Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-06-16
Recollections OF The Civil War.

Mr.. Editor Born in the village of Bar
nesville, Montgomery county, Md, in the
year 1910, living through an exciting
period of our countrys trials, my recollec-
tons, no doubt, will interest some of your
readers. as | know you have many like
myself. These recollectionS begin with the
John Brown raid into Harpers Ferry, his
capture by the United States Marines. I'M
der the command of Col. Robert f. Lee,
and his execution at Charestown, Va, by
the civil power of the State. and the with
drawal of the Southern States from the
Union on account of the unjust actions of
the North. have often thought if the old
vessel called the Mayflower had sunk with
all on board in mid-ocean how much better
1t would have been for our country. Any
way meddling in other peoples business is
just what makes bad history. Surely, the
Puritans were driven from their own coun-
try on this account.
Well, the war came on and many Yam
KEGS were encamped in and around Pooles-
vile, Md, who had suffered defeat at the
first battle of Bull Run. They seemed to
realize that all of our best citizens were
in full sympathy with the South; there
fore they showed their resentment by all
manner of illtreatment. But our rejoicing
soon came. When the valor of the South
erners overcame them at Balls Bluff. killing
their bravest man-Colonel Baker. After
this General Banks command passed
through our village and viewed them in
all their glory, wishing they would get
their just deserts for invading old Virginia.
His bodyguard was composed of about $50
men, arrayed in magnificent and most at
tractive uniforms of blue cap, light blue
jacket, with white trimmings, red breeches,
extremely full and fitting in white canvas
leggins, and tan shoes. How conspicuous
for the Southern marksman | thought,
and the next time saw them was when |
counted SO dead in row at the second
Manassas fight. The Twelfth Massachu-
sets, commanded by Col. Fletcher Webster,
and the Ninth New York were beautiful to
behold and looked grand in their State
uniforms, as they passed down our street.
This picture, as now write, is as fresh
today in my memory as it was forty odd
years ago,
was fiery as one could be and came
near losing my life by answering an insult
ing remark made by Yankee Maryland
cavalry soldier, who fired at me with his
revolver not more than two feet away,
WuiiC 4 was iCdHllib d6diiot tllC IdNlIB VI
my fathers store door. But il happened
that one of the Yank's men knocked the
pistol to one side as it went off.
Just about AZ years ago, on the 18th of
August, 1852, AS of us concluded to cast
our fortunes with the South. We were
mounted on horses and we met in the
afternoon near Poolesville, Md, and, cutting
the telegraph wires below the village, we
FASTENED to the river. We had to swim
the canal and had beautiful fording. Among
our band was the best our State could fur
nish in the cause of right and bravery. We
arrived about daylight in woods on the
farm of kindly Southern man by the
name of Mr.. Kephart, and, after drying
ourselves in the sun and partaking of a
sumptuous breakfast, we started under the
guidance of young Mr.. Kephart and reached
Hog Back Mountain that night. We were
in good spirits, as our aim was to help to
keep back the Yanks from robbing us OF
our property. While in the woods at Mr.
Kephart's one company of Yanks passed
in sight Of us and we felt our time had
come, but they did not discover us. On
the morning of the 18th Mr.. William Ball
came as our pilot. This was his ninth trip
with Marylanders into the Confederacy
and safely we were carried through, arriv-
ing Friday evening of the 18th in our lines
between Newton and Middletown, in the
Valley of Virginia. One of Ashby's COM
panies received us just as company OF
Yanks was about to gobble us up. think
Ashby was killed on the Sunday following
Some of our fellows joined other COM
maDds, but most of them remained, and we
soon received other accessiOns and became
Company b of the Thirty-fifth Virginia
Battalion of Cavalry, commanded by Maj
f. " White, afterward colonel. Our Off
GERS were Captain. George W. Chiswell
first lieutenant. Joshua Crown (who, by
the way, was not wOunded) second lieu.
tenant, f. j. Chiswell; second brevet lieu
tenant, Nicholas Dorsey. We numbered
about 100 in all. would love to have q
list of our command. | remembered the
names for long time and could call each
from memory, but they have escaped me
now.
II may be someone who sees this can
give the roster of Company b. and hope il
may bring out other incidents that would
be pleasant reading to the old rebel soldier
| enlisted years ago in my Master S
cause and cannot understand how any sol
der who fought and suffered for the prin-
ciples of right as we did can live away
from our God knowing that no power but
His alone could keep us from death if we
did our duty. There is no more interest
ing reading in your valuable paper for us
old soldiers of the Confederacy than these
memories Of that conflict, and we have al
ways known since then that your journa
has and is ever the champion of the right
in every cause of the people, for the people
and the masses. 1t may be that this com
munication will cause others to give us
some interesting incidents of that exciting
period and bring out the inside history Of
the fight upon that principle Of right which
the Southern soldier fought for.
DickersOn, Md. X. =. HAYS.