The Twenty-second Pennsylvania cavalry and the Ringgold battalion, 1861-1865;, Part 53

Author: Farrar, Samuel Clarke
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: [Akron, O. and Pittsburgh, The New Werner company]
Number of Pages: 1134


USA > Pennsylvania > The Twenty-second Pennsylvania cavalry and the Ringgold battalion, 1861-1865; > Part 53


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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James P. Davis, Q. M. Sergeant


July 11, 1863


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Discharged on Surgeon's certificate, July 20, 1865.


Joel F. Young, Q. M. Sergeant


July 11, 1863


Samuel Robinson, Com. Sergeant


July 11, 1863


Robert M. Hannon, Sergeant


Feb. 23, 1864


Michael M. . Goodyear, Sergeant


Jan. 27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


William M. Taylor, Sergeant


Jan.


27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


H. M. Strausbaugh, Sergeant Mark J. Jackson, Sergeant .


Feb. 26, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865 Died at York, Pa., Sept. 20, 1864.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


ct. 31, 1865.


Feb. 26, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


Feb. 24, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


Feb. 27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


George W. Craig, Corporal


Feb. 22,


1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


· Scott W. Armstrong, Bugler ..


July 11, 1863


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


John Kaney, Bugler ..


Jan.


27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


Daniel Clapper, Blacksmith


Feb.


23, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


John Potter, Farrier . PRIVATES.


Feb. 15, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


Win. J. Anderson


Feb.


8, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


John Border


July 11,


1863


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


George F. Bollman


Feb.


16, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


Henry H. Bowers


Feb. 16, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


528 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.


Martin Kuhn, Captain


July 17, 1863


J. Brown Wingate, 1st Lieutenant ...


July 30, 1863


Daniel R. Kagarice, 2nd Lieutenant .. July 11, 1863


George N. Young, 1st Sergeant .. July 11, 1863


·


Feb. 22, 1864


Feb. 27, 1864


Feb. 23, 1864


Henry A. Allabaugh, Sergeant · Darius G. Doyle, Corporal Wesley B. Ashey, Corporal Morgan Barton, Corporal Robert C. Akely, Corporal John W. Gates, Corporal .


Feb. 2,5, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


COMPANY M-22ND PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER CAVALRY-Continued.


PRIVATES.


DATE OF MUSTER IN.


REMARKS.


Daniel Berkhamer


Feb. 16, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Daniel Boyer


Jan. 18, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Daniel S. Bowen Feb. 23, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Philip Berkabile


Jacob S. Biddle


Feb. 29, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mar. 14, 1865 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


Moses Blackburn


Sept. 26, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


Thomas Bowring Joseph Baker .


Feb. 23, 1864


Absent at muster-out.


Thomas J. Charles


Feb. 23, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


Abraham Curry


Sept. 24, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


John Cullison


Feb. 27, 1864


Discharged by General Order, date unknown.


Denton Clark


Feb. 23, 1864


Died at Annapolis, Md., Aug. 5, 1864.


Robert Digman ..


July 11, 1863 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Geo. A. Dougherty


Feb. 20, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


David D. Dishong


Feb. 23, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Solomon P. Dishong


Feb. 23, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Isaac P. Dishong .


Feb. 23, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 30, 1865.


David Echelberger


July 11, 1863


John Echelberger


Feb. 9, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


David H. Eckels .


Jan. 27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


John W. Fluke


· Feb. 22, 1864 Feb. 27, 1864


Robert Giffin


Feb. 16, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


William Gipe


Jan. 27, 1864


David C. Grimes


Feb. 22, 1864 Absent at muster-out.


Jasper N. Higby


Feb. 16, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Commodore P. Higby


Feb. 16, 1864


Jan. 27, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


WVm. P. Hannan .


Perry Hixon


Feb. 26, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Scott S. Hann


Feb. 20, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Oct. 31, 1865.


Richard F. Fowley


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Died, date unknown.


John W. Gilmore


Jan. 27, 1864 Feb. 3, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


David Gibb


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


529


ROSTER OF COMPANY M.


Sept. 24, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


John M. Cruise


Feb. 17, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


530


TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.


COMPANY M-22ND PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER CAVALRY-Continued.


PRIVATES.


DATE OF MUSTER IN.


REMARKS. .


