A. I cannot give dates very well--but on the day when these men were
brought over from across the river, I remember that, because when I
came back I was informed of the fact that they had brought some men
across the river. I was driving out to some property I have out here,
and at the cemetery I met a couple of boys who said there was a whole
lot of Light Horses, they called them, in the town of Progress. I left
the boys and thought I had better go and see. I drove out and found a
portion of the company of about thirty men, cavalry, without horses,
and think they had infantry--they had muskets, but I think they had
their cavalry equipments. These I saw at a tavern. Shall I say how they
said they came there?
Q. Yes?
A. I spoke to them, and they told me they were taken up to Altoona.
They were, as they called it, run into and cut off the road, and with a
large number of infantry, and they were immediately surrounded there by
the mob of about two thousand persons, hooted, yelled, and used violent
expressions, and occasionally, I think, throwing stones in a small way.
That they were then taken out of the cars, and, while standing there,
the infantry surrendered their arms. Stacked their arms, as they called
it. They were kept standing quite a long while in the hot sun, until
very much exhausted, and finally they were again re-loaded in a train,
brought to Rockville, six miles up the river here, and then they were
advised or requested to get off the train, that it was not safe for
them to come into Harrisburg on account of the mob, and that they
started for a walk through the country, got some refreshments from the
farmers, and crossed the country, and struck this little town of
Progress, two miles or two and a half miles east. They said their
purpose was to strike the railroad below Harrisburg, and inquired of me
whether the steel works was a good place to strike. I told them it was
not desirable to strike it, nor was it a very good place, for, while
the men were still doing their duty, and there was no riot, they might
be in sympathy with these men, and I would not advise them to come
there. I remonstrated most seriously with them not to pursue that
course; but to go back to the arsenal with me, where there was about
six hundred militia and infantry, and there really was no danger of any
body getting hurt in any way, and that they would be protected there,
and it would be very unpleasant and unfortunate if they were to go back
to Philadelphia, where I believe they were from. I was asked a question
whether the infantry would fight. I told them I didn't know that; but
from the way things were going, and from what they told me of the
surrender of half a brigade at Altoona, I would not swear that they
would; but I then went to the arsenal. The arsenal is about a mile from
this little town. I drove back and found Colonel Gobin, of Lebanon, was
in command. Sigfried was in command, and Gobin was in command on the
ground, and I told him what I had done, and asked him to get into the
wagon, while I rode out to get the men to come in. We went out and had
another interview with the men, and they partially promised to come in;
but I told them I would send them a lot of newspapers, and so
forth--they had seen no papers, and didn't know what was going on, and
to what extent. I came in to take my supper, and then bought a whole
lot of newspapers, and started out to take the lower route instead of
the upper one, and missed that--they had just started in. I then came
into the arsenal, and left them to read my newspapers, and
congratulated them.
Q. How many officers were among them?
A. I think the officers were pretty much all there. I would say they
were pretty much all there--the officers of the company.
Q. Were the captains and lieutenants there?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Were they in uniform?
A. O, yes; they were all in uniform.
Q. Their uniforms--the buttons and straps were not cut off?
A. O, no; they were all in good trim. I was somewhat amused in finding
them washing their feet in a trough, when I came out there, and, under
the circumstances, I thought it was a little funny. It was not so much
so after all. They told me the trouble they were in. I want to say just
here, there was a good deal of fault found with men who didn't go
through this town in a military way. I am not one of the persons who
find fault with the military in that way, and a company of soldiers
without any orders is a mob--is not very good shape--and I think it is
better that they didn't happen to come in just at that time. They said,
however, they had no commanding officer. Their general commanding was
back; the first division of Philadelphia; and they had nobody to give
them orders, and they didn't know what to do, or what right they would
have to come at all--didn't want to come without some authority, and
gave that as a reason why they didn't.
Q. Did they have arms?
A. They had their cavalry arms.
Q. Sabers and carbines?
A. Sabers and carbines--pistols.
Q. Did they have ammunition?
A. That I did not inquire into. They had their arms in the bar-room
there. I did not inquire, but I presume they had ammunition.
Q. Did they tell you they had become separated from their command?
A. As I understood it, they didn't belong to the command that they were
with when they got to Altoona. General Brinton was at Harrisburg, and
they belonged to his division.
Q. They were going on their way to join him?
A. I suppose they were going on to Harrisburg; but at the time when all
this was going on, there was no exhibition of violence in this city,
simply because there was nobody interrupting or interfering with the
men who were stopping trains on Saturday evening, I think. What I mean
by that is, there was no violence beyond that of stopping trains--I
think on Saturday evening--I think that was when the first train was
stopped in the depot. Rodgers had been interrupted, and they were very
tired, and there was a great number of laborers in the cars--immense
number of people were in the depot, and many of them were ladies and
citizens of the State, and quite an effort was made by a number of us
citizens to get that train on. When these boys, as we would call
them--most of them were boys--they jumped on the tender, and when the
train undertook to move out, they drew the pin. I may say, on that
occasion, that a number of men connected with the railroad shops here
made an appeal to me and to other citizens to get this train on, that
it was not the orders that the passenger trains were to be stopped.
These were outside men, boys interfering with them. Had nothing to do
with it. I remember that a gentleman in Harrisburg was named who makes
speeches for them, and I was asked to go and see him. Mr. McCrea
finally said it was not worth while--ten or twelve attempts were
made--an attempt to pull the train out, and some few men were pulled
off the bumpers, and I pulled a boy off and they said I would start a
riot, and they finally stopped that train, and passengers got off that
night sometime.
Q. I want to ask you a question or two about those soldiers you found
out there at this little village. I understand that they said that
their reasons for going back were, that they were not with their
commander, General Brinton, and there were no division and no brigade,
at Altoona, of infantry?
A. They did not give that as their reason for coming back--but, as a
reason why they did not want to engage in any active service here,
because they had nobody to take the command.
Q. What reasons did they give for turning back?
A. They said the infantry surrendered their arms.
Q. At Altoona?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What infantry did they refer to. It was not any of their command
that surrendered?
A. No; as I understood--who commands the center district?
Q. General Beaver's command?
A. It was one of these middle divisions of the militia. It might not
have been General Beaver's, but it was up there somewhere. They were
simply, as I understood it, attached to the military train to carry
them west, as I understood it, and then they were again ordered into a
car and run back without any desire of their own, as I understand that.
Q. How far were they run back?
A. To Rockville, about six miles to Harrisburg.
Q. And then they left there?
A. They were asked to go out. If they came to Harrisburg they would be
assaulted. There was another party made a much bigger circuit and came
to Linglestown. There was a large number. I didn't see them myself.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Did you know anything about this party of soldiers that were
captured across the river here?
A. At that time I was out here in the country. I only saw when I came
back, that there was a number of people going out Market street, and
then I heard that they had captured some soldiers, and marched them
down Market street. I didn't learn anything about them.
Adjourned to meet at the call of the chairman.