The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-07-07
PATTERsoN's PICNIC.
THE SOUTHERN coNFEDERACY,s FIRST EN-
PERIENCE OF. DouBLEDAY's SIEGE BAT

1t is well known how in April and May
OF 1851 the brave and patriotic seventy
I'VE thousand rushed forthH-remarkably en-
thnsiastic and wonderfully verdant with re-
gard to everything pertaining to the duties
OF soldier in The FIELD. They were going, in
the language OF Billy ,hfcAiullin's Rangers,
of Philadelphia to rs Hing JEFF. Davis on a;
sour apple-trcc," and Az be home in time TO
assist in getting in the harvest.
Subsequently events have shown that Ter
every exuberaht patriot the North sent iIfto
the field on that oe6ssion, the South, with
equal zeal, sent two. Owing to this misun-
derstanding at the start the sequel was de
layed much beyond its anticipated arfear-
ance. #H
OF the aforementioned $4,000 we only
propose.on this occasion to say a few words
with regard to the $4,000 that crossed the
Potomac at Williamsport, Nd, with Gene
raj Patterson.
Psttcrson's column assembled st Will
Transport early in May, and at onccentered
upon q severe course OF drill, drcs3-parade,
and inspection Of boxes from home, inter-
sDeEsoa with robust flirtations with the fair
daughters of the Cumberland Valley, than
whoTn no more generous, patriotic, and
seJf-sacrifring women live, as was after
wards amply testified in what they did Tor
the sick and wounded who were lucky
cnvugh.to fall under their care, and in what
they suffered for the cause they loved.
Thefirst movement OF the @sArmy OF the
Upper Potomac" was to 11agerstoWn,
whence, after few days of rest and recu-
peration, it mcandered leisurely down TO
! Williamsport, and for the first time gaZed
across the Potomac to the sacred soil OF Vir-
Sinia, and into "the so-calicd Southern
Confederacy."
It is humiliating fact to admit at TINS
late day, but the Confcderacy didn't seem
to be in the least astonishcd. Out on beau
ttiful side-hill, covered with pasture and
erain-fclds, on the other side 1t caracoleu
about upon Virginia thoroughbreds, lookeds
over at us through unimpeachable field
glasses, and nodded patronizingly or hal
| looed loosely whenever 1T saw "1ank "
within hailing distance To put it in the
mildest form, the Army Of the Upper Po-
tomac" was disguised, and sat down to re-
fleet. Then the misguided Confederacy
came out one day and walked OIL with Lleu-
tenant-C Colonel Bowman and his clerk, OF
one of the Pennsylvania regiments, Whlle
they were making reconnaissance aDou!
800 wards on the other SADIE OF the river ana
in full view of the Union forces.
| TO say that the ''Aruly Ct the Upper Po-
tomac'' was mad at this piece OF unmiti-
gated cheek is to but faintly portrayits state
Of aggravated acidulatiDn. The loss OF
colonel more or less was not matter OF
much consequence, fer they were awful
plenty even that early an the row; but the
hard-shell impudence al the thing was not
| to be borne, and active movements 1T once
commenced In the stiffness OF the fellow
ing night the army TUNED its back upon
/ the Internationally Confedcracy and ,Isarch-
ed off to Darkcsville, taRpee miles in:the in
terror. But Darkesville YVES small place,
and Mrs. Ncvins, the only tayern-heeper,
having only limited supply of wliiskey,
| twenty-four hours suGiced to exhaust the
resources of the country so eflectualiF tllat
starvation awaited the FIRST Confcderac! that
should come over, and the army moYedback
ito W'illiamsport.
Active operations now began in earnest.
Captain Doubleday, Of Fort sumter feme,
had reached the front with his siege battery,
and Il hole was dug for it down on the hutt,
near the river. The Conacderacy made it
i.sdlf very numerous on the0thcr side, having
established peket-post ST toll-gate on the
hill 4; short hali-mile acreSS the river. Less
than week Sufficed to plant the battery, and
the next thing was to try it. 1t was about
O'Clock on the afternoon OF n beautiful June
day. we remember the occasion we'll. With
the help of Lieutenant Samuel Elder, OF
Doulleday's battery; Maier Wynkoop, OF
the Sixth Pennsylvania, and Major Bart
Shattcr from Lancaster, Pa. we had been
indulgins in very fatiglling chemical eXperl-
ments at Iohn Ensmurser's Potomac Hotel,
until most of the party had, ave fear, but
vague ideas of the portcntous events gong
on outside. We were rudely disturbed by
Lieutenant 3Jall, from the battery, and Ma
jor Upton, OF the Scott Legion
you're pretty party" opened Hall.
nIIook here, Sam, the old man has fust come
down. and says Patterson will be mere IN
half an hour, aud wants to see the battery
worked, and, sell you, you'd better show
up sudden"
Hall, you're fuss-rate velio. Always
zed YOU wer; but you're too eXctable.
DON'T be ia zuch bloodyurry. HaZ Ole man
sent word to ther CoD!ederacy thai us
things commin' otf:"
ssSbree shears fur our glorious Onion"
yelled Wynkoop. 50 Les all g'wout an bel
ish Confederanary an gone" "
"Move s,dopted," remarked Upton, WIN
great gravity, and away we all went de-
Yiously down to the battery.
We don't know how many invitations had
been sent out, but when we reached the
bluff there were not lesSs than $4,000 sol
diers and citizens scattered along the river
bank waiting for the performance to open.
Old farmers with their wives and daughters
were there from the country around, while
the citizens Of WillamSport had turned out
en- masSe, from gray-headed old age to
pulling childhood, and the veterans with the
bronze Of more than six weeks OF hard CAM
paigning in the clover-fields and spring
houses OF Pennsylvania and Maryland occu-
pied every point that afforded a sight OF the
other side of the river, where the uncon-
scious Confederacy was to be inundated on
the altar of its own temerity. ~.
Of course snch popular and unanimous
display of civic and military idiocy couldn't
come off under the nose of the watchful
Coniederacy, without attracting its atten-
ton. 1t rode up and down through the
wheat-fields with evident wonder, and set
upon the fences in painful establishment.
One inquisitiye Confederacy started down
to the bank of the river with IN evident in
tention OF inquiring what all this meant,
but was fred on with an cid altered musket
by an indiscreet member OF Colonel Owens
Twenty-fourth Pennsylvania. The bullet
didn't go half way across the river, but the
man was ut once hustled off to the guard
house for an act of impoliteness in gross
violation with all the then recognized usages
of war.
Suddenly there was an opening in the
crowd around the battery, and a couple OF
old batterymen with sabres politely escorted
4 few ladies away from In front OF the guns,
explaining that, although they were not in |
any danger their presence interferad with |