Danieltown

Danieltown. A Side Raid: 32 Troopers Captured. , In June 1864, to deny Gen. Robert E. Lee the use of the South Side R.R. and the Richmond and Danville R.R., Gen. Ulysses S Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson and Gen. August V. Kautz south of Petersburg on a cavalry raid to destroy track and rolling stock. Seven local men captured 32 of Wilson’s cavalrymen near here on the morning of June 23, when the detachment left the main column to destroy a bridge. Capt. George D. White, 3rd Virginia Cavalry, was at home in Boydton recuperating from a wound when he learned of the side raid. He recruited six neighbors and found the Federals taking breakfast at a local house., “[Capt. George D. White] stationed his company of six mounted men... in such a manner as to present the appearance of a front rank of a cavalry force. Capt. White then made a circuit so as to avoid being seen by the enemy, and dashing boldly up to the party, defiantly ordered a surrender or he would cut them to pieces in a moment, at the same time pointing to the head of what seemed to be a squadron of cavalry. Overwhelmed with surprise and panic stricken [the Federal officer] asked for time to consult his men. Capt. White replied there was no time for parley. He would not grant a moment, but that they must stack arms in the road and march immediately up to the Dixie boys, or the Dixie boys would march to them. [The Federals] immediately stacked arms, [and] marched up to Capt. White's formidable body of cavalry. Upon finding that they had surrendered to six citizens, armed only with double barrel shot guns, their mortification was great, but it was too late to retrieve their misfortune”. -New York Times, July 7, 1864