Never were the veteran hearts of the men whom Lee and Stonewall led
to victory, so thrilled with triumphant pride as on that morning in
September, when the wild refrain of “Maryland, my Maryland,” echoed
from a thousand throats, rolled on the morning breezes over the
border, and the ragged men in gray marched through the waters of the
old Potomac which some of them had made to run red with the
life-blood of the invading hosts of Yankeeland, who made their
boasting advance, at almost the same point the year before, and
added the name of Ball’s Bluff to the list of Southern victories.
But none other than those born on the soil of Maryland could fully
enter into the feelings that filled the heart of our Captain when he
saw the army that had tramped over the heaps of dead men, strewn
from the blue and billowy James to the dashing surges of the
Potomac, actually marching through the boundary that had, up to this
time, been considered the _de facto_ line of separation between the
two Confederacies, and felt that of a truth the hour had come when
another star would blaze in the Southern Cross, and _that_ star the
sign that Maryland, by aid of the iron legions of the Southland, had
broken the rod of the Blackamoor’s god, and joined, at last, her
sisters in their crusade for freedom.
It will avail nothing, however, to revert here to the bitter
disappointment which quenched these proud feelings in the hearts of
the brave sons of the State of Maryland, who had been battling for
the cause of Southern rights, when they found no responsive greeting
from the now pitifully cowed spirit of poor, conquered Maryland, and
felt that in spite of the hero-blood that had baptized the wreath of
glory woven for her queenly brow by such hands as Carroll, Howard,
May, and a thousand others, who, in the days of yore, had made her
name so famous, she was now a subjugated thing, too much afraid of
the power that had bound the slavish chain upon her very soul, to
lift the folded hands from which the tyrant’s fetters had just been
so bravely torn, even though upon her own soil the conquering
battle-flag of Dixie waved high above the bloody Northern standard.
Through treachery at the council board she had been betrayed into
the power of her enemies, and had not enough spirit left to do more
than gaze with sad-eyed wonder upon the war-worn soldiers whose
mission to their State was to give her people an opportunity to draw
their swords in an equal fight for their desecrated altars.
Maryland was dumb before her shearers, and lamb-like she submitted,
while the Southern army looked vainly for the lion to awake to glory
again.
At Frederick City, Capt. White fell under the displeasure of General
Stuart, and was ordered by that commander to return with his company
to Loudoun County, Va., but the Captain protested, saying that he
was a Marylander by birth and had fought as hard as any man for the
privilege of fighting once upon the soil of his native State.
The General seemed only to want an excuse to become offended with
him, and exclaimed, “Do you say you have done as much as any man,
for the South?”
“No, sir,” said Capt. White, “I did not say that; but I have done my
duty to the South as a soldier, so far as my ability extends, as
fully as anybody.”
Again the General broke out with, “You did say you had done as much
as any man.” And the Captain replied, “I did not say so.”
Thus the quarrel went on, and finally Stuart ordered White to go
back to Loudoun and watch for a flanking force of the enemy expected
by way of Dranesville, or Fairfax C. H., from Washington. But White
refused to go, saying he would go see Gen. Lee.
“Come on,” said Stuart, “I’ll go with you.” And the two proceeded at
once to Army Headquarters. Arrived there, Gen. S. passed in, and
White saw that Gen. Jackson was also there.
Gen. Lee met White at the door and asked him his business, when the
Captain replied, “I want to see you, sir.” “Very well,” said the
General, "just wait a little while and I’ll see you."
Pretty soon General Jackson came out and approached White, who was
walking in front of Headquarters, and actually so much excited over
what he considered the injustice of Gen. Stuart, that he was crying.
“Stonewall” asked him his difficulty, and was told that Stuart
wanted to send him back to Loudoun, and he didn’t want to go. The
General appeared surprised, and remarked, “Why, I just heard Gen.
Stuart tell Gen. Lee that you _desired to be sent back_, and
recommended that it be done.”
At this the Captain tried to tell Gen. Jackson that it was not so,
but before he could explain, his feelings so overcame him that he
completely choked down and could not say anything.
