USA > New York > Boots and saddles. A history of the first volunteer cavalry of the war, known as the First New York (Lincoln) Cavalry, and also as the Sabre regiment. Its organization, campaigns and battles > Part 11
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About dark they came in sight of the South Branch of the Potomac, and hid themselves in the woods for the night, as they had spied the enemy's pickets on the opposite bank. After making same coffee, the elder Peavy and Valentine set out on foot to reconnoiter ; the others remaining with the horses. They were concealed in a thick pine woods, at some distance from any road, and tied the horses close together so that one could mind them while the other went to a corn field to get some fodder.
About midnight the two scouts returned, gave the concerted signal, and were safe for the time being. They had forded the river, pierced the enemy's picket line, reconnoitre :! Imboden's camp, and had got a pretty good idea of its strength, location and surroundings. They had walked about ten miles, forded the river twice, the water being very coll, and were very tired and foot- sore. The whole party then snuggled together, covered themselves with their blankets and tried to get a little sleep, with one eye open and their revolvers ready for instant use.
On the 24 of November they returned to Springfield. and Sergeant Peasy reported to General Kelly, at Cum- berland : who, upon this information so dearly obtained by our boys. immediately planned a raid upon Imbo- den's now camp.
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On the Sth of November Colonel MeReynoldls set out with three hundred and fifty of our regiment, at 8 a. m., for the purpose of attacking General Imboden. A show storm was raging at the time, and it was bitter cold. We passed through Springfield and arrived at Mill Creek Junction at & p. m., where we stopped two hours to feed. Here we met General Kelly with two hundred infantry in light wagons, about the same number of cavalry. and a section of horse artillery. We set out again at 6 p. m., and arrived at Moorfield by midnight, where we stopped for two hours more. Started at 2 a. m. of the 9th, and, after crossing and re-crossing the South Branch about fifty times, more or less, and frequently marching up its rocky bed for half a mile at a time, we came upon Imbotten's pickets at break of day. They were on the opposite side of the river from us, but took us for some of their own troops, and we captured two of them; the others making their escape. We pursued them at a lively gait however, and soon came upon the camp in a nice valley surrounded by almost inaccessible mountains. We opened on them with the artillery, and the cavalry charged, capturing three officers and fifty men; the re- mainder escaping through the mountains.
We brought back many fat hogs, a drove of fat cattle. a large number of fine horses and mules. besides, a lot of wagons and harness, after burning Imboden's winter camp.
We had marchedl seventy five miles in twenty-four hours, through a heavy snow storm, over one of the most difficult roads imaginable, making but two halts of two hours each ; and after the skirmish, we returned to Mongfield, making twenty miles more before sleeping. I do not remember to have ever before or since suffered 12
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so much from fatigue and cold. It was almost impossi- ble to keep the men from dropping from their horses and freezing to death. Many of them had their ears and feet badly frozen, and one of the officer's servants lost several of his toes from that cause.
When we got back to camp our horses were all used up, so that we lost nearly as much. in material value, as we gained by the raid ; but our regiment was much grat- ified at the work accomplished. In my opinion, the raid should never have been undertaken at that inclement sea- son, as it was altogether improbable that we could do Imboden irretrievable harm. even if we succeeded in coming up with the main body of his troops in their flight, as his means of retreat were so numerous and so secure in those mountain passes.
On the 5th of November Captain Harkins set out with a squadron of our regiment to attack the out- posts at Winchester. He struck the cavalry videttes at Pughtown, and charged them back upon the reserve pickets, which he also scattered, driving them a consid- erable distance ; capturing seven of Stuart's cavalry, all well mounted, besides a negro who claimed to be Gen- eral Stonewall Jackson's body servant.
This darkey said his master was a praying man, and al- ways asked advice from Heaven before he went into bat- tle. Said he : " When de ole gineral gits up in de night to pray, den we knows dars gwine to be hot work next day, and for God we goes to packing haversacks right off."
In a few days Captain Bailey thought he would like to try his hand in the direction of Winchester, and so obtaining orders, he set out with his troop, and soon re- turned with over a dozen of Stuart's cavalry. captured on picket.
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Very soon we had a large stock of fine horses in the regiment, the fruits of the many captures from the enemy by these small detachments, and had sent many prisoners to Cumberland.
