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Emmitsburg: The Pivotal Crossroad of the Civil War
By John A. Miller,
Emmitsburg Historical Society
Emmitsburg is a small community and
it holds the same charm and appearance as it did in our town's past.
Emmitsburg history tells us stories of Patriots joining General
Washington's army to Francis Scott Key's house not far from town where
he was born. We also have stories of the Civil War and how Emmitsburg
served as a crossroad for the soldiers on both sides. Emmitsburg has
raised some of our country's best military units ready to defend our
country. Even though our history books forgot to mention Emmitsburg,
we all can relate to the important role Emmitsburg has played for over
two hundred years.
William Emmit founded the town of
Emmitsburg in 1785 and through the years Emmitsburg grew to become
recognized as a symbol of religion due to its many churches such as
Saint Joseph College, and Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary School. After
researching many aspects of the Civil War in the greater Emmitsburg
area, I soon realized that the Emmitsburg area played a major role in
the Civil War, more than what has been given credit. But why was
Emmitsburg so important during the Civil War? Emmitsburg became a
pivotal crossroad of the Civil War.
During the outbreak of the Civil War,
many town residents mustered into the military fighting on both sides.
Most of these men that fought for the south would have been members of
a Virginia or Maryland Regiment in the Army of Northern Virginia.
However, several went south into
North Carolina and also
South Carolina to fight. Even Mount Saint Mary’s did not escape
the Civil War.
Daniel Beltzhoover, a professor went south to Louisiana and
enlisted and was given the commission of Lieutenant Colonel.
Cole’s Cavalry Company C a federal unit is remembered the most in
our town’s Civil War history. They were known as Horner’s Company,
being named after it’s commander Captain John C. Horner. During the
summer of 1862, Captain Horner retired from service and Captain Albert
Hunter became the new commander. Most of the men in Horner’s Company
of Cole's Cavalry were from Western Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania
thus included the Emmitsburg area, the Taneytown area, and the
Gettysburg area. Most of the men were farmers, planters, and young,
unmarried, accustomed in the use of firearms and had knowledge of
riding. This was a talent that most cavalry companies were missing
during the first two years of the war. Many of the recruits in
Horner’s Company even brought their own horses. Their extensive
knowledge of Western Maryland, and the topography of the Shenandoah
Valley that runs through Pennsylvania deep into southern Virginia,
served as a great asset to the Union cause.
The Chambersburg Raid of 1862
The Civil War first affected Emmitsburg during the 1862 Raid on
Chambersburg. This was the first time Emmitsburg saw Confederate
troops since the outbreak of war. Upon leaving Chambersburg on October
11,1862, the Federal cavalry, led by Colonel Rush, was pursuing the
Confederate cavalry of General JEB Stuart. Colonel Rush had split his
command leaving several units in Frederick, Maryland, which included
Company C of Cole’s Cavalry under the command of Captain Albert
Hunter, while his 6th Pennsylvania cavalry was scouting in the
Emmitsburg area.
General Alfred Pleasonton who was
also tracking for the Confederate Cavalry received false intelligence
of General Stuart’s whereabouts. He thought that General Stuart was
retracing his footsteps back toward the Potomac River in the direction
in which he came. General Pleasanton started to pursue the Confederate
cavalry at Knoxville, Maryland on October 10-11 in the direction that
intelligence report stated. Soon afterwards, he was ordered to proceed
toward Emmitsburg and Mechanicstown.
General Pleasonton lost two hours of
valuable time that allowed General Stuart and his Confederate cavalry
to slip by and head directly into Emmitsburg. Since leaving
Chambersburg, General Stuart had already ridden over 31 miles and was
approximately 45 miles from the Potomac River. At the same time,
General George McClellan order General Stoneman, who was at
Poolesville, Maryland to be on the lookout for General Pleasanton and
try to intercept General Stuart at Emmitsburg or Mechanicstown.
