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 21
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On the 6th we entered Staunton, being the first Yan- kees who had the honor of doing so since the war began, except prisoners. Captain Bailey, of our regiment, and Major Otis, of the Twenty-first New York Cavalry, were the two first of our men in town; but which of them got in first seems to be a mooted question. Each regis- tered at a different hotel as the first " Yank" in town. but omitted to give the exact time, and thus left the matter in dispute.
We found large quantities of stores in Staunton. which we destroyed ; besides burning the railroad depot and all the public buildings.
Generals Crook and Averill, who had come from the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia, destroying the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and routing a force of the enemy on their way, formed a junetion with us here ; and we rested a few days to prepare for the arduous work that was still before us, and to give General Sheridan time to come up from Grant's army to take a hand in the game.
General Stahl was sent back with an escort and the prisoners, to Winchester, and Colonel MeReynolds. whose term had expired, went with them, for the pur-
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pose of being mustered out of service. Captain Bailey left us here and returned with General Stahl, having been appointed an "aide" on his staff.
General Duffie then assumed command of Hunter's Cavalry ; General Averill being in command of Crook's Cavalry.
General Sheridan " failed to connect." and on the 10th we set out at day-light en route for Lynchburg.
We moved in three separate columns. General Hunter, with the infantry, artillery, and wagon train, kept the main turnpike towards Lexington ; General Averill, with his cavalry, made a circuit to the right ; and our cavalry, under General Duffie, struck off to the left, making a feint upon Waynesboro', where the enemy were entrenched.
After skirmishing with them a little while, we passed through Rocktish Gap, in the Blue Ridge, burning a large iron furnace on our way.
On the 11th, our regiment and Cole's battalion of Maryland Cavalry, captured a Confederate wagon train. having a paymaster on board, and the boys procured pocketsful of Confederate money, which proved of great service to us on the raid. Before the day closed we tapped the Charlottesville and Lynchburg Railroad, tearing up several miles of the track, besides breaking up telegraphic communication along the line. That night we bivouacked on Tye River.
The object of our raid in this direction was two-fold : to break up the railroad and telegraph communications between Charlottesville and Lynchburg, and to try to open communications with General Sheridan, who was expected to be in that vicinity, about that time. We sie- ceeded in accomplishing the first object, but failed in the second.
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We afterwards discovered that Sheridan had met with Hampton's Cavalry, at Trevillian's Station, on the Vir- ginia Central Railroad, before reaching Charlottesville, and, for want of an adequate force, was compelled to re- tire; which accounted for our failure to join him.
On the 12th, we ascended the eastern slope of the mountains, and bivouacked at Buffalo Springs. On the 13th, we arrived at Lexington, where we found the main body. General Hunter had caused the Military Academy and ex-Governor Letcher's house at that place, to be burned. On the 14th, we marched to Buchanan, on the James River, where Captain Martindale, with a detach- ment of our regiment, captured Colonel MeDonald, and several others, with half a dozen wagons, making their way to the enemy's lines. The colonel and his followers fought bravely, and several of our men were wounded. including Corporal William Morris, of my company, before they succeeded in taking them. McDonald had been the commandant at the Military Academy at Lex- ington. He was a fine-looking man, and a brave soldier. I think he was one of the distinguished McDonald family of Winchester, Virginia, who had a number of brothers in the Confederate Army, and whose father was a general in the same.
Lieutenant-Colonel Adams, of our regiment. while in command for a time at Winchester, in 1863, bad his headquarters at the fine residence of General MeDonald. and was as kindly entertained by his polite family. as it were possible for a well-bred family to entertain enemies, as they then regarded us. Two of the ladies_Mrs. Green, and her sister. Miss Sue MeDonald, were highly accomplished in music.
On the 15th, we crossed to the south side of the James
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River; then crossed the Blue Ridge at Peak Gap, and bivouacked within the shadows of the Peaks of Otter.
On the march we had passed within three miles of the famous " Natural Bridge," and some of our officers took an escort and went to see it.
On the 16th, we passed through Liberty, destroying all the public property. and the infantry kept on the rail- road towards Lynchburg, destroying it as they advanced.
On the 17th, we met the enemy near New London. about four miles from Lynchburg, and, after a sharp fight, drove them into their works near the town, and slept on our arms that night.
