USA > Maryland > The Maryland line in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865 > Part 1
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01083 8792
Pichard & Fleur5 May 19, 1905.
S
NDEN
ONS
.15:
ESTER CHARLES FEY
ALBERT JEAN ANE YATES JOH J LANGSDALY RBUCHANAN BW OWENS LIEU RA MEKIN
The Sun. Sept 26, 1896
Major W. W. Goldsborough. Major W. W. Goldsborough, who served gallaotly in the Confederate Army under Geo. James R. Herbert, is visiting Baltimore. He has been living in the State of Washing- ton. The Major is preparing a history of the Maryland Line in the Confederate Army, and the proceeds from Its enle will be given to the Confederate Home at Pikesville.
Jan The Maryland Line. //-10.00 "The Maryland Line In the Confederate Army." By W. W. Goldsborongh. Guggen- beimer, Well & Co., Baltimore.
This bandsome volume is published for the benefit of the Confederate Soldiers' Home at Pikesville. Thirty years ago Major W. W. Goldsborongh wrote a history of the Maryland Line which is incorporated In this publication. The Governors of the Maryland Line, bowerer, desired a fuller and more complete record of the heroic deeds of Maryland Confederates, and ac- cordingly had this admirable volume pre- pared. The chapter on the Second Mary- land Cavalry was contributed by Gen. Brad- ley T. Johnson and the chapter on the Third Maryland Artillery by Capt. W. L. Ritter. There are also chapters relating to the First and Second Maryland Infantry, First. Second and Fourth Maryland Artil lery. the First Maryland Cavalry and the Confederate Soldiers' Home. The new voi ume has 373 pages of reading matter, Is at tractively Illustrated, is printed in large, clear type and is handsomely bound. Au Interesting and valuable feature is a roster of the several commands composing th Maryland line.
This book. as is stated in the preface, does not pretend to be a war history. It t- simply a "round, unvarnished tale of a fev bundred heroes from a border State who stepped bravely to the front when thel rights of manhood, of freedom and of cit! zenship, under what should be one protero Ing flag, enfolding them all in its embrace were threatenedl. Their Identity was lost In the great gathering : 10 herald ever blew his trumpet in the market place or oo th" housetops and told the story of their deeds to an assembled people: their statues do not stand in any nntional Walhalla crowned with the laurel. They were born. they Uved. they died-that Is all. And so thi book seeks to rescue them from theoblivion Into whileb in coming years they might fall to tell of their self-sacrifice and heroism."
THE PARTING OF GENERALS LEE AND JACKSON AT CHANCELLORSVILLE, MAY 20, 1863
THE MARYLAND LINE
IN THE
CONFEDERATE ARMY.
1861-1865.
BY W. W. GOLDSBOROUGH.
PUBLISHED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MARYLAND LINE CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS' HOME, PIKESVILLE, MARYLAND, UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE ASSOCIA- TION OF THE MARYLAND LINE.
1900.
NOTE.
The article on the Second Maryland Cavalry is contributed by Gen. Bradley T. Johnson, and that on the Third Maryland Artillery by Capt. W. L. Ritter.
G
PRESS OF GUGGENHEIMER, WEIL & CO. BALTIMORE, MD.
1356434
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
INTRODUCTION,
1-5
FIRST MARYLAND INFANTRY,
9-81
SECOND MARYLAND INFANTRY,
85-159
COMPANY B, TWENTY-FIRST VIRGINIA INFANTRY, .
160-162
FIRST MARYLAND CAVALRY,
165-236
SECOND MARYLAND CAVALRY, 241-248
COMPANY K, FIRST VIRGINIA CAVALRY, 249-256
FIRST MARYLAND ARTILLERY, . 259-271
SECOND MARYLAND ARTILLERY, ( BALTIMORE LIGHT ) 275-295
THIRD MARYLAND ARTILLERY, .. 296-318
FOURTH MARYLAND ARTILLERY, ( CHESAPEAKE )
319-328
MARYLANDERS IN THE CONFEDERATE SERVICE, 329-333
CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS' HOME, 337-371
INTRODUCTION.
