USA > Maryland > The Maryland line in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865 > Part 3
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The wounded who were lying around uncared for were pleading piteously for water, and the soldiers of the First Maryland were soon tenderly caring for them. A Union officer, who wore the uniform of the Seventy-ninth New York, lay dying on the field, having been shot through the head. Captain James R. Herbert, of the First Maryland, raised the unconscious man's head, poured some water into his mouth, and unloosened his coat and waistcoat. As he did so a large pocketbook dropped to the ground, which the Captain opened, finding in it a package of letters from the dying man's wife. with the name of Brown on the envelopes. There were also seventy dollars in gold. Captain Herbert took possession of the letters and the money. Two years later, and when he was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second Maryland Infantry, he was desperately wounded at Gettysburg and made prisoner. During those two years and through all the changes and hardships of war he had kept both letters and gold as a sacred trust, and he now caused a personal to be inserted in the New York Herald asking for information as to the widow of the dead officer. In a short time the lady arrived at Gettysburg, saw Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert, and heard from his lips the story of the last moments of her husband. It renewed her grief, and yet it consoled her, and she left happy in the possession of the letters. The gold she took with reluctance.
The men rested for some time at the Henry House, and soon felt refreshed. All of them had food, too, although it came from the haversacks of Union enemies now lying stiff and cold in death. They felt confident that a march was now to be made upon Washington, and the thought of entering the Capital as conquerors reconciled them to discomfort and privation. They were, therefore, bright and cheerful when Colonel Elzey moved his brigade over the Stone Bridge in the direction of Centreville. After marching some three miles along the turnpike, the troops were moved to the right into a large field and ordered to rest.
Hour after hour passed away, and still no order came to move, and when near nightfall the troops retraced their steps and took the road to Manassas murmurs of dissatisfaction were heard on every hand. Soldiers are sometimes grumblers when not allowed to have their own way ; every officer and man occasionally considers himself a general, and no doubt there are times in which the advice of the rank and file would bring victory, but that this was one of them seems ridiculous. At least General Joseph E. Johnston did not think the time
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had arrived to make a successful advance in the direction of Washington, and his opinion in the matter should be paramount to any other. Upon this subject General Beauregard says in his official report :
" An army which had fought as ours did on that day, against uncommon odds, under a July sun, most of the time without water and without food except a hastily snatched, scanty meal at dawn, was not in condition for an eager, effective pursuit of an enemy immediately after the battle."
President Davis said :
" It could not be expected that any success obtainable on the battle-field would enable our forces to carry the fortifications on the Potomac, garrisoned and within supporting distance of fresh troops ; nor after the actual battle and victory did the Generals on the field propose an advance on the Capital, nor does it appear that they have since believed themselves in a condition to attempt such a movement."
All of this has been particularly dwelt upon here for the reason that the idea has always prevailed in the South that there was a diversity of opinion between President Davis and Generals Johnston and Beauregard as to the propriety of advancing upon Washington after the battle of Manassas. There was no such diversity. The impossibility of a successful advance upon the Capital was apparent, and the idea was never entertained for a moment.
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CHAPTER III.
The brigade of General Elzey (for his promotion dates from July 21, 1861) reached the neighborhood of Manassas in the early part of the night and in the midst of a heavy rain, which dampened the spirits of the men and heightened the disappointment felt by them. A great battle had been won - of that there was no doubt - but, like little Peterkin in the ballad, they were wondering what good had come of it, when they were not to be permitted to see the dome of the Northern Capitol.
The men, however, were wet and weary, and while the rain fell they wrapped themselves in their blankets and slept soundly, until aroused by the reveille at early dawn. All that day the rain fell, everything was dull and dreary, and the men fretted and fumed under their inactivity and the depressing surroundings. And when darkness fell upon them, when they lay down shivering and weary, and no orders had been given them to move, those of the First Maryland gave vent to their disappointment in low-spoken but unmistakable language.
But at midnight the long roll sounded through the camp, and at once every man was on his feet. What could this mean ? Was the enemy advancing, or was this the signal for their own forward movement ? The explanation soon came. Colonel J. E. B. Stuart had been ordered to advance to Fairfax Court House, and the First Maryland and the Third Tennessee were to report to him.
