Year: 1871

A few minutes later General J. Z. B
Stuart, advancing from Hagerstown, fel


Unexpectedly upon the rear Of theirTigh


wing, and m ten minutes they were II
rapid retreat by their left flank IN the
direction of Boonsborough. Night com
ing on enabled them to escape.


BY extraordinary good fortune we had
thus saved all of General Lees train


A bold charge at any time before sun


set would have broken our feeble lines,
and we should all have fallen aneasy. prey


TO the FederaIs. This came to be known
as 's tlie wagonersi fight an aour army,
from tllefact that 50 many of them were
/ armed and did such gallant service in


reDelling the attack made on our right
] by the dismoHnted regiments.


Our defeat that day would have been
4 an irreDslrabIe blow 70 General Lee, in
| the loss Of all his transportation. Every
man engaged knew this. and probably
I in no fight Of the war was there a more
( determined spirit shown than by this
handful of cooped-up troops. The next
day our army from Get1ysburg arrived.
and the country is familiar with the
manner in which it escaped across the
Potomac on the night of the 9th.


It may be interesting to repeat one or
two facts 10 show the peril in which we


were until the river could be bridged


About 4, 600 prisoners taken at Gettys-


burg were ferried across the river by the


morning Of the 9th, and I was ordered


TO guard them to Staunton. Before we


had proceeded two miles I received a


note from General Lee to report to him


IN person immediately. rode to the


river and was ferrieds lover, and galloped


out toward Hagerstewn. As proceeded


| became. satisfied that a serious demon


stFation was making along our front from


the heavy artillery fire extending for
General Lee riding to the front near


Hagerstown He Immediately reined


up, and remarked that he believed I was
familiar with all the fords of the Poto-
mac above Williamsport, and the roads
approaching them. replied that /
knew them perfectly. He then called
up some one of his staff to write down
my answers to his questions, and requi
red me to name all fords as high up as
Cumberland, and describe minutely
their character, and the roads and sur
rounding country on both sides of the
river. and directed me to send my broth
er, Colonel Imboden, to him to act as
guide with his regiment, if he should be
compelled to retreat higher up the river
to cross it. His situation was then
very precarious. When about parting
from him to recross the river and move
on with the prisoners, he told me they
would probably be rescued before I /
Winchester, my guard was so
small and he expected a force of cavalry |
would cross at Harper's Ferry to cut us
off and he C0uId mt snare IN me l0v /
additional troops, as he might be hard |
pressed before he got over the river, |
which was still very much swollen by 4
the rains. Referring to the high water, |
he laughingly inquired, Does it ever
quit raining about here? If so, should |
like to see clear day


These incidents go to show how near
Gettysburg came to ending the war IN /
1868. IF we had been successful in that |
battle, the probabilities are that Balti-
more and Washington would at once
have fallen into our hands; and at that
time there was SO large a - peace party
in the North, that the Federal Govern
ment would have found it difficult, if
not impossible, to carry on the war
General Lees opinion was that we lost
the battle because Pickett was not sup
ported, /" as he was to have been On
the other hand, if S5enerals Bqford and 4
KIlPatrTck had captured the ten thou
sand animals and asletire transportation
of Lees army at WiIiiamsport, it would /
have been an irreparable loss, and would
mond in the autumn of 1868. On such I
small. circumstances do the affairs of
nations sometimes turn.