July 18, 1861 – Thursday.

George B. Quigly,

Raftman’s Guard, Co. D, 13^th Pa. Res.,

to: Warren Ledger.

New Creek, Virginia –

“Thursday 18^th – before I had a chance to send you the above [see July 12], we took the cars on the morning of the 13^th and went about 18 miles where we encamped. The Rail road crossed the Potomac here, but the rebels burned the bridge some time ago, leaving the Rail road in a bad fix.

“Col. Kane hearing that there was a body of rebel troops about 10 miles from here committing depredations, took 105 men of which I was so lucky as to be one, and started for Piedmont. We went within three miles of there and quartered in a stone grist mill. During the night we learned that the rebels were at Piedmont in the evening, with a force of 250. We made preparations to attack them at daybreak, and about three o’clock we were taking double quick toward Piedmont. When we got there we learned that they had gone to New Creek, about 5 miles from the camp. The Col. left all but 40 men at Piedmont, and with the fifty pushed on to New Creek, and arrived there just after dark. But the rebels were not there, but had gone on towards Romney. That night we quartered in a large brick house.

“Just at the break of day we saw about two hundred of the rebels coming down towards the town, they formed into line in a large field before the house and cried ‘Come out, you damned Republicans,’ but we were too well suited with our position to leave it for a worse one, but we sent a few men out to fire on them to draw them up, the men fired and killed one or two, when the rebels rode after them with drawn sabres, crying ‘kill the damned Yankees, show them no quarter,’ when our men let fly at them emptying so many of their saddles that the burden of their song was instanter, and they all turned, put spurs to their horses and got out of the way as quick as they could, with the exception of a Lieutenant, a large powerful man who was determined to kill one of the men that went out to fire on them in the first place, and who neglected to run at the proper time, hoping to get another shot at them. The Lieutenant saw him, and before he could get his gun loaded rode at him, when the fellow took to his heels, and never did heels do better service. When the rebels turned to fly the Lieut. was within 15 steps of the fellow, and I suppose he thought he could catch him and run him through and get away safely; but he did not know he had Buck Tails or Wild Cats to do with. He had not gone more than ten steps before he was struck with a ball, and off he tumbled; while his prey escaped into the house, muttering, ‘Well, a miss is as good as mile any day, and this day, especially.’

“Several were left dead on the field, and others were so badly wounded that they have since died. We learned afterwards that we had killed fifteen, and wounded nine. I guess that they find that the ‘Mud-Sills’ can shoot some, if they can’t do anything else.

“Yesterday both Regiments marched across the Potomac and invaded the Sacred Soil of ‘Ole Virginny.’ They came to New Creek and camped ‘Around.’ Three companies, ours among them, are quartered in a large brick house belonging to a secessionist by the name of Armstrong, who is with the rebels at Romny. It is splendidly furnished but by the time he gets back it will be rather the worse for the wear. Two hundred and fifty men in a house, kicking around as they please, leaning their guns against the walls, lying on the beds, spitting on the carpets, reading the books, and using the crockery ware for culinary purposes &c., don’t make it look any the better for it, I can assure, but I guess that this will do for the present. Hoping that we will always find as good quarters as these, I remain,

“Yours Truly,

G.B. Quigly.”

[WL: 8-7-1861].