Presently, Gen. Jackson said, “Capt. White, I think I can understand
your feelings, for I was once situated just as you are now. During
the Mexican war I was ordered to the rear just as a battle was about
to take place, and I knew of no reason why I should be so unjustly
treated; but I obeyed, and it so happened that by doing so I had an
opportunity to acquire distinction that I never could have had in
front. And Captain, my advice to you is to obey orders, no matter
how unjust they may be. We are poor, short-sighted creatures at
best, and in the very thing that _seems_ hardest for us to bear,
Providence may have hidden a rich blessing for us. Go, Captain, and
obey orders.”
White says he knew Gen. Jackson was too good a man for him to talk
to, and consequently he made no reply. But Gen. Stuart now came out
and calling him to his side said, “Capt. White, did you say you was
a Marylander?” “Yes, sir,” said White. “Ah!” said the General, "I
didn’t know that. Gen. Lee wants you. Go in and see him."
As may be supposed, the Captain lost no time in appearing in the
presence of the Commanding General, and his orders were to scout
towards Harper’s Ferry and report to Gen. Lee. This meant that for
the present he was free from the spite of Stuart, and he at once
commenced his scout, learning of the condition of affairs about
Harper’s Ferry, and gathering much valuable information; without,
however, being required to engage the enemy.
"He had now been joined by the long-expected company of Capt.
Chiswell, and on Saturday night, September 12th, the two companies
crossed the river into Loudoun County, and on Sunday evening marched
down to Waterford, where they bivouacked in the same meeting-house
which Webster had tried so hard to hold against White’s men a few
weeks before. Here they were joined by Lieut. Myers, whose
detachment had grown into a very respectable company; and the next
morning White moved with his squadron towards the river, intending
to make an examination of the enemy’s force which was following
Lee’s army up through Maryland.
On the top of Catocton mountain, they had a partial view of the
cannonading at Harper’s Ferry, where Gen. Jackson had penned up Gen.
Miles in the “nose of the tunnel,” just as Jo. Johnston had
declared, in 1861, that he (Johnston) would not be caught.
About noon Capt. White reached his own farm on the river, and in the
bottom, near the ford, discovered a party of Yankee infantry and
cavalry, which he immediately charged, capturing all the infantry,
in number thirty-five, with the Lieutenant in command, but the
cavalry made their escape over the river. From here the command went
to Leesburg, from which place a detail from the two companies was
made to guard the prisoners, and Lieut. Myers placed in charge, with
orders to deliver the Yankees to the Provost Marshal at Winchester,
while the Captain moved his command back to Waterford, where he
spent the next day; but on the 17th he received a notice that a
force of the enemy was advancing on Leesburg from towards
Washington, which caused him to hastily return to Leesburg. On
arriving there he found the troops preparing to leave the town, but
he prevailed on them to remain for a short time at least. The force
there consisted of Co. A, 6th Va. Cavalry, under Capt. Gibson, and
about forty Mississippi infantry commanded by Capt. Young, who was
the Provost Marshal of the town. Captain White, owing to the
rapidity of his march from Waterford, did not have more than thirty
of his men with him. The force of the enemy was about four hundred
cavalry, with four pieces of artillery, under command of Gen.
Kilpatrick, who had come up to see if there was any Confederate
force in Loudoun county.
Capt. Young, with his infantry, halted on the turnpike above town,
and Capt. Gibson did the same, while Capt. White moved his command
below Leesburg, and found the enemy still advancing, but rather
slowly. Here he exchanged a few shots with them, and seeing them
placing a battery in position he retired through the town and halted
near Capt. Young.
Kilpatrick now, in perfect wantonness, and without any warning,
opened fire from his artillery upon the town, and the women and
children of Leesburg only knew that they were to be bombarded when
the shrieking shells came crashing through walls and roofs in the
centre of their town.
