USA > Maryland > The Maryland line in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865 > Part 2
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Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
F. J. THOMAS, Colonel Commanding.
LINDORSEMENT.]
There are some of the Maryland volunteers who object to serving under Colonel TM 404. it order to secure their services, I would suggest that they be mustered into Hiv wenige of Hla Southern Confederacy, and that none except those who muster into the roce of Fire. be placed under the command of Colonel Thomas.
T. J. JACKSON, Cilonel L'irginia Volunteers, Commanding at Harper's Ferry.
Vuexl-\ Bfer he had assumed command, Colonel Thomas went to Som de Mithr ilme Companies of Captains Clark and Dorsey, that were then in Hi Wwwm& ant from Suffolk They marched to Chuckatuck, where they remained Hart ford he he ports of the hospitable people of that place. Their experience w Tonkobleall the mess delightful of any that a body of Maryland soldiers had Time- Th mir and the ceo flertions of it must still dwell in the hearts of the -men Hogy By ne gam on the way to Chuckatuck, but they had a little
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scare. The march was made by night, and some two or three of Colonel Thomas' volunteer aids were riding in advance. At one part of the road they imagined the fireflies in a distant field to be a company of the enemy firing at long range, and in their excitement they discharged their pistols. The troops were naturally thrown into confusion, so unexpected was the apparent collision. The command was halted and guns were loaded, but the cause of the alarm was soon discovered, and the march was resumed. After the return of the companies to Richmond the following modified official order was promulgated :
HEADQUARTERS VIRGINIA FORCES, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, May 27, 1861.
The volunteers from the State of Maryland accepted into the service of Virginia will assemble at Charlestown, Virginia, and be there organized into regiments by Colonel Francis J. Thomas and instructed in their duties. This command will be under the orders of the commanding officer at Harper's Ferry for service on that frontier.
BY ORDER OF MAJOR-GENERAL LEE.
R. S. GARNETT, Adjutant-General.
The opposition to Colonel Thomas - for reasons that are not apparent - of which Colonel Jackson spoke officially, soon became stronger and more marked ; and after the proclamation of Governor Letcher, on June 8, trans- ferring the land and naval forces of the State of Virginia to the Confederate Government, Colonel Thomas was relieved of his command, and Arnold Elzey was appointed in his stead. Colonel Thomas was soon afterward attached to the staff of General Joseph E. Johnston, and was killed at Manassas on July 21. In his official report of the battle General Johnston thus refers to a gallant soldier :
Many of the broken troops, fragments of companies and individual stragglers were re-formed and brought into action with the aid of my staff. . . The largest body of these, equal to about four companies, having no competent field officer, I placed under the command of one of my staff, Colonel F. J. Thomas, who fell while gallantly leading them against the enemy.
The objection to Colonel Thomas on the part of the Harper's Ferry companies was not personal, but because the officers there aspired to command themselves the companies they had raised and brought from Maryland. They sent an officer to Richmond with a petition to the President to appoint Captain Charles Sidney Winder Colonel, Bradley T. Johnson Lieutenant-Colonel, and E. R. Dorsey Major.
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O Mne consterml Jet by Ak authorities to organize the regiment as above ISTET Kannsind, officers and men, submitted with loyal gallantry and avec I mier Twar athibilly until they were promoted and the regiment came to Je Forumanded lo Lotopel Bradley T. Johnson.
Un Amie 25 me nonpanie- of Dorsey and Murray reached Winchester and unipod wil Drose urdo command of Lieutenant-Colonel Steuart, when the regiment war milly organized with the following field and company officers :
OFFICERS.
ARNOLD ELZEY.
GEORGE H. STEUART.
BRADLEY T. JOHNSON.
FRANK X. WARD.
COMPANY A.
CHARLES W. BLAIR, Second Lieutenant.
GEORGE M. E. SHEARER, Third Lieutenant.
COMPANY B.
JOSEPH GRIFFIN, Second Lieutenant. THOMAS COSTELLO, Third Lieutenant.
COMPANY C.
SEPTIMUS H. STEWART, Second Lieutenant. WILLIAM P. THOMAS, Third Lieutenant.
ODVEPANY D.
WILLIAM KEY HOWARD, Second Lieutenant. NICHOLAS SNOWDEN, Third Lieutenant.
COMPANY F
Jonx Turis, Second Lieutenant. JOUN CUSHING. JR., Third Lieutenant.