Imboden had sworn to be revenged for the loss we had caused him, and every night our pickets were at- tacked at some point by his watchful bushwhackers, making picketing very dangerous.
Lieutenant-Colonel Von Schickfuss, who was tempo- rarily in command of the regiment at the time, made up his mind to visit the pickets at Springfield, and he invited Captains Harkins, Bailey, and myself to accom- pany him. On arriving at Springfield we took Captain Bennett and Lieutenant Prendergrast along, to show us the way and point out the places of most danger.
We found the first post at a ford where the Win- chester and Blooming Gap road crosses the South Branch. Then we rode up the river, between heavily wooded mountains for several miles to the wire bridge, upon which the Romney Grade passes over that stream. A more wild and romantic ride could scarcely be found ; the surrounding country being admirably adapted for the purpose of bushwhacking.
It would be impossible in that country to prevent men from crawling up on foot to within range of the pickets, and Imboden's men knew every foot of the ground, which gave them the advantage.
We had just returned to Oldtown and were about de- vising means to meet the bushwackers on their own ground, when an orderly arrived from Springfield with a dispatch, saying that the pickets at the wire bridge had been attacked and two of them badly wounded; but our boys had killed one of the enemy and captured another.
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This prisoner said that his party had tried hard to get a shot at the party of officers who had passed along about half an hour before the attack upon the pickets; so we congratulated ourselves upon our providential escape.
The pickets at French's Store were also attacked about the same time, and two of them captured, together with a four-mule team.
.. St. George! a stirring life they lead. That have such neighbors near."
About this time George G. Peavy, with a squad of six others, all of Company "B," of our regiment, set out from Springfield on foot, to try their hand at bush- whacking. They crossed the South Branch early in the morning, about three miles below the wire bridge, and pushed through the mountains, reaching the Little Capon River in the evening. While at a house getting supper the man on guard reported mounted men ap- proaching ; who turned out to be some of Boyd's Com- pany looking for the mules which the bushwackers had captured from them a few nights before.
Peavey's men agreed to act with them. and all set out together. Shortly they heard the clank of sabres and the tramp of hoofs. The dismounted men then took to a log cabin on the road side, and the mounted men with- drew a short distance to await their fire, when they were to charge upon the advancing enemy. In a few moments those in the log house could hear the sound of voices from the advancing force, and they shouted : " Halt ! Who comes there ?" " Friends, " was the reply. But the officer in charge of the supposed enemy was heard to say: " Rush on them! Rush on them !" and a volley would have been poured in from the log house the next instant, had not one of the men recognized the voice,
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and asked : "Is that you Captain Boyd ?" " Yes," was the reply. " Who are you ?" The matter was soon understood, and the whole party set out under Boyd to look for the mules.
After scouring the country till midnight without suc- cess, Bord's men set out for their camp at French's Store, and Peavy's men " turned-in " to an old barn till morning ; when they also set out for camp. They had got within a mile of our pickets at Springfield, without seeing an enemy, and had become careless. Two men. named respectively MeCarty and Parker, were some distance ahead; Peavy, Warren and Kelly came next. and the two others were some distance in the rear. As the advance turned a bend in the road. about a dozen bushwhackers rushed out, rifle in hand, "drew a bead" on them, and demanded their surrender. Peavy saw the enemy, but they had not yet seen his party, so he let drive at them ; which so surprised them that their aim failed, and only Mccarty was struck and wounded in the arm. Peavy and his party then rushed forward to the reseue, and the bushwhackers began to break for the woo Is, except one bold fellow who stood his ground and shot Peavy in the right ankle, bringing him to a sudden halt.
Peavy then took deliberate aim and shot his antag- onist in the thigh, breaking the bone, and the " gray- back " tumbled some distance down a steep declivity towards the river. All this was done so quickly that the men in rear did not get up till it was all over. Two others of the enemy were wounded, but succeeded in making their escape. The boys soon found a man with a wagen, pressed him into service, and carried the wounded of both sides into camp. Peavy and his
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wounded enemy occupied beds adjoining each other in the hospital, and agreed to fight it out when they got well; but they soon became better friends, and con- cluded to wait till they should meet in battle.