On the evening, of October 11th,
General Stuart made his way into Cashtown passing the taverns such as
the Harding House Inn and the Cashtown Inn. At this time, General
Stuart was about seven miles away from Gettysburg. Before he started
to pull back toward Hagerstown, the Confederate cavalry realized that
the Federal cavalry was pursuing them. General Stuart then took the
old Fairfield Road and near sunset the five-mile long column reached
the town of Emmitsburg. There, General JEB Stuart ordered his men to
rest, and also feed and water their horses.
Just one hour before the Confederate
arrival in Emmitsburg, 140 men of the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry known
as Colonel Rush’s Lancers had passed through Emmitsburg and headed
toward Gettysburg. Members of General Stuart’s advance guard charged
the through Emmitsburg chasing after the stragglers of the four
companies of the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
The town of Emmitsburg hailed the
Confederate troopers as the townsmen opened their arms to the
Confederate cavalry. Many people of Emmitsburg applauded very loudly
as the Confederate Cavalry entered the town. There they received fresh
bread, buttermilk, and meat and the town itself was being very
supportive to those dressed in gray. Never before had townsfolk
actually seen a Confederate and they were curious to hear the tales
they had to tell. The Confederates were observed as being very polite
to the residents of Emmitsburg. Major Henry B. McClellan observed
General Stuart enjoying the hospitality among the local citizens of
Emmitsburg. Friendly citizens also greeted members of Stuart’s Horse
Artillery, as they paused long enough to feed and water their horses.
At this time, General Stuart ordered
pickets to set up along the roads leading into Emmitsburg. A courier
was captured as Federal cavalry was catching up to the rear of the
Confederate cavalry. General Stuart then learned that Colonel Rush,
and also General Alfred Pleasonton and some 800 members of his cavalry
were pursuing him and were riding from Hagerstown toward
Mechanicstown. The courier was then blind folded and released to fool
Colonel Rush. General JEB Stuart attended to his horse and stood up
against a tree for about a half an hour before moving out. Then the
order was given to mount up. Fearing that General George B. McClellan
knew his location, General Stuart left Emmitsburg shortly after sun
down headed for Virginia. Only a few stragglers stayed behind in
Emmitsburg. Some reports state that Colonel Rush caught a few of these
stragglers.
On the road toward Frederick, General
Stuart accompanied Southhall, who commanded the advance guard, before
leaving him, General Stuart ordered him to keep up the fast gait and
ride over any opposing parties. Soon after, another courier was
captured carrying dispatches from Frederick to Colonel Rush’s Lancers.
From this information General Stuart learned that even though the
enemy was trying to intercept him, they still had no idea of his
location or movements. He also learned that Colonel Rush had enough
men in Frederick to protect the city, even though four companies of
his Lancers were headed for Gettysburg.
The dispatches also stated that 800
men under the command of General Pleasonton was hurrying to
Mechanicstown, just four miles from Stuart’s position and also that
the railroad crossing of the Monocacy was occupied by two brigades of
infantry, ready at a moments notice to steam the railcar engines and
deploy them in either direction.
With this new found information,
General Stuart ordered the column to turn east at Rocky Ridge,
Maryland and travel toward the Woodsboro Road two miles away. At
around 9 P.M., the advance guard reached Rocky Ridge; they met a
scouting party of General Pleasonton’s Federal Cavalry, which turned
immediately toward Mechanicstown. A half past 10 P.M. a company of the
6th Pennsylvania Cavalry observed the march of General Stuart’s column
through Woodsboro. This information of General Stuart’s location was
dispatched to Colonel Rush and to General Pleasonton only few miles
away at Mechanicstown. Even though this information only had to go
from Rocky Ridge to Mechanicstown, a mere four miles away it took more
than three hours to relay. In the meantime General Stuart continued
his march toward the Potomac River.
By daylight of October 12, General
Stuart’s advance guard entered Hyattstown, over 33 miles from
Emmitsburg. General Stuart along with his men and artillery had
traveled an amazing 65 miles within 20 hours. By this time members of
Cole's cavalry caught up with the rear of Confederate cavalry. A
skirmish developed and seven Confederate troopers were captured.
The Federal cavalry had been given
several opportunities to attack General Stuart’s cavalry at Emmitsburg
and Rocky Ridge. With false intelligence, missed opportunities, and
the slowness of the Federal couriers that carried these dispatches
they had unintentionally allowed General Stuart more time to get
further away.