- oraalso) Csogano C Byom | [ 3 ] @ aptain B. T. Johnson to the rank of Major.
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COMPANY F
J. LOUIS SMITH, Captain. WILLIAM D. HOUGH, First Lieutenant.
WILLIAM J. BROADFOOT, Second Lieutenant, JOSEPH H. STEWART, Third Lieutenant.
COMPANY G.
WILSON C. NICHOLAS, Captain. EDWARD DEPPISH, Second Lieutenant.
ALEXANDER CROSS, First Lieutenant.
COMPANY H.
WILLIAM H. MURRAY, Captain. GEORGE THOMAS, First Lieutenant.
FRANK X. WARD, Second Licutenant. RICHARD T. GILMOR, Third Lieutenant.
BRIG. GEN'L GEORGE H. STEUART, LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND COLONEL FIRST MARYLAND INFANTRY.
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CHAPTER II.
These companies constituted the regiment that was to cover itself with so much glory on that hot and fateful July afternoon at Manassas, but it was subse- quently increased by two other companies, I and C (Second), of which mention will be made hereafter.
The regiment numbered some seven hundred men, but only two of the companies were uniformed - those of Murray and Dorsey, from Richmond. The rest were clad in the garb in which they had left home, but it was sadly changed. Sleeping out in the mud and rain had despoiled the citizens' dress, and worn it threadbare, and in many cases it was in tatters. Looking at these men, Sir John Falstaff might have said : "I'll not march through with them, that's flat," but there all resemblance ends between them and the fat knight's motley company. They were yeomen's sons, brave and warm-hearted ; many of them were men of education and refinement ; they never murmured or complained, and they cheer- fully responded to the call to their various camp duties.
Lieutenant-Colonel George H. Steuart took virtual command of the camp, and through his unceasing and tireless energy they soon became proficient in company movements.
But at this time a good angel appeared in the camp in the person of a woman - Mrs. Bradley T. Johnson.
Seeing the condition of affairs, this noble and unselfish woman set out for North Carolina, her native State, escorted by Captain Nicholas and Lieutenant George M. E. Shearer, and reached Raleigh in safety after overcoming many difficulties. The morning after her arrival she made her appearance before Governor Ellis and the Council of State, stated the necessities of the Maryland troops, and in a feeling manner appealed to them for assistance. The Governor and Council immediately presented her with five hundred Mississippi rifles and ten thousand rounds of cartridges.
Before Mrs. Johnson left Raleigh a public meeting was called under the auspices of the Honorable W. E. Edwards, Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin, and other distinguished men. In addressing the meeting the Honorable Kennith Raynor said :
" If great events produce great men, so, in the scene before us, we have proof that great events produce great women. It was one that partook more of the romance than of the realities of life. One of our own daughters, raised in the lap of luxury, blessed with the enjoyment of all the elements of elegance and ease, had quit her peaceful home, followed her husband to the camp, and, leaving him
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trol din Jaa senseTo the home of her -fullmod to seek aid for him and his vomir abc gros Tis ahay le is ber lassband. but because he is fighting the battles
von May Jy Mrs. Celuison took her departure from Raleigh with her prize, wygod Rolonond for a day, and procured from Governor Letcher a number afuente bombers and camp equipage, all of which she delivered to her husband, Alle au slesand of www.days from camp.
ITw Tokning interesting paper, still in the possession of Mrs. Johnson, is perhaps wallet a parallel :
hedge&, Piedsane Department, Harper's Ferry, June 3. 1861, of Mrs. B. T. Johnson, eve rooney Assago por - tealibre 54), ten thousand cartridges, and thirty-five hundred
G. M. COCHIRAN, Master of Ordnance.
Then the question arose as to how to secure uniforms and necessary clothing for the niente Once more this noble woman was equal to the emergency, and very soon, and that entirely through her own exertions, the men were clad in neatly fittlig gray uniforms. And what a change was there ! The boys no longer blusied through the bronze on their checks if any of the fair ladies of Winchester chanced to be in camp, and behind them when the commanders of companies gave the order, " Parade rest !" they stood erect, a cubit was added to their stature, and they looked boldly into dark and soft eyes that beamed on boys in gray. Verily, Carlyle is right ; there is a philosophy in clothes.