HIS is not a war history. It does not propose to take the reader to every well-fought field during a four-year's conflict, from Manassas to Appomattox and tell him how battles were lost and won. Of histories of that character we have had many. Some of them have been made into text-books and used in the public schools of the country, serving no purpose save that of filling the minds of the young with prejudices and distorted facts ; while others, written by the actors in the great events which they record, have their value alike to the North and the South, and will always be bright and luminous. Nor does this book aim to show the character of the events that led up to a great contest in which a peaceful people suddenly found themselves involved ; or to point out the vast social, political and constitutional changes brought about by the war - that is the task of the philosopher, the statesman, and the thinker.
This is a round, unvarnished tale of a few hundred heroes from a border State, who stepped bravely to the front when their rights of manhood, of freedom and of citizenship, under what should be one protecting flag, enfolding all in its embrace, were threatened. Their identity was lost in the great gathering ; no herald ever blew his trumpet in the market-place or on the housetops and told the story of their deeds to an assembled people, their statues do not stand in any national Walhalla, crowned with the laurel - they were born, they lived, they fought, they died - that was all. And so this book seeks to rescue them from the oblivion into which in coming years they might fall, to tell of their self- sacrifice and their heroism ; in short, to be a simple story of four years in the lives of true and brave-hearted men.
And yet, to make the story rounded and complete, and to give a reason for the position which they took and the sacrifices which they made, it is necessary to go back a little way and speak briefly of the causes which led up to the great struggle, and how, when the blast of war sounded in their ears, these men never hesitated, but stood on the side of justice and liberty.
On the 6th of November, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States, and it was felt that a great crisis had come at last, that slavery agitation had reached its climax, that the South, politically, was overwhelmed, and that it stood practically alone. And yet with all this, the people of the Cotton States were far from being agreed as to the wisdom and expediency of secession.
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and the ordinances of secession were not, as a general rule, submitted to the people for ratification.
In the Border Slave States there was also a marked difference of opinion and feeling on the question. As late as April 11, 1861, three resolutions which were presented in the Virginia Convention containing declarations in favor of the withdrawal of that State from the Union under certain conditions were rejected by decisive and significant majorities.
Prior to April 15, 1861, the people of Kentucky and Missouri were, if possible, more decided in their opposition to secession than were the people of Virginia, and in Maryland, before the date mentioned, practically the whole population was opposed to the action of the Cotton States, and desired a peaceful solution of the public difficulties, and the maintenance of the Union.
To carry out any plan of pacification, and to endeavor to adjust the practicai questions connected with the institution of slavery in its relations to the Federal Government, the Border Slave States were ready to give that Government their support, and from the election of Mr. Lincoln, the people of these States never ceased to urge upon the Federal authorities the policy of peace.
While affairs were in this critical state, there came the bombardment of Fort Sumter, and before the smoke had rolled away from Charleston harbor there came, on April 15, 1861, the proclamation of President Lincoln, declaring that the laws were being opposed, and that their execution was obstructed in the Cotton States, and calling forth the militia of the several States of the Union to the aggregate number of 75,000 men to cause the laws to be duly executed.
What was the effect of this proclamation upon the people of the Border States ? They had been offering their support to the Federal Government on all constitutional measures for the preservation of peace, and now they were com- manded to submit to the exercise, by the President of the United States, of powers unwarranted by the Constitution and the laws, and their resolution was quickly taken. Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia each passed an . ordinance of secession, and, although the free expression of change in the feeling of the people of Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland, which was very decided, was prevented by force, the action of the Federal Government was strongly resented.
The position of Maryland was a most critical one ; and while, after the President's proclamation, a large number of her people sympathized with the South, there was a feeling underneath that, on account of her geographical position, her fortunes were linked with those of the North. In the call of the President for troops, four Maryland regiments were included, and after that call a marked division manifested itself among the people of Baltimore. Business was almost suspended, a spirit of unrest and strife seemed to be in the air, and it was difficult for the police to preserve the peace.
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On the 18th of April notice was received from Harrisburg that two companies of United States artillery and four companies of militia would arrive in the city that afternoon. A large crowd assembled at the station, and followed the soldiers on their march through the streets to take the train for Washington, with abuse and threats. Outbreaks occurred in various parts of the city and a meeting was held, attended by men well known and respected in the community, at which strong ground was taken against the passage of any more troops through Baltimore, and armed resistance to it was threatened.
