Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-06-15
Mistellaueuns &eadiug.
The BATTLE Of THE TRANSFERS.
BY MAJOR JAMES F. HART.

THE BATTLE OF THE TRANSFERS.
BY MAJOR JAMES F. HART.
|
From the Charleston Weekly News.]
Late in the afternoon of July 4, 1868, orders
came to the Confederate commanders in front
of the heights at Gettysburg to take up the
line of march to the Potomac. The three pre-.
vious days had witnessed a struggle for the
mastery of those heights with which history
affords few parallels, but on the fourth day
the two hostile armies sullenly faced each 9TH
er, with only here and there random gun, or
an occasional rattling fire from the picket
| lines, when some movement on the one side or
the other provoked it.
THE CHASTITY BATTLEFIELD
was apparently in repose. Under the alterna-
| ting July sun and showers the fetid odors from
decaying corpses of men and animals had be-
come almost insufferable to men accustomed
to such scenes The dead lay in shallow graves
under the low mounds that fecked the hillsides
and plains below, as far as the eye could reach,
but the carcasses of artillery and other horses
by the hundred, and even the carcasses of
cattle that were grazing in the peaceful valley
when the first shock of battle came, lay in
swollen heaps far and near. Broken gun-car-
riages, small arms of every description, some
shattered by bullets canteens, soldiers blan-
kets and jackets lay near the little mounds
where those who had used them had fallen.
The plain was ploughed at places in great fur
rows, torn open by shell from the enemy's bat
teries in the terrific combat of the previous
day, when three hundred pieces of artillery
blazed at each other to aid or prevent Pickett's IS
final charge. Altogether it was typical bat
tlefled-one that neither pen nor pencil can
paint, and that happily few are ever the eye
witnesses of.
| THE MARCHING ORDERS
were received by the Confederate troops with
surprise. Although they had failed after
three days. struggle to carry the heights and
sweep Meade back towards Washington, they
did not doubt that Lee would yet find way
for them over or around the rocky ridge upon
which the Union troops had so firmly stood
during the three days. conflict. AS dark set
in that evening long lines of wagons, disabled
artillery and ambulances with the wounded,
moved out by the little village of Cashtown
and on the turnpike road through South Noun
tain towards Chambersburg. The rain fell all
night in drenchng sluices, softening the roads
until they soon became almost impossible.
The escort to guard this train, which was if-
| teen miles in length, consisted of the remnants
and Hart's Battery of horse artillery. The ar
my moved by different route, following the
| roads on the east side of the South Mountain
through Emmettsburg and towards Harper's
Ferry. The trains, therefore, were considered
comparatively safe especially as the mountain
range was further barrier for their protec-
tion. The entire escort consisted probably Of
not over 900 cavalry, 200 infantry and $50
artillerists.
AT WE POTOMAC.
At daylight onthe morning of the 5th the
last wagon had passed into the defile, and the
escort began it's tedious march, covering its
fanks and rear. 1t would be useless to re-
count the events of the march, how every now
and then a marauding squadron Of Federal
cavalry would dash in at some crOss-road and
attack the helpless train, generally with tenn
porary success, until driven off by rally OF
the escort, until after weary marching and
skrmshing, with the rain still falling, the
last of the train reached the Potomac at the
little town of Williamsport, little after noon
on the 9th. Here it had been stopped by the
swollen river, which had become impossible.
The cavalry escort commanded by Gen.
Young had halted some ten miles back to
picket the roads leading in from the Upper
Potomac. The regiment Of infantry, part of
Imboden's cavalry, and the artillery, moved
with the rear of the train to the hills north
of and overlooking the town. Stuart, with
the main body of our cavalry was supposed to
be covering the flanks and rear of the army
which, east of the mountain, was leisurely
moving towards the lower fOrds of the Potom-
&C. So, as we could not move on, we stopped
to wait and to sleep. But we did not have
long to indulge in either. About an hour af-
ter halting the enemy's cavalry were reported
as coming in heavy columns from towards
Hagerstown. Our little force of organized
companies was hastily strung out over the
hills, in thin skirmish line, to oppose them.
KILPATRICK's SWOOP.
It was Fitzpatrick at the head Of the FEEDER
al cavalry-at least six to eight thousand
strong-who had lodged Stuart by cutting
through pass in South Mountain, and was
now gazing down on the richest prize caval-
ry leader could aspire to-the wagon and ord
nance trains of whole army.
Gen. Imboden disposed his little force by
placing his cavalry-some three hundred possi-
bly-on the right, and Smiths infantry regi-
ment Of about two hundred men, in the CEN
tre, near the Hagerstown road, while my bat
terry of artillery occupied the left Of the road.
If Fitzpatrick had pressed on as soon as he
reached this little line, he might have crushed
it in a few minutes, and had wagon for every
two men in his command But he paused to
survey his prize and feel the strength of the
defence. He dismounted his troops, threw out
skirmishers, and when his preparations were
completed moved steadily upon us.
THE ATTACK
was met with firmness, but it was perfectly
evident that our little force, on open ground,
as it was, would soon melt away under the ter
rife fire that began to pour upon it. And even
if it could have withstood the fire, our force
was too small to cover the ground on the front,
and it was very certain the enemy could 60
around, if not over us, and possess himself or
the vast acreage of wagon train packed In be-
hind us down to the river banks. But new
factor entered into the problem which had
seemed so nearly solved. Every wagon and
ambulance train of course had it's teamsters.
True, they were not armed, but there were the
immense trains filled with guns, whose gallant
bearers were sleeping under the little mounds
we had left at Gettysburg ammunition was
equally abundant and why not equip this new
force and strengthen our fragile line with 1T
Gen. Imboden seems to have acted promptly
upon this impulse, and officers and men were
sent back to gather from the wagons all the
recruits that could be had, almost as soon as
the enemy comes in sight.
COMPANY Q.
Besides the teamsters, the trains had a mis-
cellaneous following. Quartermasters and
commssaries with their clerks, army chaplalns
and officers servants, made g0odly part OF
it. Then the immense ambulance train con-
tanned large number of the wounded from
Gettysburg, who could bear being moved, as
also the surgeons, nurses, &c., &C., accompa-
nying them. Then came that nondescrpt Or
dubbod all throuph the army