USA > Pennsylvania > The Twenty-second Pennsylvania cavalry and the Ringgold battalion, 1861-1865; > Part 11
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" At daybreak next morning, the command started toward Moor- field. A short distance beyond Going's Ford, they found about 200 of the enemy camped on the opposite side of the river, at a point where it could not be forded. Captain Moore immediately brought up his artillery, and sent a few well-directed shells into their camp, causing them to leave precipitately, leaving behind in their flight a quantity of stores, grain and forage, with the wagons they had cap- tured from Lieutenant Speer.
" A small force of cavalry and 150 infantry crossed the river. the latter in small boats, and totally destroyed their camp with all the stores and the wagons which they could not bring off."
Lieutenant Myers, on reaching Moorfield, had learned that the enemy had a force of 500 cavalry. He then turned and came back several miles, where he halted to feed. In a few minutes, the Rebel cavalry, several hundred strong, were seen coming at a double quick.
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Our men mounted and fell back lively, halting occasionally at a bend in the road to give their pursuers a volley. The enemy followed until within a mile or so of Purgitsville, where they halted as if to give up the chase .*
Myers came on to Purgitsville, where he met Captain Work, who took command of all the cavalry, and immediately moved a short distance to one side of the road and formed. He then sent a detachment under command of Lieutenant Welch to go forward, raise the enemy and then retreat, leading their pursuers past the reserve, when the latter would charge after them and cut off their chance of escape.
Welch proceeded out over the hill with the detachment, hav- ing as an advance guard, two well-mounted picked men, Sergeants Donaldson and Kelley, of his own company. This advance guard, in their eagerness to stir up the game, soon got hundreds of yards ahead of the detachment, and passing down into the next valley, espied the enemy. Moving up within range, unobserved, they fired on the "Johnnies " and then galloped back with the whole cavalcade in hot pursuit. As they approached, Welch turned and fell back rapidly ; his rear-guard soon became hard pressed when they halted, fired and closed with the advance troopers of the enemy in a hand- to-hand fight, in which James Woodburn was shot in the shoulder and his horse and arms taken. Sergeant Webb French shot the man who wounded Woodburn, but was himself seriously wounded. Sergeant Sam Kelley was in the midst of this mêlée, and after emptying his revolver point blank at his antagonists, seized his empty carbine, in lieu of a saber, and wielded it right and left with telling effect, peeling the scalp of one of his victims, a lieutenant, The Rebels halted but a minute here, and then charged on after the rest of our detachment, who went flying by where Work's men were posted. But, unfortunately, as the advance " Johnnies " were passing in their hot pursuit, a drunken soldier in Work's command fired on them, and thus exposed the trap; resulting in the sudden halt of their advance, which thus choked up the narrow road. Into this, Work's command now charged. There was a short and sharp hand-to-hand pistol and saber conflict, the Confederates fighting desperately, but only waiting until they could extricate themselves from the tangle, when they broke away in great disorder. In
* Captain Kuykendall, who commanded the Confederates here, explains that his command became so scattered in the chase that he halted to gather force enough to charge again.
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the first minute or two of the clash, all revolvers and guns were emptied, and the "Johnnies," aware of this, ignored the demand to surrender, but spurred their horses and dashed away; then it became a question of the faster horse and the saber. Lieutenant George Gass and Sergeant Boyd Hedge tried the speed of their horses after a well-mounted Confederate, who refused to listen to their emphatic demands for surrender until they reached him with their sabers, when he capitulated promptly.
W. H. Wickerham, familiarly known as "Tip " Wickerham, captured a prisoner and started back with him; becoming less vigi- lant as he approached the rear, Wickerham was caught off his guard for an instant by the big Rebel, who jumped on him and choked him, both falling from their horses in the struggle, when the prisoner jumped up and escaped into the bushes.
With better weather during the month of April, came also more constant duty at picketing, scouting, train guard, mail guard, etc. The mountain brush seemed to be full of Rebels. Stragglers but a few rods away from the line would often be picked up and spirited away through the brush. While the cavalry was doing most of the field work, the infantry was doing picketing and was being drilled thoroughly, in anticipation of the summer campaigns.
