Although returning empty-handed from his scouts, operations of this kind had a good effect on the border, for the reason that they diminished greatly, and at some points stopped the communications entirely, with the other side of the river.[river.]
In this manner January and February passed away, but during the latter part of February the business became a great deal more particular, and one Sunday evening the Captain returned to camp from Leesburg with an order to cross Goose Creek and make a scout into Fairfax. Leaving the camp at dark, as usual, the command marched through Leesburg, and on reaching the burnt bridge found the creek very high; in fact, some of the horses had to swim; but all crossed safely, and passing down the pike reached Dranesville, when the Captain turned to the right, and bivouacked his men in the house of a citizen. Here they slept until morning, and continuing the scout, met Lt.-Col. Munford, with a party of the 2d Virginia Cavalry, also on the hunt of the enemy; but nothing came of it, and White returned to his camp, with his men pretty badly used up.
Soon after this, Col. Geary of the 28th Pennsylvania, began to pay attention to the Loudoun side of the river, and needed a great deal of looking after on the part of our scouting company. One day the Captain, with a party, went up to the Loudoun Heights, and from the old blockhouses there, discovered that a pontoon bridge was nearly completed over the Shenandoah, which evidently showed an intention to cross the river. After staying there for an hour or two, in easy gunshot of the workmen, the Captain concluded to go across to the Short Hill and from the Eagle Rock take a look at Sandy Hook and the Rail Road generally. Just as he reached his observatory some of the men looked over at the blockhouses, which they had left a short while ago, and discovered that a detachment of the enemy was in possession of them, having gone up the mountain by one path while White’s command was coming down by another. This was decidedly interesting, and the next day the Captain took his boys up to the Short Hill again, to have another look at them.
Pretty soon after reaching the top of the mountain one of the boys saw a man in a blue coat lying behind some rocks, and showing him to the Captain he called upon him to come out and surrender, which he did, and just at that moment one of the boys, farther out on the mountain, slipped from a rock and accidentally discharged his gun. This created quite a panic, the scouts imagining that they were beleaguered by Yankees, and be it known not many of them had ever seen a Yankee except with the Potomac between them.
The trouble was soon over though, and the prisoner, who proved to be a Lieutenant in Co. D, 28th Pennsylvania, explained that he was one of a party that had crossed the hill there on the way to Lovettsville, and by stopping at a house for something to eat he had got behind, and as a consequence fallen into the hands of those whom he termed “guerrillas.”
No boy was ever prouder of his first pantaloons than White’s boys were of their first prisoner, and rapidly retiring from the mountain they made their best time down the country towards Leesburg, to show him, but great was their astonishment to see the citizens fly from their approach as if they had been a tribe of wild cats.
They couldn’t understand it all until, on reaching Wheatland, they met Major Peyton, of Gen. Beauregard’s staff, who informed the Captain that the people had heard he and his men were all captured, and they thought the party were Yankees coming to devour them.
Capt. White, with his prisoner, and some of his men, went with Major P. to Mr. Braden’s, and the others stopped at Mr. Orrison’s, where they got supper, and related their marvelous exploit, as they then considered it, and so scrupulously chivalrous were they towards the captured officer that the men took turns at walking in order that he might ride the whole way, and although he was provided with canteen, gum-cloth and haversack, everything in fact that a completely equipped soldier needs, they took nothing from him but his pistol.
The Lieutenant informed them that he and all his men were fighting for the Union, and not to set the negroes free; that if he thought for one moment the latter was the object of the war he would quit the army at once and either go home and stay there, or come South and join the Confederates.
After supper the company united and marched for Leesburg, but on reaching Clark’s Gap found that the men who had been left in camp, alarmed at the rumors they had heard, had loaded the wagons and moved everything from Waterford to the turnpike, and had the teams still hitched up ready to move further. Leaving the company here, Capt. W. took the prisoner to Gen. Hill, and in the morning came up and moved his wagons back to Waterford. This was Sunday morning, and a company of Michigan Cavalry came down to about one and a-half miles of the town, when White got his men in the saddle to meet them, but they were only on a scout, and after getting a look at the Southern pickets returned to their camp. The next day the Captain took his men again to the mountain, this time to capture the blockhouses on Loudoun Heights.