The movement was soon begun, and all through the long night the troops marched slowly, wading through mud, pelted by the pitiless storm of rain, and stumbling in the darkness, until daylight came, and the turnpike leading to Alexandria was reached. The rain had ceased, the clouds took on a brighter hue, and rolled away in light and fleecy folds. Then a light breeze sprung up and they were driven faster across the sky, melting away in the distant blue. No shipwrecked mariner in mid-ocean, tossing on a frail raft, ever welcomed the sight of a sail more gladly than did these worn and haggard men the rising sun. It seemed to smile on them, it warmed and gladdened them ; they forgot all the suffering of the past thirty-six hours ; they were themselves again.
As they marched along the road evidences of the wild flight of two days before were to be seen on every hand. It was a sight that baffled description. Artillery was there just in the position in which it had been when the horses were cut loose, and joined in the mad stampede. There were ordnance wagons, their lumbering wheels wedged in deep ruts ; there commissary and quartermasters' wagons, their varied contents jumbled in a general wreck ; and again carriages which had been abandoned by those invincible sons of Mars - Northern
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members of Congress who had started with the army to go on to Richmond. And there, too, strewing the road for miles were muskets, cartridge boxes, belts, swords, pistols and camp utensils, flung away in mad fear, and to aid the flight of an army, while the fields on either side were filled with abandoned camps and their immense quantities of stores. It was a picture of rout and confusion worthy the brush of a painter of battles.
Fairfax Court House was reached at noon, amid the glad welcomes of its people, and passing proudly through the village, the First Maryland went into camp in a strip of woods half a mile away.
The original organization of this command had been somewhat altered by the promotion of Colonel Elzey to the rank of Brigadier-General. By his promotion Lieutenant-Colonel George H. Steuart became Colonel, Major Bradley T. Johnson Lieutenant-Colonel, and Captain E. R. Dorsey, of Company C, Major. By the promotion of Captain Dorsey, Robert C. Smith, of Company C, became Captain ; Septimus H. Stewart, First Lieutenant ; William P. Thomas, Second Lieutenant, and William Smythe, Orderly Sergeant, was made Third Lieutenant.
As day after day passed by in camp and there was nothing to indicate a forward movement, Colonel Steuart determined to take advantage of the inaction and instruct the officers and men in company and battalion drill, so long neglected and so much needed. He was a capable instructor, and the men were willing to learn of him.
There was nothing else to vary the monotony of camp life, save the picket duty performed by the First Maryland at Padgett's Tavern, and then at Mason's Hill, from which latter point the streets of Alexandria and the Capitol at Washington could be plainly seen.
One morning, whilst picketing at Padgett's Tavern, Companies A and H, under command of Captain W. W. Goldsborough, were sent forward to feel the enemy in front. At Demming's Crossroads the Federals were discovered in considerable force, and a sharp exchange of musket shots followed. The two companies had performed their task, and they were withdrawn, the only " cas- ualty " being the piercing of Private Frank Markoe's cap by a bullet.
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CHAPTER IV.
After a stay of several weeks at Fairfax Court House, the First Maryland and the Third Tennessee were ordered to rejoin the other two regiments of Elzey's Brigade, then at Fairfax Station, some three miles distant. The change was gladly welcomed for several reasons, the principal one being the knowledge that the grounds were larger, and, therefore, better adapted not only for camp purposes, but for company and regimental drill. The First Maryland was encamped for many weeks at Fairfax Station, and it was there, above all other places that it was brought to the state of efficiency, both in drill and discipline, that caused it to be envied by every other regiment in the brigade.
Colonel Steuart's rigid system of discipline quietly and quickly conduced to the health and morale of this splendid command. His officers had to report to him daily to be examined in their various duties, and there were soon but few of them who could not have commanded the regiment had occasion required it. He was exacting with them, although just and impartial, and so he was with his men. It was only natural that such strict discipline should at first have been distasteful to all, but when they began to see its fruits they heartily seconded him in his efforts to make the First Maryland the peer of any regiment in the Confed- erate service. Strict and faithfully carried out sanitary regulations helped to make the health of the men almost perfect, and when either the companies or the regiment were out on drill the men from other commands surrounded them and witnessed their evolutions with great interest.
