CHAPTER II

CHAPTER II.

PREPARATIONS FOR WAR IN PENNSYLVANIA.

The People of Pennsylvania respond to threats of Secession--Governor Curtin pledges the power of the State--The Legislature resolves to sustain the Union--The War excitement in the State--Mayor Henry's Address to the People--Pennsylvania Troops at Washington in advance of all others--Response of the people to the President's Call for Troops in April, 1861--Camp Curtin established at Harrisburg--Action of Public Men-Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War-Hon. Thaddeus Stevens advises an Army of a million of men--Governor Curtin convenes the Legislature-His Message--Recommends the organization of a Reserve Corps--Patriotism of the People-Soldiers' Aid Societies--Refreshment Saloons--Gen. Patterson's Call for Twenty-five Regiments --Act authorizing the Pennsylvania Reserve Cops--George A. McCall appointed Major--General-Companies ordered into Camps of Instruction--Col. Mann at Briton--Captain McIntire at West Chester-Organization of First Regiment--Col. Roberts--John A. Wright, Chief of Ordnance, &c.--Organization of the Kane Rifle Regiment--Col. Biddle --Organization of the Fifth Regiment-Campaign of Biddle's Brigade to Western Virginia--Skirmishes at New Creek and Piedmont--Forced March to Ridgeville--Return of Brigade to Harrisburg.

In October, 1860, the people of Pennsylvania elected Andrew G. Curtin Governor of the Commonwealth, and in November declared, by a majority of sixty thousand votes, in favor of Abraham Lincoln for President of the United States. This was the reply of the. people of this great state to the threats of the slaveholders, that if an antislavery candidate should be elected for President, the Southern States would secede from the Union and overthrow the Government. With three hundred miles of boundary lying along the borders of slave States, and open to immediate invasion, the people thus forcibly responded to the challenge of the conspirators.

In his inaugural address, delivered in Harrisburg, January 15, 1861, Governor Curtin pledged himself and the

whole power of the State to the support of the National Constitution. He said:

"No part of the people, no State nor combination of States, can voluntarily secede from the Union, nor absolve themselves from their obligations to it. To permit a State to withdraw at pleasure from the Union, without the consent of the rest, is to confess that our Government is a failure. Pennsylvania can never acquiesce in such a conspiracy, nor assent to a doctrine which involves the destruction or the Government. If the Government is to exist, all the requirements of the Constitution must be obeyed; and it must have power adequate to the enforcement of the supreme law of the land in every State. It is the first duty of the national authorities to stay the progress of anarchy and enforce the laws, and Pennsylvania, with a united people, «211 give them an honest, faithful and active support. The people mean to preserve the integrity of the National Union at every hazard."

“The Constitution which was originally framed to promote the welfare of the thirteen States and four millions of people, in less than three-quarters of a century has embraced thirty-three States and thirty millions of inhabitants. Our territory has been extended over new climates, including people with new interests and wants, and the Government has protected them all. It is all we desire or hope for, and all that our fellow-countrymen who complain, can reasonably demand.”

The Legislature of Pennsylvania being in session on the 24th of January, 1861, adopted a preamble and resolutions which contained the following very explicit language:

" Whereas, A convention of delegates assembled in the city of Charleston, in the State of South Carolina, did on the twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty, adopt an ordinance, entitled “An ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of South Carolina and other States united with her under the compact, entitled, ‘ The Constitution of the United

States of America,' whereby it is declared that the said union is dissolved.

"Resolved, That if the people of any State in this Union are not in the full enjoyment of all the benefits intended to be secured to them by the said Constitution; if their rights under it are disregarded, their tranquility disturbed, their prosperity retarded, or their liberties imperilled by the people of any other State, full and adequate redress can and ought to be provided for such grievances, through the action of Congress and other proper departments of the National Government.