All the officers worked faithfully to bring the command up to a state of proficiency, and they were aided and encouraged by the men themselves, who notered upon their hard and, to nearly all of them, unaccustomed duties with the greatest alacrity. The result was that the regiment soon became the pride of General Johnston's army, and was regarded with marked favor by the com- wowweling General himself.
It was on July i that orders were received to cook two days' rations and prypare to move. The cause for this unexpected order was at first mere un cture, but it soon became known that the Federal General Patterson had uncrossed the Potomac with an overwhelming force, and was driving Jackson To fors him auf Falling Waters.
At po'lok on the afternoon of that same day General Johnston's little irm of twothousand men marched out of Winchester toward Martinsburg. The we here in good spirits and cager for an opportunity to try conclusions rob live Pfand despite The fact that they were but poorly armed, and that many & Themild two has Half of a dozen cartridges in their pockets, for cartridge
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boxes were at that time a scarce article in the equipment of a Confederate. That night the army went into bivouac at Bunker Hill. At early morning of the 2nd the march was resumed, and at noon of the same day the Confederate line of battle was formed at the village of Darksville, six miles from Martinsburg, which place Patterson had reached. As an evidence of the confidence which General Johnston had in the First Maryland, it was thrown on the extreme right of the line of battle, and had it been called upon, it would, doubtless, have shown itself worthy of the trust that he reposed in it.
For four days the troops lay upon their arms hourly expecting an attack, and several times being called into readiness through what in each instance proved to be a false report of the enemy's advance. But Patterson did not advance, and the brave men were spared the humiliation of possible defeat ; for how could a command of poorly equipped men hope to combat successfully a force more than twice their number and clothed in all the panoply of war ? Probably of all in that little army the most relieved man was Johnston himself, when, at the end of four days of weary and anxious waiting, he found that the enemy would not take up the gage of battle that had been so defiantly thrown down to him.
Still it was necessary to keep Patterson away from McDowell, and from the battle that was believed to be imminent at Manassas ; and so, although General Johnston fell back to Winchester on the 8th of July, the cavalry, under Colonel J. E. B. Stuart, was left in Patterson's front.
Once more the First Maryland occupied its old quarters near hospitable Winchester, and the dull routine of camp lite was kept up until July 18. At early morning of that day a telegram came to General Johnston from Richmond informing him that McDowell was advancing upon Manassas, then held by General Beauregard, and directing him, if practicable, to go to that commander's assistance. In the exercise of the discretion, thus given to him, by the terms of the order, General Johnston quickly decided to move to the support of General Beauregard. In order to accomplish this he must either meet and defeat Patterson, who was then in camp at Bunker Hill, or elude him. He chose the latter course. "Ah ! then and there was hurrying to and fro." Camp was soon broken, the troops were eager for the advance, the march began, and while the western sky was aflame with glory, the last of the command filed steadily through the streets of old Winchester town, the people sorrowing over their departure, and feeling that now there would be no protection against the dreaded invaders who were then but a few miles distant, while here and there a gray- coated soldier boy, as he marched along the dusty road, thought with a sigh of the maiden he had left behind him.
All through the long night the steady march was kept up, and at early dawn
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the kaf of nie wsluni had reached the banks of the Shenandoah, where a halt was mache to enable the wearied men to refresh themselves with breakfast. Ford- ing the river at Berry's Ferry, the march was resumed at 8 o'clock, and all through that hot midsummer day the troops pressed eagerly forward. The sun .
beat down pitilessly, the crickets chirped in the grass, the katydid made her monotonous confession, birds sang in the trees, cattle were lowing in the fields, from the doors of cabins wondering children looked out on the long line of gray and butternut that seemed to dwindle to a thread in the distance ; hills were climbed, song and jest were passed around, and still the steady rhythm of tramping thousands beat the air. On and on they marched, through Ashby's Gap, through Upperville, the shadows lengthening and evening spreading her mantle on the mountains, until long after dark, and pelted by a pouring rain, footsore and weary they came to Piedmont, on the Manassas Gap Railroad, where they looked for transportation to the scene of conflict.
Previous to the departure of the army from Winchester the different regi- ments had been formed into brigades, although brigadier-generals had not been assigned to all of them. The First Maryland, Thirteenth Virginia, Tenth Virginia and Third Tennessee were formed into a brigade, known as the Fourth, to be attached to another brigade to form a division, and to be commanded by General E. Kirby Smith. In the absence of a brigadier-general, Colonel Arnold Elzey, of the First Maryland, and the senior Colonel, assumed command, and it was known as Elzey's Brigade.