The Gettysburg Campaign
During the Gettysburg Campaign of
1863, Emmitsburg witnessed several cavalry engagements. Skirmishes
developed in and outside of Emmitsburg at Fountain Dale, Monterey
Pass, Fairfield, the Emmitsburg Road, Emmitsburg Station (south of
Emmitsburg), and also at the Farmer’s Inn (west of Emmitsburg). As
part of the Pipe Creek Defensive Line, the Western Wing of the Army of
the Potomac came into Emmitsburg on June 29th and stayed through July
2nd. Several military regiments encamped in Emmitsburg and stationed
their supplies there during the battle of Gettysburg.
As the Confederate Army retreated,
Emmitsburg became a detour on July 5th, for General Stuart as he made
his way back to General Lee's army. On July 7th, General Meade
traveled through Emmitsburg on his way to Frederick and was hailed by
the town residents. More than half of the Army of the Potomac traveled
through Emmitsburg on their way to and from the battlefields of
Gettysburg.
The effects of the Gettysburg
Campaign started on June 15 around eleven o' clock on a Monday night,
when a major fire had started in the town of Emmitsburg at the loft of
the Beam and Guthrie Stable. The fire had spread eastward up along
Main Street, involving the northeast, northwest and southeast blocks
around the old water hole More than fifty homes and businesses were
damaged or destroyed. Some speculation and rumors stated that it was
set on fire by parts of the Confederate Army or by some southern
sympathizers. Civilians in Gettysburg were looking southward and saw
the orange glow in the sky. Fearing the worst was coming their way;
this was surely a sign of what was to come.
On Saturday June 27th, a part of
General Joseph T. Copeland's Brigade of Michigan cavalry encamped just
south of Emmitsburg on the old tollgate, before heading toward Hanover
on the following Monday. A young, dashing general came riding into
Emmitsburg, dressed in black velvet with a red scarf around his neck.
This young man was General George Armstrong Custer. He was only 24
when he was promoted to Brigadier General in Frederick only a few days
prior and had recently replaced General Copeland as commander of the
Michigan Brigade. A local resident by the name of Jim McCullough
guided this force around the area.
As Emmitsburg started to see
skirmishes on June 28th at Fountaindale and on June 29th at Fairfield,
General Meade received dispatches from General Buford telling him that
the Confederates were in Chambersburg, Cashtown, and also Fairfield
heading south-southeast. After receiving this information General
Reynolds was ordered to move the First Corp to Emmitsburg, followed by
the XI Corp under the command of General Howard. As the western wing
expanded further westward, General Meade relocated his headquarters to
the Shunk Farm outside of Taneytown. The Shunk Farm, sits along Route
194 north of Taneytown, he stayed there from June 30th until the
evening of July 1st.
As General Lee was maneuvering his
forces, the Emmitsburg-Taneytown area found themselves between the two
armies. When Lee’s main force reached Chambersburg, he retained one
corps there, and sent two others eastward through Gettysburg toward
York and then onto Harrisburg. Later, when he learned of the approach
of the Union Army from the south, General Lee concentrated them from
the north, making Gettysburg a geographical contest. In this
description of the battle of Gettysburg, the Emmitsburg vicinity is
roughly clarified as being boundaried on the north by Greenmount, or
Marsh Creek; on the east by Bridgeport; on the west by Zora and
Fountain Dale, and on the south by Mechanicstown as the Union Army was
preparing for a clash.
On June 29th, the Union forces, tired
from a day's march from Frederick and Middletown, Maryland, set camp
in Emmitsburg. The soldiers' campsite covered the grounds of the
present day National Fire Academy and reached almost to what is now
the Post Office. The town’s residents welcomed the men in blue. After
seeing the damage done by the fire on June 15th, the men in blue
thought that the rebel army had torched the town. They soon found out
that it was actually a stable fire that caused three sections of the
town's square to burn down. The rebels were finally cleared of this
false accusation.
It was at this time that Emmitsburg
became the supply base for the Union Army. Major General John
Reynolds, commander of the left wing of the Union Army consisting of
the First, Third, and the Eleventh Corp, was moving toward Emmitsburg.