"Resolved, That we adopt the sentiments and language of President Andrew Jackson, expressed in his message to Congress, on the sixteenth of January, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, `that the right of a people of a single State to absolve themselves at will and without the consent of the other States, from their most solemn obligation, and hazard the liberties and happiness of millions composing this Union, cannot be acknowledged, and that such authority is utterly repugnant both to the principles upon which the General Government is constituted, and the objects which it was expressly formed to attain.'

"Resolved, That the Constitution of the United States of America contains all .the powers necessary to the maintenance of its authority, and it is the solemn and most imperative duty of the Government to adopt and carry into effect whatever measures may be necessary to that end; and the faith and the power of Pennsylvania are hereby pledged to the support of such measures, in any manner and to any extent that may be required of her by the constituted authorities of the United States.

" Resolved, That all plots, conspiracies and warlike demonstrations against the United States, in any section of the country, are treasonable in character, and whatever power of the Government is necessary to their suppression, should be applied to that purpose without hesitation or delay."

The rapid progress and increasing strength of the

rebellion, admonished public men in the North, and more especially in Pennsylvania, bordering on the rebellious districts, of the necessity for inaugurating efficient precautionary measures for the defence of both State and National Governments. Accordingly, Governor Curtin, in a message addressed to the Legislature of Pennsylvania on the 9th clay of April, 1861, recommended that immediate provisions be made for the removal of the defects in the military system; that arms be secured and delivered to citizens who would enter the military service of the State; that the most effective weapons be procured for the existing organizations, and that all possible means be employed to impart vitality and practical energy to the militia laws of the Commonwealth. The active preparations and the formidable display of military strength in the Southern States, did not pass unheeded by the Executive of this State. He declared in this message, that "on whatever pretext these extraordinary military preparations may have been made, no purpose that may contemplate resistance to the enforcement of the law, will meet sympathy and encouragement from the people of this Commonwealth. Pennsylvania yields to no State in her respect for, and her willingness to protect, by all needful guarantees the constitutional rights and constitutional independence of her sister States; nor in fidelity to that Constitutional Union whose unexampled benefits have been showered alike upon herself and them."

"Devoted to the Constitution and the Union, Pennsylvania offers no counsel, and takes no action in the nature of a menace ; her desire is for peace, and her object, the preservation of the personal and political rights of citizens, the true sovereignty of States, and the supremacy of law and order."

In response to this recommendation, the Legislature in three days perfected and passed a bill to organize the militia, and appropriated half a million of dollars for the purchase of arms and accoutrements. Thus while the olive branch was held out and its acceptance urged in terms of patriotic devotion, its rejection was not unexpected. The vigorous

preparation of the elements of the approaching contest indicated that those who set them in motion, understood well the nature of the rising commotion, and were determined to be ready for the fearful struggle.

On the 13th of April a bill was passed in the State Senate to define and punish treason. It forbid any citizen of the State to take a military commission from the enemies of the United States, or to give any aid or comfort whatsoever to the conspirators, and required all officers of the Pennsylvania volunteers to take an oath of allegiance to the United States. On the same day two new regiments raised for the United States, reported as ready for immediate service. Thus had the Governor, the Legislature and the people of Pennsylvania, promptly accepted the challenge of the seceders and prepared for war. Two days after the last of these transactions, the President of the United States issued the first proclamation calling for troops.

The tidings of war, actually begun by the attack on Fort Sumter, and the promulgation of President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand volunteers, produced a profound sensation throughout the country. In the cities and principal towns the people were moved to intense excitement. On the evening of the 15th of April, in Philadelphia, the feeling of exasperation in the public mind, especially wrought upon by the presence of persons suspected to be in the service of the conspirators, impelled the loyal and insulted populace to the very verge of mob violence. A vast multitude crowded in front of the office of "The Palmetto Flag," a newspaper recently commenced and believed to be controlled by secessionists, and demanded the proprietors to display the American flag. In order to assure the people that order would be maintained and the power of the Nation preserved inviolate in the City of Philadelphia, Mayor Henry appeared at a window with the national flag in his hand, and thus addressed the people

"FELLOW-CITIZENS:-Lend me your ears, as becoming good and loyal citizens-men loyal to your country and her

honor. My fellow-citizens, no traitor shall rear his head or have a foothold in the city of Philadelphia. With the help of Almighty God, treason shall not raise its destructive hand to tear down the flag of the Union. I call upon you now and for the future to protect this flag at the point of the bayonet, and at the cost of our lives. Fellow-citizens, while I conjure you to stand by the flag of the Union, do not forget the private rights of individuals; be calm and resolute, defend your flag against treason, but act with prudence, and do not invade the rights or property of individuals."