After awhile a party of cavalry advanced, and the tiring having
stopped they marched through and came out on the road near where the
little force of Confederates were standing, upon which Capt. White
ordered his men to charge, but just as he was riding forward the
infantry fired a volley at the Yankees, one ball from which struck
him just under the shoulder blade, and lodged under the skin in
front of his throat. This unfortunate affair stopped the charge
which, had the Captain not been wounded, would undoubtedly have
routed Kilpatrick’s whole force, as citizens on the road reported
him and his men to have been very much excited and in great
confusion when the party which the infantry had fired on returned at
a run from their advance through Leesburg. Capt. Gibson’s men and
the infantry of Young now retired, and White’s men, bearing their
wounded Captain, followed them slowly up the turnpike as far as
Rice’s house, where they left him in charge of Boyd Barrett, and
went an to Hamilton, where Lieut. Myers and his party from
Winchester met them. Myers at once took command of the squadron, and
as it was now dark halted for the night in the village, and when
morning came marched back to Leesburg; shortly after which the
Captain was moved to Colonel Vandevanter’s, where he remained for a
few days; but the battle of Sharpsburg having now been fought and
the Southern army forced back across the Potomac, and the border
country, in consequence, being overrun with parties of the enemy’s
cavalry, it was thought best to move him nearer the mountain, which
was done, and for some time he sojourned at Mr. Humphrey’s, near
Snickersville, care being taken not to let his whereabouts be known,
as the Yankees desired nothing better than to get possession of
Capt. White, the guerrilla, as they called him; in fact, a party of
them had come very near capturing him while he was at Colonel
Vandevanter’s, only missing him by having been wrongly informed as
to his location, they having gone to Mr. Washington Vandevanter’s
instead of the Colonel’s. After this Lieut. Myers established his
camp in Snicker’s Gap, from where he scouted the border to Fairfax
C. H., under the orders of Gen. Jackson, and reporting directly to
that commander, whose headquarters were in Winchester.
Some time passed in this manner, the two companies operating
actively in Loudoun and Fairfax, occasionally picking up a few
Yankees, and to a great extent stopping their incursions in the
country, except in large bodies, one of which came near gobbling up
the little command. Maj. Foster, of the Quartermaster’s Department,
had been instructed by Gen. Stuart to call on Lieut. Myers for
assistance in bringing out a lot of cattle from the Lovettsville
country, and had fixed upon the 16th of October to meet at Wheatland
for that purpose; but Myers, knowing that Gen. Kenley, with a strong
force of infantry, cavalry and artillery, was somewhere near
Leesburg, thought it best to let the cattle alone for that day. He,
however, sent scouts to find where the Yankees were, and with about
thirty men went to Wheatland, according to instructions, where he
halted, and threw out pickets.
Pretty soon the picket on the Waterford road, who happened to be a
young soldier (E. H. Tavenner) on his first tour of duty, came in
and reported the enemy advancing, saying they had came within fifty
yards of him and refused to stop when he told them to do so; and
being asked why he didn’t fire on them, he replied that he “did try,
but his carbine kept snapping, and that was why they got so close to
him before he left his post.” The Lieutenant concluded that as green
a man as that didn’t know a Yankee when he saw him, and sending "for
the other pickets to come in, trotted off to see for himself, and
before getting to the post his picket had occupied, he saw, and
heard too, for the advance guard of Kenly’s brigade opened fire on
him from a turn of the road, and charging upon him at the same time,
nearly captured him with Dick and Sam. Grubb and Ben. Conrad, who
came to his assistance; but they were in luck and escaped without
injury, or losing any of the command.
That night, John DeButts, with Tom. Spates and one or two others,
captured Kenly’s pickets near Hillsboro’, and the General marched to
Harper’s Ferry before day.
Previous to this, a company commanded by Lieut. James Anderson, one
under Capt. John H. Grabill, and one under Lieut. Wood, had reported
to Lieut. Myers, and these with the two companies of White and
Chiswell, and about fifty men raised by R. B. Grubb, formed a
battalion which Myers did not feel disposed to command. The
companies of Chiswell and Grubb, not being yet organized, and were
moreover attached to the old company as a part of it, he could
manage very well, but Capt. Grabill refused to command the whole
force and the delicacy Myers felt in assuming the command of
officers higher in rank than himself, made the matter a very awkward
one in the new battalion, but all the officers insisted upon his
occupying the position, and he finally did so, and commanded until
the 19th of October, when Capt. James F. Trayhern, whose company,
under Anderson, was already in camp, came in and assumed the
command.
Capt. Trayhern immediately resolved on an extended scout to find the
enemy, and for this purpose ordered all the available force of the
battalion then in camp to mount and form for the expedition. The
whole force thus called out was about one hundred and thirty, in two
squadrons; the first, commanded by Lieut. Myers, was composed of
portions of the old company and of Chiswell’s and Grubb’s men, the
Marylanders led by Sergt. Henry Sellman, and Grubb’s boys by Sam.
Grubb. The second squadron was commanded by Capt. Grabill, and
composed of his own company, that of Trayhern under Lieut. Anderson,
and part of the Albemarle company.
