The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-09-14
For The Democratic IdrOeate.
Battle Week in Westminster.
BY EVERETT.

The week beginning on the 2Sth day
Of June and ending on the lth day Of
July, 1868, will long be remembered by
the citizens Of Westminstcr-and per
haps by most Of the people of Carroll
county, too-as the period when, for the
first time, they were brought to realize
the fearful horrors Of the great war that
had, for years, been raging throughout
all the Southern States.
All the great papers of the country
had been, for a long time, filed with
truthful pictures Of the life Of the sol
dier-thc eucampment, the march, the
battle, the hospital-and details of the
hardships aud sutferings endured by
both soldiers aud people were faithfully
given; but over each awful scene was
spread thick ly the yarnish of the glory
or the agony Of the fual result, SO that
all individual suffering was forgotten in
e&ultatiou over the victory or in hmen
tation for the defeat. The stories Of
burnt homestcads, OF ruined crops, Of
desolated fields, of scattered families,
and of starving people in the South
were incredible, inconceivable.
Quietly aud peacefully as in the times
OF peace, our citizens went to their daily
toll, knowing nothing, feeling nothing
OF the war except what they thus read
IN their daily papers, or from their an,
nually Increasing tax bills. In the
country, the farmer looked over his
wheat fields stretching away to the hori.
zon, where the ripe grain ripplod in the
sunshine when the brce2cs blew up aud
down the burrows, and could not realize
that in just such fields, far away to the
south Of HIM, men were even then
struggling for their lives, or lying dead
in great, CHASTITY heaps. -.
Seeing is believing" however, in
most cases; aud all certainly found it so
when, in this bright week Of June, the
armies Of Stuart aud Sedgwick came
pouring into the county, aud rcenacted
the very scenes Of which heretofore we
had only read,
Emboldened by his success at Chanccl-
lorsvllc over Hooker, aud 10 the Valley
over Nlilroy, Lee had gathered tho
whole OF his available strength from re.
mote Tennessee, from the Mississippi,
aud from the coast, until, confident and
powerful, he crossed the Potomac on
the 9th Of June, 1868, and began that
celebrated march through Pennsylvauia,
which was to eud SO disastrously at
Gettysburg. Supposiug the army of
the Potomac to be still on the retreat to
Washington, he hastenGd on us far as
Carlisle and York; but here, late on the
night Of the 2Sth, scout brought him
the news that Hooker was rapidly
marching upon Frederick and the South
Mountain aud threatening to cut off his
communications-hc at once turned aud
came east Of the mountains, marching
towards Baltimore
About this time General Hooker was
removed from, aud General Meade
placed in command of the army of the
Potomac The latter, renouncing all
thought Of moving to The west side of
South NJ 'untain, pressed forward on the
east side Of that range; that thus, as the
direction Of the rival armies was ut right
angles with each other-Meade march
Ing northward, and Lee eaatward-it
was inevitable that they should meet.
1t had been intended that General
Stuart with his famous cavalry should
form the right Of the Confederate army,
but thinking to damage Hooker by get
ting in his rear, Stuart determined, in
the exercise Of the discretion granted
him by Lee, to pass entirely around the
Union army. When he had crossed to
the Mary land shore, he discovered that
the army Of the Potomac, under its new
commander, had interposcd between him
aud Lee, and he was thus forced to
march northward, parallel with it,
through Westminster towards Hanover.
With these facts we are now all ia.
miliar, but what we knew then was only
this That Lee had crossed the Poto.
mac. We learned this from the fugitiyes
from the western counties, who, panic
stricken, aud laden with all their house.
hold goods, fastened by day and night
through our little city--each successive
arrival announcing in the most positive
terms that the Oonfederates were but
little way in their rear.
No sooner would a little group of
these tired and dusty strangers stop to
rest aud queneh their thirst, than
another crowd would overtake them,
aud with the alarming cry of "The |
RetbilLs are coming y send them hurry |
ing on their way.
Never before had Westminster beheld |
and please God never again shall |
a scene of hurry, alarm,
aud confusion as that which now every |
day presented.
Each man eagerly asked his neighbor
for news, aud crowds gathered at all the
publ, places anxiously seeking for in |
telligencc from the armies. The mer.
chants closed their shops at every fresh
alarm and all officers Of the Govern.
mcnt hastily fed The tradesman for.
sock his shop, tho farmer his plough,
aud the lawyer his Office, aud came out
on the street to join in the search for
news. Even the schoolmaster in his
longing to be "abroad" with the rest