On the 22d of November Captains Harkins and Bailey set out with four companies to attack Stonewall Jack- son's piekets, near Winchester. They fell in with them about four miles from that place and had a very lively skirmish, in which they succeeded in capturing twenty men and forty horses; besides killing one man and his horse. Nobody hurt on our side.
They were so elated with their success that they at- tempted the same game in a few days afterwards, but they found all the gaps so strongly guarded that they had to return as they went. "Old Stonewall" was not to be caught twice in the same trap.
Our horses having been on the go almost day and night since the middle of August, many of them were entirely used up, and we had them condemned and a fresh lot furnished in their stead. This caused a great deal of work, as the new " mounts" had to be broken in and trained to their work. Our men had become splen- did horsemen, and began to know the value of a good horse, both in pursuit and in retreat, and we had but little trouble in getting them to clean and feed them and use them carefully on the march. We laid out a race course at Oldtown, and had many an exciting trial of speed and bottom while lying at that place For the benefit of the new horses we established riding schools, with ditches and hurdles, to practice them in leaping ; for we placed no value on a horse that couldn't leap over any ordinary fence, and clear a twelve foot ditch at a flying leap.
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It was with many regrets that the men parted' with their old equine friends; having learned to love them for the many rare qualities they possessed. They had pet names for their horses, and it was surprising to hear a horse answer, by a low whinny, in the darkest night, when his master called him by name. I have seen some horses partake of a glass of lager, while others would take a pull from a canteen of apple jack. They would eat hard tack, and fat pork too, and some of them would manage to untie themselves at night, in bivouac, and make a raid on the haversacks for the purpose of help- ing themselves to their master's rations.
They knew the sounds of the bugle as well as their riders, and would keep their places in the ranks on drill. on the march, or in a charge, with as much precision as old soldiers.
We allowed the men to purchase at low rates any horses they might capture from the enemy, and it was not long before three-fourths of the regiment were mounted on fine Virginia horses, for the use of which they received forty cents per day from the Government. The problem was solved, and we had no more trouble with those men about not taking care of their horses.
Every man was proud of his charger, and vied with every other in having the fastest and finest looking horse. From that time forward the race course became an established institution in the regiment, and the first thing in order, after getting to any permanent camp. was to lay out a track.
This led to betting, and a good deal of money changed hands about pay-day : But it was an improvement on the ordinary modes of gambling which had been practiced previously.
,
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From this time forward our regiment was one of the best mounted of any in the service, and cost " Unele Sam " Jess for horse flesh than any other regiment ; Im- boden, Gilmore, Mosby and other Confederate cavalry commanders, supplying our regiment better than our Government had ever done.
We had established in our regiment a school of in- struction for the officers, with two sessions each week ; mounted drill and sabre exercise was kept up daily when not on scout. The regiment was inspected and reviewed frequently, and the new horses soon became accustomed to their duties.
Stables were erected about the Ist of December, and the men fixed their tents for the purpose of passing the winter at Oldtown ; but on the Hth we were ordered to proceed to Martinsburg, Virginia, and all our labor in building quarters for our men and horses was lost. Such is the life of a trooper.
Burnside was preparing to attack Lee at Fredericks- burg, and we must guard the mouth of the Shenandoah Valley, to give warning in case the enemy should again attempt to invade " My Maryland."
Captain Simons, with his troop, was stationed at Greenspring Run, opposite to Oldtown, by order of General Kelly, and did not accompany us to Martins- burg.
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CHAPTER XV.
North Mountain Station-Prendergrast's Fight at Bunker Hill-We Occupy Martinsburg and Winchester-Captures at Woodstock-De- seription of the "Valley"- Winchester and its People-Picket Fight- ing-Moshy's Men Capture our Stage-We Pursue and Defeat Them- The Thirteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry "Skedaddle"-off' to Berry- ville.
Y the 12th of December, 1862, the regiment left Oldtown, Maryland, en route for the Shenandoah Valley, and arrived at North Mountain Station, about eight miles from Martinsburg, on the 14th.