On the forenoon of the 19th of April the Sixth Massachusetts regiment arrived in Baltimore on its way to Washington. The cars were, according to daily custom, to be detached from the engine at the Philadelphia station and drawn by horses for the distance of a mile to the Washington station. Nine cars made the passage, although missiles were thrown and some of the windows were broken. But obstructions having been placed on the track, the other cars turned back, and four companies formed on the street, and began their march to the station. The crowd on the way was not large, and there was no concert in its action, but the attack on the troops was violent. Rioters rushed at the soldiers, and attempted to seize their muskets. Men fell dead or wounded on both sides. The police bravely protected the soldiers, and, although there was confusion when the station was reached, the soldiers were safely placed in the cars, the train moved out, and passed on to Washington.
After the news of the fight spread through the city, the excitement became more intense. The Governor of the State, the Mayor and prominent citizens were all agreed that if more troops should pass through the city there would be a bloody conflict ; and the Mayor sent a letter to Washington requesting that no more troops should be ordered by the Government to do so. Next morning, the 20th, the excitement and alarm had deepened. The City Council assembled and appropriated $500,000 to be used in putting the city in a complete state of defense against any danger that might arise, and the banks promptly advanced that sum.
Next came a letter from the President to the effect that troops would march around Baltimore, but not through it. Preparations for the defense of the city were nevertheless continued. Armed men marched through the streets, military companies moved about in every direction, and the various railroad bridges leading into the city were burned by order of the authorities. On the 21st it was rumored that 3,000 troops were near the city on their way from Pennsylvania, but they halted at Cockeysville, and were finally ordered to return to their own State. For days the city was in a feverish condition, but the authorities were determined to resist all open acts of hostility to the Federal Government, and they accomplished their purpose.
On April 22 Governor Hicks convened the General Assembly of the State
千
to met i Annapolis on the 26th and take measures to maintain peace and order witliin the limits of the State, but two days afterward, " on account of the extraor- dinary condition of affairs," he changed the place of meeting to Frederick. The men who composed the Assembly were men of great weight and force of character, and they maintained the constitutional rights of the State with much ability. They refused to negotiate a treaty of alliance, offensive and defensive, with Virginia. On the 27th of April the Senate, by a unanimous vote, issued an address to the people, declaring that it had no authority to take any action leading to secession, the House of Delegates following with a similar declaration. Then both House and Senate passed a series of resolutions protesting against the war as unjust and unconstitutional, and declaring that Maryland would take no part in its prosecution.
On the 5th of May General Benjamin F. Butler, with two regiments and a battery of artillery, took possession of the Relay House, some seven miles from Baltimore, and fortified his position. On the night of the 13th of May, and while a violent thunder-storm was raging, he entered Baltimore and took possession of Federal Hill, which overlooks the harbor and commands the city. He met with no opposition, and yet for this exploit he was made a Major-General, thus showing, as Shakespeare says, that " while some men are born great and some achieve greatness, others have greatness thrust upon them."
A memorable event next followed. The President had suspended the writ of habeas corpus without the sanction of an Act of Congress, and on May 25th Mr. John Merryman was arrested by General Keim, of Pennsylvania, and lodged in Fort McHenry. A petition was presented for the writ of habeas corpus to Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, of the Supreme Court of the United States, who at once issued the writ to General Cadwallader, then in command in Maryland, ordering him to produce the body of Mr. Merryman in Court on May 27. On that day an aid-de-camp appeared with a letter from the General, stating that Mr. Merryman had been arrested on charges of high treason, and that he had been authorized by the President of the United States in such cases to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. The Chief Justice ordered an attachment to issue against General Cadwal- lader for disobedience to the writ, returnable at noon of next day.
At that hour the case was called, and the Marshal stated that he had gone to Fort McHenry to serve the writ ; that he sent in his name at the outer gate ; that the messenger returned and said that there was no reply, and that, therefore, he could not serve the writ. The Chief Justice then said that he had the power to summon the posse comitatus to bring the defendant into Court, but that he (the Marshal) would in such an event be resisted in the discharge of his duty by a force much superior to his own. He would therefore not require him to perform that duty, although if the defendant were before him he would punish him by fine
5
and imprisonment, but would reduce to writing the reasons under which he had acted, and forward them, with the proceedings, to the President, so that the latter might discharge his constitutional duty to "take care that the laws are faithfully executed."