At daylight on the 18th, the enemy having been rein- forced during the night, woke us up with an artillery reveille, their shells bursting among us pretty lively, and we hal to mount and go into battle without our coffee.
Our division was ordered to make a demonstration on the enemy's right; Averill's Division were to operate on their left ; while the infantry and artillery hammered away in the centre.
We had heard trains arriving at short intervals all through the night, bringing in reinforcements, and the enemy were much boldter than on the evening before. Our infantry and artillery fought well; the former making several attempts to take the works, in which they parti- ally succeeded, but the enemy were evidently too strong for us.
Reinforcements kept coming into the town all day, and after dark General Hunter took up the line of re- treat. as we were almost out of provisions.
Our regiment was on picket, and by some oversight was not notified. Sergeant Wm. D. Hall, of my com- pany, was sent with a message to headquarters, and
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found the road filled with the troops of the enemy. marching in pursuit of our army; and he came near be- ing captured.
Major Quinn, with the regiment, then set out to over- take our troops, which we succeeded in doing about noon of the following day, after flanking the columns of the advancing enemy ; and then our whole force continued the retreat to Liberty. Here the enemy overtook our rear guard, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which we lost a number of men ; but we repulsed the foe.
On the 20th, we marched to Buford's Gap, in the Blue Ridge, where we had another lively skirmish. On the 21st, we passed through Salem, on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, where the enemy again attacked our rear, but were handsomely repulsed without loss on our side. In the afternoon they attacked our artillery in the " Gap," in rear of the town, at a point where we could render no assistance. and succeeded in rendering a number of guns useless, by cutting the spokes out of the wheels. We managed to drive them off, however, without losing any of the guns.
On the morning of the 23d, our regiment had a skir- mish with the enemy, but no one was hurt. That day we passed through New Castle, crossed several ridges of the Allegheny Mountains, and bivouacked at Sweet Springs, Monroe county, Virginia. On the 24th. we marched to White Sulphur Springs, and on the 25th passed through Lewisburg, Greenbriar county, and biv- Quacked eight miles beyond.
On the 26th-we had the first rain since the 6th. and it was quite refreshing. as our infantry were suff ring very much from dust. fatigue and hunger. The dust almost suffocated them, and they could get no water except at
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long intervals. I was informed that a number of them died by the way from hunger, thirst and hard marching.
On the 27th we crossed the Big Sewell Mountains. and had a heavy thunder storm, with copious rain, which somewhat refreshed our drooping infantry. I had the rear guard that day and counted five hundred horses and mules, abandoned by our army, which I was re- quired to have shot. They were only worn out with fatigue and hunger. and could have been recruited and made serviceable again by a little care on the part of the enemy, in a very short time.
We were without rations or forage; were many miles from any base of supplies; and the whole command were beginning to suffer. The country through which we had passed was so mountainous, and so sparsely settled, that foraging was fruitless, and we were in a deplorable condition. General Hunter had despatched a force of cavalry to Charlestown, West Virginia, for rations, and we were anxiously looking for the first glimpse of the white wagon covers, from every hill top. At last we caught sight of them, and the rejoicing was almost equal to that of the troops at Lucknow. when they caught sight of their country's banner and the troops marching to their relief.
On the 30th we reached Gauly Bridge, at the junction of the Gauly and New Rivers, at the head of the great Kanawha Valley, and encamped at the mouth of the Big Loup Creek.
We spent our Fourth of July at Charlestown. West Virginia, and a very dull Fourth it was. A National salute was fired at meridian, which was the only thing to remind us of the anniversary of our glories fall- pertence.
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On the 10th of July, we left Charlestown, en route for Parkersburg, on the Ohio River, where we took the cars for Harper's Ferry. We arrived at Cherry Run on the 13th and had to debark, and march via Martinsburg to the Ferry; the enemy having destroyed the railroad between those points.
It appears that General Early, after driving us into the Alleghenies, far enough to insure our going all the way to the Kanawha Valley, had marched directly down the Shenandoah Valley into Maryland, and menaced Washington ; and we had to commence a new campaign, when we should have been permitted to rest and recu- perate. Such is war, and such is the life of a trooper.