On April 25th, a scout went out in the morning and at dark, a messenger came in for reinforcements, and another detachment was sent out. Next morning, a scout of eighty-five men under Cap- tain Barr and Lieutenant Myers was ordered to go to Williamsport. At Burlington, on our way, we caught sight of four men who mounted and got away in great haste. We immediately gave chase and followed them five miles, gaining on them until we discovered they were our own men, who thought we were Rebels and tried to get away, and we thought they were "Rebs " and tried to capture them. In the chase, Lieutenant Myers' horse fell and threw him. A quartermaster and an infantry lieutenant, also one of Company A's men, checked up to see if Myers was hurt, and thus they all fell some distance behind, when a dozen Rebels came out of the bushes and captured them, rushing them back through the brush and hiding
On the 1st of February, 1864, Corporal W. H. H. Wickerham was in command of the advance pickets on Patterson Creek above Burlington, when a body of Rosser's Confederate cavalry charged precipitately on the pickets, driving them back on the reserve. In this skirmish, Wickerham and four others were captured. As these prisoners were being taken back, they passed the scene of the urgitsville fight of April 6, 1863.
One of the guar is remarked, " There's the place where one of our men choked his Yankee captor to death and escaped. Wickerham asked if the man's name was Baker. The guard answered, "Yes. What do you know about it? " " " Well." said Tip, " I am that Yankee, and I have Baker's carbine, with his name engraved in the stock, in my quarters back at camp."
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in the mountain. When the news of their capture reached us, squads of men hurried through the brush and over the hills in different directions in search of them and their captors, but failed to find them.
The men rallied at Burlington late in the day, when Lieutenant McNulty, with some more men joined us and the command went on to Williamsport, arriving there at 10 P. M. We learned that 2,000 Rebel cavalry and mounted infantry passed through there in the afternoon. Returned to camp at Mechanicsburg Gap, arriving at daybreak on the 26th.
CONFEDERATE RAID THROUGH WEST VIRGINIA. APRIL, 1863.
The Confederate General, W. E. Jones, after his unsuccessful expedition against Moorfield, January 2nd-5th, returned to the Shenandoah Valley in the neighborhood of New Market, where he maintained his base or camp all winter, from which bodies of his cavalry were active scouting down the valley and into the mountain sections on either side.
General Lee's instructions to him were to drive the Federal forces out of their advanced positions-Moorfield, Petersburg, Win- chester, etc., and if he could not force them to retire, to curtail their operations as much as possible. During the winter, Jones' force was recruited up and otherwise enlarged, and drilled a great deal in preparation for some active work the following spring.
General Jones felt keenly the failure of his expedition to Moor- field, and immediately began hatching a scheme that would retrieve his lost prestige. He was "evolving a plan " to so utterly destroy the bridges, trestles. tunnels and property of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad through the mountain division, that it could not be used for the next six months. Ile had studied all the known means of destroying iron bridges, tunnels, etc., and his plans, which had the approval of General Lee. were well laid.
He started on the 21st of April with his whole available force of several thousand men, leaving in the valley only such men and horses as were not strong enough for the hard expedition. He had arranged with Imboden, who was advancing by a different route. to join him down the Monongahela River. When Jones arrived at Greenland Gap on the 25th, he was much surprised to find the posi- tion occupied by some Federal infantry.
Captain Martin Wallace, with his own company of fifty-two men from the ?3rd Illinois Infantry, familiarly known as Colonel
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RAID THROUGH WEST VA., APRIL, 1863.
" Mulligan's Irish Brigade," had been sent to occupy the gap a few days previous. At noon that day, he learned from a loyal citizen that a strong force of the enemy was approaching. He sent scouts out to keep a lookout for the enemy, and set about preparing to re- ceive them. Later in the afternoon, he was joined by a squad of thirty-four men from the 14th West Virginia Infantry, under Cap- tain Smith.
Wallace posted his men in a log church at the mouth of the gap, and also occupied two log houses that stood near. He removed the chinking between some of the logs for port-holes, and barricaded the doors and windows. Soon his scouts returned in great haste, reporting the enemy as very near and advancing rapidly. Shortly the enemy's cavalry came charging through the gap, and when within seventy-five yards, Wallace's men opened fire on them; the enemy continued on until within some twenty yards, when they broke and fled. Presently they charged again, with the same result.