That opinion will always be remembered, and, in the words of the biographer of the Chief Justice, " will command the admiration and gratitude of every lover of constitutional liberty so long as our institutions shall endure." The action of that venerable man was as brave as was that of England's steel-gloved barons when they wrested Magna Charta from King John under the branching oaks of Runnymede.
There were still stirring events to follow in Maryland, but they do not directly belong to this history, and so the reader must now follow the fortunes of the Maryland Line.
MAJ. GEN'L ARNOLD ELZEY. FIRST COLONEL FIRST MARYLAND INFANTRY.
FIRST MARYLAND INFANTRY.
CHAPTER 1.
D URING all these days of dread, excitement and anxiety, men went about their daily occupations half-heartedly, and with their thoughts always bent on the possible disasters of the near future. The first act of a drama that had a continent for its stage had opened. The pageant of military array was unfolding itself all over the country ; "the trumpet to the cannon spoke, the cannon to the heavens, the heavens to earth," and while the hosts of the North were being marshaled, those of the South, too, were gathering, and her people were being roused to a sublime enthusiasm of self-devotion. Hundreds of young men, firm in a spirit of resistance to what they conceived to be the exercise of arbitrary power, and with an unconquerable faith in the future, left the State to cast in their fortunes with their brethren in the South. Every day it became more difficult and hazardous to pass through the cordon of troops that had been drawn around the City of Baltimore ; but this did not daunt them, and by the middle of May the greater part of those who were afterward to compose the First Maryland infantry and the other organizations early in the field, stood safely upon Virginia soil. During the ravages of the four years' struggle thousands of others also made their way through the Union lines, and either filled up the gaps which war had left in the ranks of the earlier organizations, or helped in the formation of other commands.
The late gallant old Confederate, General Isaac R. Trimble, for years before his death endeavored by every means possible to ascertain the number of Mary- landers in organized commands and those scattered throughout the various regi- ments in all the armies of the Confederacy. He even went so far as to employ a clerk to search the Confederate archives in the War and Navy Departments at Washington, and to his surprise he discovered that there were twenty-two thousand of them in the army, besides those in the Confederate navy.
At the time referred to (April 19,1861) there was only a comparatively small body of uniformed militia in Baltimore, but it was composed of excellent and soldierly material. The Maryland Guards and the Baltimore City Guards were the two largest organizations, and then came the Independent Grays and the Law Grays. From each of these bodies the First Maryland drew largely.
Three companies were formed in Richmond principally of this material - those of Captains J. Lyle Clark, F. R. Dorsey and William H. Murray. These companies were mustered into the service of the State of Virginia for one year, and subsequently transferred to the Confederate Government with the other
10
Virguer cuje Fik companies of Alarray and Dorsey became afterward a part The Post Marxbool, Jag Meet of CapLwy Clari was attached to the Twenty-first
Captain Clark has been igusthe Bhimed for not attaching his company to the First Mar Sal I was no iallt of Ins tor he had organized his company for
Seb Beneption exister in the War Department at Richmond relative to The Terre uf eilistigen of the Maryland companies. It was thought the IlAres I vry vompames were all enlisted for the " war," when, in fact, two of them were masline d only for twelve months. The erroneous impression also proxantal Hal Dor-y's and Murray's companies were war companies.
In the effort to organize the so-called war companies into one regiment Lapses and Murras were ordered to Winchester, and Clark was assigned to the TMwww-West Virginia Regiment. These errors caused Captain Clark, as well as the new of li- finne company, much regret, but nevertheless, although separated from Their flux -Marylanders, they proved themselves worthy of the name they bor de " Alar land Guards," on many a battle-field.
A few days prior to the formation of the companies in Richmond, Captain Padre T Johnson had marched his company from Frederick City to the Point In Regla This company had been organized on the 19th of April and joined the rollitos of Bitimore to prevent the passage of troops through the city.
The Mo first to be mustered into the service of the Confederate States at t1. Www.of Rocks, and consequently afterward became the senior company of che Uwe Sayignol. Company B. commanded by Captain C. C. Edelin, was also .0-1Pont 0 41 the Point of Rocks on the same day - May 21, 1862.