We had been forced into this circuitons retreat bo- cause of the danger attending an attempt to pass down the Shenandoah Valley, up which we had advanced ; General Lee having a railroad by which he could have sent a strong force to Staunton, to intercept us. With such a lion in our path, and a strong force at our heels, we would in all probability have been compelled to capit- ulate. Besides. we were in no condition to fight a battle; the men being out of rations, and our ammunition hav- ing been almost exhausted in the battles of Peidmont and Lynchburg, and the numerous skirmishes on the way to Salem.
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CHAPTER XXIT.
We Pursue Early's Forces-Skirmish at Lovettsville and Snicker's Gap-Duffie Repulsed at Ashby's Gap-Colonel Adams after Early's Cavalry-Battle of Winchester under Crook -- Retreat to Martins- burg-Burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania-Pursuit of the Raiders-Averill Smashes them at Moorfield-Captain Jones in the Fray-Return to Harper's Ferry_Sheridan in Command of the Army of the Shenandoah.
D URING our absence on the Lynchburg said. Colo- nel MeReynolds had been mustered out of the service, his term of three years having expired, and Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Adams had been commis- sioned colonel of the regiment.
On the 14th of July, 1864, the day after our return to Harper's Ferry, from the Lynchburg raid, I was sent across the Potomac, with sixty men, to try and obtain some information of Early's forces. We knew they had been somewhere in the vicinity of Washington only a few days before, but the telegraph wires having been eut by them, we could obtain no definite information. I crossed at Knoxville. a short distance below the Ferry, and proceeded to Hillsboro', Loudon county. Virginia, where my men captured a mounted negro, bearing arms. who informed us that Colonel White, with a regiment of Confederate cavalry, was close by, and that General Early had crossed the Potomac at White's Ford, oppo- site Leesburg, that morning. en route for the Shenandoah Valley cia Snicker's Gap, after an unsuccessful attack upon Washington. We then returned to the Ferry to report. taking the darkey with u -.
On the 15th, our forces crossed at Berlin, in hopes of
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heading Early off, or striking him in flank before he should get through the gap. Our cavalry division, under General Duffie, fell in with Early's flanking cav- alry, near Lovettsville, and our regiment, under Major Quinn, charged them in fine style, killing and wounding a large number, and capturing many prisoners. We bivouacked that night at Hillsboro'.
During the charge, some of the horses gave out, and the men were left for in the rear; among them was Thomas Hitchens, of my company, who was carrying the guidon. The party thus left thought they had bet- ter go back and meet the troops, than to risk passing through that country, filled with guerrillas and bush- whackers, not knowing when or where they might le able to find the regiment.
On their way back. they observed an officer with a detachment of cavalry a short distance from the road. who asked them, "where did you get that Yankee flag ?" Our boys saw in a moment that they were Confederates, and quickly replied that they had got it up the road,- pointing back in the direction from which they had come. The Confederates then told them that they had better not go down the road any farther, as the Yankees were advancing in strong force. "O. we're not afraid of them," said the boys. and kept on. The Confede- rates, after consulting a few moments, bethought them- selves that this squad must be Yankees, and cried out : " Halt! you Yankes seoundrels ; surrender!" Our boys gave them the contents of their carbines and revolvers, and dashed away with yells of derision. The enemy's bullets flow thick and fast after them. and one hit the little guidon, but the boys made good their escape and saved their colors.
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We left Hillsborough at 5 p. m. of the 16th, and our regiment being in advance, soon struck the flank of Ear- ly's retreating column, creating no little excitement. and capturing part of his wagon train, which we de- stroyed by fire.
That night we bivouacked on the sides of the road, at the entrance to Snicker's Gap, fearing to enter it in the darkness, and next morning pushed through just in time to have a few shots at Early's rear guard as they crossed the Shenandoah River.
We then waited until our infantry and artillery came up. and at dark we fell back a few miles and bivouacked for the night.
On the 18th we marched through Upperville and biv- outacked beyond Paris, near the entrance to Ashby's Gap. A caisson exploded on the march that day. kill- ing one man and wounding several. . That night Mosby's men attacked the Twentieth Pennsylvania Cavalry while on picket, capturing a number of them, and creating quite an alarm in camp.
