Three Years in the Federal CavalryGlazier, Willard W.
History
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Glazier, Willard W.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
All night long Kilpatrick and his successful followers were gathering
the spoils of their evening work. Wagon after wagon was overtaken,
captured, and destroyed, while hundreds of prisoners were easily
captured. This daring exploit placed Kilpatrick in advance of the Rebel
army, giving him a fine opportunity to obstruct their pathway of
retreat, and to destroy whatever could be of any use to them. Had he not
been cumbered with so many prisoners, it is not in the power of any one
to estimate the damage he would have done. In his official report he
says: "On this day I captured eighteen hundred and sixty prisoners,
including many officers of rank, and destroyed the Rebel General Ewell's
immense wagon-train, nine miles long."
It should be stated that these wagons were mostly laden with the ripened
and gathered crops of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and with the plunder of
private and public stores, including dry goods and groceries of every
variety and quality. None who saw it will ever forget the appearance of
that mountain road the day following this night's foray.
Stuart, who was ingloriously defeated at Monterey, retired towards
Emmitsburg with about fifty prisoners that he had captured during and
after the fight. He then moved southward until he struck an unfrequented
road which leads over the mountain _via_ Wolfe's Tavern. By this turn he
avoided immediate contact with our cavalry. But about five o'clock
P. M., as he was about to debouch into the valley, Kilpatrick, who was
watching for him as a cat does a mouse, attacked him with artillery and
fought him till dark. This fight occurred near Smithburg, whence the
prisoners in Kilpatrick's hands were sent to South Mountain, guarded by
the Harris Light.
Darkness having put an end to the contest, Kilpatrick marched through
Cavetown to Boonsboro', where he bivouacked for the night. Stuart, it
was ascertained, marched till about midnight to the small town of
Leitersburgh, where he rested his worn and wearied command. His
condition was really pitiable. A large number of his men were mounted on
shoeless horses, whose leanness showed that they had made many a long
march through and from Virginia. Or, as was the case with a large
proportion of them, they had fat horses, which were stolen from the
fields and stalls of the invaded States, but, being entirely unused to
such hard and cruel treatment as they were now receiving, were well-nigh
unserviceable. Lameness and demoralization were prominent
characteristics among animals and men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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