Feveral hundred other Marylanders had also assembled at Harper's Ferry, whid & That ples there were organized Companies C. Captain Frank S. Price ; Grayson 15 Captain James R. Herbert ; Company E, Captain Harry McCoy : Compon I Captam Of mas Holbrook : Company G, Captain Wilson C. \ Fol- ann Copas H. Captain Wellmore, when for good and sufficient groft Ccerole of companies were merged into others, and Captains Price, Willmere ved Ledning were relieved of their commands.
Torpones sort ierered into the service of the Confederate States In 11000000.000 Mondd Care. Deas, P. A . S., on May 22, 1862. at Harper's Ton fo cac pdfky a din Point of Rocks were ordered with them, and the before ce Mell memes pret ly colond T. J. Jackson under the command
To Tiert Barwione IT Seogart. of the Second United States Cavalry. northfilmed od H hatMan, who had relieved Colonel Jackson in ortodoxalar Ij000 10 100ml C'aptain Steuart to command the
11
As soon as Captain Steuart book charge he found that several companies were only skeletons, with no prospect of filling up to the legal complement, and by authority of General Johnston he consolidated the companies of Price and Holbrook, thus making six companies of the battalion, which thus consisted of : Company A, Captain Bradley T. Johnson ; Company B, Captain C. C. Edelin ; Company D. Captain James R. Herbert ; Company E, Captain Harry McCoy ; Company F, Captain Louis Smith ; Company G, Captain Wilson C. Nicholas. Three companies from Richmond were subsequently ordered to it, consisting of Company C, Captain E. R. Dorsey ; Company H, Captain William H. Murray ; Company I, Captain Michael Stone Robertson. And these nine companies constituted the First Maryland Regiment.
It was organized June 16. 1862, by commissioning Arnold Elzey, late Captain of Artillery, United States Army, as Colonel ; George H. Steuart, late Captain of Cavalry, United States Army, as Lieutenant-Colonel, and Bradley T. Johnson as Major.
After General Joseph E. Johnston had evacuated Harper's Ferry and fallen back to Winchester, that General learned that much property still remained at Harper's Ferry which had escaped the torch of Lieutenant Jones when he evacuated the place. Among this property were 17,000 gun stocks, which at that time were of inestimable value to the Confederate Government. Lieutenant- Colonel Steuart, with his Maryland command, was ordered by General Johnston to Harper's Ferry to complete the work of destruction that had been left undone by Lieutenant Jones, and remove the property above mentioned. How well and fully this duty had been performed is shown by the following official order of General Johnston :
HEADQUARTERS, WINCHESTER, June 22, 1861.
Special Order.
The commanding General thanks Lieutenant-Colonel Steuart and the Maryland regiment for the faithful and exact manner in which they carried out his orders on the 19th instant at Harper's Ferry. He is glad to learn that owing to their discipline no private property was injured and no unoffending citizen disturbed. The soldierly qualities of the Maryland regiment will not be forgotten in the day of action.
BY ORDER OF GENERAL JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON
W. II. WHITING. Inspector-General.
When the middle of May had passed, it was rumored in the camp of the companies in Richmond that the men from Maryland were to be organized and
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prend ambrathe command of Colonel F. J. Thomas, a former officer of the Waited States Army and a Marylander. The report proved to be correct, for, on May 17, le assumed command of the Maryland troops and issued the following hotification, which bore the indorsement of Colonel T. J. Jackson :
HEADQUARTERS MARYLAND VOLUNTEERS SERVING IN VIRGINIA, May 17, 1861.
Loloxel R. S. Garnett, Adjutant-General.
( olonel-Pursuant to instructions from Colonel Jackson, based upon a letter to me from Colonel French, aide-de-camp to His Excellency Governor Letcher, I have this day assumed sonumand of the Maryland volunteers in this State. Numbers of the men, and especially a large number of the most valuable of the officers, have gone to Richmond and other points m Virginia. As it is very desirable that all the Maryland men should be together, I respectfully request an order to be issued for them to report here, or at such other point as the General-in-Chief may designate. I can control about three thousand two hundred of active and generally well-drilled men from Baltimore and vicinity. Until better arms can be procured, I shall proceed to arm them with the flint-lock muskets issued to Mr. T. Par in Scott, of Baltimore, by Governor Letcher.
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