However widely the people had differed heretofore, on questions of public policy and in reference to political parties, they were unanimous in the defence of the Union and the enforcement of the laws. Political differences were, submerged, anal all men became of one mind and vied with each other in efforts to punish treason and sustain the Government. The quota of the State, under the call of the President, was fourteen regiments. All men gave themselves up to the single labor of reinforcing the army of the United States. Troops were immediately put in motion, en route for the National Capital, and five hundred men, who arrived in Washington on the morning of the 18th of April, commanded by AV. F. Small, of Philadelphia, were the first troops received from the States. Other States were equally zealous, but Pennsylvania being nearest the Capital, manifested a common energy and maintained her true position among the States, in being first with her troops, at the seat of war.

In his annual report for the year ending December, 18111, A. L. Russell, Adjutant-Gcncral of the State of Pennsylvania, thus briefly relates the action of the people at this most critical period of the Nation's peril

"In response to the proclamation of the 15th of April last, by the President of the United States, calling out seventy-five thousand militia, from the several States of the Union, to serve for three months, Pennsylvania not only

furnished promptly its assigned quota of fourteen regiments, but increased the number to twenty-five; and such

was the patriotic ardor of the people, that the services of about thirty additional regiments had to be refused,-making

in all more than one-half of the requisition of the President."

In the organization of the Military Department of the State Government, Edward M. Biddle, of Carlisle, was appointed Adjutant-General, Reuben C. Hale, Quartermaster-General and W. W. Irvin Commissary-General of the State. Governor Curtin appointed on his staff; with the rank of Lieutenant•Colonel, John A. Wright, Thomas A..Scott and R. Biddle Roberts. Colonels Wright and Scott, the former an extensive manufacturer of, and dealer in iron, and the latter the Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Railroad, served the State gratuitously. Colonel Wright continued on the staff during the War. Scott was appointed Assistant Secretary of War, and Roberts was elected colonel of the First regiment. A. L. Russell, Joseph D. Potts and Craig Riddle were appointed to fill the vacancies, and in September Colonel Russell was appointed Adjutant-General of the State, vacated by the resignation of General Riddle.

On the 18th of April Camp Curtin was formed at Harrisburg, and all the organized militia in the State were

ordered to that place for the purpose of more thorough organization.

The assault of the secessionists in Baltimore, on the Massachusetts troops on the 19th of April, induced Governor Curtin to issue an order that all troops from Pennsylvania should be thoroughly armed and equipped before leaving the State; and about the same time, Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, requested that the regiments organized in Pennsylvania be clothed, subsisted and transported. at the expense of` the State. Adjutant-General Biddle addressed himself to the work with a practical energy that soon transformed the new recruits into soldiers, organized and armed for active service. In ten days from the date of the President's call on the State for fourteen regiments, twenty-five regiments, with

arms, accoutrements and perfect organizations, numbering twenty thousand, nine hundred and seventy-nine men, were in the field.

