Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 26.djvu/327

 7' IK B&rnfog of Cktimbcrtbury. -'!17

the above paragraph may possibly explain why, but this pamphlet is so full of glaring falsehoods that upon general grounds I believe- nothing in it. Chambersburg had been raided twice before McCaus- land went therein 1864 once by General " Jeb " Stuart in 1862, and in 1863 by a portion of General Lee's army, just prior to the battle at ( irttysburg. The farmers of Franklin and Adams counties had been kept in a state of suspense and uneasiness by McCausland's cavalry, which had made several incursions into that section with remarkable results. For several weeks previous to the raid to Chambersburg, it had been reported that we had crossed the Potomac, and were steer- ing up the Cumberland Valley, all which being untrue, the farmers afterwards treated these reports with indifference, apathy seized them, and when we did go we found everybody at home with stock, &c.

MCCAUSLAND'S REGIMENTS.

McCausland's command consisted of the 8th, i4th, i6th and ijth Virginia Cavalry, and Colonel Witcher's Battalion, to which had been added for this occasion the Marylanders of General Bradley T. Johnson. We left the vicinity of Martinsburg on Thursday night, and crossed the Potomac about noon on Friday, July 2gth, at Cherry Run, about thirty miles from where we started. Harry Gilmer had asked the privilege of conducting the advance, which was granted, and when we arrived on the banks of the Potomac, the Marylanders were safely on the other side waiting for us. The river at this point was deep and wide, and it was a novel sight to see men scattered over the river with a firm grip on the horses' tails, slowly toiling to a small island in the middle of the stream, from which point it was fordable. Not a man or horse was lost in crossing, and two hours sufficed for the whole command to safely land and form. It was gen- erally known where we were going, and when night came on we were twenty miles from the Potomac. It was a clear, starry night, and forty miles had to be made by daylight. Orders had been is- sued for the men to avoid boisterous talking or laughing, and so well were these instructions carried out that we passed through villages and towns with our 1,000 men and were not discovered by the sleep- ers. On the approach of dawn it was whispered around that we were in the vicinity of Chambersburg, and when it became broad daylight we were in line of battle on the high hills overlooking the doomed city.

The 8th regiment was dismounted and started into town, followed by a small detachment of mounted cavalry, on streets and alleys