The National tribune., 1894-10-25
BUILT A FERRY.
How a Captains Plan Saved Two Organi
tiOns from Capture.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In Vol.
XII, Series /, Part 1, Records of the Re-
bellion," p. 287, l find that Maj.-Gen. Nc
Dowell telegraphed Gen. Banks June IA,
1862: "a ferry has been established over
the Shenandoah River, which was sufficient
TO bring to this side regiment of infantry
| (26th n. ", section OF artillery, and some
cavalry" also, a telegram from Gen. Nc
Dowell to the Secretary of War, June Is,
1890 p. M: There is a ferry at Front
Royal, Va, in which we have passed regi-
ment of infantry, a section of artillery, 60
baggage-wagons and a squadron of cavalry"
/ believe your paper, besides being the
means of benefiting thousands of our conf
rades, has done more to record a correct his
| tory of the war than any other publication.
| You get it from all sources. Now, in the
| incident / am about to relate, Gen Crawford
undertook to acquire the credit of building
q ferry and saving regiment, when 1t really
belonged to the 26lh n. Y, through one of
it's members and The Odd Me. The Lord
forbid that / should reflect upon so good an
officer, but history demands truth. From
my recollection of the army, there were
many things that Generals were brevetted
for that were accomplished by men III
subordinate position.
Gen. Jackson was eDcamped about SIX
miles from the east bank of the Shenan
doah River His pickets extended to within
a mile of the river. There was bridge
across the Shenandoah. When Gen. Nc
Dowell advanced Gen. Ricketts's Division
to the river the Goth n. Y. and I'd Me. bat
| terry were ordered to cross the bridge.
After crossing, the regiment detailed one
! company Davis's) to picket to the front,
towards Jackson's Division. The 26th was
camped upon the bank of the river.
The writer of this borrowed the Majors
horse Maj. jennings to 90 to Front Royal
The rain was coming down only as it could
in Virginia at that time. / rode to Front
Royal and purchased tobacco for myself and
Major and fastened to return.
When within about so feet of the bridge
crossing the Shenandoah the center arch
went out. 1t had raised many feet deep in
short time. l was cut off from the regi-
ment, so | rode as quickly as possible to Gen.
Rlcketts's Headquarters, found the General,
and told him of the trouble
Captain, this is bad. If the Confeder-
ates ascertain that the bridge is destroyed
your regiment and the battery are gone. 1t
does not seem possible to save them"
He turned to an Aid and said
Tell the Chief of Artillery to move
battery of the best guns to the bank of the
bank"
The river had risen about 20 feet. / said
TO the General:
am sorry to be cut off from the regi-
ment, and fear greatly for its safety if Gen.
Jackson finds out the situation. We hope
be will not. SO soon as the water subsidies
We viii repair the bridge. The water will
go down when the rain ceases"
l remembered when boy living at New
PHI iladelphia, o., there WAS rope ferry
across the Tuscarawas River. The current
ran the boat | said:
General, if it is possible to get a rope and
enough small cord for leader to pass the
river l will get a ferry across, providing l
can procure boat"
Captain, you give me hope"
The General sat down and wrote the fol-
lowing order:
HEADQUARTERS, SECOND DIVISION.
To the Commanding Officer of any regiment under
my command:
Shurly. Goth n. Y, may require to insure trans
portation across the river.
/ was alarmed for the safety of my reg-
ment, and allowed nothing to delay me. The
first regiment | visited with my order was
the I'd Me. / received 200 men from them
The Colonel Il forget his name) said: n
We will not only do our military dnty,rI
but will do anything possible to rescue
your regiment"
There was raging torrent. We marched
to the river. One-thrd of the bridge had
been washed away. Many of your readers
Will remember the Shenandoah. 1t was
wide river. The trouble was to get boat
While on our trip 10 the river We met
negro. l halted him and asked if he knew
of flatboat about there.
Before de Lord, do not, but suspects
the miller does"
Where is the millf" asked |.
We'll, Massa, If you turns to the left, and
close to the river you will find it,"
We proceeded on our march and arrived
at the mill. 1t was of the old-fashoned
Virginia style. entered the mill and found
tine miller aud his family. The darky had
also told me that two days before, when
JacksOn's forces had passed through, they
had taken the tiatboats up the RIVER that
the miller knew where they were
The miller denied all know ledge of any
f1atboats; said the two or three there had
been were destroyed.
Finding could get nothing out Of h IN,
i turned to the Lieutenant Of the Cd Me-
who was with me, and told him TO send in
a Sergeant and four men. The Sergeant put
the rope around the neck OF the miller and
we lifted the miller off his toes, he still pro-
testing he did not know. His wife was in
tears; l felt sorry Tor her, and compelled
her to leave the room. / believed what the
daTky said, and was sure that the miller
knew, so l ordered the Sergeant to string
him up again, but he still denied having
any knowledge of the boats.
After another two suspensions in midair
he took water. Said he: There are two
boats i'll the bushes about two miles up the
river"
We placed him between file of men, with
orders TO bayonet him if there was any
treachery. The rain was pouring in tor
rents. We proceeded about two miles up
river, and there hidden in the bushes was
two fatboats. We secured one and de-
scended the river until near the dam; pro-
cured rope, and by daylight had erected
rope ferry.
We ran it by the current, same as the one
used when boy on the Tuscarawas, and
passed over to the safe side the Goth regiment
and the battery.
On the second day Gen. Crawford, with
his staff and a cavalry escort (his brigade in
the distance), came to the ferry | had
charge Of it, and was ordered by Gen. Rick
etts to pass none except the troops of his
division-ihe Goth and battery
Gen. Crawford, before | had completed my
order, insisted on passing his cavalry and