The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-08-08

| incident of the war has never at
tracted the attention it deserved, be-
cause at that time more interest was
being taken in the operations around
Richmond and Petersburg, and yet at
/ that time Washington was in more
danger of capture than Richmond had
ever been. 1t was not the intention Of
the Confederate commander to at
tempt to capture Washington. but
only to threaten thai city, and that
was Gen. Lees main object in sending
Gen. Early with an army On that ex-
petition. It may be of interest to our
readers to learn something of that
memorable expedition.
Early in June, 1854. a large Federal
army under Hunter had advanced to-
ward Lynchburg and had nearly cap
tured that city before Gen. Lee could
hurry troops there for it's protection.
All Of Gen. Lees army had been con-
stantly engaged all the month of May
in beating back Grants army that was
trying to reach Richmond. Bloody
battles had been fought nearly every
day for a month, beginning at the
Wilderness and ending at Cold Har-
Dor on the 3rd of June, 1854, and
while Lees army was there fighting
against superior Grant sent
Hunter with an army to lay waste the
valley of Virginia. AS soon as Lee
heard Of Hunters movements he or
nv VI 0CA. 1NiAy dAAo no -
erly StoneWall Jackson's) to proceed
to Lynchburg, and they arrived there
just in time to save the city.
After Hunters army had been driven
back Lee ordered Early to invade
Maryland and threaten Washington.
AS stated by Gen. Lee in his official
report, 1T was believed that the val
ley could be effectually freed from the
presence Of the enemy, and it was
hoped that by threatening Washington
and Baltimore Gen. Grant would be
compelled either to weaken himself SO
much for their protection as to af-
ford us an opportunity to attack him,
or that he might be induced to at
tack u.s."
It is also believed hat another OBJ
ject. if not the main one, of the ex-
petition was to release the Confed-
crate prisoners at Point Lookout.
Some ground for this belief is the fact
that a large number Of wagons with
Early's army were loaded with rifles
and Muskets. Which it was thought
were intended for the prisoners when
released.
Early's army crossed the Potomac
on the 9Th of July, 1854, and occu-
pied the city Of Frederick. and on the
9th Of July defeated the Federal army
under Lew Wallace 1t Monocacy.
There was then no force in front Of
Early to prevent his capture of Wash
ington. Accordingly he made a hur-
ried march on the 10th OF July, his
troops marching thirty miles that hot
July day in clouds Of s~uffocating dust
and arrived In sight of Washington on
the 11th. The Confederates were ex-
hausted with so rapid and hot a march,
but they put on a bold front and their
skirmish line advanced within forty
rods Of Fort Stevens, on the Seventh
street road. Just then. however, heavy
49,
the Sixth and Nineteenth
and an assault IN the strOAg %forti1-
cations defended by greatly superior
numbers would have been folly. or
rather, a criminal sacrifice Of lives.
The object of the expedition. as stated
by Gen. Lee. that is. the withdrawal
Of a part Of Grant army from Vir-
ginia, having been accomplished. Early
l~eisurely retired to Virginia. r%ecross-I
ing the Potomac WithO out mOleStatIOn.
The approach Of Early's army into
Maryland had created CONSERVATION in
Baltimore and Washington, and most
exaggerated rumors spread as TO his
strength and movements. He reallyi
had only about 10, 900 men, but the
Federals thought that he had nearly
$4,000 and were alarmed accordingly. |
Before he reached the ne~ighborhood of
Washington all the government clerks
and employees were pressed into serv-I
ice and marched out to the entrench-
mentS. but Of course such green militia |,
would have been swept aside by Ear
ly's veterans If the Sixth and Nine
teenth army corps OF regulars had not
arrived in the nick of time. In the
skirmishing on the outskirts of Wash
ington many North Carolina soldiersl
were killed or wounded, and it is said
that the soldier killed nearest to the
Federal Notifications was of course al
North Carolinian, Melville Holmes. of
Granville county, who was a member
of Company G. Twenty-third North
Carolina regiment. We know that a.
soldier from this (Chatham) county
I. B. Tysor, now Of Randolph, lost his
arm in this skirmish.