The public men of Pennsylvania were in the very lead of the most zealous spirits in the nation. They urged on the National Government the immediate organization of Powerful armies, that would overawe the conspirators, or crush their military forces at a single blow. Secretary Cameron exceeded all other Cabinet officers in energy,---he proposed at the beginning to call out five hundred thousand troops, and to use every element of strength within the reach of the Government, in order to meet and. speedily overthrow the power of the rebels. Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, in State and National Councils, in his place in the House of Congress and in private circles urged, as a measure necessary for the public safety, and to preserve the honor of the Nation, that the Government should immediately call into the field an army of a million of men---proclaim freedom to the slaves, and invite the emancipated negroes to join the army of the Union. This, he argued, would be the shortest and most efficient method of ending the rebellion; and hence, also, the most humane policy. The Secretary of War made full preparations for a long and severe contest. He provided munitions of war in proportions vastly disproportionate to the strength of the army; but, contrary to the opinions of men of less forecast, greatly inadequate to the subsequent demands of the Government. Mr. Stevens continued to plead for a large army, and Governor Curtin labored with unparalleled zeal to place the State of Pennsylvania on a war footing that would enable the people to respond promptly and vigorously to every demand for men, means, and materials to prosecute the war. Though the counsels of these men did not prevail, during the years of uncertain campaigns that followed, they did not depart from their original policy, which, two years later, was adopted by the administration at Washington.

On the 20th of April Governor Curtin issued a proclama-

tion convening the Legislature of Pennsylvania in extra session. The proclamation was as follows: " Whereas, An armed rebellion exists in a portion of the States of this Union, threatening the destruction of the National Government, periling public and private property, and endangering the peace and security of this Commonwealth, and inviting systematic piracy upon our commerce; and,

Whereas, Adequate provision does not exist by law to enable the Executive to make the military power of the State as available and efficient as it should be for the common defence of the State and the General Government; and,

Whereas, An occasion so extraordinary requires a prompt exercise of the Legislative power of the State; therefore,

I, ANDREW G. CURTiN, Governer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby convene the General Assembly of this Commonwealth, and require the members of the Senate and House of Representatives to meet in. their respective Houses in the Capitol, at Harrisburg, on Tuesday, the 30th day of April, A. D. 1861, at 12 o'clock, noon of that day, then and there to take into consideration and adopt such measures in the premises as the exigency may seem to them, in their wisdom, to demand."

The members of the Legislature responding to the call, arrived at the Capitol on the appointed day, and during the first hour of the session organized, received and read a Message from the Governor, appointed a committee to revise the military laws of the State, received a bill, which a member read in his place, for the relief and support of the families of such volunteers as are or may be hereafter accepted by the Governor; also, a bill to stay executions in the collection of debts, and heard petitions of citizens from several counties, praying for a law, authorizing the Commissioners of the counties to appropriate money to aid in equipping and supporting the citizen soldiery of those counties.

In his Message to the Legislature, Governor Cur tin said: "It is impossible to predict the length to which the mad-

ness that rules the hour in the rebellious States shall lead us, or when the calamities which threaten our hitherto happy country shall terminate. We know that many of our people have already left the State in the service of the General Government, and that many more must follow. We have a long line of border on States seriously disaffected, which should be protected. To furnish ready support to those who have gone out, and to protect our borders, w e should have a well-regulated military force. I, therefore, recommend the immediate organization, disciplining, and arming of at least fifteen regiments of cavalry and infantry, exclusive of those called into the service of the United States; as we have already ample warning of the necessity of being prepared for any sudden exigency that may arise, I cannot too much impress this upon you."

When the first call for troops was published, in every part of the State, the people every where responded with unparalleled alacrity. The mechanic dropped his tools; the farmer left his plow in the unfinished furrow; finer chants and clerks abandoned the counter; judges, lawyers, and clients discontinued their suits; teachers closed their schools, and ministers left their pulpits at the first sound of the drum beating the call to arms; and, as a united people, offered their services to the Government. Business, home and family, were left to the care of a generous community. Nor did they leave them to suffer. In all parts of the State the people responded, promptly, and most generously contributed of their means for the support of the families of those who had taken up arms and marched to the defence of the Nation. In some parts of the State the contributions of supplies like that of men, were wholly voluntary; in other districts, grand juries, courts and municipal corporations, recommended the appropriation of money from the public funds for the same purpose. At the recommendation of the Governor, the Legislature legalized these appropriations and gave the requisite authority to county commissioners to make further appropriations of

the public money for the support of the families of volunteers, whenever in their judgment circumstances should demand it.