The sun rose brightly on the morning of the 20th, and soon everything was bustle and confusion. Cars were filled with troops as rapidly as possible, and by noon General Johnston, with Jackson's Brigade (afterward the immortal " Stone- wall " ) and some Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama troops had reached Manassas. General Johnston had felt certain that he would have his whole command at Manassas by nightfall of that day, but the means of trans- portation was inadequate, and this condition of things was made worse by a collision between two trains, in which, although no person was hurt, an engine and several cars were wrecked.
All day long and during the night following, the troops that had been left behind at Piedmont chafed and fretted under the delay, but it was not until the morning of the 21st that Elzey's Brigade, one of the very last to leave, boarded the train for Manassas. Their progress was slow, and still further delay was occasioned by the breaking down of an engine, and it seemed almost an age before they reached Manassas. The battle had then been raging for hours, and the rapid discharge of artillery could be distinctly heard five or six miles away.
General F. Kirby Smith was awaiting the arrival of Elzey's Brigade, which he was entitled to command. Knapsacks were quickly thrown aside, and, under
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the broiling sun, the troops eagerly started at a double-quick in the direction of the sound of battle. They were almost hidden in a cloud of dust, and the heat grew more intense. Now they would slacken their swift pace to a walk, and again halt for a moment to cool their parched tongues and throats at a mud puddle ; and all the time, while the sky was blue, the far-off roll of thunder seemed to be in the air. But it was the boom of cannon answering cannon ; their defiant tones sounded more deeply at every step, and soon the rattle of musketry made a sharp staccato to the diapason from brazen throats. Then came the sight of wounded men moving slowly and painfully to the rear, first by twos and then in larger numbers, while the hurried and fragmentary story that they tried to tell as the troops passed on was not always one to brighten the eye or cause the pulse to beat proudly and joyfully.
From high overhead of the command there came a screaming sound. None of the troops had ever before heard such a strange sound, but, as if by intuition, all knew that it was a shell, and for the first time felt what was really meant. " Bang !" "Bang !" went two more, and then they came literally in showers. It seemed as if that little brigade was the target for all the artillery of the Union Army. Then it began to dawn upon the wondering men that the clouds of dust which they were raising on their march had told the Federals that Confederate reinforcements were moving to the front. And still General Smith rode grimly and sternly forward.
Now rifle balls begin to " zip " on every hand, and many a man who had sworn never to bow his head at the sound of a bullet found himself doing so involuntarily ; and there were some who, when they raised their faces in shame, expecting to meet the jibes and laughter of their comrades, found them all making a like obeisance.
And now came a critical moment. The First Maryland was on the right of the advancing column, with General Smith riding silently at its head, when suddenly, as it entered a strip of wood, a fierce volley of musketry was poured into it at short range. General Smith fell from his horse desperately wounded, and several of the men in the First Maryland were also injured. Sergeant John B. Berryman, of Company C, being shot in the groin and rendered a cripple for life.
This was the First Maryland's baptism of fire, but it never faltered. Instinctively, and as it seemed without an order, with steady precision, it calmly swung into line. At once Colonel Elzey assumed command, and quickly placed in position Colonel Gibbon's Tenth Virginia and Colonel Vaughn's Third Tennessee, A. P. Hill's Thirteenth Virginia, having been detached to Black- burn's Ford.
And now there happened something that helped to turn the tide of battle.
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With the quick and keen instinct of a soldier, Elzey, finding himself too far to the right, moved obliquely to the left through the strip of woods until he approached its edge. Then a strange sight greeted the eyes of his men. On a ridge across the wheat field in their front, and as far down to their right as the eye could reach, was an unbroken line of blue, from which came volumes of smoke, except in the brigade's immediate front. Colonel Elzey had reached a position by which he had outflanked the enemy and made its standpoint unten- able, unless it could prolong its line. All this General Elzey saw at a glance, and felt, too, that not a moment must be lost. He knew that his presence had not yet been discovered, but he determined to make it known. Swiftly moving his column forward to the very edge of the woods, he opened fire. That long, sinuous line of blue showed its surprise, but it quickly returned the fire, and from the woods and the ridge the bullets flew thick and fast. The fire from the Confederate side was effective, and here and there breaks could be seen in the blue line, but as Elzey's column had the advantage of the position in the woods, the casualties on its side were comparatively few, the only man killed in the First Maryland being Private John Swisher, of Company A, who was shot in the head, and died instantly.
