USA > Pennsylvania > The Twenty-second Pennsylvania cavalry and the Ringgold battalion, 1861-1865; > Part 40
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Next day (25th) we moved to Harrisonburg, reaching there about noon. Found no enemy in the way; here we fed and had dinner. After a few hours' halt, we marched on through Mount Crawford and camped beyond on the north side of the river.
A few miles above New Market, Early's army had left the Valley Pike and proceeded eastward to Port Republic and Brown's Gap. His purpose in taking this direction was to effect a junction with Kershaw's Division, which had been hurried from Richmond to reinforce him, and which was now about due at Swift Run Gap in the Blue Ridge, north of Port Republic.
On this same day (26th) our division moved at daylight across the Valley to Middle River, when we encountered a strong picket of the enemy and drove them across the river towards Brown's Gap. We then continued our march on up to Piedmont. Here Colonel Powell received orders to return to Weyer's Cave, and co- operate with Merritt. On our arrival at Weyer's Cave in the after- noon, our brigade took the advance across the river and attacked a force of the enemy's cavalry and was driving them back through the woods and thick underbrush, when our battery that was sta- tioned on the west side of the river, opened fire, their shells explod ing in the tree-tops over our heads. They were at once signaled to stop firing, as they were not reaching the enemy, evidently cutting their fuse too short. We continued to drive them back, when we encountered a strong force of infantry and artillery. We fought them until dark, when we received orders to return to Weyer's Cave, on the west side of the river, where we encamped for the night.
393
THE ENGAGEMENT AT WEYER'S CAVE.
The Confederate engineer, Captain Jed Hotchkiss, in his report of this engagement, says: "The Yankee cavalry drove ours across the river and came up to our lines. Pegram's Division was marched out on the Cave Road and skirmished some with them near the angle of the road, and repulsed several charges of their cavalry, using artillery. The enemy also advanced on the turnpike and Ramseur drove them back from there. Wharton moved out in the rear of Ramseur and Gordon in the rear of Pegram. I showed Ker- shaw the way up."
* " I had read in one of the illustrated journals in 1857, a de- scription of Weyer's Cave and its caverns, the article nicely illus- trated by David Hunter Strother, better known to the public as Porte Crayon, a Virginian. I had made this man's acquaintance in 1862, in the Shenandoah Valley, while he was a Colonel of engineers on General Banks' staff. Having a great desire to see the Cave, I secured permission for myself and a few friends to make a brief visit. The cave is situated in an offshoot from a branch of the Blue Ridge, and was discovered by Bernard Weyer in 1804: It is a stalactite cavern, next in importance to Mammoth and Wyandotte caves, its largest apartment, Washington Hall, being 250 feet long and more than 20 feet high. Securing a guide, we spent perhaps an hour viewing its wonderful rooms and passages.
"On returning to camp, we found that the 2nd Brigade had moved over the river, followed by our brigade commander, Colonel Schoonmaker, with the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Our 22nd Pennsylvania, about 500 strong, with a detachment of 100 men from the Sth Ohio, were in line and ready to mount and follow. This left Colonel Moore, of the 8th Ohio, the ranking officer in command.
" My colored servant had built a fire and was preparing dinner for me on my return. We had just mounted when a cannon boomed out on the hill to our right, the shell striking near the cook and about 100 yards from our command. I thought that darkie would never stop running. That shot was like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. It was certainly a surprise, as we had no knowl- edge of any force of the enemy being on our right flank. It paralyzed the darkie and astonished the command, especially as it was not repeated. Colonel Moore rode up and requested me to take command. as he was suffering from stomach trouble. I con- fess I felt a good deal the same way. I told him, however, I
* Colonel Greenfield.