Parts of the First and Eleventh Corps came through Emmitsburg during
the day. The First Corp came into Emmitsburg to obtain supplies that
the army needed, such as fresh milk, bread, pies, and cakes. There,
the First Corp set camp at the present day Post Office and mustered to
receive their pay. A small disturbance broke out when soldiers of the
76th New York were told to wait until the next day to receive their
pay.
At the Southern end of town, toward
Mount Saint Mary's College, the Eleventh Corp, under the command of
General Oliver O' Howard, made their way into Emmitsburg. General
Howard made his headquarters at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary. During
the early evening hours General Reynolds decided to break camp and
move the First Corp to Marsh Creek, which is located about five miles
north of Emmitsburg. Just across the Mason Dixon line, General
Reynolds made his headquarters at the Moritz Tavern and positioned the
first corps at Marsh Creek on the evening of June 30. A battery of
artillery was held in Emmitsburg as reserves on the heights toward
Mechanicstown.
A soldier and later historian of the
Twelfth Massachusetts Volunteers recorded a story about a young boy
from Emmitsburg, Maryland. Later in life he wrote: “An instance of the
bravery of a 15 year old Emmitsburg lad named J. W. (C.F.) Wheatley,
as Baxter’s brigade was marching through Emmetsburg it was followed by
the village boys, one of whom continued to the camp at Marsh Creek,
where he offered to enlist. His offer, however, was ridiculed, and he
was sent away. On the morning of the 1st of July he reappeared, and so
earnestly entreated the colonel of the Twelfth Massachusetts to be
allowed to join his regiment, that a captain of one of the companies
(Company A) was instructed to take him on trial for a day or two. When
the regiment halted near the seminary, the boy was hastily dressed in
a suit of blue. Afterwards, during the action, he fought bravely until
a bullet striking his musket split it in two pieces, one of which
lodged in his left hand and the other in his left thigh. The boy was
taken to the brick church in the town to be cared for, but nothing was
afterwards seen or heard of him until July 4th. I saw him for the last
time bitterly crying for his mother and sundry of other relatives. He
was never muster into the service, and therefore fought as a
civilian."
As soon as General Reynolds set up
his headquarters, he received a message from General Buford stating
that the rebel forces were now at Cashtown, advancing towards
Gettysburg. General Reynolds forwarded the message to General Howard
as well as to General Meade, whose headquarters were at Taneytown,
just east of Emmitsburg. General Howard was instructed to position his
men to Reynolds' left in case the Confederates happened to come from
the direction of Fairfield. By this time it seemed that the
Confederates were moving towards Emmitsburg.
During the evening, General Howard
rode out to see General Reynolds at the Moritz Tavern. There they ate
dinner and looked over maps. General Reynolds wrote a dispatch to
General Meade telling him about the movements of the Confederate army.
With that dispatch, General Reynolds also sent a message to General
Meade that in case of a Confederate break-through, a defensive plan
was required. General Reynolds wrote that a position north of
Emmitsburg was a good place to make a stand. If they were to fight a
defensive battle in this vicinity, north of Emmitsburg, the
Confederate force would undoubtedly turn the western wing by way of
Fairfield. After sending out the message to General Meade, the
commander made his way to bed. On the ride back to Mount Saint Mary's,
General Howard thought that General Reynolds seemed distracted.
Perhaps the General was thinking about his love, Catherine Hewitt, or
maybe he somehow knew the coming of day would be his last on earth.
General Reynolds met Katherine Hewitt
in California in 1860. There they fell in love with one another.
General Reynolds was then transferred to West Point. Miss Hewitt
traveled back east with General Reynolds, while there she attended
school in Pennsylvania at Sacred Heart Academy near Torresdale.
General Reynolds and 'Kate,' as he called her secretly, planned to
marry, however the marriage was postponed by the start of the war.
They decided instead to get married after the war had ended, as so
many others planned to do. Katherine Hewitt tried to keep their love
affair private until the end of the war. When she asked to view the
General's body, she told the members of his family that they met in
California. A grieving Katherine Hewitt entered a convent in
Emmitsburg, and kept in touch with the family of General John
Reynolds. Ms. Hewitt stayed in Emmitsburg until 1868 when she
vanished.