Before leaving, we had sent Companies F and M by way of Blooming Gap and Ungher's Store, to Martins- burg, and on reaching that place, Lieutenants Prender- grast and Lewis, with twenty-seven men, went on a scout towards Winchester. They came upon the enemy's pickets about five miles from Martinsburg, and at once charged them, " sabre in hand," driving them in on the reserve, consisting of about one hundred men. A hand- to-hand engagement then took place, lasting several minutes, during which Lieutenant Lewis and one of the men were surrounded and captured. But they both broke away from their captors and joined their comrades, amid a perfect shower of bullets from the enemy. Our men were in the edge of a woods at this time, and the "Johnnies " could not see their strength, so Lieutenant "Prendergrast determined upon a ruse. He formed one- half of his men in line in the woods, and sent the other half, under Lewis, back on the road a short distance. with instructions to charge up the pike in column, vell- ing like wild cats and raising all the dust they could. 13
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As this charging force appeared in view, Prendergrast's men broke from the woods in line, yelling like fiends, and the enemy, thinking that reinforcements had come up, gave way in confusion and made for Bunker Hill. Our boys were well mounted, and soon overtook the fleeing "graybacks," killing four of them and cap- turing thirteen prisoners. . They were now close to Bun- ker Hill, where a whole regiment of Confederate cavalry were encamped, and they deemed it imprudent to pro- ceed farther, so they returned to Martinsburg with their prisoners, many of whom had received severe sabre wounds in the fight.
On the 15th our regiment set out to attack the enemy supposed to be at Bunker Hill, but the citizens there informed us that they had removed their camp to Win- chester the day after Prendergrast's skirmish.
The troops at North Mountain Station were the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Ohio, and First West Vir- ginia Volunteers, and two batteries of horse artillery- Colonel MeReynolds being the ranking officer present took command of the brigade.
About this time Majors Ogle and Haurand resigned, and Captains Harkins and Boyd were recommended for the vacancies; being the two senior captains.
On the 3d of January, 1863, Lieutenant-Colonel Von Schickfuss was ordered to Winchester, with several companies of the regiment, and Colonel Me Reynold's moved up to Martinsburg with all the other troops, ex- cept what remained of our regiment.
On the ith I was ordered to join Colonel Von Schick- fuss, at Winchester, with all of the regiment left at North Mountain Station, and I arrived at my destina- tion the same evening.
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On arriving I found that Von Schickfuss had set out at 5 a. m. that day to attack the enemy's pickets at Wood- stock. The snow was several inches deep, and the ground frozen like a stone; besides which it snowed all day like fury. We did not expect Von Schickfuss back that night, but he arrived at 5 a. m. next day ; having march- ed about seventy miles, capturing over twenty of the enemy's men, and fifty of their horses fully equipped.
He had taken the "Back Road," leading along the eastern base of the North Mountain, and had flanked Woodstock. coming up in its rear, taking the reserve picket post at that place by surprise. The enemy's horses were tied to the fences, and the men were sleep- ing in their shelters, as our bold troopers entered the town with a yell at midnight.
Very little resistance was offered, and had it not been for the houses and garden fences every man of them would have been captured; but being on foot, and it being a dark night, more than half of them escaped ; we got all the horses however.
About a bushel of letters were found at the post office, and from these we got some very valuable information concerning the strength and location of the enemy in the " Valley."
General Jones was at New Market, about twenty miles to the south. with the Seventh and Twelfth Regiments, and Seventeenth Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. a regi- ment of infantry of the Maryland line, and a six gun battery of horse artillery. Part of his force was at Mt. Jackson, and his pickets at Woodstock and Fisher's Hill. overlooking Strasburg.
As our men returned they captured all the videttes stationed on the roads, as far as Fisher's Hill; being
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mistaken by them for a Confederate scouting party on its way to reconnoitre Winchester, where General Milroy had just arrived with a small division of infantry and some artillery.
This little affair caused General Milroy to esteem our regiment very highly, and he soon found plenty of hard work for us.
As I shall have a good deal to say about the " Valley" hereafter, in the course of his narrative, I will now at- tempt to give a description of its principal features, so os to avoid too much repetition as I proceed with my story.
