The next morning at Reveille, Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch woke up, got on their uniforms and went to report to Capt Blazer for their first assignment. They walked over to Capt Blazer's headquarters where the company color bearers were mounted outside, they walked in while the Captain was signing some requisition forms.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch reporting sir."

Capt Blazer: "Ah, yes, the two Non Commissioned Officers from the 22nd Cavalry correct?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "Yes Sir."

Capt Blazer: "Good, glad to see your well rested, because I already have an assignment for you."

Cpl Blutch (Under his Breath): "Great, putting us right to work."

Capt Blazer: "What was that Corporal."

Cpl Blutch: "Nothing sir, just thinking out loud."

Capt Blazer: "Well keep your thoughts inside your head, anyway, your to head to Possum Creek and patrol for any of Mosby's filthy guerrillas, if you find them, try to take one alive, if you catch anyone harboring anyone in Possum Creek's small town, your to torch their homes and hang them."

Cpl Blutch: "WHAT?! But sir, that's inhumane, we can't just burn people's homes and hang them."

Capt Blazer: "Corporal, if we don't show these secessionists force, they'll keep harboring Rebels."

Cpl Blutch (Grumbling): "Yes sir."

Capt Blazer: "Sergeant, you'll take a the first platoon and patrol around Possum Creek looking for Mosby."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Yes sir."

The two of them walked out of the Captain's headquarters and went to round up some volunteers for this patrol, but Cpl Blutch was not happy. He was still upset about the fact that they might have to burn civilian houses. The Sarge looked at the Corporal and saw that he was angry and he knew why.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Look Corporal, we don't make policy, we just carry it out."

Cpl Blutch: "WELL WHOEVER MADE THE POLICY IS A COMPLETE IDIOT! BURNING HOUSES AND HANGING CIVILIANS IN INHUMANE AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO IT!"

Sgt Chesterfield: "We have our orders."

Cpl Blutch: "Oh yeah, just because someone with some shoulder boards tells you to burn a house, you have to do it." The Sergeant was beginning to get angry.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Corporal, do you think the enemy won't burn civilian homes in the north?"

Cpl Blutch: "Probably not, they didn't burn civilian homes when they went up and fought at Gettysburg last year."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Well maybe not, but the orders still stand."

The Corporal just grunted in disgust and walked over to the city of tents. They selected seventeen men, including Sgt Tyree, Cpl Jenkins, and Trooper Starky for this patrol. They left camp an hour later and headed to Possum Creek, hen they reached the creek they looked for signs of horses being there, with the help of Sgt Tyree, they found tracks heading in four different directions so it was hard to decide which way to head. Sgt Chesterfield, Sgt Tyree, and Cpl Blutch dismounted to look at the tracks to determine where the force had gone and how long ago they had been there.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Well Tyree, what do you think?"

Sgt Tyree: "Well, I can't say for sure, the best thing we can do is find the tracks leading in the direction of a town. We're in Mosby's Confederacy now, everyone here will help Mosby, we might or might not find any of those raiders in the small communities. Of course I'm just thinking out loud of course Sarge."

Cpl Blutch: "I'm hoping we don't find any."

Sgt Chesterfield (Annoyed): "Why, so we don't have to fight them in battle."

Cpl Blutch: "So we don't have to burn the homes of the innocent."

The short Corporal remounted his horse and walked him a few feet away from everyone else, the Sergeant looked over at him and knew he was right. Burning people's homes was wrong and their was no sense too it, but he had to follow orders, or risk a Court Martial. They had decided to head Northeast towards the small community of Marshal, south of Upperville, if they were going to find Mosby's Raiders, they would have to head deep into the heart of Mosby's Confederacy.

They trotted down a dirt road towards the small community, they decided to halt and rest for a while before continuing on near a small pond. They picketed the horses with some rope between two trees and rested under the shade of them. What they didn't know was they were being watched by one of Mosby's Scouts in a tree, he got out of the tree, got on his horse and rode over to his commander, Maj John Singleton Mosby.

Mosby's Scout: "Major, we've got a Yankee patrol down there, with some fresh horses."

Maj Mosby: "Fresh Horses? Well we better, 'relieve' those yanks of those horses then."

Mosby's Scout (Saluting): "Yes sir." The raiders pulled out the colt revolvers they had 'acquired' during past Union encounters and rode over the ridge.

Some of the Union troopers decided to pull out a deck of cards and play a bit of poker, while others pulled out pipes and started smoking, the rest decided to clean their weapons a bit to make sure they were in perfect condition. The they heard a bunch of men yelling and turned in the direction of the sound, they saw a swarm of Rebels coming down the ridge with pistols drawn screaming like banshees. The Federal troopers saw them, the quickly got their rifles and opened fire, Sgt Chesterfield hastily put on his cap and fired his carbine on the Rebs. The others formed a hasty skirmish line and fired on the screaming Rebs, some of the Rebs distracted the Federal troops while the others got some of their horses.

Sgt Chesterfield: "THERE GOING FOR THE HORSES!" The Rebs got eight of the twenty horses they had, after the Rebs got the horses, they left leaving the Yankees dazed and surprised.

Cpl Blutch: "What the heck just happened?"

Sgt Tyree: "That was Mosby and his raiders, they strike out of no where and when you just realized what's going on, there gone." Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch were scratching their heads and just plain confused. Then Cpl Jenkins and Trooper Starky came up to them to report how many horses were taken.

Cpl Jenkins: "Well, Mosby's Marauders got away with eight mounts."

Pvt Starky: "With Saddles and equipment." The Sergeant looked frustrated, he knew he had to head back to Fairfax without completing the mission and with eight less horses than they started out with.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Have the men with the stolen horses ride double back with eight others and we'll head straight back to Fairfax." He mounted his horse and sighed, he knew that Capt Blazer would be angry when they got back. Cpl Blutch came up next him and felt sorry for the Sergeant.