Crossing the Potomac below Berlin, the Colonel divided his force, sending Lieut. Crown, with sixty-two men of Co. B, to pass along the Frederick road and come up in rear of the Point, while he marched with the remainder, about one hundred, directly down the tow-path of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, intending to attack the enemy in front, while Crown should intercept the retreat of any who attempted to escape by the road to Frederick.
After a quick march of about two miles, Lieut. Crown observed the rear of a body of cavalry about a mile in advance, and wishing to ascertain what force and command it was, he sent Lieut. Dorsey forward with six men to capture a straggler, which was soon done, and the prisoner reported that the force in front was two hundred men of Cole’s battalion, commanded by Captains Vernon and Summers. Not disposed to take one Yankee’s evidence without having it corroborated, Crown again sent Dorsey forward, instructing him as before, to capture a Yankee but to avoid the use of fire-arms, if possible; but this time “Nich.” rode up on two of them, one of whom he captured but was obliged to shoot the other, and as soon as Crown heard the firing he moved his command rapidly to the front, only halting long enough to assure himself that the story of the last prisoner tallied exactly with the first. The enemy halted after crossing Catocton creek, and forming their line of battle, waited for the Confederates to come up, which they very soon did, and Crown discovered that as the advantage in position, numbers and arms, was all greatly against him, he must trust to charging and close quarters; and he at once gave the order to charge, which Company B executed in her usually gallant style, but now with more of fiery valor than ever, for they were that day upon the soil of their native State, and to add to their enthusiasm, knew that the blue jackets in their front covered the forms of Maryland men.
The Yankees poured a heavy fire upon them from their carbines, but Company B was moving at a gallop and on the lowest ground, so that most of the bullets flew over the heads of the men, while those that were low enough only tore their clothes or wounded their horses, and the fact that Cole’s men had not been drilled to fight at sabre’s length was soon evident, for the moment that Crown’s boys gained their side of the creek the Yankees broke, and notwithstanding the efforts of one of their officers fled like sheep from hungry wolves. A running fight for about four miles was kept up, when finding his men overloaded with horses and prisoners, and fearing too that Col. White might need him at the Point, Lieut. Crown recalled his men and turned towards that place, taking with him thirty-seven men and horses of Cole’s battalion, many more having been captured, but in the darkness and confusion made their escape.
When Company B joined Col. White at the Point of Rocks, they found that he had already taken the place, having routed Means’ command and captured about twenty prisoners and horses, and was then engaged in setting fire to two railroad trains that had just come down, one of which he destroyed where it stood, but after getting the other in a good way to burn some of the men let steam on the locomotive and started the blazing train at full speed for Baltimore. After getting all the men together, and taking plenty of time to secure the plunder they wished to take away, the Colonel marched his battalion to Loudoun, and encamped near the Blue Ridge, above Hillsborough, where his people enjoyed themselves finely until the order came calling them to join their General, who was now leading the advance of Lee’s army through Maryland and opening the way for the brilliant but fruitless campaign in Pennsylvania.
CHAPTER XII.
The battalion crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown, and passing on by Sharpsburg and Hagerstown, reached the head of Ewell’s column at Greencastle, from which point it took the advance, and under orders from Gen. Ewell marched directly to Gettysburg, where a heavy body of Pennsylvania militia was assembled to keep the rebels out of town. Company E, commanded by Lieut. H. M. Strickler, a gentleman, a gallant soldier and good officer, but above all an earnest Christian, and who is now (1870) a devoted minister of the M. E. Church South, led the advance, and charged bravely upon the enemy, who were drawn up on the left and in front, as the battalion moved forward, to the number of thirteen hundred infantry and about one hundred cavalry. The battalion did not have over two hundred and fifty men in ranks, but they came with barbarian yells and smoking pistols, in such a desperate dash, that the blue-coated troopers wheeled their horses and departed towards Harrisburg without firing a shot, while the infantry who could do so followed their example, and those who could not threw down their bright, new muskets, and begged frantically for quarter. Of course, “nobody was hurt,” if we except one fat militia Captain, who, in his exertion to be first to surrender, managed to get himself run over by one of Company E’s horses, and bruised somewhat.
Most of White’s men pushed on after the cavalry, who were finely mounted, but they had been on the run while the others were losing time in the camps, and were, of course, too far gone to overtake, and the battalion rallied in the town, where the citizens gave them all they wanted, and more, so that in a little while all who ever did indulge in the ardent were in a half-horse, half wild-cat condition, and each man imagined himself to be the greatest hero of the war; in fact, some were heard recounting to the horrified citizens of Gettysburg the immense execution they had done with the sabre in a hundred battles.
But about five o’clock, after the “Comanches” had been in town two hours, Gen. Early came in and ordered the battalion to go on up the railroad and catch some Yankees, but after a long chase they returned without any “boys in blue,” and bivouacked that night with the citizens—about a mile from town.
Next day was passed in scouting and in gathering up horses, supposed from their fat, sleek appearance, to be fit for service, but no greater mistake was ever committed, for a Southern cavalry horse, after being entirely broken down, could[could] travel farther and better than the fine-looking steeds just from a Pennsylvania stable, and many a man bitterly repented him of exchanging his poor old horse for a new one, even if he got a watch to boot.
The battalion marched to Hanover Junction, where there had been about eight hundred Yankee infantry, but who retired to their fortifications, about two miles off, as the “Comanches” advanced, nor did the latter deem it prudent to attack them; so after skirmishing with them a short time they passed by and encamped for the night, moving out the next morning, in front of Gen. Early’s division, to Little York, where they arrived about noon; and as soon as the General came up he ordered Colonel White to scout the country and destroy as much railroad as possible. Here the Colonel divided his command, sending Captain Myers with his Company off to the left of the town, several miles, to picket and scout, while with the remainder he moved forward to the Susquehanna, where he destroyed the bridge, and on his return from Wrightsville to York burned twenty-two railroad bridges.