John G. Helwig


Feb. 22, 1864


Dishonorably discharged, date unknown.


Jerrard II. Hixon ..


Aug. 9, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


John D. Hendershot


William W. Himes


Feb. 26, 1864


Died at Cumberland, Md., June 2, 1864; buried in National Cemetery, Antietam, section 26, lot F, grave 626.


William H. Jones


Feb. 26, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Nathan Jones


Jan. 27, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


John N. James ..


Feb. 26, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Samuel Jackson


Feb. 23, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


George Karrighner


Feb. 25, 1864


Thaddeus S. Kating


Feb. 27, 1864


Michael Ketner


Jan. 27, 1864


James Lammison


July 11, 1863


John Lohr


Feb. 27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Josiah Lohr


Feb. 27, 1864


Emaniah Lohr


Feb. 27, 1864


Jonathan Leet


Feb. 22, 1864


Discharged by General Order, Aug. 14, 1865.


James H. London


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


William J. Lane


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


Jacob B. Miller


Feb. 15, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Jackson Moore


Feb. 25, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Balser W. Mellott


Feb. 25, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


John Minich ·


Feb. 23, 1864 Discharged on Surgeon's certificate, date unknown.


John Mulinix


Feb. 25, 1864


Transferred to Company F, date unknown.


Robert Mathews


Jan. 27, 1864


Absent at . muster-out.


Aug. McGonegal


Feb. 29, 1864


Edward MeCabe


Dec. 7, 1864


Thos. L. McNamara


Mar. 26, 1865 Sept. 26, 1864


Wm. H. McMullin


John S. Neeley


Jan. 2, 1865


Joseph Neely


July 9, 1863


Edward Ober


Feb. 29, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865 Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865 Discharged on Surgeon's certificate, date unknown.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Sept. 24, 1864 Sept. 24, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Jacob Keckler


Feb. 25, 1864


Feb. 26, 1864 Discharged by General Order, May 25, 1865.


1


COMPANY M-22ND PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEER CAVALRY-Continued.


PRIVATES.


DATE OF MUSTER IN.


REMARKS.


Emanuel Otto


Feb. 5, 1864


Died at Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 27, 1865.


John D. Parlett .


Feb. 27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Thomas Parlett .


Mar. 17, 1865 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


John Poffenberger


Sept. 26, 1864 Feb. 25, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865 Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


John B. Price


James 11. Richie


Isaac Ripple


Feb. 27, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


James Rodgers


Sept. 20, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


J. C. Russ . John Rentz


Sept. 3, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


F. H. Spokefield


Feb. 20, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Isaac Staley


Feb. 22, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Feb. 20, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


July 16, 1863 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


George W. Swope


Feb. 6, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Joseph S. Strait


William Shupp


Feb. 23, 1864


George W. Speece


Feb. 15, 1864


James T. Sheeder


Feb. 17, 1864


Wilson Smee


Feb. 23, 1864


Andrew Swartz


Feb. 13, 1864


James Simpson


Feb. 26, 1864


Discharged by General Order, Aug. 19, 1865.


Jacob Starliper


Feb. 25, 1864


Transferred to Company B, date unknown.


Joseph N. Swope


Feb. 26, 1864


Transferred to Co. A, 22nd Regiment, Vet. Res. Corps; dis- charged by General Order, Nov. 17, 1865.


Joseph S. Stull


July 16, 1863


Absent at muster-out.


William J. Thomas


Feb. 22, 1864


Moses Wensel


Feb. 22, 1864


John Wensel


Feb. 22, 1864


John Wingfield


Feb. 16, 1864 Feb. 27, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


J. D. Windowmaker


Feb. 23, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry,


Oct. 31, 1865.


Oliver O. Welsh .


Feb. 22, 1864


Discharged by General Order, May 24, 1865.


Samuel Waltemire


Feb. 25, 1864


Joseplı Windowmaker


July 9, 1863


Transferred to Co. H, date unknown. Absent at muster-out.


ROSTER OF COMPANY M.


531


·


Peter Strickler


Elias Senate


Feb. 25, 1864


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865. Discharged by General Order, Aug. 16, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


John A. Wallack ..


Feb. 20, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


Feb. 25, 1864 Mustered out with 3rd Regiment, Pro. Cavalry, Oct. 31, 1865.


·



532 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.


APPENDIX.