For some time the fierce duel continued, but with no evidence of weakness on either side. Then Elzey determined to make the attack. Riding along the line he stirred the hearts of his men by words of praise and encouragement, and then, when every man was quivering and throbbing under the tension to which he had been subjected, and felt like a swift horse under the bridle, or a fleet greyhound held back by the leash, the command "Forward !" came from the gallant soldier's lips like a clarion blast. The men answered with a will. Leaping over the fence that separated the woods from the wheat field, they dashed forward with a yell. The fate of the Confederate Army was in their hands that day, for all along the line the gallant boys in gray had been driven back or mowed down. Would the charge succeed ? There was no hope that it would, for the enemy held a strong position and Elzey's men had three hundred yards to cross over an open field. But the gray line swept on. One hundred yards were passed, and still their ringing cheers were heard, while the echoes floated back and died away in the sombre woods. Two hundred yards, and the pace began to tell. Would they ever reach the goal ? The fire of the enemy grew fiercer ; that blue line with the baleful and vengeful light that flashed from its steady front seemed to mock the peaceful cerulean of the summer sky. Three hundred yards, and the ridge was reached. Panting and gasping, they pull themselves upward ; their vision expanded. That blue line was made up of men, stern and fierce men, each with a gun in his hands. They could tell the color of his eyes ; they could count the buttons on his coat. Was this what they had seen from the woods ?
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Was this what they had crossed the wheat field to meet ? It was man to man now, it was strength against strength. And lo ! as they gasped and wondered, that long blue line grew dim. Were their eyes failing them ; was the angel of death smiling on them ? Fainter grew the blue ; it seemed to dissolve ; it melted away like the baseless fabric of a vision ; it blended with the blue sky ; it disappeared in the woods behind the hill.
Halting the column upon the position just held by the now vanished enemy, Elzey re-formed his troops, and then pressed forward in pursuit. Through the thick pines he went, until he reached the open country. What a sight met the gaze of his victorious command ! Thousands of men struggling frantically with each other in their wild flight to reach the rear, and others less fortunate surren- dering themselves prisoners at every step. The victors were exhausted, and their commander had to halt them for a rest.
It was during this pursuit that President Davis and Generals Johnston and Beauregard rode up to Colonel Elzey, the former with much emotion, and with extended hand exclaiming : "General Elzey, you are the Blucher of the day !"
General Joseph E. Johnston, in his official report of the battle of Manassas, says :
" About 3 o'clock, while the enemy seemed to be striving to outflank and drive back our left, and thus separate us from Manassas, General E. K. Smith arrived with three regiments of Elzey's Brigade. He was instructed to attack the right flank of the enemy now exposed to us. Before the movement was completed he fell, severely wounded. Colonel Elzey, at once taking command, executed it with great promptitude and vigor. General Beauregard rapidly seized the opportunity thus afforded him and threw forward his whole line. The enemy was driven back from the long-contested hill, and victory was no longer doubtful."
General Irvin McDowell, in his official report of this battle, says :
" It was at this time that the enemy's reinforcements came to his aid from the railroad trains (understood to have just arrived from the valley with the residue of Johnston's army). They threw themselves in the woods on our right, and opened a fire of musketry on our men, which caused them to break and retire down the hillside. This soon degenerated into disorder, for which there was no remedy. Every effort was made to rally them, even beyond the reach of the enemy's fire, but in vain. The plain was covered with retreating groups, and they seemed to infect those with whom they came in contact. The retreat soon became a rout, and this soon degenerated still further into a panic. In the panic the horses hattling the caisons and ammunition were cut from their places by persons to escape with, and in this way much confusion was caused, the panic aggravated, and the road encumbered. Not only were pieces of artillery lost, but also many of the ambulances carrying the wounded."
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Inclining to the right, Colonel Elzey halted his command near the Henry house. The ground around there was thickly strewn with dead and wounded inen of both armies. Conspicuous amongst them were those of the Sixty-ninth (Irish) and Seventy-ninth (Scotch) New York' Regiments. At that point the struggle had been a terrible one, and the loss of life very great.
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