394 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
would find out what it meant, as we could not see any force of the enemy. I wheeled the command and we charged the hill, not knowing what we might encounter. The advance of the enemy. seeing us approach, fell back at first with their artillery, evidently thinking we had a large force, and hesitated to attack. Intending to surprise us, they were themselves surprised at our boldness. We held their cavalry in check for some time until their infantry advanced in force, compelling us to retire. Our teamsters hitched up and moved off quietly. No reinforcements coming to our assistance, we fell back in line of battle, the enemy following slowly, keeping up a continuous fire with our command, until we reached the river about four miles distant. Here, General George A. Custer, who was assigned by Sheridan to the command
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of our division, joined us and took command. He asked me if I was the officer in command and upon being told so, he ordered me to call in the command and cross the river, which we did in good order. The work of that noble 600 troopers was worthy of all praise-500 of the 22nd Pennsylvania, under Major Work, and 100 of the Sth Ohio, under Major Dotze-driving back the ad- vance of two divisions of the enemy and holding them in check for sometime until the trains had moved off ; then retiring slowly,
General Early, now strongly reinforced and still smarting under his recent defeats, was planning to retrieve his fortunes. On the night of the 26th, he had planned to attack our forces next morning in flank and rear, the movement to be carried out with secrecy so as to take us by surprise. Accordingly, on the morning of the 27th. Wickham under cover was marched across South River (to the west side) at Patterson's Ford, two miles above our position : he was followed by Gordon. the artillery and Ramseur. - Wharton guarding the right flank of the movement while Pegram engaged our forces in front on the east side of the river. Kershaw was left to hold the approaches to Brows > Gap. Thus the whole of Early's army except Kershaw attacked our cavalry under Merritt and Powell ; three divisions, Wickham, Gordon and Ramseur with a brigade of artillery attacking Colonel Greenfield's " noble six hundred."
395
THE ENGAGEMENT AT WEYER'S CAVE.
resisting every charge and advance of the enemy, until we reached the river, four miles distant. Our loss was comparatively light. Three men killed; wounded, two officers, Major George T. Work and Adjutant J. G. Isenberg, and five men; several horses were killed and wounded."
Major Work was seriously wounded, but able to ride off the field. In a letter written in 1885, Major Work relates the circum- stances of his being wounded at the Battle of Weyer's Cave, as follows :
"I was on the left in command of some rather raw troops, who. under the heavy skirmish fire of the enemy, broke and went back just as I was about to order a charge on the enemy's cavalry ; this left me alone on the line, and in less time than it takes to tell it. the Rebels were near enough to demand my surrender in their peculiarly polite style, and I found myself exchanging pistol shots with a young Confederate officer; one of his balls passed through my right arm near the shoulder, when I thought I had better hunt my old battalion. Adjutant Isenberg was shot about the same time, some two hundred yards to my right. I found part of the old battalion some distance to the right, blazing away as if they would wipe out the Confederacy right there. Seeing they were fighting a party of the enemy behind a stone fence, which we could easily enfilade if a few rods ahead, I began to give the order to go when I was shot a second time, the ball striking me on the right breast near the collar bone; I was blinded and would have fallen, had it not been for two men who were near me at the time. I soon rallied, and with others assisted in bringing Isenberg off.
CUSTER CHARGES WITH A WAGON TRAIN.
" While what I have related was going on, a large force of the enemy's cavalry and infantry had passed around our right and reached the Staunton Road and, no doubt, would have 'gobbled' some of us, but General Custer, with a small cavalry guard and wagon train (a few headquarter wagons) was coming down the road on his way from Harrisonburg to take command of our division, and seeing and hearing the racket, he ordered his guard
HDQRS. MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION. Sept. 26, 1864.
Special Order, No. 12.
Brigadier General G. A. Custer, U. S. Volunteers, is hereby assigned to the com- mizus of the Second Cavalry Division, AArmy of West Virginia.
By command of
MAJOR-GENERAL SHERID.I.N. C. Kingsbury, Jr., A. A. G.
396
TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
and train to charge, and, in genuine Custer style, they came down on the enemy, who fell back far enough to give Custer the right of way and to delay their movement, and enable us to cross the river lower down and join the other division.
Adjutant Isenberg's wound was supposed to be mortal. He was carried to a stone house on the north side of the river and left there. Dr. Samuel M. Finley, Assistant Surgeon of our regi- ment, a brave officer, reported to Colonel Greenfield that Isenberg could not be moved, and asked permission to remain with him and also look after any others of our wounded that might be left on the field. General Early, learning of Dr. Finley's presence within his lines, ordered him brought to headquarters, where he ques- tioned the doctor about Sheridan's forces and the strength of the force that had opposed his two divisions at Weyer's Cave. The information Early obtained was that the only force opposing him in the Weyer's Cave engagement was 600 cavalry of the 22nd Pennsylvania and 8th Ohio. Early answered: "You're a damned liar, and I'll make you a prisoner for that," and sent him off to Richmond.
