Too few wagons to be Hood' divisional trains, but a worthwhile read below:
http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-fai ... ictory.htm
Battle of Fairfield: Grumble Jones' Gettysburg Campaign Victory
Excellent account of BG Wm. E Jones's cav brigade of 1000 troopers versus Major Starr's rgt of 400 troopers near Fairfield.
Starr had been sent by Merritt to capture a lightly guarded rebel supply train, according to reports, and then to hold the Fairfield town to cut a possible line of retreat by the ANV.
However there were only about 8 wagons and the cavalry encounter led to a Union disaster with about 100 escaping after a generally good performance by Starr's command. Only 2 junior officers escaped death, capture, or wounding.
A short excerpt from the rather lengthy account:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The Confederates pursued the routed Yankees for about three miles, through the streets of the town to the entrance to Fairfield Gap, where they gave up the chase. The remnants of the 6th U.S. fled to Emmittsburg, Md., where its exhausted survivors found the rest of the reserve brigade. The fight had been severe. The 6th U.S., numbering about 400 men and officers at the beginning of the battle, suffered more than 50 percent casualties, including six killed, 28 wounded, and 208 captured. Only two officers, Nolan and Lieutenant Henry Carpenter, escaped. Severely wounded, Starr lost his arm, and Balder died of his wounds a few days later. Despite the debacle at Fairfield, Starr was brevetted to colonel for his performance during the Gettysburg campaign. He did not return to duty until November 1863, when he was exchanged by the Confederates. One member of the 1st U.S. Cavalry wrote in his diary on July 3: The 6th U.S. is cut to pieces; there are less than a hundred of them left<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
BG Ross McDaniel
2nd Bde, 3rd Div, III Corps, AoG, CSA