On July 1st General Sickles Third
Corps marched from Bridgeport, Maryland through Emmitsburg heading to
Gettysburg between two and three o'clock that afternoon. Emmitsburg
was now holding troops in reserve for the western wing of the Army of
the Potomac. The town of Emmitsburg was crucial to the war efforts.
General Meade sent a dispatch to General Sickles and told him to hold
Emmitsburg in case of a break through which would have Emmitsburg
acting as a roadblock. General Sickles was subsequently ordered to
leave Emmitsburg to rejoin the Army of the Potomac that was already
heavily engaged at Gettysburg. One reason that General Meade ordered
Sickles to leave Emmitsburg was due to so many Union troops being
engaged at Gettysburg and it would be too risky to hold Emmitsburg as
part of a plan that didn't involve a retreat. When another order came
from General Meade to confirm the original order to stay at
Emmitsburg, General Sickles disregarded it and moved on toward
Gettysburg.
After the battle of Gettysburg both
Union and Confederate troops came through Emmitsburg, confiscating
what little it had left. The roads were being torn apart by wagons,
horse drawn artillery, and soldiers who marched through the town
during a rainstorm. Roads around and in town were flooded with
Federals pursuing the Rebels as they marched home to Virginia. The
Confederates that came into Emmitsburg had no way of paying for the
personal supplies that they received from the town. This was due to
the fact that Confederate money did not hold the value of green backs
or gold. The citizens of Emmitsburg couldn’t make a profit no matter
how hard they had tried just like other small towns that had been
ransacked by the war. As the Army of Northern Virginia retreated some
of its companies came through Emmitsburg and settled in for the night
by Tom’s Creek near the present day U.S. Post Office.
On Sunday, July 4th, Confederate
cavalry under the command of General Albert Jenkins came into
Emmitsburg. General Jenkins was patrolling around the wagon train that
was in Fairfield at the time when he came into Emmitsburg. In his
History of Emmitsburg, James Helman mentioned a story about the
Confederate Cavalry under General Jenkins when he came into
Emmitsburg; “While watering their horses, residents who were curious
of the outcome of the battle of Gettysburg asked the troopers who won,
their reply was that the Confederates had won. The Confederate riders
also became paranoid by some of this hamlet’s residents. On one
occasion some rebels detected two gentlemen watching every move they
had made, when suddenly the rebels raised their pistols. These rebels
thought that the gentlemen were Union spies or were part of the signal
corp. Once the two gentlemen explained that they were villagers of the
town and were curious as to what all the bedlam was about, the rebels
placed their guns back into their holsters.”
A lady in Emmitsburg who was born in
1920’s told me stories about her family life in Emmitsburg during the
Civil War as told by her grandmother. “Farms in the area were also
being raided for their horses. On one occasion, Confederate soldiers
halted by a local mill and were in the process of taking the mill
horses when the miller became aware of what was happening and ran
outside and yelled "You can’t take my horses, I need them for my
work." The soldiers told the miller that they needed them badly to get
back home, and if they could use them to get to Hagerstown and across
the Potomac the miller could have them back. So the miller went with
the troopers and brought the horses back to his mill several days
later.” Soon the rebel cavalry left Emmitsburg to rejoin General Jones
up at Jack’s Mountain. Many stories such as these exist and after
checking many official reports, they may be true.
On that same day General Kilpatrick’s
men came riding into Emmitsburg at a full charge, hoping to find the
parts of the Confederate cavalry in town. They were soon disappointed,
for there were no rebels to be found. When General Kilpatrick arrived
in town the Union cavalry proceeded to rest for a bit and get
something to eat. The town had given away all the tobacco and most of
the bread. Most of the medical supplies that the town had were being
used to treat men who were wounded. Once General Kilpatrick learned of
the movement of the Confederate cavalry only five miles away at
Monterey Pass, the Union cavalry left Emmitsburg around twelve in the
morning began to pursue the Confederate wagon train.
