Between the Lines Part 14

I will thank you to give him any a.s.sistance you can consistently.

Mr. W. is engaged in procuring stores for the Government, through the blockade.

Very respy. your obdt. servt., J. GORGAS, Col.

Chief of Ordnance.

To Capt. Barker, In charge Signal Corps.

Approved, By order, J. A. Campbell, A. Sec. War.

July 1, 1864.

This has endorsed on it:

Signal Bureau, Richmond, July 1, 1864.

The officers in charge of Signal Station on Potomac, will furnish Mr. White any a.s.sistance in their power, in crossing into Maryland.

WM. M. BARKER, Capt. in ch. Signal Corps.

FILE XVIII.

Confederate army invades Maryland in 1864--General Wallace's masterly defence of Was.h.i.+ngton--Trip outside our pickets--Confederate General Bradley Johnson and Colonel Harry Gilmor--The Ishmael Day episode--Uncle Zoe--Arrest of Judge Richard Grason--Report on certain "disloyals."

About this time our efforts were pointed in another direction, for a portion of Lee's Army had been detached and had begun the invasion of Maryland (June 28, 1864).

General Wallace gathered up his scattered troops and prepared to meet the enemy at Monocacy. He was not well matched to meet them, but strongly resisted them long enough to enable Grant to reinforce Was.h.i.+ngton, and, strategically speaking, Wallace's fight saved Was.h.i.+ngton.

Appleton's Encyclopedia, page 130, under army operations 1864, says:

"Meantime the enemy after tearing up some railroad from Frederick to Baltimore, sent their main body south of it and detached a cavalry force towards the Northern Central Railroad from Harrisburg, Pa., to Baltimore. This Cavalry expedition overran Maryland, 25 miles of the Northern Central Railroad was destroyed, and on Monday the 11th (July), a force appeared on the Baltimore, Wilmington & Phila. Road and captured and set on fire the trains at Magnolia station, seventeen miles south of Havre de Grace.

In one train Major General Franklin was captured but afterwards made his escape. Some damage was done to the track and Gunpowder Bridge was partially burned. The Cavalry heavily loaded with plunder came within six miles of Baltimore, then turning southward they joined the force near Was.h.i.+ngton which had been sent in that direction to guard against surprise; part of it halted before Fort Stevens on 17th street."

I remained in Baltimore until July 14th, when I started out to scout the country east and north of the city.

Headquarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps.

Baltimore, July 14, 1864.

Pa.s.s H. B. Smith and George W. Thompson on Department business out and in Picket Lines at all hours.

By command Major General Wallace.

JOHN WOOLLEY, Lt. Col. & Pro. Marshal.

General Wallace had been compelled (by Lee's invasion) to take away to Monocacy nearly all of his troops, and so we had to appeal to the citizens for the defence of the city. All loyal citizens were appealed to and they responded n.o.bly; they made, however, a motley army, but patriotic to the core, they vigorously performed their duty.

I had a serious experience with them when I tried to get inside our picket lines. We scoured the country quite thoroughly.

I find among my papers no copy of a written report except the one I find endorsed on and in connection with the report on Judge Grason's arrest on July 24th, which is the following:

"When Bradley Johnson's Brigade, and Harry Gilmor's Cavalry was in Maryland, and after they destroyed the Gunpowder Bridge on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, one of my detectives named Thompson and myself went out past the Pickets on the Philadelphia Pike as far as the Rechabite Church and then changed onto the Belair road, where I hailed a man named ---- ----, who was afterwards caught with a wagon loaded with contraband goods intended for the Rebs. He talked to me for some time. I told him that I wanted to get to see Harry Gilmor, that I was from New York, and that if Gilmor remained long enough in Maryland, I could get some recruits from New York.

This man offered me money to aid me in this glorious enterprise. He told me that if I would go over to Towsontown and see Richard Grason, that he (Grason) could tell me just where Gilmor could be seen. This man also told me about the man that Ishmael Day shot.

We left him and went over to Towsontown, where we had dinner and then went into Baltimore, after being arrested by (our) pickets almost every mile.

That evening we again started out for Towsontown; at Govanstown we were surrounded by about ten or twelve of the 13th Md., who lowered their pieces at us and demanded us to dismount; Thompson did so immediately, but I used more time.

They said they had been waiting for us for some time. This of course was an error; finally we were released and proceeded on our way. We could not find Grason.

On our way back we were again arrested by some of the Citizen Cavalry, but got back into Baltimore at about 2 A. M."

(From the Baltimore "American," July 12, 1864.)

"Major Harry Gilmor, who, from a misguided leniency, if not something worse, was released from capture by General Wool, during his administration of affairs in this Department, was the commander of the Rebels who have worked so much destruction of property in this immediate vicinity.

After his successful plundering operations in Carroll and Frederick Counties he concluded to visit his own county and receive the congratulations of his friends and admirers. On Sunday he spent the day and evening at Glen Ellen, above Towsontown, at the residence of his father, Mr. Robert Gilmor, and no doubt a very pleasant time was had.

A force of about three hundred of his companions are said to have been encamped in that vicinity. On Sunday a delegation of five visited Towsontown and the joy of the Rebel males and females of that neighborhood is said to be beyond description.

Mr. Richard Grason who frequently performs the office of special Judge of the County, was unable to restrain his emotion and kindly feelings to his friends, and took them to his dwelling where they feasted and whiskeyed to their hearts content."

Judge Grason in trying to escape arrest for his disloyal acts in connection with Harry Gilmor, tried to use a stolen pa.s.s issued to an a.s.sumed name, "Jenkins." I remember well my lecture to him on the heinousness of his offence. It was picturesque, a boy chiding a judge.

But it was due him.

Headquarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps.

Baltimore, July 24, 1864.

Lieut. Col. Woolley, Provost Marshal.

Colonel.--I have the honor to report the arrest yesterday of Judge Grason of Towsontown.

I questioned him; he stated that a good friend of his whose name he refused to give, procured a blank pa.s.s and he filled in the name, residence and destination and attempted to pa.s.s on it.

I asked him the reason for a.s.suming the name "Jenkins." He said he understood he was to be arrested and did not want to be detained. He said he received a letter from his home (near Queenstown), stating that his father was very poorly, and wanted to see him.

I asked him where the letter was. He said he threw it in the stove and burned it up. I asked if it was in his kitchen stove at home. He said no, that it was in his office stove. I asked him if he had a fire in his office stove (July). He said no, but that he set fire to the letter from his pipe that he was smoking.

He said he first heard he was to be arrested about the 11th, or 12th inst., and acknowledged to having kept out of the way as he did not want to be arrested then, as it would be some time, probably, before he could get a hearing, on account of the pressure of business on the Military Authorities.

He is everywhere known as being a bitter Rebel. He acknowledged to have spoken to Harry Gilmor while in Towsontown, but said it was only to get him to save some property.