A Summer in Maryland and Virginia; Or, Campaigning with the 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.: A Sketch of Events Connected with the Service of the Regiment in Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley, VirginiaPerkins, George
History
A Summer in Maryland and Virginia; Or, Campaigning with the 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.: A Sketch of Events Connected with the Service of the Regiment in Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Perkins, George
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories -- Ohio; United States. Army. Ohio Infantry Regiment, 149th (1864)
on stilts, open on every side, and stood on high ground. I stopped for a
moment and looked over the field. The raiders were shooting our men down
in every direction. I climbed into the hay mow. If I hadn’t this story
would never have been written. Like the Irishman who was asked if he run
at the battle of Bull Run. “Shure I did, them that didn’t run are there
yet.” The fight was hot for a little while, but Mosby hurried for fear
of the army ahead. He captured 200 prisoners, 600 head of cattle and
burned 70 wagons. He expected to get the paymaster, who was with us,
with money for the army. The paymaster was shrewd; he had packed the
money in a cracker box and placed it in a wagon, keeping his strong box
in his own vehicle. During the fight this cracker box was tumbled down
the banks of a little creek that ran through the field. I saw it lying
there and after the skirmish the paymaster came back and got it. This
attack was a complete surprise and was a great loss to Sheridan’s army.
I joined our boys who were gathering together on the field. As I passed
through the house lot I saw lying on his face the body of a handsome
young lieutenant, who was shot by one of our company. The ball entered
his forehead and scattered his brains. He was Lieut. Eddy of Mosby’s
men, a member of one of the good families in Richmond, Va. Gen. Mosby
lamented his loss greatly, he being one of his most trusted men. Our
Colonel and Adjutant came riding back in full gallop and hastily
reformed the men, formed a skirmish line and scoured the field, picking
up discarded arms and compelling an old man who had come to the field
with a mule and cart, to pick up what he could and to haul them on to
Winchester. We guarded the wagons that were left on to Winchester, where
we found the Regiment. That night we slept on the stone pavements of the
town and on the next day were sent out on picket, south of the town. We
remained there two nights and a day. On the 15th of August we started on
our return early in the morning. Before starting Col. Brown made a
speech to the Regiment in which he berated them for straggling in the
enemy’s country, said “he would punish severely any disobedience of his
orders.” We reached Berryville at noon and camped at the farm where the
fight had taken place. Two wounded men of the 144th were lying on the
porch of the house. They informed us that almost every man of their
company had been captured. The 144th lost 130 men in this engagement.
Lieut. Eddy had been buried in a shallow grave in one corner of the
house lot. We kept a sharp outlook for our missing comrades, hoping that
they had made their way back to Harper’s Ferry.
On this return march occurred one of those events that made an
impression never to be forgotten.
JOHN BROWN’S BODY
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