Capt. Dick Grubb acted as Adjutant; and thus organized, the
battalion marched out of the mountain, assured by its commander that
“he intended to go wherever he heard of Yankees across the Potomac.”
On the 20th, the command halted on the river hills opposite Berlin,
and looked at the long line of bluejackets on drill on the Maryland
side of the line, but none had yet been discovered or heard of south
of it. About sunset Capt. Trayhern retired to the old Rehoboth
Church and disbanded his command, in order that the men could get
something to eat in the neighborhood for themselves and horses, but
gave instructions for all to report at the Church by nine o’clock,
which they did, and the pickets were duly posted by Lieut. Myers,
who was detailed as officer of the guard for the night; and all,
except the guards, unsaddled and went into the church to sleep.
About an hour before daylight, Myers started out for his last visit
to the outposts that night, and on reaching the post at Bolington
was surprised to find all the pickets missing; and a further
examination convinced him that the Yankees had certainly been down
and carried off the whole business—guards, reserve and all.
Returning to the command, he informed Trayhern of the affair, and
rode on to the other pickets, whom he found all right, not having
heard or seen anything more alarming than cattle during the night.
Taking his pickets with him, the Lieutenant went back to the
battalion, and after a consultation, it was resolved by Trayhern to
follow the enemy, who, according to the testimony of some persons at
Bolington, had not been gone long, and endeavor to recapture the
prisoners; and sending Sam. Grubb with a squad in advance, the
command pushed forward rapidly; but soon met Sam. coming back with
the information, that Lovettsville was full of Yankees, and that an
infantry force was posted in a piece of woods on the grade, a short
distance from town. And here Capt. Trayhern committed the fatal
error of attempting to drive this force from their position, which
was all the enemy wished, hoping to keep him occupied until the
flanking party from Harper’s Ferry could gain the rear of the
Confederates. After a short skirmish, Trayhern decided to go back,
and on his way, halted for a short time at Morrisonville, and then
moved on towards Hillsborough.
Pretty soon he met some of the men from the latter place, who
informed him that Hillsborough also was occupied by a strong force;
and counter-marching, the little battalion took the road to
Wheatland; but on arriving at Smith’s, about a mile from that place,
firing was heard in front, and soon the advance returned at a
gallop, closely pursued by a body of Yankee cavalry.
Capt. Grubb now gave the order “by fours right about,” and the
Confederates retreated rapidly to Maj. Geo. L. Moore’s gate, where
Grubb turned the column into the field. All this time the Yankees
were firing rapidly, and the halt made here in passing the gate
enabled them to come up with the battalion, and here a party, with
Lieut. Marlow and Sam. Grubb, left the command and struck for the
mountain. Reaching the barn-yard gate at Moore’s the Yankees were in
thirty yards, and Lieut. Myers, who in the “right about” on the
grade had been thrown in rear of the command, found it a difficult
matter to get the gate shut and chained again after the command had
passed, for the “blue jackets” fired fast at him, but he finally
succeeded, and on the hill in the field joined Capt. Trayhern, who,
with Captains Grabill and Grubb assisting him bravely, was
endeavoring to rally the men and make a stand until an opening for
escape could he made in the post and rail fence, but only twenty men
could be got in line. In a few minutes the Yankees came through the
gate, and about two hundred of them charged the little force on the
hill, but received a volley which checked and caused them for a
moment to retire; but now, notwithstanding the efforts of Capt.
Trayhern, who displayed great gallantry, and of other officers, the
men broke and crowded down into the corner of the field, and the
Yankees coming on again captured twenty-two of them and about thirty
horses. They could just as easily have gotten the whole party, but
on charging with drawn sabres to about ten yards of the crowd in the
corner, and receiving a fire from a few men with pistols, they
halted and commenced firing in return. The fence was now broken
open, and the Confederates began leaping their horses over. Here one
man was killed and one wounded, but by good horsemanship the others
all got clear. The pursuit was continued as far as the mill of Mr.
Caldwell, on the Waterford road, and during it a Yankee Lieutenant,
in the attempt to capture Lieut. Myers, who was poorly mounted, was
mortally wounded.
On arriving at camp and counting up the losses, it was found that
twenty-three were captured; Lycurgus W. Bussard, a gallant soldier
of the old company, was killed, and Jacob H. Robertson, also of the
old company, badly wounded. The squad that with Marlow and Sam.
