Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-05-17
/. "reminiscences OF the Civil War.
DEMENT'S s BATTERY

|
About June l5, 1868. while rearmy of Gen
Lee was making its flank movement down the
Shenandoah valley, Gen. Ewrlls corps S in
the lead. Gen. Milroy was strongly eptrench-
ed a Winchester, and although on the advance
of the Confederates, he had been ordered to
withdraw to the Potomac, he sought anu oh
tained permission Ito hold on for aWh hile, u
and it was nightly little " bile, as subseqnen,
events showed.
Miroy sent word to Col. Dom Piatt, th.
ad djutant general of Gen. Schenck, who was
at Harper's Ferry, and who had sent Milroy
the order to fall back, that ''he could hold the
post (Winchester) against any ferce the enemy
could bring against him" That same afte r
noon the advance of Ewell's division struck
the greater part of Milroy's forts and surged
over them like thundergust, putting hii
troops to utter rout and capturing all, or near
ly all, of his artillery and wagon trains. A.
soon as night fell the Federal general derermin
ed to abandon what remained Of bis artiller,
and trains and by forced march to endsavo'
to cut his way out Of the h. bile he was in
with his infantry and cavalry in the direction
Of Martinsbsrg and Charlestown.
Now Gen. Milroy, with the Confederate arm!
was in the same position as Gen. B F. Butler:
that is to say, he had been declared at outlaw
by the Confederate authorities, and the ,roo ,:
were directed TO hang him hen and wherever
| they might capture him. The cause for this
outlawry was that Gen. Milroy had issued tn,
same order as TO the tres tnent of the women
Of Winchester as Gen. Butler had previously
promulgated in relation 10 the women OF New
Orleans These two generals have the distinc
tion OF being the only officers declared outlaws
by the Confederate govern ment officially. Whe-
ther or not the edicts of eutiowry were calico
tor or justified is not question here. Suffice
sa that they eyisteI and ~ in
that the feeling of The troops OF Lees army ~s.
savsgely bitter towards these officers
Gen "Al eghany" Johnsons division wa,
ordered ts make a forced march TO get ahead
and block the way of the retreating Federal
army. johnson marched all night and before
day yoreak had flung his division squsrely acros.
MIroy iine of retreat. The division was post
ed along line of railroad cuts about d mile
from StePhenson's Depot, on the valley rail
road. Dement'S Mary land battery was stta,h
ed to this division
Now, the country road to Chsrlestown cross
ed the railroad on a bridge fung over deep
cut al The point indicated, aud along ,his road
the ok OF Ailroy's troops we're retrrating.-
section of Dement'S bst,~ry (t~e gansl ua
der the commsnd Of an officer whose name is
not recollected, assist.d by Lieut. Charles Con-
tee, was ordered TO defend the bridge, and
Walkers tSsonewalD brigade and a North
Carolina brigade were placed on the right and
lett OF the bridge in the railroad cut TO support
the battery. One of the guns OF the section
was planted on the bridge, on the side next to
the enemy, and the other q little TO The right
OF u 10 The field and somewhat in advance
The LEFT section OF the battery vas placed TO
defend pass some six or eight hundred yards
TO the right aud 10 intercept Milroy personally
IL may be stated b.re that the complement OF
the ip hi eaFh hestHls the OH
GERS and drivers
About dawn Milroy's advance APPEARED ir
'front.' apPsrenty unconscious ihs, johnson wss
In bis path The hrst intimstion they h I'D
that the Confederaies were in their front wss
discharge of canister from the section at the
bridge at point blank range. The ftsni regi-
meuts were tlus thrown into moDeai=iy con-
fusion, but they rallied gsmely, and deployioR
iH'o line they rushed with "hnrrAh' upon
the guns. These were served rapidly sud With
deadly Effect while desul,ory hre vas kept
up by the Confederate brigscss in support. IL
may be said right here that n.il her the North
Carolina nor the "S,ene~slI'' brigsdes sep,
ported the battery as they should have donS,
nor wi,h that vim and elan Which had see
,n.m trsd'tsad honofs on many hstd toa&1t
neits before The iefsnry VAS completely
shielded ey the deep railroad cuf. And IN tins
instance they seemed little loath 70 leave set
n sale tslwark, aud do what was r.qaired OF
them However. when men have fou. hs all0s
an afternoon and msrched a, . breakneck psce
all night following, the gos4ia eersaniais. o.
lost Of battle, is apt 10 be OF . cool quality.
