The battalion crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown, and passing on by Sharpsburg and Hagerstown, reached the head of Ewell’s column at Greencastle, from which point it took the advance, and under orders from Gen. Ewell marched directly to Gettysburg, where a heavy body of Pennsylvania militia was assembled to keep the rebels out of town. Company E, commanded by Lieut. H. M. Strickler, a gentleman, a gallant soldier and good officer, but above all an earnest Christian, and who is now (1870) a devoted minister of the M. E. Church South, led the advance, and charged bravely upon the enemy, who were drawn up on the left and in front, as the battalion moved forward, to the number of thirteen hundred infantry and about one hundred cavalry. The battalion did not have over two hundred and fifty men in ranks, but they came with barbarian yells and smoking pistols, in such a desperate dash, that the blue-coated troopers wheeled their horses and departed towards Harrisburg without firing a shot, while the infantry who could do so followed their example, and those who could not threw down their bright, new muskets, and begged frantically for 193quarter. Of course, “nobody was hurt,” if we except one fat militia Captain, who, in his exertion to be first to surrender, managed to get himself run over by one of Company E’s horses, and bruised somewhat.
Most of White’s men pushed on after the cavalry, who were finely mounted, but they had been on the run while the others were losing time in the camps, and were, of course, too far gone to overtake, and the battalion rallied in the town, where the citizens gave them all they wanted, and more, so that in a little while all who ever did indulge in the ardent were in a half-horse, half wild-cat condition, and each man imagined himself to be the greatest hero of the war; in fact, some were heard recounting to the horrified citizens of Gettysburg the immense execution they had done with the sabre in a hundred battles.
But about five o’clock, after the “Comanches” had been in town two hours, Gen. Early came in and ordered the battalion to go on up the railroad and catch some Yankees, but after a long chase they returned without any “boys in blue,” and bivouacked that night with the citizens—about a mile from town.
Next day was passed in scouting and in gathering up horses, supposed from their fat, sleek appearance, to be fit for service, but no greater mistake was ever committed, for a Southern cavalry horse, after being entirely broken down, 194could travel farther and better than the fine-looking steeds just from a Pennsylvania stable, and many a man bitterly repented him of exchanging his poor old horse for a new one, even if he got a watch to boot.
The battalion marched to Hanover Junction, where there had been about eight hundred Yankee infantry, but who retired to their fortifications, about two miles off, as the “Comanches” advanced, nor did the latter deem it prudent to attack them; so after skirmishing with them a short time they passed by and encamped for the night, moving out the next morning, in front of Gen. Early’s division, to Little York, where they arrived about noon; and as soon as the General came up he ordered Colonel White to scout the country and destroy as much railroad as possible. Here the Colonel divided his command, sending Captain Myers with his Company off to the left of the town, several miles, to picket and scout, while with the remainder he moved forward to the Susquehanna, where he destroyed the bridge, and on his return from Wrightsville to York burned twenty-two railroad bridges.
When Gen. Early was ready to march to Gettysburg again he called in his cavalry, and sent them in advance, with orders to watch carefully the left flank; and in the afternoon of the same day a strong force of the enemy appeared, and in a dash upon Company A captured one man (Thos. 195Spates) who was picketing in a cherry tree. This opened the eyes of the men to the fact that they now had something more than militia to deal with, but no one imagined that it was anything but the army of Hooker, which had been beaten on the Rappahannock, and no people were ever in finer spirits than those who had followed the stars and bars to Pennsylvania.
The weather was extremely hot, but the marching was easy, and they were in a land where abundance of everything could be obtained for men and horses, while all the floating news and rumors that reached the soldiers’ ears were of the “good time coming,” and had never a tinge of gloom to mar the brightness which flooded the future as the seeming hand of destiny lifted the veil which divided that shadowy land from the now, giving a glimpse of the glory and peace beyond; and looking back to the “auld lang syne” they said, in the language of holy writ, “the thing which hath been, it is that which shall be, and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun;” for had not America been the land of rest to the oppressed of the Old World; and had not Liberty always ground the tyrant’s power to dust beneath the tread of Freedom’s legions in this—her chosen home? and now the finger of events was tracing the same old story before the eyes of the wondering nations.