The Shenandoah Valley is bounded on the west by the North Mountain and its ranges, and on the east by the Blue Ridge; both of these ranges, together with the Valley itself, running from north-east to south-west. The " Valley " has an average width of about fifteen to twenty miles, and extends from the Potomac River, on the north, almost to the James River, on the south, a distance of nearly one hundred and fifty miles. It is divided into the Upper and Lower Valley. The latter extends from the Potomac River to a line drawn from Front Royal to Strasburg, where the Massanuttan Mountain starts, and runs up the middle of the Upper Valley, to a point opposite Harrisonburg. a distance of about forty miles, where it stops almost as abruptly as it started. In the lower end of this mountain there is a small valley, known as Powell's Fort, or Fort Valley, through which Passage Creek flows and empties into the North Branch of the Shenandoah at Strasburg. The Shenandoah River has two branches, known as the " North Fork " and " South Fork."
The latter is formed by the union of the North River,
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Middle River, and South River, which unite near Port Republic, and flows between the Massanutten Mountain and the Blue Ridge, through what is known as Page, or " Luray Valley," to Front Royal; where it unites with the North Fork, which flows through the valley between the Massanutten Mountain and the North Mountain, past Mount Jackson and Strasburg, to Front Royal. From the latter place the Shenandoah River flows along the western base of the Blue Ridge to Harper's Ferry, where it joins the Potomac, and their united waters then force a passage through the mountains. From Jefferson's rock, on Bolivar Heights, in rear of Harper's Ferry, a fine view is obtained of this gap, and of Loudon Heights, Virginia, and Maryland Heights, in Maryland. From the summit of the latter heights a fine view of the She- nandoah Valley is obtained. northward towards Martins- burg, and southward towards Winchester.
The latter place, which is the most important of any in the valley, is located almost in the centre of the lower valley ; being about thirty miles from Harper's Ferry, and about the same distance from Strasburg.
There is a splended turnpike road, known as the "Valley Pike," running the whole length of the valley, from the fords of the Potomac at Williamsport, Mary- land, to Buchannan, on the JJames River; passing through all the principal towns and villages in the valley. viz : Martinsburg, Winchester, Kernstown, Newtown, Middle- town. Strasburg. Woodstock, Edinburg, Mount Jackson, New Market, Harrisonburg. Mount Crawford. Staunton and Lexington.
Winchester is like the hub of a wheel, with roads radiating from it in every direction like spokes. . Besides the " Valley Pike " leading through it north and south.
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there is another leading east and north, through Berry- ville and Charlestown, to Harper's Ferry ; this road also leads through Berryville to Snicker's Gap in the Blue Ridge. Another leads through Millwood to Ashby's Gap, and another leads through Nineveh to Front Royal, in Chester Gap. Others lead west over the North Mountain to Romney and Moorfield, in West Virginia. Numerous " dirt roads " ran through the valley in every conceivable direction, making it very difficult to under- stand the country, and rendering it easy for the initiated either to way-lay or escape an enemy.
The Manassas Railroad passed through Front Royal, and crossed the valley to Strasburg ; and another rail- road ran from Harper's Ferry to Winchester, but both of these had been destroyed early in the war ; so that there was no railroad in the valley, save the . Baltimore and Ohio road, which traversed the lower end of the valley, from Harper's Ferry at the Blue Ridge, to y here the North Mountain strikes the Potomac River above Williamsport, Maryland; and the Virginia Central, which passed through the Blue Ridge at Rockfish Gap, near Waynesboro', and entered Staunton, near the upper end of the valley.
Cedar Creek breaks through the North Mountain from the west, crosses the " Valley Pike " a few miles north of Strasburg, and empties into the Shenandoah near the latter place. The Opequon Creek rises in the North Mountain, south-west of Winchester, crosses the . Val- ley Pike " at Bartonsville, five miles south of Winches- ter, then turns north, down the middle of the valley. crossing the Berryville Pike half way between the lat- ter places and Winchester, and empties into the Potomac River below Falling Waters.
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Such are some of the main topographical features of the now famous valley of the Shenandoah- the battle field, as well as the race-course of armies.
We found the people of Winchester in a dreadful con- dition, having scarcely any food, and being almost with- out means, and destitute of fuel for fire to cook their food. Many had to stay in bed most of their time to keep from freezing, and were dependent on the troops for provisions enough to keep soul and body together. No one would venture into the town with anything to sell for fear General Milroy would make them take the oath of allegiance to the Federal Government; and some of them would die rather than do so.
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