Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/66

 60 Southern Historical Society Papers.

hood the evening before, in time to have taken the place and saved the buildings, arms, &c. , but they also were ignorant of the force at the Ferry and delayed to attack.

It is quite amusing now to think of the way in which military af- fairs were conducted at Harper's Ferry when we first went there. General William H. Harman, Brigadier-General Virginia Militia, was in command until General Kenton Harper, Major-General Vir- ginia Militia, arrived there; these two officers were afterwards Lieu- tenant-Colonel and Colonel respectively of the 5th Virginia regi- ment. On Friday, the day we reached the Ferry, the Baltimore outbreak took place, and when we received the news we were greatly elated, but unfortunately it was merely a puff of wind, which soon died out. Then was the time, if ever, for the Marylanders to have armed and organized, and Maryland would not now be trodden down by Lincoln's serfs, with no prospect of ever obtaining her in- dependence.

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We continually had alarms at the Ferry. On Saturday morning our company was turned out to attack the train, which was said to be coming down loaded with Federal troops, and about n o'clock that n;ght we were roused to go up on the Loudoun heights and support Imboden's Battery, which the enemy couldn't have gotten at in any conceivable way except by approaching through Loudoun on Virginia soil, and the other University company, the "Sons of Lib- erty," were sent across the bridge and down the railroad, just op- posite this battery and ourselves, and just where we were directed to fire if the enemy came, and z/our smooth-bore muskets could carry that far, which was more than doubtful.

The next morning (Sunday), we scrambled down the mountain and returned to our barracks, very much wearied, after first report- ing ourselves at the "General's Headquarters," where an amusing little scene took place between the Acting Inspector-General, who found fault with the way in which one of the men ordered arms, and one of our lieutenants, who informed him that the company had had a drill-master. The next day we learnt that the Governor had or- dered the " Charlottesville Battalion," as our four companies under Captain George Carr (formerly of the U. S. Army) were called, to return home, and that evening we left for Winchester, where we re- mained all night, and went to Strasburg the next morning in wagons provided for our accommodation. I think we were rather glad on