Then Jones demanded an immediate surrender, stating that his force numbered thousands, and it was useless for them to resist. " This was scornfully refused," and the attack was renewed. Jones sent another flag of truce, demanding surrender and stating that he would not be responsible for the consequences if they refused and made it necessary for him to take the place by assault. To this the plucky Captain Wallace replied: " We are Mulligan's men and we will not surrender while there remains a crust or a cartridge, until we are compelled to."
Jones then asked for a truce to allow him to remove his wounded. A half-hour was granted. After this the enemy kept up desultory firing until the approach of night, when they made an assault in the darkness, breaking in the windows, setting the house on fire and placing a keg of powder under the building to blow it up. Wallace then surrendered, throwing his arms in the fire to be de- stroyed. Of the Union force, two were killed and four wounded. The enemy reported nine killed and forty wounded.
" The stubborn resistance of the Federals greatly enraged the Confederates, who had suffered much the greater loss. Some in- sisted that the prisoners should be killed, but General Jones said : ' They fought like brave men and did their duty. They shall have honorable treatment.'"
The Confederate plans for the expedition over the mountains into the Monongahela Valley to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had been kept such a profound secret that the first thing
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General Kelley knew of it was when Imboden attacked Beverly and drove our forces from there on the 24th. He immediately sent Colonel Mulligan with a considerable force to Grafton, and thence to march to Phillippi. The next day, like a bolt of thunder from a clear sky, came the assault and capture of Greenland Gap by Gen- eral Jones' expedition. * Cavalry scouts were sent out through Hampshire and Hardy counties to discover what forces of the enemy, if any, were there; these returned with correct information that Jones had gone west on an expedition of railroad destruction, and that his artillery and a strong reserve were at Moorfield. This reserve left Moorfield on the morning of the 27th, Major Adams, of the first New York Cavalry entering the place soon after their departure.
The valor of " Mulligan's Men " at Greenland Gap caused Jones to ; " experience an unfortunate detention of four hours, de- priving us (Confederates) of important captures afterward."
Jones hurried on to the railroad, destroying the company's property at Oakland and Altamont, and " but for the delay at Green- land, would have captured a train of officers belonging to Mulligan's command."
The brave Wallace was " building better than he knew," while holding out against a force twenty-five times as great as his little band, for he thus delivered his fellow-officers in the railroad train from the clutches of the enemy.
Jones' men next attacked Rowlesburg, but Major Showalter, with 250 of the 6th West Virginia Infantry, put up such a stiff fight that the enemy withdrew and went to Morgantown, destroying bridges and trestles as they went.
Here they were getting dangerously near to Western Pennsyl- vania. Crossing the Monongahela, they went up to Fairmont, where they met some opposition, which they drove off, destroyed the iron railroad bridge over the river, and then, disappointed at the failure of Imboden to unite with him. Jones began to fall back south, lest the gathering forces of Federals should cut him off. He marched
. April 27. All our battalion that had horses fit. also the First West Virginia Irfantry and part of the Dith Pennsylvania, went out to mect General Kelley at Green- land Gap.
til 08 A scent went ten miles up the river and took 60 head of cattle that Were : tended for the enemy.
April , pour forces came back at midnight. Lieutenant Myers, with those cap- !!! vitt lam, got back to camp to day. They were paroled by Captain Kirkendale. He says that they were well used.
· # jones' Report.
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day and night, avoiding places occupied by Federal forces, reaching Buckhannon on May 2nd, where he found Imboden's command.
In this expedition, Jones reported that he destroyed nine bridges and captured two railroad trains. His expedition, made for the express purpose of so disabling the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as to deprive the National Government of its use as a military road for the next six months, failed to accomplish its purpose; for North- ern energy, with its ample resources, immediately replaced the bridges with strong trestles and within a week or two, the trains were running over the road as usual.
As a foraging expedition, it was more successful, as Jones re- ports having brought off a large number of cattle and horses.
The expedition returned to the valley by a southern route, to avoid collision with our forces who were keeping a lookout for them in case they returned by the way they went.
A FORTNIGHT AT GREENLAND GAP WATCHING FOR JONES.
(From Sergeant Donaldson's Diary.)
May. 1, 1863. In camp at Mechanicsburg Gap. Heavy details for train guard and scout duty. Train with strong guard went up Patterson's Creek to Mrs. Pierce's for hay ; returned at 10 p. M.
May 2. Hay train went to Ridgeville to-day. Peach and service trees in full bloom.
