The Camden confederate. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1861-1865, 1864-08-03
7. n. HERSHMAN.
The Maryland Raid.

The Maryland Raid.
The Richmond Examiner contains a
letter from an officer, giving sketch Of
the operations of the cavalry during the
recent invasion of Maryland and the
District of Columbia. We give below
all of the letter that is necessary to the
interest Of the narrative; part VIC con.
slider it proper to Withhold:
WHITES FORD on TIE PoToMAC, Ju-
" -, lS6f.-We are back over the
river, after a ten days sojourn in Mary
land. What.all the results Of our cxpe-
dition are do not yet see, but suspect
they are x = In many respects the
raid is certainly success. II
We LETT Staunton about the 9th Of
June, the Infantry passing down the
Valley pike, the cavalry along a road
parallel and to the West Of the pike.
We (thc cavalry reached Winchester
on the Sd and on the 4th attached Gen.
Seigcl at Leetown, from which, after a
severe struggle, he retired At noon we
struck the Baltimore and OHIO Railroad
and telegraph, and Immediately pressed
on towards Martinsburg.
On the 4th, our infantry took Shep-
pardstown from which the Yankees were
driven with loss. We here took flag
from the 1St New York Cavalry.
On the 5th, we crossed the Potomac
and proceeded to Sharpsburg, and thence
marched to Boonesboro and Middletown,
skirmishing little with tA%Yankees at
the latter place.
On the Sth, we drove them to the
suburbs of FreSla, but our orders
would not permitW to take the town ;
consequently We saw no one there.
On the 9th, we started on our raid.
The army marched on Monocacy june
ton, while we.struck to the East for the
railroads. Marching rapidly and chan
giug horses as fast as they were broken
down, we passed over the State. At
daylight on the 10th, We were at REFS
tertown, twelve miles from Baltimore :;
and at o O'Clock aiam., yere at Cockeys-
Vile, on thesNoIy41p Centralt1}ailroad.
MAJ. Gilniorl 80 the ID ana, pert
Of the 1st Maryland Cavalry, pushed on,
while we burnt the bridges at Cockeys-
vile. Next day, Maj. GilrSe destroyed
all the bridges on the Philadelphia and
Baltimore Railroad, captured u train and
Maj. Gen. Franklin, and rcjoined the
command at Poolesville on the 18th.
From Cockeysville, Johuson's brigade
swept around Baltimore appearing al
most simultaneously on so many differ,
cnt roads, at intervals of from six to ten
miles apart that many differentS columns
were reported to be advancing at once
on Baltimore:
On the lIth, We struck the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad at Woodstock, and
on the 18th, the Washington and Balti
more Road at Be!tsville At the latter
place, we fell in with the Yankee caval-
ry, which we routed in thirty minutes.
By this time, Mr.. Abraham Lincoln did
not know whether the United States lad
seeded or not. We had cut all COM
munication between Washington and the
North: After routing the Yankee cav
airy, we caught passenger train of nine
cars and commissary train laden with
sugar and coffee. Several citizens told
US that Lincoln had gone over the road
in burthen train short time before
our arrival. We remained at this place
( Beltsville until ordered to reioin the
army.
A party sent by Gen. johnson burnt
Gov. Bradford's house, With everything
in it except the ladies clothing and the
piano. Gen Johnson ordered this to be
done as retaliation for the burning Of
Gov. Letcher's house by Gen. Hunter.
1t was harsh measure, as far as it affec-
ted the ladies of the family, but just
vengeance can take no account of persons
The manner of the burning was, howev-
er, very different from that at Lexiug-
ton. The young men engaged in it
treated the family with the greatest res
pect; assisted them in removing their
clothing and 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
property.
Some of the incidents of our ride we're
amusing. We fell in with Painters cele-
brated travelling ice cream saloon with
large quantity of ice cream aboard. We
had no ratioas, and vanilla, lemon aud
other ices were issued to the whole com
maud, who ate ugtil they could eat no
more. THIS was the first time a whole
cavalry brigade ever fed on ice cream.
Our loss, rom'the time we left the army
at Frederick sntil we rejoined it at
Blair's house, was one ofhcer Lieut..
Edelin,: Company B, First Maryland
cavalry, killed or wounded, and two men
captured. We started on Saturday, the
9Th, aud rejoined the army on Wednes-
day, the 18th, having g-becn out OF the
saddle only twice during that time, and
marched eighty miles at q stretch