Colonel Steuart possessed an admirable quality, and one that is seldom found amongst old army officers. He was opposed to court-martials except for serious offenses. On all minor charges he sat in judgment himself, and some of his modes of punishment were unique. Possessing, as has been said, the implicit confidence of his men, they followed him fearlessly into the thick of the fight, knowing that when he called, they must be there, and that their lives would not be rashly or needlessly sacrificed. Whilst he admired the fighting qualities of the Third Tennessee, his spirit was shocked at their utter lack of discipline, and he thought he could inflict no greater humiliation, either on his officers or his men, than to call them Tennesseeans.
In the latter part of August, 1861, the ranks of the First Maryland were added to by the arrival of Company I, which had been raised in Richmond, and mus- tered into the service of the Confederate Government on June 15. It would have joined the regiment before, and shared in the glory of Manassas. but for the fact that the men did not procure their uniforms and equipments until the first of
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August. After Manassas they were detailed to guard the prisoners in Richmond who had been captured in that battle, until they were ordered to join the First Maryland at Fairfax Station. The company was composed of young men principally from Charles County, Maryland, and it was officered as follows :
Captain, Michael S. Robertson ; First Lieutenant, Hugh Mitchell ; Second Lieutenant, Hezekiah H. Bean ; Third Lieutenant, Eugene Diggs.
During its stay at Fairfax Station, the regiment was frequently called upon to perform duties of an important and a hazardous character. General J. E. B. Stuart had formed an attachment for it, and when he needed the support of infantry he usually asked for the services of the First Maryland. It thus came about that it took part in the capture of Mason's Hill, and that after that fight Companies G and I, respectively commanded by Captains Wilson C. Nicholas and Michael S. Robertson, were detailed to aid in the capture of Upton's and Munson's Hills. In the fight at Upton's Hill Private Fountain, of Company I, was killed, and Lieutenant Hugh Mitchell, of the same company, was wounded.
Near the close of the fall of 1861 the enemy became restive. The small force of cavalry and infantry which held Munson's and Mason's Hills was withdrawn, and it and all outlying bodies were ordered to Centreville, which place was being strongly fortified by Generals Jonhston and Beauregard in anticipation of the enemy's advance in force at an early day.
It was Juliet who said to Romeo : "Parting is such sweet sorrow that I could say . Good night ' until tomorrow," but it was not thus that the boys of the First Maryland felt when they broke camp at Fairfax Station to march to Centre- ville. There were pleasant associations connected with their stay at the former place. Life-long friendships had been formed, kindnesses had been showered upon them, and so the last reveille seemed to have a note of discord in its music, and the summons to " Fall in !" was not responded to with that alacrity which always characterized men " so dauntless in war " as the sons of Maryland. It was on this camp, too, which they were leaving, that Mrs. Bradley T. Johnson and those lovely maidens, Constance, Jennie and Hettie Carey, used to throw the sunlight of their smiles. They cheered and ministered to the sick ; they looked after the comforts of those who were hale and hearty, and the charm of their sweet and gracious presence turned gloom into sunshine, and shone like an oasis on the dreariness of camp life. Many of the men whom they were wont to cheer have passed away ; some died on the battle-field, others in the quiet of home ; but they could never have forgotten those gentle women. And as for the survivors of that camp, men who are now growing old, there is not one who does not still remember those autumn evenings when the stirring music of " The Bonnie Blue Flag," " Maryland, My Maryland," and " Away Down South in Dixie," floated through the camp, upborne by the rich voices of these noble women and the
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stronger harmony from the regiment's glee club. There was not a man who did not feel the spirit of the hour while all could say :
" The night shall be filled with music, And the cares that infest the day Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, And as silently steal away."
