Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-09-12

formidable to General Johnston, who on
May "a took command of the Confeder-
ate force at Harper's Ferry, succeeding
Col Thoma ]. ('Stonewall') Jackson.
General Johnston was fully informed Of
the concentration at Chambersburg, and
one of his calvary captains had even
visited the camps there in heNguise of a
farmer He estimated the troops there
at 18,000 and believed that the odds
We're too great for him to contend against
successfully.
His own force was about 1000, of
which about half were virginia regi-
ments, men from the Shenandoah vail
ley and the mountains west of it. Gem
eral Jackson had given them good drill
ing, but they were poorly armed and
equipped and supplied with hardly am
munition enough for a single battle.
Nearly two-fifths of them, it was esti-
mated, were on the sick list
Harpers Ferry, moreover, General
Johnston contended, was not in fact the
strong position generally supposed. Oe-
cupation by an enemy of the heights
which rose on all sides of it would
render it untenable, and the rivers were
readily fordable in various places.
With view to guarding the valley
of the Virginia and preventing Generals
Patterson and Mcclellan from uniting
and crossing the mountains, its occu~
patton was Oh lltIe Ndiue, since a IOTCc
which crossed the Potomac at Williams
port could reach Martinsburg and Wsn-
chester without interference and have
Harpersg Ferry cut off,
When General Lee urged the impor-
lance Of retaining Harpers Ferry on
account, of the effect on Maryland, and
argued that it's abandonment would De
depressing to the Confederate cause.
General Johnston asked If it would not
be much more depressing to lose 5000
men.
Finally at sunrise on June IS came
word of federal force in Romney. 4s
miles west of Winchester This was
Colonel Wallace's raiding party, bur
General Johnston believed it the van
guard of McClellan's army, and that
same day began to fall back on Win
chester.
The, remaining machinery was taken
out of the arsenal and the departmental
stores and the soldiers baggage-for at
that time Virginia privates scorned hav-
ersacks and went to the front with
trunk or valise-were sent up the val
ley.
The bridges were then burned. The
public buildings destroyed and on June
Is the last of the troops left Harpers
Ferry by the railroad, taking all the
rolling stock with them and destroyins
the road as they went. Fifty years
ago today they were encamped at Bun
ker Hill, midway between Winchestei
and Marlinsburg.
| JOHNSTON AT HARPERS FERRY.
General Johnston's occupation of
Harpers Ferry, while not eventful, had
peen in no way idle.
tJackson's few weeks of command had
resulted in doing much for the troops
under him, but to these new regiments
z1I he,
best of them wanted much OF perfec-7
ton, particularly in the matter of
equipment.
Mounting additional cannon on the
heights above the town and sending
attachments of cavalry to maintain
constant watch over the Potomac shore
up and down the river, Gen. Johnston
devoted much of his energies to repair
ing these deficiencies.
He ordered the manufacture of car
fridge boxes and belts in the country
roundabout the town. He set his troops
to make the cartridges themselves of
powder furnished by the governor and
lead procured wherever it could be
found. lie had caps Struggled in from
Baltimore. He collected horses and
harnesses from the whole countryside.
And this was not altogether to the lik-
ing Of the native residents of the little
lOWn,. WHICH .DeIOIG the DCSA VI At(
war boosted population of some 5000.
"All the government property" the
| annals of the town record. was
seized. and many families who rented
| houses from the government were
obliged to vacate their homes. Guards
were posted along the streets at very
short intervals, and these, like all
young soldiers. were extra Jealous and
exacting.
Routine business was totally de-
stroyed but new branches of industry
sprang up, such as that of baking pies
for the soldiers, and whisky smuggling,
trades which commenced than and -four
ished all through the war. The latter
was exceedingly profitable, and was ems
braced by all who were willing to run
the risk
Those who were suspected of being In
sympathy with the Union cause had
hard time of it, and spying became a
very general vocation. When the Con-
federate troops finally retired they took
with them four residents to be jailed at
Winchester ION the charge of inveterate
unionism."
FIRST THREE-YEAR TROOPS
Fifty years ago today the LIST Massa-
chusetts regiment left Boston for Wash
ington. This was the first three-year
regiment, enlisted under the call of May
8. to leave for the war, and, as the 9Th
Massachusetts, had been the first armed
regiment to arrive at washington in APP
ril so this was to be the first of the
! three-year troops to reach the Potomac.
The regiment was composed of resi-
dents of Boston and surrounding towns.
The last of its companies had been mus
tered by May 27.
Copyright, 1911. by Associated Literary
Press.)