THE REGIMENTAL FLAG.


More than two hundred regiments of volunteer soldiers from Pennsylvania entered the United States Army during the War ior the Union. It was the custom of the State to present each regiment with a flag when it entered the service. These flags, carried through the storms of battle and of the elements for three and four years, have in most cases been returned to the State and are now stored in the Flag Room of the Capitol Building at Harrisburg.


As stated in a previous chapter, the Twenty-second Pennsyl- vania Cavalry was organized right at the front in February, 1864, by the consolidation of a number of independent companies, most of whom had entered the service in 1861 and 1862. This regiment was thus overlooked and received no flag from the State at the time of its organization, as did the others.


In the year 1899, the attention of the State Legislature was called' to this oversight, when that body promptly passed the fol- lowing Act :


" Whereas, The authorities of the State of Pennsylvania did present United States flags to the various regiments of the State serving in the War of the Rebellion, which they carried on their march and battle-fields, and when the War was over, deposited with the State as War relics,


" And whereas, The Twenty-second Pennsylvania Cavalry Vol- unteers, originally organized and known as the Ringgold Battalion, never received any such token of regard and confidence,


" THEREFORE BE IT ENACTED, ETC., That the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania be authorized and required to purchase a United States flag and present the same to the survivors of the Twenty- second Pennsylvania Cavalry Volunteers Ringgold Battalion. Said flag shall have properly inscribed thereon the names of the fol- lowing battles in which the regiment participated, viz .: * Rich Mountain, Romney, Moorfield, Blue's Gap, Falling Waters, Martins- burg, Bunkers' Hill, Stephenson's Depot, Charlestown, Halltown, Opequan, Snicker's Gap, Ashby's Gap, Kernstown, Newtown, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Mt. Jackson, Piedmont, Strasburg, Lexington and Wytheville.


" That the sum of one hundred dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is specifically appropriated for the purchase of said flag: Provided, That after the flag shall have been presented to the survivors of the said Twenty-second Pennsylvania Cavalry


* The list of battles inscribed on the flag is very erroneous and incomplete, as the careful reader of the history will discover. A correct list will be found on another page.


----


RINGGOLD BATTALION VETERANS AT FREDERICKTOWN REUNION, 1903.


533


APPENDIX.


Volunteers, they shall place the same for preservation, in the Flag Room of the State of Pennsylvania in the City of Harrisburg.


" Approved the 28th day of April, A. D., 1899. " WILLIAM A. STONE."


At the annual reunion of the Twenty-second Pennsylvania Ringgold Cavalry Association, held at Monongahela, Pa., August 17, 1899, Adjutant-General Thomas J. Stewart, on behalf of the State, presented this regimental flag to the Association. The pre- sentation took place at the camp fire meeting in the Opera House in the presence of a large assembly of veterans and citizens. General Stewart's eloquent and brilliant address aroused the assembly to high state of patriotic enthusiasm, The flag was received by a brief and appropriate response, immediately after which, a schoolgirl of ten years, in a most beautiful and forceful style and all aglow with the spirit of the occasion, recited the following :


TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN FLAG.


" When Freedom from her mountain-height, Unfurled her standard to the air, She tore the azure robe of night, And set the stars of glory there. She mingled with its gorgeous dyes The milky baldric of the skies, And striped its pure celestial white With streakings of the morning light; Then from his mansion in the sun, She called her eagle bearer down, And gave into his mighty hand The symbol of her chosen land.


" Majestic monarch of the cloud, Who rear'st alott thy regal form, To hear the tempest trumping loud, And see the lightning glances driven, When strive the warriors of the storm, And rolls the thunder drum of heaven- Child of the sun, to thee 'tis given To guard the banner of the free, To hover in the sulphur-smoke, To ward away the battle-stroke, And bid its blendings shine afar Like rainbows on the cloud of war, The harbingers of victory.


" Flag of the brave, thy folds shall fly, The sign of hope and triumph high. When speaks the signal-trumpet tone, And the long line comes gleaming on- Ere yet the life-blood, warm and wet, Has dimmed the glistening bayonet, Each soldier's eye shall brightly turn To where thy sky-born glories burn ; And, as his springing steps advance,


534


TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.