The site that was selected at Centreville for the camp of the First Maryland was on a plateau from whence could be seen the greater portion of the goodly sized army that Johnston and Beauregard were marshaling. Centreville was being strongly fortified, so far at least as earthworks were concerned, but had McClellan known the real character of what looked to be such formidable ordnance frowning so fiercely and threateningly upon all the approaches, he might not have hesitated to push forward the vast army he had gathered before Washington. There were few siege guns in position, but huge blackened logs answered the purpose fully as well.
The regiment arrived at Centreville on October 16, and from that time until it went into winter quarters Colonel Steuart devoted his energies to keeping it up to and even exceeding the standard of efficiency which it had attained, and in this he succeeded. Outside of camp duties the regiment was picketing along the Little River turnpike, in the neighborhood of Chantilly, but never came into collision with the enemy.
While in camp the election for President of the Confederacy took place. The exiles from Maryland were ineligible to vote, but they consoled themselves by holding an election of their own, and the scenes around a Baltimore polling- place were enacted, no feature being missing down to the "awl." When their vote was counted it was found that they had unanimously elected Colonel George H. Stewart President of the Southern Confederacy. CF BT Joh -1
On December 18 Elzey's Brigade was ordered into winter quarters two miles from Manassas. It was in a dense pine thicket, which served as a shelter from the cold blasts of winter. A large space was cleared on which rude huts were erected, and the troops fared comfortably.
The army under General J. E. Johnston was at that time in such a weak condition that it would have been poorly able to defend itself against the enemy. Many of the companies in the various regiments had been enlisted for one year only, and it was feared, and with good reason, that when that time had expired a large number of men would return to their homes. The Government, there- fore, issued an order in February granting furloughs to the one-year term men, if they would re-enlist for the war. Companies A, B, C, H and I of the First Maryland came under this order, and with but few exceptions the men of A and
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B re-enlisted. Those of C, H and I elected to wait until their term had expired before doing anything in the matter, many of them preferring other branches of the service to that of the infantry.
The companies which remained with the regiment (A and B being off on furlough) performed picket duty near Sangster's Station, on the line of the railroad. On March 9, 1862, a picket post and a portion of its reserves, belonging to Company F, all under command of First Lieutenant Richard D. Hough, were charged by a detachment of the First New York (Lincoln) Cavalry, and in the fight that followed Lieutenant Joseph H. Stewart and fourteen men of Company F were captured, one of them, Sergeant Edward Sheehan, being slightly wounded. Lieutenant Hidden, who commanded the attacking cavalry, was killed.
Prior to this affair it had become evident to General Johnston and the Confederate Government that the large and splendidly equipped army under McClellan, which had been drilling for months near Washington, was about to assume the offensive. In view of the weak condition of Johnston's army, it was decided to dismantle the works around Centreville and Manassas, send all ordnance and commissary stores to a place of safety, and then abandon Manassas. On the night of March 8, 1862, all being ready, the order to march next morning was issued. What little had to be left behind was destroyed, and when McClellan reached Manassas all was loneliness and ruin. There was no foe to fight, no victory to strive for, nothing to compensate for the time and treasure spent in marshaling and equipping the great army which was to destroy the Confederacy. Johnston marched his troops along the Orange and Alexandria railroad until they reached the Rappahannock. They crossed that river to the south side, which was held by General R. S. Ewell with his division, whilst Johnston marched the remainder of his army to Richmond. To Ewell's division Elzey's Brigade was attached.
An advance of the enemy from Manassas was now expected daily, and the piers of the railroad bridge were mined and filled with explosives to be fired whenever Mcclellan's vanguard appeared. The First Maryland and the Balti- more Light Artillery were assigned to duty on the river front, and one day in the early part of April keen-eyed watches saw emerging from the distant woods on the opposite side of the river, first a long line of cavalry, next infantry and then artillery. A shot or two from the Baltimore Lights sent the cavalry galloping in every direction, and then the infantry skirmishers were thrown forward, advancing steadily toward the river. Company A, First Maryland, under command of Captain W. W. Goldsborough, was now deployed and thrown forward to meet this skirmish line. Thanks to Colonel George 11. Steuart's training, the movement was beautifully executed. General Elzey declaring that it could not have been surpassed by a company of regular soldiers.