In September, 1899, Colonel Greenfield and Adjutant Isen- berg made a trip through the Shenandoah Valley, visiting the scenes and battle-fields in which they figured during the Civil War. After his return, Isenberg, in the form of a letter addressed to his comrades, wrote a most interesting account of their trip and the war memories it awakened, which was published in the Huntingdon Globe and copied by other papers. The following extract from that letter is pertinent just here :
" It was in this engagement (Weyer's Cave) I was wounded. My comrades carried me into the house of Isaac Long, a Dunkard preacher, where I was kept over night and in the hands of the enemy. Just one mile to the north, on the hills, were the camp-fires of my comrades brightly burning. Ah! me, how I longed to be there! It seemed the longest night I ever lived. I thought the morning would never come, but it did come, and it brought relief, for with it came Custer with his brigade and our brigade. The enemy re- treated, and I awoke, surrounded by men I loved as I have never loved men since. Colonel Greenfield and I visited the old stone house wherein I lay that dreadful night. We inquired for Isaac Long, but he had been gathered to his fathers. The son lived there.
Dr. Finley was a son of Surgeon General Finley of the United States Army. He was confined in Libby Prison at Richmond until shortly before Lee's surrender.
397
ENGAGEMENT AT WEYER'S CAVE.
but was not at home. A winsome young lady entertained us. I told her of my night in the house and expressed a desire to see the room in which I lay. She said, ' Yes, I have heard my grandfather speak of it, but they all thought you were dead.' She showed me into the room, spread out an old-fashioned folding lounge on which, she said, I lay, and which is marked with blood stains yet. Just here, I want to confess, that I felt a kind of choking sensation in my throat. I walked out on the porch and found Colonel Green- field (whose cheeks never blanched in battle) weeping. Just then I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, 'Colonel, why do you cry?' He said, 'I don't know, but why are you crying?' I an- swered, 'I suppose, because you are.' I turned to the young lady and said, 'Young lady, why do you weep?' She said, 'Because you gentlemen weep.' Do you say that our conduct there was ef- feminate? Well, perhaps it was, but somehow I felt better after it was over and I guess I'll not apologize for it."
After crossing the river, we moved some distance and formed in line, forcing the enemy under the command of the gallant Cus- ter. At this time, the enemy's forces appeared on a bluff on the south side of the river, and opened on us with a battery of artillery. The shells at first passed over our heads, bursting in our rear ; they soon got the range, however, and did some execution, killing one man, slightly wounding several others, and killing some horses. As we had no artillery and the distance being too great to use carbines with effect, the General moved back with our small command until we joined the rest of the division under Powell, which had crossed the river near Port Republic, and moved on toward Cross Keys and camped for the night. Here Powell turned over the command to Custer.
The reader will remember that the 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry
" We were driven back to the river, which we crossed one mile above the town, and formed on a high flat; but there was a still higher knoll on the east side, on which the enemy ran their guns and opened on us with a full battery, while we fell back across the fields. The shells fell beside our colunms, some bursting over our heads, causing confusion. . Henry Pence of our company (C) was killed by a piece of shell passing through the small of his back; several others were slightly wounded, and Tom Campsey's horse was killed. We fell back to within six miles of Harrisonburg and bivouacked for the night.
" September 28. Major Work, although somewhat seriously wounded, is able to travel. and started home. I sent my diary with him. Our division went on a recon- naissance across the river and up to where we were surprised yesterday. The enemy had gone. A number of small scouting parties were sent out the different roads. I, in charge uf ten men, went out the Piedmont road; met Captain Badger with a similar scout at Wwwint Meridian; saw some Rebel cavalry and gave them a shot; came back at dusk ardi found our regiment and division where we camped last night. Heard cannonading in the direction of Rockfish Gap. Adjutant Isenberg was brought to camp in an - ambu- free. He is badly wounded. The rebs took Dr. Finley prisoner, who was attending I-erberg. Henry Pence died last night and was buried by the citizens to-day.
" Donaldson."
.
398 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
was now in the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division, formerly commanded by Brigadier General W. W. Averill, then by Brigadier General W. H. Powell, and now by Brigadier General George A. Custer. Our brigade consisted of three cavalry regiments-22nd Pennsylvania, 14th Pennsylvania and 8th Ohio, and was at this time commanded by Colonel J. M. Schoonmaker.
