The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-02-20
Rebel March on Washington.

Early found him on the roadside just
south of Middletown, ,and he then inform
cd me that he had received an order from
General Lee by special officer dispatch
ed to him for the purpose. Twas direct
ed to march at daylight of the 9th to get
q position to the north of Frederick. and
watch Early's left until I was satisfied
that he was getting on all right In the
battle about to take place that day below
Frederick, and then strike off across the
country, cutting the railroads and tele-
graphs north of Baltimore, sweep rapidly
round the city, cut the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad between Washington and
Baltimore, and push on rapidly SO as to
strike Point Lookout on the night OF the
10Th. Captain John Taylor Wood was to
be there in an armed steamer which he
was to run out of Wilmington. We were
to capture the place. [ was to take COM
mand of the prisoners there, some 10, 900
or $4,000, and march them up through
lower Maryland to Washington, where
Gen. Early was to wait for me. The
prisoners were to be armed and equipped
from the arsenals and Magazines of Wash
ington. Thus reinforced, Early's cam
paign might be still further aggressive.
told Gen. Early that the march laid
out for me was utterly impossiblefor
man or horse to accomplish. It gave me
four days to encompass nearly 300 miles,
not counting for time lost in destroying
bridges and railroads, but that I would
do what was possible for men to do.
Accordingly started from Hagan's, on
the Catoctin mountains, about daylight
N the Norn.ng of July 9, 1864, moved
across to Wo. o.mal mill, on the old Lib
erty road, two miles north of Frederick,
and waited until / was satisfied that Ear
ly's left flank was free. l moved through
Liberty, New Windsor, Westminster and
Reistertown, reaching Cockeysyille, on
the Northern Central Railroad, about 8
o'clock on Sunday morning, the 10th of
May, and burned the bridges there. Here
I detached Col Harry Gilmore, under
Gen. Early's instructions, with part of
the first and second Maryland battalions,
to strike the railroad bridge at Gunpow
der river, on the Philadelphia, Whining
ton and Baltimore Railroad, and destroy
communication between Baltimore and
the North. This Gilmore accomplished
the next morning, Monday, July 11th.
and capturing several trains going north
from Baltimore, took prisoner Major
General Franklin, of the United States
Army. That night General Franklin es-
capped from the guard who had him in
charge, and who were utterly broken
down by 60 hours continuous ride.
was occupied several hours at Cock
eyville, and while there dispatched
faithful friend into Baltimore to ascer-
tain the condition of the troops and forces
available for the defense of Washington.
Early had defeated Wallace at Monocacy
the day before, and I knew he was going
to push into the capital if practicable.
After getting an agreeable lunch at Hay
field, the seat of John Merryman, L left
two young gentlemen there to get the re-
port from Lay Baltimore scout and bring
it to me as soon as possible. The charm
ing society, the lovely girls, the balmy
July air, and the luxuriant verdure of
Hayfeld, all combined to make the scene
enchanting to soldiers who had been
campaigning for months in the battle
Scared plains and valleys of Virginia.
From there [ moved across the Green
Spring Valley, in Baltimore county, and
passing near the country residence of tho
then Governor of Maryland-Augustus
w. Bradford-I detailed Lieut.. Black
stone, of the Maryland cavalry, to burn
it, in retaliation for the burning of the
home of Governor Fletcher, of Virginia,
which had been destroyed by Gen Hunter
at Lexington, under circumstances of pc
culiar brutality. bivouaked that night at
TheCaves, the place of Jno. Carroll. About
midnight / received a message by the
two couriers left at Hayfeld from the
gentleman whom had sent into Balti-
more. He informed me that all the
available transportation of the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad was concentrated at Lo-
Gust Point; that the Nineteenth Corps of
Grants army. under General Emory,
and part of the Sixth Corps were in
transports in the stream waiting for the
arrival of General Emory to disembark
and move to Washington. I at once
sent this information to General Early
by an officer and escort and moved on.
Passing Owens mill early in the morn
ing we came across Painters ice cream
establishment, which had large supply
of that luxury for the Baltimore market.
As rations were scarce and issued with
great irregularity, the ice cream was
confiscated and issued to the troops,
many of whom had never seen anything
like it, The mountaineers thought the |
9.beer" was nice, but too cold, so they |
put it in their canteens to melt.
Pushing on, we crossed the Baltimore |
& Ohio railroad above Woodstock, and |
passed by Doughegan manor, the seat of |
John Lee Carroll, now Governor of |
with whom had the pleasure
of lunching. During the afternoon of
that day Monday, June 11thl I dis
patched another courier to General I
Early by trusty soldier, guided by
son of friend, who undertook to show
him the way across the country. After
the battle of Monocacy, fought between
Early and Lew Wallace on Saturday, the
9th, the former had marched direct on