In addition to these public provisions for the benefit of the citizen soldiers who had so promptly taken up arms in the defence of liberty and law, numerous societies were organized, composed chiefly of patriotic-ladies, who collected money and supplies of such articles of food and clothing as would add to the comfort of the soldier in health, or relieve the distress and pain of the sick and wounded. It is worthy of note, that the benevolent and patriotic women of Pennsylvania were the first to move in this labor of love, and that from the noble-souled women of this State, whose hearts, true to their Germanic origin, are ever responsive to the faintest calls of humanity, other communities, in other States, learned the lessons of practical, loving-kindness to the defenders of the Union. One of the first of these societies for the care of the soldiers was organized in the city of Lancaster, on the 22d day of April, 1861. At the close of a sermon on Sunday, April the 21st, Rev. J. Isadore Mombert, an Episcopal clergyman, who, while in Europe during the Crimean war, had witnessed much suffering by the sick and wounded soldiers, recommended to the people that they form a society, having for its object the threefold purpose of " providing for our brave volunteers the necessary outfit, of preparing for the wants of the wounded, and of forming a volunteer corps of nurses both for home and for hospital duty." A meeting was called to be held in the Court House on the following day. At this meeting the society of " The Patriot Daughters of Lancaster" was formed, with Mrs. Rosina Hubley as President; Mrs. Emanuel Reigart, Vice-President; Miss Anna Slaymaker, Secretary; and Mrs. John F. Long, Treasurer. While the people were still in the Court House perfecting the organization of this society, a messenger announced that two companies, sent from Lancaster, were destitute of overcoats and blankets. Immediately a "repository" was desig-

nated at which the desired articles would be received, and thus on the same day, the Society of Patriot Daughters entered upon their patriotic labors, which subsequently expanded and varied with the exigencies of the times. About the same time some of the ladies of the Muhlenburg family, in Reading, organized a. society for a like purpose. In other parts of the State, these noble examples were speedily imitated. In Philadelphia the citizens acted with a benevolence unparalleled in the extent of its bounteous distributions.

On the breaking out of the rebellion, multitudes of troops arrived in this city on their way to Washington, hungry, thirsty, and wearied by the fatigues of long travel, and yet no provision had been made or was likely to be made to relieve their wants or to afford them rest. The citizens immediately and most generously rallied, and contributed towards these desirable ends as far as was practicable in their individual capacities; but the necessity for concerted action was every where apparent. On the 26th of May the Cooper Shop Volunteer Refreshment Committee, after feeding the soldiers upon the streets, opened the doors of the saloon, in order to better accommodate the patriotic men who were rushing forward to the Nation's Capital, and during the first two years of the war fed one hundred and seventy-four thousand nine hundred and forty-six soldiers passing through Philadelphia to and from the war.

On the 27th of May the " Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon" was instituted. The committee procured a small building (formerly a boat shop and riggers' loft,) situated near 'the southwest corner of Washington and Swanson streets, and gradually increased its dimensions until twelve hundred men could be accommodated at one time at the tables, while the most ample facilities were furnished for washing, bathing, and writing letters. In this saloon nearly five hundred thousand men were received, entertained, and provided for during the first three years of the war.

In the hospital department of this establishment over thirteen thousand patients received treatment, and in the dormitory nearly forty thousand soldiers were lodged. The cooking apparatus was of sufficient capacity to provide rations for fifteen thousand men per day. The annual expense of this saloon amounted to about twenty thousand dollars.

These institutions were the free gifts of the citizens of Philadelphia, to the soldiers of the Union, who passed that way, either to or from the war. The President of the United States, the Governors of the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and many distinguished citizens, formally expressed their thanks to the committee for their noble liberality to the soldiers; and in all the armies of the Nation the praise of the citizens of Philadelphia was above that of any other people in the country.

General Butler, then a colonel in command of the Sixth Massachusetts regiment, on his way to the seat of war, in a speech to the committee of the ladies and gentlemen. of the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, made the following significant remark: " In coming through New York city, we received a military reception; but here in Philadelphia, we receive a substantial one, which does more to encourage and refresh the Union soldiers than any other that could be given."

