge, Confederates camped at nearby Young’s Mill sought an opportunity for action. Commanding the Confederate cavalry in the area was 30-year-old Maj. John Bell Hood, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. On the morning of July 12th, Hood led a mixed force of 125 men from the Old Dominion Dragoons, Charles City Troop, Dinwiddie Cavalry, Cumberland Light Dragoons, Mecklenburg Dragoons/Boydton Cavalry, and Black Walnut Dragoons, which collectively formed the nascent 3rd Virginia Cavalry Regiment. Hood and his men rode toward Union lines near the southern tip of Newport News, “looking out for a fight.”
Meanwhile, 36 men from Company E of the 7th New York Infantry Regiment had received permission to leave Camp Butler to gather firewood. The 7th New York was composed primarily of German-born immigrants from New York City, many of whom spoke little English. The regiment, known as the “Steuben Guard” in honor of Revolutionary War hero Baron von Steuben, had been involved in a friendly-fire incident during the Battle of Big Bethel when it mistakenly fired on the 3rd New York Infantry, which was wearing gray uniforms similar to those of the Confederates.
As the foraging party gathered firewood, a group led by 36-year-old Lt. Oscar von Heringen decided to venture deeper into the woods, moving closer to Confederate lines. They were spotted by Hood’s scouts near Cedar Lane and Nelson Smith’s farm sometime before noon. They were motivated to act outside their orders, it was said, by boredom and a desire to avenge their defeat at Big Bethel. Lt. Frederick Mosebach stayed behind with the rest of the party.
Hood mistook von Heringen’s patrol for an ambush and sent a detachment of 30 men, mostly from the Mecklenburg Dragoons, who were armed with Sharps breech-loading carbines, through the thick woods to confront them. Flanking von Heringen’s group, Hood’s men surprised Mosebach’s party, and a sharp skirmish broke out. Mosebach ordered his men to flee toward Nelson Smith’s house.
In Hood’s account, he recalled, “The enemy having been driven from cover in a very rapid and disorderly flight in the direction of Captain Smith’s house, on the banks of James River, I then ordered a charge, and the detachments … dashed gallantly down upon them, taking the flying enemy prisoners.”
Von Heringen’s patrol was cut off, and most of his men surrendered. The rest of Company E straggled back to camp. In total, von Heringen, Mosebach, nine privates, a mule, and a cart were captured. Four Union soldiers were killed, one mortally wounded, and several others wounded. The Confederates suffered no casualties, except for an injured horse.
Later, after the surviving men of Company E returned to camp, Lt. Col. Edward Kapff led 200 men from the 7th New York to the scene of the skirmish, but they found only scattered remnants of the battle.
Sources
Dyer, John P. The Gallant Hood. Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1950. Reprint. New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1994.
McMurry, Richard M. John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1992.
Memphis Daily Appeal (Memphis, TN) 18 July 1861.
Nanzig, Thomas P. 3rd Virginia Cavalry. Lynchburg: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1989.
New York Daily Herald (New York, NY) 17 July 1861.
Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 17 July 1861.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, Vol. II. With additions and corrections. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1902.
Spirit of '61 