History of Western Maryland. J. Thomas Scharf
moved towards Williamsport, and the infantry towards Shepherdstown. The enemy followed on the Williamsport road, and succeeded in capturing the battery and about seven hundred prisoners. After crossing the river at Shepherdstown, Col. Smith marched his infantry to Maryland Heights.
In this affair Capt. Fiery 's company acquitted itself with its accustomed gallantry. Having skirmished nearly all day with the enemy's cavalry, it was confronted in the evening by a heavy force massed on the Winchester road to turn the right of the Federal line. With great impetuosity the enemy charged up the pike, and despite a stubborn resistance by the company and some infantry (not over one hundred in all) he pushed forward, and a running fight was kept up through the town, Capt. Fiery bravely contesting every inch of the ground. Taking the Williamsport road, the company hurried in retreat towards the river, which was crossed before midnight. Next morning learning that the enemy would cross at Dam No. 5, Capt. Fiery started for that point with twenty-five men to harass him. On the road he met a small squad of Confederate cavalry and dashed after them. He soon ran into a large force concealed behind a hill and the fences close by. In this encounter Lieut. Jacob A. Metz, of Washington County, was killed, and Capt. Fiery was taken prisoner, but soon after escaped. The rest of the detachment escaped unharmed. From this point the company kept constant watch on the enemy as far as Harrisburg, and on his return followed him back to the river, capturing nearly two hundred prisoners in the course of the campaign.
Upon receipt of the first news of the attack on Winchester every preparation was made by the garrison of Maryland Heights and Harper's Ferry to give the enemy a warm reception should he again try the stronghold which he had once assailed with success.
The fortifications were greatly strengthened, heavy and light artillery advantageously posted, and strong picket-lines established. The troops remained on the alert, performing heavy fatigue and guard duty for two weeks, with rainy days and nights disagreeably frequent.
But the attack, which was so confidently expected by the military authorities, did not occur.
On the 13th of June, when Bodes' division appeared in front of Berryville, the First and Seventh Maryland were on Maryland Heights, and the Fourth and Eighth Maryland, with Miner's Indiana Battery, under the personal direction of Gen. Kenly, occupied Bolivar Heights. With these troops Gen. Kenly strengthened the line of works on Camp Hill, between the Potomac and the Shenandoah, picketed Loudon Heights, and reconnoitered almost daily into Loudon County and towards and beyond Charlestown. Holding this outpost until the night of June 17th, Gen. Kenly was then ordered by Gen. Tyler (who had just arrived and assumed command, relieving Gen. Kelley) to abandon Harper's Ferry and remove his troops to Maryland Heights. At nine p.m. the command withdrew from the Virginia side (all the army stores having been previously removed from Harper's Ferry), the Eighth Maryland being the last regiment to cross.
Before daybreak of the 15th the Seventh was marched about a mile west of its camp on the heights and thrown into line with the First Maryland and the Sixth New York Artillery, its left resting on the Sharpsburg road.
The report was that the enemy had appeared on the river opposite Sharpsburg. This was the beginning of a long and exciting day. About sunrise the line was heavily reinforced, and during the day the tongue of rumor was busy with a thousand startling reports, all of which centered around the one established fact that Milroy's command at Winchester had been crushed before an overwhelming force of the enemy on their march to transfer the seat of war to the Northern States. It was with especial regret that the soldiers of the Maryland Brigade heard that their old comrades of the Sixth Maryland and Alexander's battery had shared in the general disaster.
A very gratifying incident, and one which aroused the enthusiasm of the Seventh Maryland, was the arrival this day of Company B from Hagerstown. Capt. Makechney had been charged with the collection of government property, and had a train of fifteen loaded wagons and about two hundred horses. By strenuous exertions he succeeded in getting all this property away in safety before the enemy crossed over from opposite Williamsport and occupied Hagerstown.
On the 16th the First and Seventh were relieved from their position of the day before and moved up to the crest of the heights. Here they were joined by the Fourth and Eighth Regiments from Bolivar Heights, and the entire brigade threw up timber breastworks and abatis.
A private letter, written by an officer of the Seventh Maryland, thus describes the condition of affairs on the heights at this time:
" Our position here is impregnable and supplies abundant. We are nearly on the summit of the heights, overlook the surrounding country for miles, cannot be taken by surprise, and cannot be whipped. Our men were never in better trim for service, confident and impatient. Although not actually engaged as yet, we have been by no means idle. It would not be proper to state what has been done towards strengthening the natural defenses of this position. Suffice it to say that we have done enough in that way to make it very desirable that we should be attacked here. All we fear is that Lee is too old and too cunning a rat to nibble at our cheese."
On the 25th of June the same correspondent wrote as follows:
" The evidences of a heavy force in front of us and around us continue to be visible. For several days past we have seen trains of wagons of almost endless length creeping along our front from left to right, and crossing the Potomac at Shepherdstown and perhaps Williamsport. Lee's headquarters are reported at Berryville, and in that direction, along the base of the Blue Ridge, we see heavy columns of dust and the smoke of campfires. Yesterday a train of cars arrived from Baltimore, an event which caused an agreeable excitement."
On the 27th of June, Gen. Hooker came and directed the heights to be abandoned, and orders were issued for the troops to be ready to move in light marching order at 6 a.m. of the 28th. It was intended by Gen. Hooker that the force on the heights, in conjunction with the Twelfth Corps, then in the vicinity, should march upon the enemy's line of communication at Williamsport, destroy his pontoon-bridge at that point, and stop the enormous quantities of provisions, horses, and cattle which were steadily flowing from Pennsylvania and Maryland into Virginia. But Gen. Halleck would not consent to the abandonment of the heights, and this order to march was soon countermanded.
Gen. W. H. French, a regular army officer and a Marylander, was now in command of the heights, having relieved Gen. Tyler on the 26th. His command at this time consisted of four brigades, commanded by Gens. Elliott, Morris, and Kenly and Col. Smith.
On the last day of June, after some previous preparations, Maryland Heights was evacuated. All unmovable property was rendered useless, the heavy ordnance was dismounted, and the ammunition, commissary stores, camp equipage, etc., destroyed. Some property — artillery, forage, stores, etc. — was loaded upon canal-boats for shipment to Washington via the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, under escort of Gen. Elliott's and Col. Smith's brigades, which had been specially assigned to that duty. The Sixth Maryland accompanied this force as a part of Gen. Elliott's brigade. The remainder of Gen. French's command, comprising the brigades of Gens. Kenly and Morris, marched to Frederick City.
During the evacuation of the heights rain was pouring in sheets, and the mountain roads were becoming the beds of torrents. As the Maryland Brigade moved down the mountain, it found the road blockaded with wagons, and the march was interrupted at intervals of about five minutes by halts of fifteen.
An accidental explosion in the magazine of the thirty-pounder battery filled the air with fragments of shell, rock, and timber, and human bodies also. Limbs without bodies and bodies without limbs flew in all directions, and the wounded and the dead, horribly mutilated, were borne away on stretchers. There were nine killed and twelve wounded by the accident. Among the number were some members of the Sixth and Eighth Regiments.
On Monday, June 15th, Jenkins' brigade of Confederate cavalry crossed the Potomac at Williamsport without opposition, and immediately moved through Hagerstown to Greencastle, and thence to Chambersburg. Pa., arriving there on Tuesday night. No Federal troops were at either of these places to oppose this force, and its only hostile acts were the seizure of horses, cattle, and forage. Goods were purchased at the stores, and paid for in Confederate scrip.
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