In September of 1864 Confederate General Wade Hampton led one of the most daring and successful cavalry raids of the war deep behind enemy lines. Hampton's raid delivered thousands of beef cattle to Lee's starving army in the trenches around Petersburg. This narrative explores the hidden story behind the "Beefsteak Raid".
The War Between the States saw many unusual groups of individuals march off to war. From the colorful Zouaves and Chaussers of the Union army to plumed cavaliers of the Confederacy. Men of every age, nationality and occupation took up arms in the bloodiest of the American wars. None were more unusual however, than the men of Company B, 4th Virginia Cavalry.
Company B was commanded by Capt. George Chippendale, an entrepreneur and businessman from Richmond’s red light district. Days after Virginia seceded Capt. Chippendale began recruiting in the bars and bordellos of Richmond’s back streets. He began by recruiting bouncers and bartenders who, he reasoned, were used physical confrontation and would make aggressive fighters. Chippendale soon realized that he would not be able to fill his company with such men so he began enlisting performers from the local night clubs.
Little is known in regards to ante-bellum entertainment for women, however it seems that Richmond was home to a thriving business of live male dancers. Thus a majority of the stalwart troopers of Company B listed their occupation as "dancer" or "performer". The boys of Company B soon became favorites in the cavalry camp, performing dance revues on a regular basis to the delight of their commander, Jeb Stuart. In fact, according to survivors of Company B, it was they who persuaded the colorful general to wear a plumed hat and red cape.
While Company B were favorites of Gen. Stuart, their presence horrified the pious Gen. Robert E. Lee. Lee ordered Stuart to keep a tight reign on Company B and even assigned the 4th Virginia to his nephew’s command in the hopes that Gen. Fitzhugh Lee could keep control of the dancers-turned-soldiers. As the Army of Northern Virginia marched from campaign to campaign the soldiers of Company B became hardened veterans much like the other troopers of Stuart’s cavalry.
Manpower shortages in the Confederacy soon forced every able-bodied male into the army. This left an unfillable void in the South’s entertainment industry. By April of 1863 the need to relieve themselves from the constant strain of war forced many of Richmond’s female populace to take desperate measures in order to obtain diversion from the solemn business of war. Several hundred of these "flowers of the South", frustrated by months without male companionship, rioted in the streets of Richmond’s red-light district. Respected businessmen and wounded soldiers found themselves molested in the streets while hordes of sex-starved women searched the avenues and alleyways for able-bodied males. As the mob headed towards Chimborazo Hospital, home to thousands of defenseless men, President Jefferson Davis arrived on the scene and prepared to disperse the frenzied crowd.
Davis, using his best powers of persuasion, mounted a nearby cart and began to address the women. Words proved inadequate however, and the mob began to shout "Take it off! Take it off!". Davis, realizing the things were about to turn violent, began to disrobe. As the shouts and catcalls grew louder, Davis, unaccustomed to the stage, began to pull Confederate scrip from his pockets and stuff it into his undergarments. The sight of the Confederate President’s scrawny behind and knobby knees was enough to calm the frenzied ardor of the crowd. In groups of twos and threes they began to retire from the scene, giggling and gesturing as they went. Only the most desperate staid behind to see the President lose his last shred of dignity. Understandably the Confederate government kept the affair quiet and only mention of a "bread riot" appeared in the press.
Following the Richmond riot Confederate authorities ordered Company B back to Richmond for "Provost Duty". In reality many of the men were given furloughs so that they could return to work. Things began to quiet down in Richmond and the men of Company B were able to avoid the disastrous Gettysburg campaign.
Things went fine until May of 1864 when Sheridan’s cavalry raided to the outskirts of Richmond. Company B was called to action and went into battle at Yellow Tavern with the rest of Stuart’s troopers. During the battle Gen. Stuart was felled with a mortal wound, as the men of Company B rushed forward to save their fallen leader they became surrounded and were forced to surrender.
While Gen. Grant paid little attention to the prisoners of Company B, his aide, Adam Badeau, showed a great deal of interest. He arranged to have them perform several times and is said to have attended each performance.
The plight of Company B was soon reported to Gen. Lee by scouts operating in the rear of Grant’s army. The Confederate government, shamed by the sight of their troops gyrating before Yankee officers and still mindful of the Richmond riots, ordered Lee to use every means within his power to free them.
Lee turned the disagreeable task over to Stuart’s successor, Gen. Wade Hampton, who, on September 14, led a force of 4,500 men behind Union lines in a desperate rescue attempt. They came across the members of Company B in mid-performance in a large tent near Coggin’s Point. The surprise was complete as most of the guard, members of the 1st D.C. Cavalry, were inside watching the show. Chairs were overturned, drinks spilled, and greenbacks flew everywhere as the startled Yankees fled in disorder. The troopers of Company B were quickly reunited with their comrades and whisked away towards Confederate lines. On the return trip Hampton’s men came across a large herd of cattle which they also seized and escorted back to the starving Confederate army. Upon their return, Company B was immediately sent back to Richmond to return to their important duties. Gen. Hampton filed a full report on the raid which Gen. Lee, humiliated at being forced to send such a large force to rescue such an unmilitary prize, promptly rejected. Hampton’s second report omitted all mention of the original objective of the raid and concentrated solely on the purloined beef. Thus no mention of the imprisonment and subsequent rescue of Company B exists in official records.
In the final days of the Confederacy, as Richmond was being evacuated and Lee was fleeing to the west, President Davis found himself without sufficient escort to escape the Confederate capitol. Once again Company B was called to active service and they escorted him on his flight from Virginia. On May 10, 1865, the fleeing Confederates paused near Irwinsville, Georgia. In an effort to lift the sagging spirits of the discouraged President, Company B agreed to make a special performance. As the President, his wife, and accompanying staff looked on, Company B performed their last military duty. As they show moved towards it’s Grand Finale, Union soldiers burst into the tent and ordered everyone to surrender. In a desperate attempt to conceal the Davis’ identity, members of Company B threw some of their stage clothing over the startled President. One look at the skinny posterior and knobby knees was enough for the Yankees to identify their quarry. Davis was taken into custody and suffered the additional indignity of being apprehended in clothes more suited for the dance hall stage.
Following the war, Capt. Chippendale kept in close touch with his former troopers and eventually convinced several of his veterans to move to San Francisco where he became a thriving promoter of Ladies Entertainment. As years passed the story of Company B’s contribution to the Confederate cause has been lost in the larger events that overshadowed them. Someday their story may be recorded and perhaps a monument to their service will be erected.
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