Grubb escaped to the mountain, came down in the Yankee rear at
Hillsboro, capturing six prisoners, whom they brought out; which
with the eight killed and wounded in the chase, made the enemy’s
loss fourteen.
Their whole force consisted of two regiments of cavalry, three of
infantry, and a battery of artillery, in all about four thousand;
while Trayhern’s command, when he met the Yankees, did not number
more than seventy-five.
Gen. Geary, who commanded the Yankees, felt himself the hero of a
most wonderful exploit, and on his return to Harper’s Ferry arrested
and carried with him the Rev. S. S. Rozzle, but the parson so cut
the General’s feathers in his conversation with him, that he was
glad to permit him to go home, not even requiring his parole,
although if he had asked it Mr. Rozzle was not the man to give it to
such a bombastic bag of gas as Geary, who could not look him in the
face after talking with him half an hour.
Captains Trayhern and Grabill both lost their horses, and only saved
themselves by taking refuge in the top of a cabin which stood near
the field, and where they lay until dark undiscovered by the
Yankees, although many of them were in and around the house for some
time.
When Capt. Trayhern returned to camp, he found his company highly
exasperated against him for having, as they said, gotten them into
such a trap; and under the excitement of the moment, that
high-spirited officer resigned his commission, and left the
battalion, never to meet it again until the morning after Gen. Lee
surrendered the Array of Northern Virginia.
The command again fell upon Lieut. Myers, and under instructions
from Capt. White, he went diligently to work preparing the battalion
for organization.
The Captain had moved his quarters from Mr. Humphrey’s to the home
of Mr. Park. Shepherd, in Clarke county, where his devoted and
heroic little wife joined him, and under her care he was soon
convalescent.
On the 28th of October, Col. Bradley T. Johnson, (afterwards
Brigadier-General of the Maryland Line,) then A. and I. G. on
Stuart’s staff, came over, and after superintending the
organization, mustered White’s Battalion regularly into the service.
Capt. White was unanimously elected Major, and Lieut. Myers became
Captain of Company A, with Barrett, Marlow and Ben. F. Conrad, for
his Lieutenants.
Company B, organized by electing George W. Chiswell, Captain; Joshua
R. Crown, 1st Lieutenant; Nich. W. Dorsey, 2d Lieutenant; and Ed. J.
Chiswell, 2d Lieutenant, Jr.
Company C, elected Richard B. Grubb, Captain; W. Flavius Dowdell,
1st Lieutenant; and Sam. E, Grubb, 2d Lieutenant.
Company D, was already organized, being Trayhern’s old company, and
now officered by Lieuts. Anderson, Spangler, and Sam. Baker.
Company E, had Capt. Grabill, Lieut. Grubbs, and —— ——, for
officers.
There was some difficulty in the case of the other company, which
had been organized in Albemarle county, under Capt. Geo. N.
Ferneyhough, for service in Scott’s Battalion—and although it was
present, under command of Lieut. Woods, was not mustered in until
some months later.
Capt. Grubb and Lieut. Anderson were both prisoners, having been
captured a week before, in the battle of Glenmore.
Major White now appointed Lieut. Crown, Adjutant, and Capt. J. Mort.
Kilgour, Quartermaster. After which, he rode back to Mr. Shepherd’s
again, leaving Capt. Myers in command, with instructions to look out
for the advance of the Yankee army, which, under Burnside, was about
to “on to Richmond” again.
Besides White’s Battalion, there was now stationed in Snicker’s Gap,
a company of the 2d Va. Cavalry, under Capt. Tebbs, and a detail
from Capt. Chew’s battery with one 12-pounder howitzer, making a
total force of about three hundred men.
About the 1st of November, a heavy body of the enemy’s cavalry,
under Gen. Pleasanton, advanced on the Gap, creating no small
excitement among the garrison; but as soon as possible, preparations
were made to dispute possession, and while Capt. Tebbs held his
company, mounted, near the toll-gate, Myers dismounted two companies
of the battalion under Capt. Grabill, who was an old infantry
officer of the “Stonewall brigade,” to operate as sharpshooters on
the side of the road, and with the remainder in the saddle, took
post near the artillery, which was advanced to within five hundred
yards of Snickersville.