Catch war and vengeance from the glance. And when the cannon's mouthings loud Heave in wild wreaths the battle shroud, And gory sabres rise and fall, Like shoots of flame on midnight's pall ; Then shall thy meteor glances glow, And cowering foes shall fall beneath Each gallant arm that strikes below That lovely messenger of death.


" Flag of the seas! on ocean's wave Thy stars shall glitter o'er the brave; When death, careering on the gale, Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail, And frighted waves rush wildly back Before the broadsides reeling rack, Each dying wanderer of the sea Shall look at once to heaven and thee, And smile to see thy splendors fly In triumph o'er his closing eye.


"Flag of the free heart's hope and home ! By angel hands to valor given, The stars have lit the welkin dome, And all thy hues were born in heaven. Forever float that standard sheet ! Where breathes the foe, but falls before us, With Freedom's soil beneath our feet,


And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us !"


DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT.


Amanda Jane McNulty.


The appropriateness of the selection to the occasion and the graceful elo- quence and patriotic fervor of the young speaker, captivated the audience, who gave her a rousing ovation at the close of the recital; as the applause subsided, a comrade mounted a chair and in a fit- ting speech offered a resolution, that the fair young speaker, Amanda Jane Mc- Nulty, a veteran captain's daughter, be elected the Daughter of the Regiment. The resolution was voted with unani- mous acclaim, 'mid great enthusiasm. (Miss Amanda J. McNulty is now, 1911, Mrs. E. M. Snider, of Uniontown, Pa.)


535


APPENDIX.


PRISONERS OF WAR.


It was our intention to give a list of the men who were cap- tured and suffered imprisonment at Richmond and in Confederate prisons farther south, and to give with each name the time and cir- cumstance of capture, also the places and duration of imprisonment, but we have been unable to secure anything like an accurate list or the necessary information. A number of men were captured and served long imprisonment, of which no mention whatever is made in the official rosters; many others are simply reported " captured," with no further information. A number were captured who were never heard of afterward; some are reported as "missing in action," who were no doubt captured and died.


The loss in captured, especially in the seven old companies, was very heavy. Most of the captures were made from small squads sent out to reconnoiter, or as train-guards, mail-guards or carriers of dispatches. The service required of the seven old companies in the mountains, previous to the organization of the regiment, was hazardous and was largely by small detachments who were liable to be cut off and run down at any bend in the road, by a superior force concealed in the brush. In the earlier period of the war, the men thus captured were generally paroled after surrendering their horses and arms, but later the captured were generally sent off to Richmond, where after a few months' imprisonment, some were exchanged, but the majority were then sent, either to Anderson- ville, Georgia, or to Salisbury, North Carolina, where many of them sickened and died from exposure and starvation; but few of our men ever returned from those prisons. From the rosters here given, we find eighty names of prisoners. Of these, at least forty died in Southern prisons. Companies A and F suffered the great- est loss in prisoners, the former losing twenty-two men, and the lat- ter twenty, as reported in the rosters; the actual number no doubt exceeded these figures.


Lieut. B. F. Hassan, of Company F, the circumstance of whose capture is given in a former chapter (see pages 134 and 135), is the only one of these prisoners who made his escape after having been carried South. In a booklet published some years ago, he gives a graphic account of his thrilling experience as a fugitive prisoner in the heart of the Confederacy.


On the fourth of September, 1863, while on a scouting expe- dition as sergeant in command of a small force consisting of William



536 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.


Jenkins, Abel Moore, John Manning, Samuel Hallam and John Penny, he and his whole party were captured, placed in Libby Prison, taken from there to Belle Island, where he was confined about six months and there exposed to the terrible severities of the cold winter of '63-4. One morning in March, '64, he and about 300 other prisoners were placed in box or cattle cars and started for Andersonville. Ga. Reaching a point in North Carolina not far from Raleigh, he, with four other prisoners, overpowered the guards in the middle of the night and sprang from the moving train. The subsequent flight through trackless forests by night and concealment by day is described in the booklet referred to, in which he says: "We were evidently on an ascending grade. On visiting the point since the war, I found this to be. the case. Of course, the difference in speed was not very great, but it was no- ticeable. We had agreed upon a signal, but this change in the speed of the train took its place, and that this was the supreme moment, flashed upon all of us at once. I was in the act of look- ing around to see if the thought had occurred to the other boys. when crash went the lantern, and amidst the oaths and execrations of the struggling guards, who were shouting to each other to kill the g- d- Yankees, and the din which such a proceeding would naturally bring about, we sprang out of the car into the darkness. Our plans were carried out perfectly, etc."