On July 5th, General Stuart came
through the town of Emmitsburg during the dawn hours; here he learned
that a large Union cavalry under the command of General Kilpatrick had
just left the town only hours before his arrival. The Union cavalry
was headed toward the rebel wagon train on Jack’s Mountain. General
Stuart also learned that the route he wanted to take to get back to
General Lee was in the same direction that the battle of Monterey Pass
had occurred when General Kilpatrick left Emmitsburg. Another detour
was needed. While in Emmitsburg, General Stuart managed to get the
medical supplies that the rebels needed from the convents in
Emmitsburg. Once General Stuart got the required supplies needed, they
left traveling down Old Frederick Road toward Mechanicstown. This led
him and his men to the town of Cooperstown, (Creagarstown as its known
today). Shortly before traveling into Cooperstown, the Confederate
Cavalry divided the column and some came into the town of Graceham.
They eventually met up in Mechanicstown. Once in Mechanicstown, Stuart
learned that General Merrit’s U.S. cavalry occupied Harman’s Pass. The
Confederate cavalry left Mechanicstown, and started for Emmitsburg.
As General Stuart came back toward
Emmitsburg on the afternoon of July 5th, skirmishes developed when he
tried to get over the Catoctin Mountain (present day College
Mountain.) General Stuart did however manage to check his counter
parts and force them back into Emmitsburg. In a report by General
Custer’s he stated: “The 1st and 6th Ohio Cavalry also fought next to
the Michigan boys at the battle of Monterey Gap, until they were
ordered to Emmitsburg on the morning of July 5, where they skirmished
with General Stuarts Cavalry in the afternoon.”
Around this time three photographers
named, Alexander Gardner, Timothy O'Sullivan, and James Gibson passed
through Emmitsburg and were the first to witness the carnage of what
was the aftermath of Gettysburg. Gardner stayed at the Farmers Inn and
Motel at Emmitsburg before his voyage to Gettysburg on July 4-5th. As
General Stuart came into Emmitsburg on the dawn hours of July 5th,
Gardner was captured and detained at the Farmers Inn and was not
released until General Stuart was ready to move out.
On July 7th, Gardner and his crew
came back into Emmitsburg on their way to Washington. While in
Emmitsburg, the photography crew produced seven negatives of different
scenes in Emmitsburg. One is a picture of the Farmers Inn and another
is the town itself that shows the damage done by the fire that
occurred on June 15. Their work on the Gettysburg battlefield and also
those taken in Emmitsburg would become some of the most famous
photographs that future generations would marvel upon.
Emmitsburg saw Union troops for the
several days. The I, VI, and the XI Corps marched through Emmitsburg
on July 6th. Members of the I Corp found other members of the VI Corp
resting after their march from Fairfield. Emmitsburg was now hosting
the Union troops and opened their stores to them. A drummer boy named
Bardeen purchased a fair amount of green peas at a price of ten cents
at Emmitsburg’s General Store that is located across the street from
the Farmers Inn (present day Emmit House).
Emmitsburg became a landmark for
those in blue since other roads in poor condition could not handle the
huge army. Poor conditions and detours caused the armies to split up
their columns in pursuit of General Lee. On July 7th, General Meade
himself came to Emmitsburg and was received with much enthusiasm. Many
of the townspeople thanked the General for all he did in protecting
the town from the Confederates. Members of the Fifth Corps came
through Emmitsburg on their way to Utica, as they were last of the
Federal soldiers who were passing through Emmitsburg.
Emmitsburg was able to reassemble the
homes and businesses that were destroyed by the Great Fire of 1863,
however the shortages of livestock and produce made it even harder for
the town folks to get through the winter. The military left Emmitsburg
to account for itself from the severity of the Gettysburg Campaign. By
spring the pastures were being cultivated with produce and the
imprints that were left by the armies were utilized and leveled. As
for the towns people their lives would manage to get back to normal by
harvest time. Those recollections left of the carnage of battle, would
still hold its terror in the hearts of those who experienced the
reality of the struggle of Emmitsburg during the Gettysburg Campaign.