196One current story was that Gen. Lee had said that he would “winter his army on the Hudson,” and another, that France had recognized the Confederate States and was sending a fleet to open the blockade; and just then an old soldier would break out with "Confound French recognition and all the rest of them, the English and French wouldn’t recognize us when we wanted them to, now we don’t thank them for it, because we will make the Yankees themselves acknowledge our independence in a month;" when, as if to confirm the opinion and make it prophecy, a newspaper would proclaim in big letters, “Hurrah! the war is over! Commissioners from Washington and Richmond have met at Fortress Monroe to arrange terms for separation and peace!”
This was the atmosphere in which the soldiers breathed while campaigning in Pennsylvania, and many of them expressed fears that they would not be permitted to fight the Yankees “just once more” before the war ended, but as they approached Gettysburg on Wednesday evening, July 1st, all such fears were dispelled, for there stood the army of the North in battle order, and before the Southern troops were within two miles of the place their foes came out to meet them. White’s battalion, then the only body of cavalry with the A. N. V., was sent by General Ewell to the left of his corps, and as they gained the high hills in that direction they had a full 197view of the battle between Ewell’s Corps and the 11th Corps of Meade’s army, particularly that part of it fought by Heth’s Division. The enemy was posted at a fence and ditch which ran together across an open, level meadow, and Heth’s men came out of a woods about four hundred yards in front, their thin line marching beautifully over the smooth meadow towards the enemy’s position, and although under a fire from the moment of their appearance, that increased rapidly as they advanced, the line moved without any more falter or waver than if they had been on dress parade, paying no attention to the men who occasionally fell out of ranks smitten by the fire, but on reaching a point about one hundred yards from the Yankee position an officer on horseback gave an order, and with a shout Heth’s men sprang forward in a charge, and now the line which had before been keeping step and moving so regularly began to spread out as the fastest men would leave the slow ones in the race of death, and the fire of the enemy was now a perfect blaze and roar of musketry, but in a few minutes the Confederate bayonets drove them from the fence, and in utter route the Yankees fled across the open ground to the railroad, their men falling thick beneath the withering rifle shots of the Confederates, who had now no danger to affect their aim, and the rout and pursuit disappeared from view through the streets of Gettysburg.
198Soon after this one of Ewell’s brigades marched to the left of the town and into a large wheat field where lay a line of men in blue, who raised up when the gray jackets were in about fifty yards, and throwing down their guns, surrendered in a body—in all over one thousand.
The battalion passed on, and soon met some of the Yankee skirmishers from a division of infantry on Rocky Creek, whom they captured and sent back, and in a short time Gen. Gordon marched his brigade to the support of the cavalry.
About this time a battery, from the Cemetery Hill, was fiercely shelling White’s men, and as Gordon’s skirmishers appeared on the field a storm of shot and shell ploughed the ground along the line, causing part of it to falter; but the Major who commanded was a splendid officer, and brought his people up to it handsomely; once, indeed, he displayed almost more than human coolness and daring—in reforming a part of his line that had broken under the fire, and just as the Major reached it a heavy shell exploded exactly under his horse, causing both it and the rider to roll over on the ground in a cloud of dirt and smoke, all who saw it thinking that they were surely both killed, but amid the cloud the beautiful bay sprang up, with the gallant Major still in the saddle exclaiming, “Steady men, steady; no use to break; keep the line steady;” and the men were steady after that.
199At dark the troops encamped, and in the morning the battalion was broken up into scouting parties for the Generals of the left wing, the Colonel sending Captains Myers and Grubb with six men each to find the right flank of the Yankee army. They crossed the creek, and separating, scouted through a rough, broken country, for probably two hours, when th............