After encountering many obstacles, often aided by black peo- ple, at one time nursed for days and nights through a malarial fever by a faithful negro slave, and overcoming difficulties that would seem almost insurmountable, he reached the Union picket post at Red Hill, N. C., some three or four miles south of the bridge which crosses the Pamlico River at Washington in that State. Referring to his approach to the picket-post, he says: "It was just breaking day when I reached the back door of Mr. Kennerly's house. (Mr. Kennerly was a Presbyterian minister and loyal to the Union. To his house, which stood a short distance from the picket-post. the fugitive was directed.) My summons was soon answered by the gentleman himself. I was anxious to make an end to my wander- ings that morning. I inquired the way to the picket-post. He looked at me suspiciously, and said I could follow the road. I told him I did not want to be seen; that I hoped the Union forces still occupied the town. At this he glanced me over and seemed to get a revelation. He took me by the arm and drew me inside the door and exclaimed: ' Oh! you are a refugee. Come in. How in the


537


APPENDIX.


world did you get through? They have been fighting around here for several days. We have not been in bed for three nights. Did you come through underground?' And so on, excitedly plying me with questions-sometimes answering, himself, without allow- ing me opportunity to explain. By refugee is meant a native of the country who might be fleeing from home and endeavoring to get into the Union lines. After getting into the room in presence of his wife, she joined him in expressions of wonder at my success in evading the enemy and expressed sympathy for my distressed con- dition. The table on which were some cold meat and a plate of biscuit, was standing in the middle of the room. I refused their kind invitation to sit down and contented myself by accepting a couple of biscuit which I pocketed and hurried away.


" He told me where the pickets would probably be found, and pointed out how I could get to the road near them by follow- ing a by-path through the forest, and cautioned me to be very care- ful because they had been fighting over on the other side for several days and it was possible the Confederates might have taken the town. If they had, of course their pickets would be at the post. Keeping close to the fence, cautiously creeping along, all the while carefully examining the territory in front of me, I came to the road. It was not full daylight and the fog and mists obstructed the view. Dodging around fence corners and getting a position so that I could look down the road, I discovered a couple of hundred yards · away, a blue-coated sentinel pacing back and forth. Keeping trees and fence in range between us, I stealthily crept nearer. Was that sentinel a Yankee? was the first thing to be settled satisfactorily. I looked intently. His coat, his cap, his every movement was care- fully noted. Yes, surely. The guards at the reserve post began to move about. They were back perhaps a couple of hundred yards beyond the picket or outpost. As it grew lighter, a fair view of them was caught. The glorious blue. There can be no mistake. With difficulty I kept from shouting for the Union and the old flag. Stepping out into the road I threw up my hands in token of surrender and marched toward the sentinel. When I arrived within a. few steps of him, he brought down his gun and commanded me to halt. I took the knife from my belt and threw it at his feet and told him I was otherwise unarmed and would be glad to come in. He called for the sergeant of the guard. When the officer came forward I was admitted within the lines. Of course, an explana- tion was given. That I had been . through the mill,' as well as the


--- - ---------


538 TWENTY-SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY.


swamps, my external appearance bore testimony. Pantaloons in ribbons below the knees, partly barefooted, the little flesh left on my limbs scratched, poisoned and swollen from having been com- pelled so often to wade through water, I was the picture of the direst distress. But the haven was reached at last. The imagi- nation must be left to picture my feelings. Any attempt to describe them would result in utter failure to do the subject justice. With gratitude to God and those kind and faithful people who were in- strumental in making the journey a success, I felt the extremest sensations of joy."


SOME WAR RELICS


J. Shan. Margerum, of Company F, whose portrait is here given, was an en- thusiastic collector of war relics and curios, and gathered a very interesting collection, which be kept on exhibition in his store in Washington, Pa., for many years. Many of these were sou- venirs of occasions when detachments of the Ringgold Battalion were participants in the blood-letting. Since Comrade Margerum's death, the collection has been turned over to the Washington (Pa.) Historical Society, in whose museum these interesting relics of the dark days of the "sixties" may be found.


Shan. Margerum.


------


FX349.9441


,776H





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