THEFIRST MARYLANDBATTALION OF CAVALRY.
On the 15th day of May, 1862, there was assembled in a quiet room in the city of Richmond a little band of Marylanders, numbering eighteen men, who had just been transferred from Captain Gaither’s company, of the First Virginia Cavalry, and ordered to the “Maryland Line,” then organizing in the Valley of Virginia. The subject of their conversation was the formation of a company as a nucleus for a battalion of Maryland cavalry.
“I have withdrawn,” said one, “from the First Virginia, to fight with the people of my native State, and if we do not form a company, I shall go into a Maryland command and shoulder a musket, if I cannot carry a sabre. It is a duty we owe her, and there are Marylanders enough here torepresent her handsomely, if the proper steps are taken to assemble them.”
“I entirely agree with Lieutenant Brown,” said a second speaker, (Frank A. Bond,) “and shall follow his example, though I see no reason why we should not now, in this very room, organize, and set to work recruiting, for I feel confident that in a short time we can gather from among those here and the many coming over, men enough to muster in.”
Those present readily concurred, and before leaving the room it was agreed that Company A should be officered as follows: Captain, Ridgely Brown, of Montgomery; First Lieutenant, Frank A. Bond, of Anne Arundel; Second Lieutenant, Thomas Griffith, of Montgomery; Third Lieutenant, James A. V. Pue, of Howard.
And thus was formed the nucleus of the First Maryland Battalion of Cavalry, a command that was destined to become an honor to the State, and the pride of the cavalry arm of the service.
Company A rapidly recruited, and was in a very short time mustered in, and ordered to the Valley of Virginia. Here it did good service—participating in Jackson’s memorable campaign against Banks, and the subsequent retreat from the superior forces of Fremont. In the cavalry engagement near Harrisonburg, between the commands of Ashby and Percy Wyndham, the gallantry of Company A was so conspicuous as toattract the attention of General Ewell, who paid it a handsome compliment.
Thence they proceeded, with Jackson’s army, to Richmond, and participated in the seven days’ fights. It was with the army of General Lee in Maryland, and after that campaign returned to the Valley of Virginia, to be joined by three companies which had been formed by Captains George W. Emack, Robert C. Smith and Warner E. Welsh.
At Winchester, on the 25th of November, 1862, the battalion was organized as follows:
Major, Ridgely Brown; Adjutant, George W. Booth; Quartermaster, Ignatius Dorsey; Surgeon, Wilner McKnew.
Company A.—Captain, Frank A. Bond; First Lieutenant, Thomas Griffith; Second Lieutenant, J. A. V. Pue; Third Lieutenant, Edward Beatty.
Company B.—Captain, George W. Emack; First Lieutenant, M. E. McKnew; Second Lieutenant, Adolphus Cook; Third Lieutenant, Henry Blackiston.
Company C.—Captain, Robert C. Smith; First Lieutenant, George Howard; Second Lieutenant, T. Jeff Smith; Third Lieutenant, W. S. Turnbull.
Company D.—Captain, Warner E. Welsh; First Lieutenant, W. H. Dorsey; Second Lieutenant, Stephen D. Laurence; Third Lieutenant, Milton Welsh.
Subsequently the battalion was joined by the following additional companies:
Company E.—Captain, W. I. Raisin; First Lieutenant, John B. Burroughs; Second Lieutenant, Nathaniel Chapman; Third Lieutenant, Joseph K. Roberts.
Company F.—Captain, Augustus F. Schwartz; First Lieutenant, C. Irving Ditty; Second Lieutenant, Fielder C. Slingluff; Third Lieutenant, Sam’l G. Bonn.
Company H.—Captain, Gustavus W. Dorsey; First Lieutenant, N. C. Hobbs; Second Lieutenant, Edward Pugh.
The company of Captain Dorsey joined the battalion in July, 1864, having served with distinction up to that time in the First Virginia regiment, of which Generals J. E. B. Stuart, W. E. Jones, and Fitzhugh Lee had successively been Colonels. It will be seen there is a vacancy, occasioned by the death of Third Lieutenant Rodolphus Cecil, who was killed whilst the company was serving in the First Virginia.
After the formation of the battalion, it was ordered to New Market, to join the infantry and artillery of the Maryland Line there encamped.
The winter was passed at various points in the Valley, with its usual routine of picket duty, and but little to vary the monotony of camp life. During that time an expedition was made to Moorefield, by General Jones, but it was attended with no incident worthy of note.
