The Calvin Shedd Papers > Background > Fairbanks Skirmish

Fairbanks Skirmish

Date(s) of Letter(s) Little, Henry F. W. The Seventh Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion. Concord, New Hampshire: The Seventh New Hampshire Veteran Association, 1896.

 
March 11, 1863
 "March 9, our advance pickets out on the Jacksonville road at the Fairbanks place, belonging to Company C, were attacked by Dickinson's guerillas, and were driven in to the main picket line, and four companies were at once sent out to right matters; one company being sent to the Fairbanks place, and three companies, B. D. and F, were sent out on the Palatka road west of the city, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Abbott, for the purpose of flanking them.   After proceeding about five miles they found no enemy, as, being mounted and thoroughly knowing every cross road and path, they managed to evade our force, but our men succeeded in taking three prisoners who under role of citizens were disposed to dispute our advance, and one of them fired upon our skirmishers from the piazza of his house.   At one of the cross roads intersecting the Palatka road Lieutenant-Colonel Abbott had a sergeant and four men advance a short distance in order to discover any signs of the enemy in that direction, and as they were advancing around a turn in the road, just out of sight of the main column, they were confronted by a line of rebel cavalry drawn up across the road, who at once demanded their surrender, and they were taken prisoners.   The detail consisted of Sergt. Theodore S. Wentworth, Private Joseph Blanchet, Alonzo A. Busher, Jacob Fullansbee, and Asa M. Hurd, all members of Company D.  From the three prisoners taken by our forces we learned that the rebels had about one hundred and eighty mounted men, belonging to Dickinson's and Finnegan's commands.  Finding themselves too small in numbers to attack our column they kept wisely out of sight, and we were not subjected to further annoyance from them at this time, and the battalion returned to the city, arriving at their quarters about 1 o'clock that night."  (Little, p. 92)