About this time the Yankees dashed into town, and gave a few of
White’s men there a lively chase up the road, in which John
Stephenson was severely wounded. In a few minutes the enemy’s column
appeared in the road just above the town, and on the instant, the
little howitzer blazed forth its “thus far and no farther,” in the
shape of a three-second shell, which exploded precisely in the right
place, killing and wounding several men and horses, and causing the
remainder to retire in great confusion, which was increased by the
fire of Grabill’s infantry.
Before the gun could be reloaded the Yankees were out of range, and
the fight over, for Gen. Pleasanton took up his line of march for
the Potomac at once. This affair took place on Thursday, and on the
Sunday following, just at sunrise, the Yankees were again discovered
making for the Gap; but this time it appeared that the whole land
was covered with infantry, long blue lines of which moved up the
mountain; and Major White having reached the scene of action,
ordered the battalion, which, with the howitzer, had taken the same
position occupied on Thursday, to fall back, and the whole force
retired to the river hill. Very soon the Yankees were on the
mountain in heavy force, and hardly noticing the shells from White’s
little howitzer, they placed a battery in the Gap from which they
threw shells clear over his position, and killed men in A. P. Hill’s
division, a mile beyond the river. White’s men thought it was time
to be leaving, but the Major held on until dark, when, leaving
Lieut. Dowdell, with Company C, to watch the enemy, he crossed the
river and encamped for the night.
About noon the next day, Dowdell sent a courier over to the Major,
saying that the Yankees had flanked his pickets off their posts on
the river hill, and he thought they were coming down the mountain in
force. The Major called for volunteers to cross the river with him,
when about thirty of his men mounted their horses and followed him.
Reaching the foot of the mountain they met Dowdell, with his
company, who gave the particulars of the night-watch, and told how
the Yankee infantry crawled through the bushes around his men, very
nearly capturing his party.
The Major at once started up the mountain with about ten men, to see
for himself the position of the enemy, and when nearly on the top of
the river hill, Sergeant-Major L. B. Stephenson and Capt. Myers, who
were in the advance, each at the same moment discovered the Yankees
in the woods on both sides of the road, and not twenty yards
distant. They immediately wheeled their horses to retreat, but
before they could tell the Major what they had seen, the infantry
sprang out of the woods and opened a heavy fire which sent the whole
party in a hurry down the road, and when about half way met the
reserve coming to their assistance.
The enemy was advancing rapidly, and telling his men to cross the
river quick, the Major formed a rear guard to fight the Yankees
until the main body could get over; but very soon the heavy masses
of blue jackets pouring out of the mountain in front, and on the
right, forced him to cross also; and now the most exciting scene of
all transpired. Most of the men were over, and Major White, last of
all, was not more than one-third the way across, when a heavy bank
of Yankee infantry lined the river shore and poured their fire upon
that solitary man; but calmly he rode amid the storm, the bullets
raining around him and making the water appear as if it was boiling,
while his horror-stricken men looked on, expecting each moment to
see him fall; but on he came, apparently as cool as if there was not
a Yankee in five miles, and finally rode out of the river,
unscathed.
Dense masses of the foe were still rapidly marching down the
mountain, and just as White got through, the batteries of Gen. Hill
opened from the Clarke hills a most horribly destructive fire upon
them, as they stood, wedged closely in the small space between the
river and the mountain, and from which there was no way of escape,
the road being full of troops, batteries and ambulances, all
hurrying towards Castleman’s Ferry. For some time the slaughter was
terrible, and all the while not a shot was returned from the
Yankees; but bye-and-bye an officer appeared with a flag of truce,
asking for a cessation of the firing, until they could remove their
wounded, and to the surprise of all, Gen. Hill granted it, although
he must have known that ten minutes more of such firing would have
forced the enemy to surrender.
Shortly after the firing ceased Maj. White, with a party of his men,
crossed the river again, and found the mountain road literally
running with blood, while the dead lay thick along it, and the busy
ambulances, as they carried their mangled freight to the rear, left
a trail of blood on the ground. The fight was over, for while moving
the wounded and dead, the Yankees continued to take their sound and
live ones back too.
Shortly afterwards the following note was received from Gen. Stuart:
“HEAD-QUARTERS, CAVALRY DIVISION, }
“November 9th, 1862. }
“MAJOR—I am directed by the Major-General commanding, to say that he
has heard with much pleasure of the successful operations of your
command in the actions with the enemy at Snicker’s Gap, and hopes
that it may be a forerunner of still further deeds of daring, skill,
and success by your command; and to assure you of his high
appreciation of its conduct, and the gallantry and skill of its
commander.
