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IQ TIMES. MONDAY, JUNE 30, 191:ayeri-Lifempt. mil'sHIM TIME STOUTTells How He Missed Battle Of Gettysburg.“Hold your command in readiness to march at a moments notice!'*That was the order that started things during the Civil War on all occasions. Every old soldier remem* (a(j bers it because it was always coming j sh around and causing trouble. iOnce it was ignored, and the occur- jja rent e was never forgotten. |Gen. Job. E. Johnson was in command of the Confederate troops in the Valley and along the Potomac early { in 1861. As the Federals advanced he evacuated Harpers Ferry and fell back to Martinsburg. As the Union forces advanced he retreated to Winchester, and this was all the falling back hi3 men would do. They had volunteered to light, not retreat, and they held meetings and sent committees to in form Gen. Johnson that they would not move a step until they knew i8 f where they were going. The situation he I was dangerous, and Johnson recog-y» nized it. He immediately issued an or. of | der in these words: This army will nd | march to Manassas to join Beaure-jia ( gard and meet the enemy. That wasThtiotgoeinghonThWrwillsoletetsentibyT!inteBar]mmimucinIrislBlenough. In an hour Johnson’s army was on the march to Manassas at a quick step, and it got there in time to decide the battle of Bull Run. t Had Much to Learn.It was the first time an army had ever been told where it was going or what it expected to do. But Johnson s men, like all tht rest, were new' to the service and had much to learn, and in the years that followed they learned the duty of a soldier to perfection.But, sometimes the order was to halt instead of march, and we simply halted and asked no questions.When, June, 1863, Lee’s army com menced the march that culminated m the battle of Gettysburg, the brigade in which 1 was serving was ordered to remain in camp near Orange Court House. We wondered why, but asked no questions. A few weeks passed and then came an order to come on at a forced march. But it was to late, het battle had been fought before *v I reached the Potomac, and we had had ^ i no part in the great contest. It would ! not have taken a large re inforcement „ I to turn the tide at Gettysburg and who can say what might have been the resule had our brigade reached the field at the crisis of the battle.And I was never able to discover the reason for our being left behind.Aiding a Friend.But there was one great compensation for me. 1 got home to the arms of the dear old mother, brothers, sisters and friends, and was able to remain with them for a week in the dear little town of Williamsport, around which Lees entire army was coucen trated in readiness to give battle to Meade if he attacked, while the army of Northern Virginia waited for the flood in the Potomac to subside. I had left Central Texas in February, 1861. on my way home, which I reachced on the morning of July 6, 1863, being, i may say, two years and four montha on the road. The weather w’as rainy and I was wet and hungry when I surprised the home folks that morning at breakfast, but I had something to [ do before 1 could enjoy a square meal, i The door bell rang and my brother answered it He came back with a puz-* | zled look on his face.' | ' It is Mr. Theodore Embrey,” he• j said, a”'* ou must help him if you i j can He is in great trouble and says I i time is everything to him just now.- I went to the room where Mr. Embrey- | waited, and heard his story. He was a 1 1 large dealer in flour, gram, feed, hay . i and coal—a loyal Union man and aI most excellent citizen. The Confed-i | erates were about to seize his two . I warehouses filled with these products , I to the value of thousands of dollars, j 1 Would I save the property and pre J vent his financial ruin!* Of course I would if I could. To make a long story short. I saw General Iverson, who was [ pate in command of the town, who kindiy turned the whole business over to me.I got a detail of thirty men, and placed them over Mr. Embrey s property, and with the exception of what he gave the Confederates voluntarily ne j suffered no loss. Of course, he fea | the guard.Gets Uncle Released.Then my busy time commenced Squire Rhodes, an infirm old man, was under arrest charged with pass ing counterfeit Confederate money— a serious offense. His family was in great distress. Could I get him re leased? It was a different case but 1 finally succeeded. Then came the case of my uncle Willoughby, lived in Hagerstown, had been rested two weeks before and had not been heard of*since.How to proceed was a puzzle. Finally I obtained a clue, found the officer who made the arrest and preferred the charges, (advising Confederate soldiers to desert), got him to withdraw same, and order his release. It . may be of interest to note that my J uncle had not been free a half hour j before he abused me like a fish-womau tor being a rebel soldier. 1 merely reminded him that he was exceedingly | lucky in having a rebel nephew at j hand to rescue him from the greatest danger he was ever in.I spent the most of my time getting ! people out of trouble, and protecting j th* property of citizens, until thaL I night of July 14, when, in rain, mud and darkm^s I^ee’s army re crossed the Potomac into Virginia and the Gettysburg campaign was ended.T. F. McCardell.recoban!hentthe ! Frid ingPaGurltrial! incitHIFROM THE LAND OFCastl In Slt; only fire s origii had troomblamlt;rapidconmJoh bet C Alb Bakei Alb and t Wil Welli Ant MayCrowiBerBruce
Newspaper Details
Cumberland Evening Times
Cumberland, Maryland, US
Mon, Jun 30, 1913
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Feb 2024
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