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I be two skirmish lines were soon engaged, as was also the Baltimore Light Artillery. One of the enemy's shells passed under General Elzey's horse, but exploded harmlessly. Hotter grew the fire ; shells shrieked overhead ; there were sharp rattles of musketry, and amid the din and roar, the piers of the railroad bridge were blown up, falling in a pile of ruins into the calmly flowing river. Although there had been a great deal of firing on both sides, and some of the men of Company A had been struck, no one was seriously hurt. What losses the enemy sustained was not known, and he soon withdrew, having evidently learned all he wished to know. Until the 19th of April several of these visits were made by the avant couriers of Mcclellan, the bulk of whose army still lay between Manassas and Centreville, each recurring scene being simply a repetition of the first.
A movement was now decided upon, and on the 17th of April tents were struck and shipped to some point of which the troops were ignorant. All that night and until the morning of the 19th the men were dispirited and wretched. With the tents had gone nearly all of the commissary stores, and the command was not only without shelter, but weak and hungry. On the 19th it flashed upon Lieutenant-Colonel Bradley T. Johnson (and doubtless also upon some of his command) that the day was the first anniversary of the troubles in Baltimore, and also the day upon which, on hearing of the disturbance, he marshaled a company of about seventy men in Frederick City, and hurried them to Baltimore to take part in the defense of that city. It was quickly decided to fitly observe the day, and the Colonel, being absent in Richmond on leave, the Lieutenant- Colonel relaxed his discipline and joined heartily with officers and men in the celebration. The affair was necessarily an informal one. There was neither banquet hall nor tables loaded with good cheer, but numerous small kegs and boxes suddenly made their appearance, and when they were opened and their contents were known the bare camp became the scene of good fellowship. Song, jest and story passed around, and mirth and jollity prevailed ; but there was a skeleton at the feast, for just when the glad spirit of the hour swayed each man, an order was received to move at once.
The order came like a clap of thunder, and never before had the First Maryland presented so ragged a front in its formation as it did that April evening. But the march over the railroad ties, through the darkness and rain soon began to show its beneficial effects, and when the regiment reached Culpeper, before daybreak, no one would have believed that the men of the command had been staggered but a few hours before by an enemy they had sought in vain to exterminate, and the rigid discipline, momentarily relaxed, was again resumed.
On the morning of April 20, after a heartily partaken breakfast, the troops
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of General Ewell's division continued their march, and passing through Culpeper the First Maryland Regiment took the road leading in the direction of Madison Court House, but the order to countermarch was received after the troops had gone some miles, and that night the regiment bivouacked on the railroad three miles below Culpeper. At length, hungry and wornout, after three days' marching and countermarching, Ewell's division reached Gordonsville.
A halt of here of three or four days greatly refreshed the troops, and as a move in some direction was momentarily expected their spirits revived, and when at last it became known they were to join the army of the immortal Stonewall Jackson in the valley of Virginia their enthusiasm knew no bounds. Jackson was then at Swift Run, on the other side of the Blue Ridge, having fallen back from Winchester after his fierce battle at Kernstown with the combined forces of Banks and Shields.
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The march was made by easy stages, and on the night of the 30th of April, as the troops of Ewell's division came down the mountain side, and caught sight of Jackson's camp-fires, they made the welkin ring with their cheers.
But next morning when the men went forth to welcome old comrades they discovered to their surprise that Jackson with his command had quietly disap- peared, and perhaps in Ewell's division no one knew whither he had gone, not even General Ewell himself.
BRIG. GEN'L BRADLEY T JOHNSON, MAJOR, LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND COLONEL FIRST MARYLAND INFANTRY.
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CHAPTER V.
Ewell's division remained at Swift Run Gap for more than two weeks, when it was learned that Jackson had marched over the steep ranges of mountains that lay between Swift Run Gap and Milroy at McDowell, and, after administering a crushing defeat to that General, was then returning to the valley of Virginia, and Ewell was ordered to unite with him in the vicinity of Luray.
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