The author cannot say, though, that it was by anymeans an unpleasant winter. We did suffer many hardships and privations, it is true, and were compelled more than once to sleep in the snow; but then we had our enjoyments in social intercourse. The cavalry visited the infantry and artillery, and the infantry and artillery visited the cavalry; and especially was this the case when it was known a committee from either had returned from a trip to the “Fort.” And when, on rainy days, we were compelled to seek the shelter of our shebangs, we could listen to Lieutenant Bill Dorsey narrate the particulars of his famous duel. Pshaw! Don Quixote and his windmill were nowhere.
The reader may wonder what is meant by this mysterious “Fort.” In a word, it was a secluded spot in the mountains where persimmon whiskey was distilled, the road to which was known to Tom Griffith’s big stone jug full well.
The author paid a visit to this famous “Fort” on one occasion. He would not have gone had he not been ordered by Colonel Herbert. Oh, no, for he had been for a long while thinking of signing the temperance pledge. But then he had been taught to always obey orders. Colonel Herbert had invited Colonel Funston and Colonel Massey to dine next day, and it seemed so unsociable not to have something stronger than water on the table, if only for appearance sake. And then chickens and turkeys were to be bought, etc. He went, and with him Captain Ferd. Duvall, mounted on Emack’srace horse. In due time we arrived, and found things cheap, very cheap.
Captain Duvall was a prodigal man with his money, and bought one gallon and a half of persimmon juice, which was poured into sundry three pint canteens. The day was damp and raw, and it was necessary to try the whiskey to test its quality.
“I don’t think it’s good,” I remarked, after tasting it.
“You are mistaken,” said the Captain; “it’s capital. Try it again.”
And we had another pull.
“Better than I thought,” said I, taking the canteen from my lips.
“You were right at first,” said Ferd., almost strangled; “not good at all—not good at all.”
“You are mistaken,” I insisted, “as you will be convinced if you try it again.”
And we did try again, and found it capital.
And then poultry was to be bought; and here again the Captain was prodigal. Three turkeys, six chickens, one goose, two ducks and a guinea fowl was the extent of his purchase, which we strapped behind our saddles.
“One more pull, Major,” said he, “and then ho for camp.”
The pull was taken, and we started, chatting merrily along the road. But persimmon soon began to tell, and “Anne Arundel” became sentimental.
“Sweet Evelina, dear Evelina, sweet Evelina,dear Evelina. Say, Major, that’s what Colonel Herbert sings when he’s thinking of his sweetheart at home. That’s all he knows of it, and that’s all I know. Look here, if you don’t tell anybody, I’ll confide a secret. I’m feeling desperate to-day; havn’t you observed it? I’ll tell you why. Ihada sweetheart at home, too, but don’t you think she’s gone back on me. Yes, done gone and fell in love with another feller. Sweet Evelina, dear Evelina, D—— Evelina. Come, let’s have a horse race; I want to see what Emack can do.”
The chickens and turkeys had long been forgotten, and off we started at full speed, Baltimore city against Anne Arundel county, and after an even race of two miles we brought up in front of Colonel Herbert’s tent.
The Colonel came out and wanted to know what in the devil we were riding like fools for. “No poultry, I see.”
“Lots of it, lots of it,” said I “Just look behind our saddles, will you!”
“Nothing there that I can see.”
Sure enough, chickens, ducks, turkeys and goose were all “done gone.”
A courier was immediately dispatched back over the road we had raced, and he found them strewed along for a mile and a half.
But our misfortunes did not end here, for next day our camp was visited by an unusual number of the officers of the Maryland Cavalry and BaltimoreLight Artillery, and before dinner, to our surprise, every drop of whiskey had disappeared. Here was a dilemma, for Colonel Herbert didn’t know a breath of it; and when the cloth was spread, and no black bottle made its appearance, he looked blue, and Funston looked blue, and Massey looked blue, and Ferd. and myself looked bluest. But it was “done gone,” and couldn’t be helped, so we had a temperance dinner that day.
In March, 1863, a small party from companies A and D, under the command of Captain Bond and Lieutenant Dorsey, whilst picketing on the back road, below Fisher’s Hill, made a dash upon the enemy’s pickets in the vicinity of Kearnstown, killing and capturing a number of them. They were attacked in turn by a large body of cavalry, and compelled to retire precipitately, with the loss of two or three men. This daring act caused a general alarm in Winchester, and Milroy immediately dispatched the 12th and 13th Pennsylvania up the turnpike, running parallel with the back road, to cut the party off. The movement was, however, observed, and information of their approach communicated to General Jones, who, with a part of his command, moved forward to meet them. The enemy were encountered at the little village of Maurytown. The surprise was complete, and the rout that ensued was perhaps unparalleled in the history of the war. At one charge the enemy were scattered in every direction, and pursued to the verygates of Winchester, losing nearly three hundred men in killed, wounded, and captured.
In this affair the First Maryland bore itself with conspicuous gallantry, although but few of the men had ever before been under fire.