The National tribune., 1907-06-20
EVACUATION OF MARYLAND HIGHT'
1t Was n Piece of SPitcwork on '"e
of Col. Thomas Ii. Ford, Sd ohr"'

of Col. Thomas Ii. Ford, 3.d oh'"'
Beginning at where l rejoined my
battery which had been ordered 10
Virginia to garrison the deienses oi
Harper's Ferry and Maryland Hlshts III
Nav. 1862. let me say that, after re-
cruiting the battery to the fuii quo'a
of $50 men in July, l was commissioned
by Gov. E. d. Morgan a FIRST Lieu
tenant, Aug. /, 1862, and ordered u
ioin nv battery on Maryland lights
which / did as quickly as possible. Inc
naval battery was on d plateau rear 'he
top of the mountain, and in charge Vi
our men. On one side of the plateau
were two 10-inch Dahlgren guns anu
one 5O-pounder rife; on the other "eie
four 24-pounder brass guns ON car
riaees. both batteries fully equipped anu
ammunitioned. i was at once 2ppoih'"I
Ordnance officer. Quartermastet anu
Commissary, there being three otnsr
Lieutenants, Capt Eugene Mcnia.' M,
commanding We were well equipped,
the men thoroly disciplined, and all
were very hearty and healthy. EafiS
in September it began to look interest
ing for US in our mountain nome quite
above the clouds. On ihe Sd, Lee oe-
gan his famous movements into Mary
land. and on the 18th his army cEossed
The Potomac. SeveTilig our connexions
with Washington and the East, and
very soon we were foraglng for COM
m ssary supplies.
For more than a week before the
beginning of the siege OF Harper S
Ferry we did good work With our 50-
FOUNDER against the enemy'S signals IN
the mountains; and Walkers efforts to
l.; &c ola Lon IJOnn were
baffied until after we were ordered
down from Maryland Highs.
1t was on Sept that Col. Thomas
H. Ford was placed in command of
Maryland Hights. His command COM
prised the 32d Ohio (his own regiment),
battalion lst Nd: Potomac Home BIZ
gade, Maj. Corliss's battalion r. l.
Cavalry, detachment 1st Md. cav, and
our battery. He was afterwards rein
forced with Downey's Sd Md, and the
39th, l15th and 126th n. Y.
1t is to this particular point that l
wish to call your attention, as in my
opinion it ought to settle foreyer the
question of the responsibility for the
abandonment of Maryland HightS.
At O'Clock on the night of Sept. II,
in response to an order from Col. Ford
to Capt. McGrath, commanding the
naval battery, that he send his best Off
Ger ready mounted for special service,
In6 SOIeHth te1i 10 anu re-
ported TO the Colonel and received from
him an urgent written request upon
Col. Miles for a section of 30-Dounder
rife guns for the top of our mountain,
and was furnished with an escort of
80 men commanded by two Lieutenants.
With an oath Col. Ford cautioned me
not to return without the guns. Col.
MileS'S headquarters We're reached at
IL p. m. He was in bed, and wanted
to know who / was and what / wanted.
He rose and sat on the side of the bed,
and / held the lighted candle while he
read the document. After some con-
versation he returned the paper to me,
saying, Go back and tell Col. Ford
that do not see the feasibility of COM
plying with his request" l was al
most taken off my feet, but did not
change my position until asked why /
did not go. When / answered that Col.
Ford would not like it, he exclaimed:
You - young STRIPPING. get out"
/ could only urge a reply in writing,
goodnight.
Col. Ford's Threat.
] started at once, dismissed my es-
)ort at the foot of the mountain and
made quick time up the nights to Col.
Ford'S headquarters. 1t was about /
o'clock when / dismounted, and soon
found the Colonel smoking his pipe,
and seated in a camp chair outside his
tent Everything was quiet, and he was
taking things easy in the cool, clear
mountain air, dressed in a red flannel
shirt, black scarf, dark trousers, soft
black hat, with high boots and spurs,
and with cloak about his shoulders.
First, he vented several large oaths;
then i hastily told him the result of my
visit; then more oaths followed and he
hotly told me he did not believe / had
been H1rner'S Ferry II
nate for me that I had a written reply,
and / gave il TO him. He read il care
fully. then the air was blue with his
oaths as he repeatedly swore: Il will
put that blankety blank blank in a hole
Tomorrow
And this he did On the next day.
that is. on Saturday. Sept 10, Col. Ford
ordered the guns spiked and destroyed.
and the troops withdrawn from Mary
land Hights, the citadel of the post
Those guns asked of Col. Miles were
intended for Solomon's Gap, on top of
the mountain. Capt. McGrath testified
before the Commission that he wanted
battery there.
Saturday morning Ford's forces were
forced TO fail back. They were stam-
peded down the mountain and passed
through and around our battery to the
rear OF our guns and halted The
battery soon went into action. The
breastworks toward the west. The
three siege guns pointed southwark to-
ward Loudoun and Bolivar Hights
Scouts reported Confederates advanc-
Ing through the heavy timber
some of which had been cut three TO
five feet above the ground for several
hundred yards in front of the guns
pointing west, which were under nv
immediate command. AT a. m. the or
der 10 fre was given, at about 1000
yards, and with five-second fuse shells
This was continued for more than an
hour, but learning that the enemy was
closing in on the battery, we loaded
with grape and canister For nearly
four hours all four guns were working
along by numbers, excepting when wa
tering them. Several hundred rounds
Were fired, and more than four sets of
thumb stalls burned out. Most all this
time Capt. McGrath was using the siege
guns most effectually, firing over our
heads TO the west, they having been re-
Versed. These guns covered the whole
OF the mountain, both north and west
and during all this time cannonading
was heavy and rapid. The very air
around US shook as the sound waves
collided. The detonations were heard
In Washington, as is shown by the COL
umns of the Evening Star of that city,
and that Halleck heard them is shown
by the entry in Secretary Chase's diary
on Sept. 13. Halleck himself informed
the Secretary that Heavy firing had
been heard in the direction of Harper's
Ferry And at the very moment our
little army of four brigades Nas holding
back 26 brigades of Confe6srates, Gen
CullOm HeIIeck's Chief IF STAR ;p-