“I have the honor to be, Major, your obedient servant,
“NORMAN R. FITZHUGH,
“_Major and A. A. Gen’l._
“To Major E. V. WHITE,
“_Commanding White’s Battalion Cavalry_.”
For a few days after this affair the battalion lay quietly in camp
about a mile from Castleman’s Ferry, with nothing to do but look at
the Yankees on the mountain. But one evening it was noticed that a
great fire was burning in Snicker’s Gap and spreading along the
ridge on either side, which induced the Major to believe that the
enemy was leaving; so hastily calling out his command, he crossed
the river and advanced into the Gap, without meeting any of the
blue-coated boys who had been there so recently.
From here he pushed forward to Snickersville and learned that the
rear guard of Burnside’s army had passed there three hours before,
and finding a number of sutler wagons following the Yankee line of
march, White’s boys very quietly took possession of them, and now
the battalion divided into several detachments and ranged the
country nearly all night, arriving in camp shortly before daylight
with about twenty wagons loaded with all manner of supplies, and
upwards of two hundred prisoners.
The next day the raiding on the enemy’s rear was resumed, and
several wagons and prisoners brought in; and about dark the Major
learned that a Yankee train had deposited a quantity of tents and
baggage in an old house at Neersville. So putting his people in line
again, he started for them, and about midnight took quiet possession
of exactly the supplies needed by the command for winter quarters,
all of which were safely brought away. The same day was marked also
by a gallant exploit of four members of Company A, which was highly
complimented by the Major.
The half wild Henry Simpson, in company with Mort. Palmer, Dave Lee
and Bob Ritacor, were at Philomont when the 91st Pennsylvania
infantry passed that place. The wagon train followed close in rear
of the regiment and just behind the wagons the commander, Col. W. P.
Wainwright, with some members of his staff, rode leisurely along,
when these daring fellows made a dash at the train, cutting out and
bringing safely to camp the Colonel’s headquarter wagon; the Colonel
himself narrowly escaping capture by flight.
The last expedition in Burnside’s rear was a raid on a camp of sixty
infantry at Mount Gillead, who had been left to guard a quantity of
stores at that place, and who surrendered after a sharp fight, and
these stores composed the richest capture yet made.
The total number of prisoners made in the whole series of operations
was about one thousand, and fully two hundred wagons were destroyed
and brought out together, besides an immense amount of stores and
arms destroyed by the Yankees themselves, to keep them from falling
into the hands of White’s men.
A considerable number of the men had been taken prisoners during the
fall, and although most of them were promptly exchanged under the
Dix-Hill cartel, yet some few were detained and treated by the enemy
with great rigor, under a charge of being guerrillas, and the Major
had done all in his power, through appeals to the Confederate
authorities, to procure their release by retaliation, and took
occasion, on sending the beautiful sword of Col. Wainwright as a
present to Gen. Jackson, to call that officer’s attention to the
matter, which elicited the following reply from “Stonewall:”
“HEAD-QUARTERS, V. DIST., Nov. 15th, 1862.
“MAJOR—The beautiful sword with which you have so kindly presented
me, and also the other much prized presents, have been received
from Lt. Marlow of your distinguished command. Please accept my
thanks for them.
“I have watched with great interest your brilliant exploits. Your
men may well feel proud of having such a leader. Press on in your
successful career.
“Let your men know that their comrades who are maltreated at Fort
McHenry are not forgotten. I deem it a solemn duty to protect, as
far as God enables me, every patriotic soldier of my command. I
regret being driven to retaliation, but the enemy, from time to
time, have been warned against their inhumanity. I have directed
three Federal prisoners, of the rank of Captain, to be detained at
Staunton. I intend to have this outrage of which you complain
thoroughly investigated, and not only see that the two men of your
company, but also the one belonging to Capt. Ball’s, are
exchanged, and also that indemnification is made for any wrongs
which they may have suffered.
“With high esteem, I am, Major, very truly your friend,
“T. J. JACKSON, _Lt.-General_.
“To Major E. V. WHITE.”
As an evidence that “Stonewall” Jackson took no half way measures,
and also that he kept his promises, the prisoners referred to were
released in about ten days.