Before The rspid and wi,Iering hail OF e. ..
lister irou The guns 'he q ., charge OF the Fed
erals proved ahoriive, but the eoetingent OF
The gum wss decips,ed by the nuske,ry ere
sd Lieut. Con,ee seriously wounded. Tuo
more desperate charges we're made by the Fed
erai regiments. and each tine he guns bc,ci ed
forth their deadly spume Of canister into the
oosems OF the advancing line, until .t the last
discharge. aided hy The hiiherts luegArd. bui
snally thoroughly awakened infantry OF the
brigade 10 support, The enemy gave way 10 ut
ter confusion 10 BE- crushed ss IL were between
The upper and ne.her milestone, for the other
two divisions Of Ewers ~orps hsd been follow
ing fast upon the heels q the re,resting army
Now, on the final charge, such as the sever
i'y Of the Federal Gre there were hut sso men
out Of the complement Of tventy-fcur stle to
serve . gun-the one on the bridge had all OF
its complement Of men killed or wounded ex
cep' enc corporal William May) and private
william p. Comptoa) These two men hrrd
The last round at lbe discom6ted enemy. oi
course the ability Of this sreiion OF battery to
withstand for 30 iesg the assaults Of an infan-
try column WAS greatly owing 10 the fact th Il
the infantry bad 30 sriii,ery 10 hinder parsly q
the aim Of the Runuers, for. as has been sta ted
above, Milroy had abandoned every piece OF
artillery .nd every wagon attached 10 his army
IN order To make his escape good
AT The end Of the 6ghi it was found tia
every onicer and man, except tso, bad bee .
pu, Aors de combat in the brief space Of half an
hour or so. l don't remember either reading
or hearing Of such q complete ''cutslI. to- piece
OF battery or regiment, unless Il be of that
devoted Prussisu battery At the battle OF Ora
| velotie, where three iourihs of the eomplenen,
OF mea and officers were disabled before they
were relieved. But they accomplished The OBJ
jeet they were ordered TO do, and so did these
| Maryland artilerists At a far greater loss oi
brave men in proportion 10 the humber eng &
ed. During the last rounds cred (only t~o
men loading and firing the gunl Corporal May
was compelled 10 'serse the vent; that is to
place his thumb upon the tou, hole while The
| sponge staG was being Withdrawn from the
bore OF the piece, 10 put out lateht sparks
| with his bare thumb, because the maa whose
duty il was had been filIed and his lesrhe
thumb stall lost. As consequence. May {
| thumb at The end OF the 6gh, wa. found TO have
| been burned BY the heated metal Of The cannon
| to the hone
But the glory of The Msrylanders IS that after
the tight WAS over Gen. Ewell sent to get th-
vi every anu man OI Tie RdlISUt
section and incorporated their nauies in bis
official report of operations, as may be see n in
| the coming volume of The ''R, be iiion Record
at the War Department. Such a thing va:
never done in any other corps generals report
during the war. Perhaps the ctowning 9 lot y
OF all WAS when after The war, Gen. K. +. IL,
| visited Baltimore. and said TO n promins nj cit.
zen who had lost a son 10 the fight: "lou
ought not TO grieve tor your son. As far ms a
| high seued devotion to duty was concerned
| though The corps snail in number, the
heroic sell sacrifice of those brave men Was u
second Thernopy
| may say that during the fight Gen. &ilroy
with portion OF his force, m~de his way to
| the Potomac across the country, and that the
remainder were surrendered by his senior bri.
gsdier general. Perhaps the Mary landeis are
prouder of hrs episode in the history Of 'h-iI
troops than of all their o,h-r gallant achieve
ments during the civil war.
THos. J MURRAY.