General Early, having driven our cavalry across the west side of the river, camped that night between the forks of the river, as though intending to hold that ground. Learning of Torbert's move- ment against Staunton and Waynesboro, he broke camp at dawn next morning (28th) and leaving a brigade of cavalry to hold Brown's Gap and another to guard his flank and rear, he, with the rest of his army, marched with all haste for Waynesboro, hoping to reach that place before Torbert. Learning of Early's withdrawal, our brigade, under Colonel Schoonmaker, and a brigade of the 1st Division, under Colonel Kidd, were ordered to advance to Port Republic. The expedition enabled us to find the Adjutant, who was being well cared for by the wife and daughter of a Dunkard farmer. Surgeon Finley had been sent to Richmond as a prisoner of war, a disgraceful act on the part of General Early. Although very severely wounded, we succeeded in getting the Adjutant into an ambulance and sending him to camp, and later to Baltimore, where he recovered and some months later, returned to the regiment. The bullet that wounded him, lodged under the shoulder blade, be- came encysted and was never removed.
Finding no enemy at Port Republic, we continued our ad- vance over the route we retreated yesterday until we overtook the enemy's rear-guard and drove them in the direction of Waynesboro ; returned to our camp near Cross Keys.
Sheridan's great successes resulting in the wrecking of Early's army and driving it a hundred miles south of Martinsburg, revived in General Grant his long cherished idea of destroying the rail- roads and canal used by Lee for carrying supplies to his army at .Richmond from the fertile counties of the Upper Valley, and also for the transportation of his troops to and from the Lower Valley or Maryland border.
He wrote Sheridan: "Keep on and you will cause the fall of Richmond." To this Sheridan replied that he found great dif- ficulty in supplying his army so far from his base, and that there was not sufficient subsistence beyond the Valley to supply his army. Grant wrote him again: "Your victories have caused the great-
DESTROYING SUBSISTENCE IN THE VALLEY. 399
est consternation. If you can possibly subsist your army to the front for a few days more, do it and make a great effort to destroy the roads about Charlottesville, and the canal whenever you can reach it."
Sheridan had weighed the matter thoroughly, and was fully satisfied in his judgment that his transportation could not supply him further south than Harrisonburg, and that if in penetrating the Blue Ridge, he should meet with protracted resistance, a lack of supplies might compel him to abandon the attempt at a most inop- portune time. He therefore advised that the Valley campaign be terminated at Staunton, and that he be permitted to return, carrying out on the way his original instructions for desolating the Shenan- doah country so as to make it untenable for permanent occupation by the Confederates.
Sheridan says: "I proposed to detach the bulk of my army when this work of destruction was completed, and send it by way of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad through Washington, back to Grant's army at Petersburg. Considerable correspondence regard- . *ing the subject took place between us, throughout which I stoutly maintained that we should not risk, by what might be a false move, all that my army had gained. I, being on the ground, Gen- eral Grant left to me the final decision of the question, and I solved the first step by determining to withdraw down the Valley, at least as far as Strasburg, which movement was begun on the 6th of October."
On the 7th, Sheridan dispatched Grant from Woodstock as follows :
" I commenced moving back from Port Republic, Mount Craw- ford, Bridgewater and Harrisonburg, yesterday morning. The grain and forage in advance of these points had previously been destroyed. In moving back to this point, the whole country from the Blue Ridge to the North Mountain has been made entirely un- tenable for a Rebel army. I have destroyed over 2,000 barns filled with wheat, hay and farming implements ; over 70 mills filled with wheat and flour ; have driven in front of the army over four herd of stock and have killed and issued to the troops not less than 3,000 sheep. This destruction embraces the Luray Valley and Little Fort Valley, as well as the main Valley. A large number of horses have been obtained. From the vicinity of Harrisonburg, over 400 wagon loads of refugees have been sent back to Martinsburg. Most of these people were Dunkers and had been conscripted. The peo-
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400 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.
ple here are getting sick of the war. Heretofore they have had no reason to complain because they have been living in great abundance. I have not been followed by the enemy to this point with the excep- tion of a small force of the Rebel cavalry that showed themselves some distance behind my rear-guard to-day.
