CHAPTER III.
On the morning of March 4th, 1862, Captain White marched from Waterford to Leesburg, and when they reached the top of Catocton Mountain they saw what desolation the retiring army was inflicting on the country, and knowing what would follow the Yankees in their advance, it did really appear that the people of their beloved and beautiful Loudoun must leave their homes or be burned with them, for all over the country could be seen the flames going up from the stack-yards and mills, and the morning air was dark and heavy with the gloom of the destruction which brooded over the land.
On arriving at Leesburg Gen. Hill’s troops were seen marching away, the General and his staff being mounted, ready to leave the town when the last soldier had gone out. Hill ordered White to remain and act as he thought best, but to watch the enemy, and keep him advised of all movements along the border.
The Captain remained in town until evening, when he went up among the Quakers and encamped for the night, and for several days hung around this section, watching for an opportunity to annoy the enemy, but they did not appear desirous of being annoyed by him, for it was almost two days after White left Waterford before the Michigan cavalry appeared in that place; but from here their march to Leesburg was rapid, and after that they remained very quiet for several days, being only engaged in arresting citizens and operating under the instigation of the tory citizens of the county who now flocked into the desolated land, and as far as their power went, destroyed every vestige of free will among the people, and turned loose the demon of political persecution upon those unfortunate people—whose only crime was loyalty to their old mother State.
The situation of the little company of scouts was now rather precarious, cut off from supplies from both directions—their homes and the army too—no regular organization of their own, no quartermaster, and what rendered the matter worse, the men had made no preparation for a campaign out of reach of their homes, and their supply of clothing was very scanty. The Captain bestirred himself to supply, as far as possible, all deficiencies, and made arrangements to get cloth from the factory at Waterloo; and pretty soon he learned that Lieut.-Col. Munford, with four companies of his regiment, had been left to operate along the border.
To this gallant officer and gentleman he at once applied to have himself and people admitted into his command, which request was readily granted, and in the welcoming speech of the Colonel he assured the little band of homeless wanderers that “the men of the mountains welcomed the boys of the Potomac, and would gladly share with them their blankets and their bread.”
Here they had a temporary home, and very soon their ranks filled up to the number required by law for a company, and on the 19th of March, under Col. Munford’s superintendence, the company was regularly organized, Capt. White being unanimously chosen to command it, with Frank M. Myers as 1st Lieutenant, Wm. F. Barrett 2d Lieutenant, and R. C. Marlow 3d Lieutenant.
Lieut. Marlow was placed in general charge of the quartermaster department, and Lieut. Barrett was sent to Culpeper on duty as a recruiting officer.
Col. Munford kept Geary’s forces in constant fear and trembling, so that his cavalry never ventured out of hearing of the infantry; and it was no easy matter to make anything out of them.
On one occasion the Colonel came from Salem to Rector’s Cross Roads, where he found some of the enemy’s pickets, and White, with about half a dozen men, tried to capture them, but with all speed they flew down the pike towards Middleburg, closely pursued by the Confederates. On reaching the town, White’s party was in striking distance, and succeeded in killing one and wounding another; but here they ran into the 28th Pennsylvania, just in the act of forming their line of battle, and but for a citizen, the Captain would have gotten into serious difficulty.