General Early’s Raid of 1864
For a year Emmitsburg’s community was
quiet and the effects of the Gettysburg Campaign had gone. The
families of Emmitsburg's surrounding area had resumed in leading a
normal life, and by 1864 the Civil War was at the gates of Richmond
and no threat of the war was in sight until summer. The summer
Campaign of 1864 was known as Early’s Raid, and caused a lot of
commotion in Northern Frederick County where Emmitsburg is located.
To relieve the pressure off of
General Lee’s thin stretched line, he requested that General Early
take 18,000 men north to liberate Lynchburg, clear the Federals from
the Shenandoah Valley, cross the Potomac River, and split his force
into two columns. The first column would create havoc near
Washington’s defenseless chain of forts, while the second column tried
to free the prisoners of Confederates held at Point Lookout, Maryland.
Unfortunately the plan was not carried out as successful as General
Lee had hoped.
Confederate General Jubal Early
traveled up the Shenandoah Valley and entered Maryland at
Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Splitting the Confederate Army into two
columns the cavalry proceeded to Hagerstown with the demands of
$20,000 ransom. If the demands were not met, the officer in charge had
orders to torch Hagerstown. The town officials came up with $20,000
dollars worth of medical supplies, food, and clothing so the town was
spared. While the cavalry was at Hagerstown, Early’s Confederate Army
sidestepped the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry and crossed the
Potomac River at near Shepherdstown into Maryland on July 5-6.
Communities all over Frederick
County, Maryland were eager to hear about the news of the
Confederates. Not knowing the reason why the Confederates were in
Frederick County, troops of the of the Union army were sent to
Emmitsburg in case the Confederate Army advancing in force to
Baltimore by way of Pennsylvania. Once the Confederates engaged at
Monocacy on July 9th, it was clear that Washington was their target.
The citizens of Emmitsburg could now rest easy thinking that the
threat of Confederates entering the town was over.
By late July, General Early again
ordered his Army North, splitting it into two columns. The first
column under the command of General John McCausland was sent forth to
Chambersburg, PA, while the second column under Early himself set
forth to Moorefield West Virgina. Emmitsburg saw more Union troops
entering the town as operations continued. The citizens must have
wondered what was going on. Not realizing another threat was
inevitable in Pennsylvania, the towns’ people pondered at the Union
Cavalry. The terror of war was approaching and nobody knew what the
targets or the reason why a Confederate force under the command of
General McCausland was approaching in the direction of Chambersburg.
As General Early’s operations against the B&O Railroad continued,
Chambersburg was invaded by Confederate troops in late July.
On July 28, an unusual order arrived
for General McCausland. General Early had enough of the new Federal
policy of destruction. Later McCausland wrote: "My men had just dismounted and were
making camp and getting ready to eat what rations they could find. I
was sitting there on my horse talking to Nick Fitzhugh, my adjutant,
when a courier handed me a dispatch from Early. I opened it up and
when I read those first lines I nearly fell out of the saddle. He
ordered me in a very few words to make a retaliatory raid and give the
Yankees a taste of their own medicine."
During the Chambersburg raid, the
small contingent of Union Cavalry guarding the area around Emmitsburg
was driven into Emmitsburg by superior numbers of Confederate forces
and was, for a time, in danger of being cut off. Emmitsburg saw no
more soldiers in combat until after the burning of Chambersburg in
l864, a side effect of Early’s invasion. Confederate troopers
skirmished with Federal Troops on July 30th west of Emmitsburg.
However, the Union Cavalry held about a mile from the town and
Emmitsburg was spared the destruction of war
After burning Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania, on July 30, Generals Johnson and McCausland’s cavalry
rode toward Cumberland, Maryland, to disrupt the B&O Railroad. The
Confederates destroyed the vital bridges along the B&O Railroad at
Flocks Mill near Cumberland. General Benjamin Kelly organized a small
force of soldiers and citizens to meet the Confederate advance. On
August 1, Kelly ambushed the Rebel cavalrymen near Cumberland at
Flock’s Mill, and skirmishing continued for several hours. Eventually
the Confederates withdrew and the last major battle of the Civil War
in the state of Maryland was finally over.
Want to learn more about the area?
Then try the Emmitsburg Historical Society
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