At midday on March 17, 1863, 40 blue-coated cavalrymen entered Herndon Station on the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad in no-man's-land between Confederate and Union positions. The hamlet had a depot building and steam-powered sawmill, post office, locksmith shop, and a few houses surrounded by farms. The 21 enlisted men of the 1st Vermont Cavalry guarding the depot paid little attention because that morning their Maj. William Wells and two other officers had come to investigate whether soldiers were stealing from civilians. The horsemen then dropped their blue cloaks, revealed gray uniforms, drew pistols, and captured the Vermonters, including some who ran into the nearby sawmill, without firing a shot. As the raiders prepared to leave with their prisoners, one pointed out to Capt. John S. Mosby the finely equipped horses outside Nat and Kitty Hanna's house, where Wells and other officers were eating lunch. Two officers were captured fleeing through the front door, and Wells, trying to hide in the attic, fell through the thin flooring. Mosby reported taking 25 prisoners, including Wells, 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, and 21 men, along with all their arms, 26 horses, and equipment, while suffering no losses. His bold use of surprise, as a Union officer wrote, helped dispirit Union men.
