I had a serious experience with them when I tried to get inside our picket lines. We scoured the country quite thoroughly.
I find among my papers no copy of a written report except the one I find endorsed on and in connection with the report on Judge Grason's arrest on July 24th, which is the following:
"When Bradley Johnson's Brigade, and Harry Gilmor's Cavalry was in Maryland, and after they destroyed the Gunpowder Bridge on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, one of my detectives named Thompson and myself went out past the Pickets on the Philadelphia Pike as far as the Rechabite Church and then changed onto the Belair road, where I hailed a man named —— ——, who was afterwards caught with a wagon loaded with contraband goods intended for the Rebs. He talked to me for some time. I told him that I wanted to get to see Harry Gilmor, that I was from New York, and that if Gilmor remained long enough in Maryland, I could get some recruits from New York.
This man offered me money to aid me in this glorious enterprise. He told me that if I would go over to Towsontown and see Richard Grason, that he (Grason) could tell me just where Gilmor could be seen. This man also told me about the man that Ishmael Day shot.
We left him and went over to Towsontown, where we had dinner and then went into Baltimore, after being arrested by (our) pickets almost every mile.
That evening we again started out for Towsontown; at Govanstown we were surrounded by about ten or twelve of the 13th Md., who lowered their pieces at us and demanded us to dismount; Thompson did so immediately, but I used more time. They said they had been waiting for us for some time. This of course was an error; finally we were released and proceeded on our way. We could not find Grason.
On our way back we were again arrested by some of the Citizen Cavalry, but got back into Baltimore at about 2 A. M."
(From the Baltimore "American," July 12, 1864.)
"Major Harry Gilmor, who, from a misguided leniency, if not something worse, was released from capture by General Wool, during his administration of affairs in this Department, was the commander of the Rebels who have worked so much destruction of property in this immediate vicinity.
After his successful plundering operations in Carroll and Frederick Counties he concluded to visit his own county and receive the congratulations of his friends and admirers. On Sunday he spent the day and evening at Glen Ellen, above Towsontown, at the residence of his father, Mr. Robert Gilmor, and no doubt a very pleasant time was had.