The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-02-23
STORY OF THE
OLD GUM TREE"
Along the Sharpsburg and BUonsbOrO
Turnpike
SOME UNWRITENs WAR HISTORY.
Reminder of Interesting Events OF
Years Ago From the Pen of Mr.. J.
A rliIIer, offKeedsviIIe, Who at
That Time Was 6 Years Old.


Turnpike, about two hundred yards
west of Antietam Creek, yet remains
monument OF a bit OF war history
that has never been written. and to a
few reminder of interesting events
long ago, by many forgotten.
1t was a hot summer day like when
Maud Muller "raked the meadows
sweet with hay" but the visions that
danced in Maud's tender and iuno-
cent mind had no place in the minds
of either young or old among the res
idents of this part of Washington
county on that memorable day in Au-
4. gust, 1864 when the CLEAN of the
| glistening bayonet and keen-edged sa-
Der flashed from hill top to mountain
'e. and the clatter of horses hoofs
resounded along the dusty highway
with here and there squads OF cavalry
dashing through clouds of dust, some
times through fields of tasseled corn,
pasture lands or ploughed fields, ever
keeping a watchful eye on the move
ments of the Johnnies whose superior
forces had again invaded My Mary
land on one of the raids so notable
that year for driving away our cattle
and taking all the horses they could
fluid.
The Confederate forces were var
! iOusly estimated at twelve Thousand
to fifteen thousand men, mostly in
fantry, and having charge OF a wag-
on train. "Our men" as the"Boys in
Blue" were Familiarity known and
named among Us, numbered four hun
/ dred or less and were portion Of
/ Colonel Coles cavalry, noted for their
courage and daring exploits in the
/ face of the enemy. Under the com
mand of Col. George W. T. Vernon
now q resident of BaltimoreL Il de-
/ tachment of cavalry crossed South
Mountain by the National Turnpike
and charged the Confederates who
were in the immediate vicinity of
/ Boonsboro, driving them toward the
/ Potomac river. 1t was the purpose
Of Colonel Cole to protect the citizens
aud property in Autietam Valley, and
if possible to capture a part of the
Confederate wagon train and take it
across South Mountain.
As the sun was fast approaching
the zenith of its glory that day, David
Kretzer, who enlisted March nth, 1864,
in Company H. P II. B. cavalry, left
his home in heedysvile, where he
spent a few hours with his family,
and cautiously, but hurridly, made
his way toward the little village of
/ POrterstOwn to join his comrades.
Finding them in the deep rayine be-
| tween Porterstown and Antietam
Creek, he assembled the hill to the
south on which was located a brick
house and large red barn, owned and
occupied by John Ecker. From this
! elevation he had full view of the
entire field of operations. He at once
fastened to join his company and
came to the turnpike about two hun
dred yards east of the bridge, where
a comrada was concentrating his mus
cular power on the trunk of a large
gum tree, endeavoring to chop it down
andthrow it across the road and check
the advance of the Confederate forces
/ The axe being very dull, slow prog
ress was made on the tough and wiry
| years and was now almost match for
! the sturdy and brave soldier, who
now and then heard the creeping
"whiz' 'of the MIME balls from a sharp
| shooter on the hill half mile west
ward. Comrade KretZcr took his turn
at trying to fell the old gum tree, but
the "whistling whiz' became much
more frequent, proving that the ad-
vance line of the enemy was getting
nearer The situation was becoming
critical and rather than take further
risks they decided to abandon any
| further attempt to get the tree across
the pike To this day the old tree
still holds it's place and the marks
made by the axe almost forty-one
years ago, although grown over by
| the gnarly gum, is plainly seen on
both sides of the trunk.
The Confederates kept on advanc-
| ing, at the same time throwing a de-
tachment across the creek at Burn
sides Bridge, made an attempt to
flank Colonel Vernon's men by reach
ing the road leading from Porterstown
across the mountain to Rohrersville,
at the same time the main column en-
gaging the attention of the Union
forces by desultorY firing from the
hill Just west of the bridge. This
movement was observed by Benjamin
F. Miller from'the upper story of the
Ecker farm house. He at once has
tened down a small ravine, unobserY-
ed by the Johnnies, to the turnpike,
and informed Colonel Vernon, who
doubted his statement, he being a
] - l. II