May 3. Sabbath. At two o'clock, all the cavalry ordered out with three days' rations. We. could only raise 100 men in camp with horses fit to go, as many of the men are guarding train to New Creek to-day. Left camp at four o'clock, taking the howitzer along. Caught up with 200 of the First Virginia Regiment on Patterson's Creek, two miles above Burlington ; halted at 10 P. M., six miles from Burlington, and camped. At midnight, Lieutenant McNulty, with thirty-five men from the train, joined us.
May 4. Moved on and fed at Williamsport. Arrived in Greenland at noon, where we found the 126th Ohio Infantry and 6th West Virginia Battery. Here we saw the effects of the battle of the 25th. Only the foundation of the log church which served Mulligan's band as a fort, remains; seventeen dead horses, killed in that fray, are being burned.
May 5. Captain Hart with a force of fifty men, started early for Seneca Gap to blockade it. Lieutenant McNulty took a detach- ment of the cavalry to guard a train back; escorted the train nine miles and returned, and was then ordered to take a squad and pro-
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ceed to Moorfield after night with a message for Milroy's men. McNulty, always considerate of his men, treated us all to dinner.
May 6. Twelve of us on picket at Mrs. Babbs, near Green- land Gap.
May 7. Several officers ate dinner here (at Mrs. Pabb's) to-day. The 126th Ohio and four pieces of the battery left for New Creek. We get our meals at Mrs. Babb's and are allowed to sleep on the parlor floor. She is a young and accomplished widow, and a loyal Unionist. She has suffered much on that account; on the last Rebel raid, they stole all her horses. Mr. Rinehart brought his valuable stallion into camp to keep the Rebs from getting him.
May 9. Still on picket. Captain Young took away five of our squad, leaving but six and a corporal at the post. One of the Ring- golds, named French, and another soldier, wandered out of camp to-day and were bushwhacked. French being killed. Moved my picket back nearer the Gap.
May. 10. A scout in command of Lieutenant Hinkle went to Moorfield and returned, reporting some Rebel cavalry there.
May 11. Relieved from picket this afternoon. Brought in a conscript. The teams went to Romney for cooking utensils this afternoon.
May 12. Detailed with one of Milroy's scouts to make trip of some miles back into the country yesterday. Detailed with train guard under command of Lieutenant McNulty, as convoy for wagons going for corn.
May 13. Yesterday the mail-guard to Green Spring, consisting of five men from Work's Company-Corporal Robert G. Rush, J. J. Hunter, J. W. Oliver, H. Porter and W. H. Rose-when within four miles of the station, were captured by a squad of Rebels who had been hiding in the bushes, awaiting their approach. Sev- eral Rebels stepped out in front of them. while others stepped in their rear. get- ting the drop on our boys, who halted and gave up their arms. Corporal Rush, who had the mail sack under him, struck his spurs into his horse and throwing himself forward on the saddle, dashed away in attempt to escape. One of the Rebs drew his gun, and, taking de-
Corporal Robert G. Rush.
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liberate aim, held until Rush was about seventy-five yards away, when the latter, probably thinking he was at a safe distance, raised his head slightly and the Rebel fired, shooting Rush through the head and killing him instantly. It is said that the 54th Pennsylvania Regiment had two thousand dollars in that mail, being sent home after pay-day. Corporal Rush was well aware of the valuable mail in his care, and forfeited his life in an effort to carry through for the dependent wives and children, these savings from the scant wages of soldier husband and father. The body, in charge of a guard of comrades, was taken back to his Washington County home. A great concourse of citizens attended his funeral and followed the remains to the family burial lot in Old Grove Church Cemetery at West Middletown. A large and beautiful monument marks the grave of this brave soldier.
May 15. At three o'clock, our command (all cavalry) marched for Romney. Came as far as Mrs. Davis's and camped. Captain McElroy, with 100 men, remained to guard the Gap. They are building a block-house. Our men captured two bushwhacker horse thieves named Lloyd.
* May 16. Marched on, arriving in Camp Keys at two o'clock. Lieutenant Gibson and another of our men were captured and pa- roled this evening on the Knobley Road, two miles from the Gap. Oliver and Porter, of the paroled mail guard, started for home this evening.