On the 19th, which was the third anniversary of my company's muster into service, General Duffie passed through Ashby's Gap, and marched his whole cavalry force, with the artillery and ambulances, down to the bank- of the Shenandoah. for the purpose of crossing. without posting a gun to cover us in the attempt, and without firing a shell across to see if there were any of the enemy concealed on the opposite bluff's.
My squadron was ordered across, supported by part of the Twentieth Pennsylvania Cavalry. under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Middleton. Lieutenant Lemuel Evans and myself were riding at the head of the advancing force. and had got about to the middle of the river, when the
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enemy opened on us with musketry from the bluffs in front. Lieutenant Evans' horse was shot, many men and horses in our rear were killed and wounded, and the greater part of the force made the best time they could to the side we had just left.
Colonel Middleton was near the front. and ordered us to charge, and we did our best; but charging through water up to our saddle girths was rather slow work. The en- emy kept up a perfect shower of bullets, yet many of us succeeded in crossing : but it was folly, nay, it was mad- ness, to have attempted to eross under such circumstances.
On reaching the bank we dashed up close under the bluffs, so as to get out of the galling tire of the enemy's rifles, and then galloped down the river, hugging the bluffs, until we came to a place where we could ascend to the plain occupied by the enemy. By this time we had lost sight of Colonel Middleton; but Major Douglass of his regiment was with us. Our troops were still to be seen on the other side of the river. trying to cross ; but they were finally driven through the gap by the artil- lery of the enemy, losing heavily in killed and wounded.
We resolved to ascend the bluff and charge the enemy's sharp-shooters in flank, and if possible drive them far enough away, so as to give us time to re-cross the river before they could get into position again. Quick as thought we spurred up the steep, rugged path, and in a few moments were on top of the bluffs : and, without waiting to " count noses," we gave a yell, and charged the skirmish line. To our infinite delight the " grayback>" broke cover all along the crest of the bluff, and ran like deer up the river, while we gave them every shot in the locker, and nearly burst our lungs yelling, to add wings to their flight.
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REPULSE AT ASHBY'S GAP, VA .-- July 19, 1864.
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When we thought we had driven them far enough, we suddenly wheeled and made for the river. At that in- stant some of the "Johnnies," who remained concealed in the bushes, opened on us, killing the horse of Ser- geant Oliver Lumphrey, wounding badly the horse of Sergeant George JJ. Pitman, who was carrying my com- pany guidon, and killing private Hugh MeLaughlin. It was no time to "Swap Jack Knives" then, so we kept on at speed and were soon in the river, striking out for the opposite shore.
We had got to the middle of the stream when we heard the well known " whizz" of a rifle bullet, followed in a moment by the sharp crack of the riffe on the bank in our rear. Then, whizz, whizz, whizz. came the bullets, cutting the water all around us, and making it mighty unpleasant.
We pressed our horses onward. our eyes fixed on the bluff occupied by the enemy. so as to see the curl of smoke from the rifles, and try to dodge the bullet3-a thing soldiers often try to do. although it is all nonsense to attempt such a thing. My own horse had been killed during the day. and I was riding a white horse Lelong- ing to a man of Company A, named Turner, who had been wounded in our first charge. As I plunged through the water I could hear the enemy ery out : " Shoot that officer on the white horse !" "Shoot the fellow with the flag." Then a perfect shower of bullets would sing all about us, cutting the water in every direction.
A man belonging to the Twentieth Pennsylvania, per- sisted in keeping close to me, notwithstanding my re- peateil warnings to keep away, as the enemy appeared to have singled me out for destruction. At least we reached the bank. but it was so high and abrupt that
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our horses could not get out. My horse was so fatigued that he leaned his breast against the bank, and refused to obey the spurs. I jumped from the saddle on to the bank, and as I did so the man who had followed me so closely was hit, and fell into the river a corpse.
I immediately dropped behind a stone wall. and felt secure for the time being. while I silently, but fervently thanked God for my deliverance. The rest of the boys reached the bank at different points, above and below me, uuhurt, although it seemed almost a miracle. Gen- eral Dutlie, having got some guns in position. began to shell the enemy, and we succeeded in getting our horses in a short time, and rejoined our troops, who hailed us with shouts of delight.
Sergeant Pitman brought the guidon safely away, and Sergeant Lumphrey escaped on MeLaughlin's horse. after his own had been killed: while my first sergeant, Wm. D. Hall, behaved with a coolness and courage wor- thy of all praise.
