Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-07-29

We have before us letter from an officer,
giving a sketch Of the operations of the cav
airy during the recent invasion of Maryland
and the District of Columbia. We give be-
low all Of the letter that is necessary to the
interest Of the narrative, a part of IL we
consider 1t proper to withhold: e.
WHITES FORD, ON THE PoToMAo.l
July Is, 1854.
We are back over the river, after ten
days sojourn in Maryland. What all the
results Of our expedition are do not yet
see, but suspect they are In many re-
spects the raid is certainly success. y
We left Staunton about the 9th of June
the infantry passing down the valley pike,
the cavalry along the road parallel and to
the west of the pike. We (the cavalry
reached Winchester on the Sd, and on the
4th attacked Gen. Sigel at Leetown, from
which, after severe struggle, he RETIRED
At noon we struck the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad and telegraph, and Immediately
pressed on toward Martinsburg. On the 4th
our infantry took Shepardstown, from
which the Yankees were driven with loss.
We here took flag from the 1st New York
Cavalry. On the 9TH we crossed the Poto-
mac and proceeded to Sharpsburg, and
thence marched to BoonesborO and Middle
town, skirmishing little with the Yankees
at the latter place. On the 9Th we drove
them to the suburbs of Frederick, but our
orders would not permit us to take the
town; consequently we saw no one there.
On the 9th we started on our raid. The ar
my marched on Monocacy Junction, while
we struck to the east for the railroads.
Marching rapidly and changing horses as
over the State. At daylight on the 10th we
were at Reistertown, IL miles from Balti-
more; and at 8 o'clock A. M. we were at
Cockeysville, on the Northern Central Rail
road. Major Gilmor, with the Second and
part of the First Maryland cavalry, pushed
on, while we burned the bridges at COckeys-
vile. Next day Major Gilmor destroyed
all the bridges on the Philadelphia and
Baltimore Railroad, captured a train and
Major General Franklin, and rejoined the
command at Poolesville on the 18th. From
Cockeysville JohnsOn's brigade swept
around Baltimore, appearing almost stimuli
taneously on so many different roads, at in
tervals from six to ten miles apart, that
many different columns were reported to
be advancing at once on Baltimore. On the
1lth we struck the Baltimore and Ohio
Bailroad at Woodstock, and on the 18th the
Washington and Baltimore Road at Belts
vile. At the latter place we fell in with
the Yankee cavalry, which we routed in
thirty minutes. BY this time Mr.. Abraham
Lincoln did not know whether the United
States had seeded or not. We had cut all
communication between Washington and
the North. After routing the Yankee cav
airy VIC caught passenger train of nine
cars, and a cOmmissary train laden with
sugar and coffee. Several citizens told us
that Lincoln had gone over the road in a
burden train short time before our ar
rival. We remained at this place Belts
ville) until ordered to rejoin the army.
A party sent by. Gen. johnson burned
Gov. Bradford's house, with everything in
it except the ladies' clothing and the piano.
Gen. johnson ordered this to be done as a
retaliation for the burning of Gov. Letch-
er's house by Gen. Hunter. 1t was harsh
measure as far as it affected the ladies of the
family; but just vengeance can take no ac-
count of persons. The manner of the
burning was, however, very different from
that at Lexington. The young men en-
gagged in it treated the family with the
greatest respect, assisted them in removing
their clothing, ana carried their piano out
for them. A quantity of gold found in the
house was given to one of the young la
dies on her assurance that it was her prop
erty. .
Some of the incidents of our ride were
amusing. We fell in with Painters cele-
brated travelling ice cream saloon, with a
large quantity of ice cream aboard. We
had no rations, and vanilla, lemon and 9TH
er ices, were issued to the whole command,
who ate until they could eat no more. This
was the first time whole cavalry brigade
ever fed on ice cream.
Our loss, from the time we left the army
at Frederick until we rejoined it at Blair's
house, was one officer, Lieut.. Edelin, Com
pany b, First Maryland cavalry, killed or
wounded, and two men captured. We
started on Saturday, tie 9th, and rejoined
the army on Wednesday, the 18th, having
been out of the saddle only twice during
that time, and marched eighty miles at a