May 17. Lord's Day. Clear and delightful. There is a strik- ing and beautiful contrast in the mountain foliage, between the dark green of the pines and the young and tender light green of the other trees. Wild flowers are blooming in profusion, and beauty is every- where. On picket at Cherry's on the Green Spring Road, four of us cavalry and ten of the infantry. We stand two hours on and six hours off.
May 19. Levi Scott, James Woodburn and I obtained passes and went to Romney. We called at Mr. Allen's and Miss Allen sang and played the piano for us. Most of the songs were strong
* Lieutenant James Gibson and James Kearney had been sent with some papers to New Creek on the 15th. Next day, as they were returning to camp by the Knobley Road, when within two miles of camp, two Rebel soldiers appeared in the road in front" of them. Gibson said to Kearney: "We'll not let two Rebs take us," and then charged right forward. Instantly a number of Rebs jumped into the road from the brush on either side, and " got the drop " on the "Yanks," when they surrendered their horses and arms. Just then some mounted men wearing blue coats came galloping down the road. The captors made off through the brush with the horses, while Gibson and Kearney dropped down among the bushes until the mounted men, who proved to be Rebels also, had passed, when they made their escape and came to camp minus horses and arms.
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" secesh." They treated us nicely, however, and are very clever people.
May 24. Sabbath. Reverends Meloy and James Carson, from our dear old homeland, are here preaching to the soldiers. Meloy preached at nine o'clock in the morning and Carson at five in the afternoon. This Sabbath appears to me more like the thing. (These ministers seem to have remained for some time, as on the 28th he writes again.) We put up a booth or shelter for preaching by putting six posts and covering the top with bushes.
May 31. Two of Greenfield's men came in last night with word that a company of Rebels were near Springfield. A scout, consist- ing of a detail of eighteen men from each company, all under com- mand of Captain Keys, started out at daylight. We went out twelve miles from Romney ; a squad of our command going to a blacksmith shop, found ten Rebels with twenty conscripts, whom they attacked and scattered in every direction before the rest of the command came up. We then charged after them three miles, capturing three men and seven horses. Greenfield's men captured Lieutenant Blue and one other. Arrived in camp at sunset.
Harry Linn, of Company A, with five men, went on a scout to Moorfield at night, Mike Core with three of Chessrown's Com- pany and myself, went on a scout out the Grassy Lick Road toward Wardensville, twenty-five or thirty miles.
June 1 to 12. Mechanicsburg Gap camp. Scouts daily, mostly to the south and east, Lost River, Moorfield, etc., etc. Vigilant pick- eting on all roads. Every train well guarded.
Early in June, Lieutenant Crago, with a cavalry detachment of forty men, was sent on a scout to the "Mouth of Seneca " to communicate with Captain Harper, whose force of "Swamp Dragons " (Loyal Home Guards) was reported as threatened by the enemy.
On the second day out, as this scout approached their destina- tion, they were fired upon by parties concealed in the bushes on the mountain side. Crago * moved his men forward out of range and
* " Most of the scouting parties sent out consisted of from 25 to 50 picked cavalry- men in command of a captain or lieutenant, and would often make a journey of 40 to 50 miles, returning within 24 hours. At times we were exposed to the fire of bushwhackers from the mountain side as we rode along the mountain path or trail. Quite a number of the Ringgold boys fell by the bullets of this unseen and cowardly foe. There was a great deal of this kind of warfare in the mountains of West Virginia, and all who experienced it will testify that it took more nerve to march along these lonely mountain paths. not knowing what moment the sneaking foe would fire from ambush, than it did to enter the hotly contested battle, where whole armies were engaged. I have experienced both, and am free to say that I greatly prefer the latter -- though I have no strong desire for either." --- Lieutenant F. H. Crago.
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dismounted a detachment to scour the mountain. Just then his at- tention was attracted to a house some distance away where a man was gesticulating wildly and shouting at the top of his voice, " For God's sake, don't fire; they are your own men!" This proved to be correct, for they were Captain Harper's men, who had mistaken our force for Rebels whom they were expecting to attack them. Captain Harper was much worried over the mistake, but glad none of our men had been shot, attributing our escape to the fact that his men had just been supplied with Government guns, and had fired too high, remarking further, " Every man of them could kill his squirrel at a hundred yards with his old rifle." The Rebels had disappeared from that vicinity. After obtaining important information, the scout returned to camp at Mechanicsburg Gap, where they found the men breaking camp to fall back to New Creek.
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