Hugh MeLaughlin was a brave soldier, and his death was much regretted by all the company. He had been severely wounded on two occasions prior to that, and had only returned from the hospital in Philadelphia, where he had just been married, when he met his death on the third anniversary of our muster into service. During the afternoon. General Duffie sent a squadron of the Twenty-first New York Cavalry across the river, and they were ent to pieces, only a handful returning. We bivouacked in Ashby's Gap that night. and remained there all next day; but on the 21st. we returned to Snicker's Gap, and joined the main body under General Crook. Here Colonel A. W. Adams joined us. and took command of the regiment. He had been in command
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of a detachment of cavalry and artillery, at Martins- burg, and had participated in the battles with Early's troops from Harper's Ferry to Washington, and back to Virginia. He had pursued Early's retreating forees from Washington, across the Potomac, and had engaged his rear guard, with cavalry and artillery, on Virginia soil. with great spirit, before joining us at Snicker's Gap.
On the 22d, we marched through Winchester, and bivouacked at Hollingsworth's Mills. On the 23d. we engaged Early's forces at Kearnstown, where General Shields had whipped Stonewall Jackson-the only one of our generals who ever did whip him-and. after a stubborn fight, in which our regiment. under Colonel Adams, made a brilliant charge, we drove the enemy's advance back several miles. In the charge Thomas Hitchens, of my company, was severely wounded. and Colonel Adams' foot bailly injurel by his horse falling upon him. That night Captain JJones' Company and mine, were sent on picket on the extreme right of our lines. On the 24th. the enemy advanced in strong force, and, after some very severe fighting. our army was com- pelled to fall back. the enemy having turned our left .flank.
About noon we began to fall back, hard pressed by the enemy, and marched until late in the night. During the retreat I lost Sergeant Adam Burgras, who fell asleep and was captured.
On the 25th the enemy attacked us at Martinsburg. and we fought them all day. In the evening our regi- ment a lvanced in line to charge a battery, but found the obstructions of such a nature that we could not get at it. While advancing. a shell struck the line. bursting in the ranks of Company B. killing Your horses and
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severely wounding three of the men. The cavalry divi- sion then fell back to the river, near Williamsport.
On the 27th we marched through Harper's Ferry, and bivouacked near Knoxville, on the Maryland side. Here I found my colored man, who had been captured on Boyd's raid in May, near New Market. He had got away from the enemy at Lynchburg, and had made his way along the mountains to Harper's Ferry.
On the 29th we crossed into Virginia, and bivouacked at Halltown. Next day we advanced as far as Charles- town, where we found that General Hunter had sent a party from the Ferry on the lith, and had burned the magnificent dwelling of his own cousin, Andrew Hun- ter, near Charlestown. He had also sent a party to Shepherdstown, Virginia, and burned the dwelling of another relative, a Mrs. Lee, turning the family out in the most vindictive manner.
Hearing that the enemy's cavalry, under MeCausland and Johnson, had crossed into Maryland, farther up the river, we retraced our steps, re-crossing the Potomac at the Ferry, and bivouacked on the road to Frederick City.
The raiders had evidently gone on to Pennsylvania, and we started in full pursuit, feeling that they were bent on mischief on account of Hunter's inhuman con- duet towards the inhabitants of the Shenandoah Valley.
At Hancock we learned that they had burned Cham- bersburg, Pennsylvania. and had re-crossed into Vir- ginia with a large quantity of plunder.
On the evening of August 4, General Averill came up with his cavalry, and taking about two hundred of the best mounted men in our regiment, under the command of Captain Jones. he crossed the Potomac in pursuit of the now fleeing enemy.
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At break of day on the 7th, his advance captured the pickets of the raiders without firing a shot, they being nearly all asleep. He then advanced at a trot, and soon found himself in the midst of General John- son's cavalry brigade, all sleeping soundly, in fancied security, in their bivouac near Moorfield.
Then the shooting and sabring commenced, the enemy crying out for quarter, and begging our troops not to kill them. Very little resistance was made, and the whole of their guns, colors, and other property fell into our hands. besides about five hundred prisoners-the greater number escaping on foot under cover of the darkness.
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