" A party of 100 of the 8th Ohio Cavalry, which I had sta- tioned at the bridge over the North Shenandoah near Mount Jack- son, was attacked by McNeill with seventeen men while they were asleep, and the whole party dispersed or captured. I think they will all turn up. I learn that fifty-six of them reached Winchester. McNeill was mortally wounded and fell into our hands. This was fortunate, for he was the most daring and dangerous of all the bush- whackers in this section of the country."
September 29th, the division, under command of General Cus- ter, moved to Mount Sidney, covering the country lying between the roads via Weyer's Cave and Piedmont to Mount Sidney, under orders to collect and drive off all stock, horses, etc., and to destroy all forage, grain and flouring mills, returning to Mount Crawford under same orders, where division camped for the night.
On the morning of the 30th, General Custer was relieved of the command, to take command of the 3rd Cavalry Division, General Wilson having been transferred to a cavalry command in Sherman's army ; General Powell was again assigned to the command of our division and ordered to report with the division to General Torbert, where we camped for the night. Next morning (October 1st) our division was moved along the Port Republic Road down Page Valley to Luray, driving off all stock of every description, destroy- ing all grain, burning mills, blast furnaces, tanneries, distilleries and all forage; reached Luray on the evening of the 2nd, where the di- vision remained until the morning of the 7th, subsisting entirely upon the country.
On October 5th, a detachment of 300 men from our division, under command of Major Farrabee, of the 1st West Virginia Cavalry, was sent out through Thornton Gap to destroy the railroad bridge over the Rapidan River, on the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. This detachment rejoined the division near
Sept. 20. Marched early to Mt. Crawford ; halted and fed. The 6th Corps is here. Came on up to Mt. Sidney where we took dinner. The 2nd Brigade deployed on one side of the like and our brigade on the other (our regiment on the left) and coming back barned all barns of grain and all hay, and drove in stock. It was an unpleasant duty, but we had to obey orders. The scheme is to consume all the forage and sub- sistence in the Valley to cut off the Rebel supplies and thus prevent their coming down again. Camped in Mt. Crawford after dark .-- Donaldson's Diary.
401
MOVING BACK DOWN THE VALLEY.
Front Royal, on the 7th, reporting the entire destruction of the bridge. The following is from Sergeant Donaldson's journal :
"Sept. 30. Rained. Infantry, cavalry and artillery marched back to Harrisonburg.
" Oct. 1. Our division marched to Page Valley and on until we were 23 miles from Harrisonburg. The barns along the route were burned by the 2nd Brigade.
" Oct. 2. Cleared up and became warm. Our regiment formed the advance column to-day. We passed through the rough country between Page and Luray Valleys, and on through the town of Luray, which has been a fine place, and camped on an eleva- tion one mile below the town. Our squadron on picket one mile down the pike. The Sth Ohio burned the barns to-day.
" Captain Chessrown and Lieutenant Hassan with an escort of 50 men were sent to Harrisonburg with dispatches for General Sheridan.
" Oct. 5. We were waked up at half past two this morning; a detail was made of 15 men from our company (C), 15 men from Company D, and some other details from our regiment, together with 100 men from the 1st West Virginia and a detail from the 14th Pennsylvania and 8th Ohio, in all 300 men with five days' rations, under command of Major Farrabee. Crossed the Blue Ridge and on through Perrysville and Rappahannocktown; turned off the Pike to the right, five miles from Culpepper Court House. After a march of 40 or 45 miles, we bivouacked for the night. Gen- eral Early's forces are reported to be at Culpepper.
" Next morning, we marched early, going on down to Rapidan Station, arriving there at ten o'clock. We lay here until a detail destroyed the bridge over the river. The timbers were so green that the bridge would not burn, and we were obliged to cut it down and throw it into the river. We left there about one o'clock, and as we were leaving, a small force of Rebel cavalry came up on the opposite side of the river and fired a few shots at us. We went up the railroad twelve miles to Culpepper and then out the New Market Pike ten miles and camped. The country we passed through to-day is utterly desolate. The fences are all destroyed and not a stalk of grain of any kind has been raised this year; the land is growing up with weeds and brush. We captured nine prisoners, among them a lieutenant and a commissary. Next day we re- turned by the same road; we came and rejoined our command six
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