and ten o'clock in the morning
The advance was to cover several miles of territory , and a dozen different roads were pursued , the start being made on July the 12th . As Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon was suffering from an attack of chills and fever , Major Lyon was placed in command of the regiment . He was instructed to move almost directly southward , by the way of a small village called Crespin , the name of which has since been changed . The road was a fair one , and ten o'clock in the morning saw the Riverlawns on the move . It was not intended that the round-up should last more than four or five days , and the cavalry went in the lightest possible marching order . Less than ten miles had been covered when the scouts in advance , under Captain Ripley of the eighth company , sent word back that a small detachment of Confederates were in advance , driving about thirty horses southward just as hard as they could . Besides the horses , they had three Union prisoners , one of whom wore the uniform of a captain of artillery .