On the 16th of April Major-General R. Patterson, commanding the Pennsylvania troops at Harper's Ferry, requested Governor Curtin to call out twenty-five additional regiments of infantry and one of cavalry, to serve during three months, and to be forthwith mustered into the service of the United States. Immediately on the receipt of this request, the summons to arms was telegraphed to every part of the State, and men organized in a day and started for the State Capital. The authorities at Washington, however, had in the meantime determined not to receive any additional regiments to serve for three months, and hence

the order of General Patterson was countermanded on the 30th of April.

In response to this call, companies were daily arriving at Harrisburg from every direction, and the State was literally swarming with troops, which the War Department would not receive. His Excellency the Governor, was therefore the more earnest in recommending that the Legislature should provide for the immediate organization of these companies in a manner that would render them available in case the public safety required their services, and also to allay the clamor of the men, who had been stopped in the middle of their march, and told the order calling them to arms had been countermanded, and that their services would not be accepted by the War Department.

On the 2d of May, the select committee consisting of Gideon J. Ball, Isaac A. Sheppard, Thomas Williams, Charles H. Hills, George W. H. Smith, Samuel M. Lawrence and Henry G. Leisenring, reported a bill which provided for, and authorized a loan of three millions of dollars; gave the Governor power to appoint a major-general to have command of all the military forces of Pennsylvania; also two brigadier-generals to be subject to the order of the Commander-in-chief; to appoint staff-officers, to establish camps of instruction and to thoroughly organize the State forces. The bill was freely discussed and passed both branches of the Legislature, and on the 15th of May, received the Governor's signature and became a law of the Commonwealth. As finally passed, it contained the following provisions

That the Commander-in-chief, in conjunction with the officers composing the grand staff of the militia of this Commonwealth, are hereby authorized and required to organize a military corps, to be called the Reserve Volunteer Corps of the Commonwealth, and to be composed of thirteen regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, and one regiment of light artillery. The said regiments shall severally be composed of companies of like number, and to be armed and equipped, clothed, disciplined, governed and officered as similar troops in the service of the United States, and shall be enlisted in the service of the State for a

period not exceeding three years or for the war, unless sooner discharged, and shall be liable to be called into the service of this State at such times as the Commander-in-chief may deem their services necessary, for the purpose of suppressing insurrections, or to repel invasions, and further to be liable to be mustered into the service of the United States at such times as requisitions may be made by the President of the United States, That the Commander-in-chief, in conjunction with the officers aforesaid, shall cause two or more camps of instructions, not exceeding eight, to be formed in different sections of the State, for the accommodation and instruction of said troops; and the Governor shall appoint suitable officers or drill-masters with the rank and pay of captains, whose duty it shall be to instruct said troops in the military art, conforming, as near as may be, to the plan of instruction, rules, regulations and discipline adopted for similar troops in the service of the United States. That the Commander-in-chief shall cause the troops aforesaid to be drilled and instructed in such encampments, for and during such periods of time as be nay deem necessary to perfect them in military art. That the several companies and regiments composing said volunteer corps shall be entitled to elect, and the Governor shall commission, officers similar in number and rank to those allowed like troops in the army of the United States: Provided, That the Governor shall have power to appoint and commission chaplains for said corps, and to designate their rank. That no troops shall be kept in camp longer than three months at any one time, except the Governor shall, upon the expiration of said three months, deem the longer continuance of said troops necessary for the protection of the Commonwealth, or shall have a requisition for troops from the President of the United States. That the Commander-in-chief; in conjunction with the grand staff as aforesaid, are hereby authorized and empowered to make and adopt all needful rules and regulations for the speedy and effcient organization of said Volunteer Reserve Corps, and for arming and equipping the same with the most approved style of grins and equipments ; and the officers and rank and file composing said volunteer corps shall be sworn or affirmed to support the Constitution of this State, and the Constitution of the United States.

Under previous calls for volunteers, the numbers accepted and mustered into the service of the United States were so insignificant in proportion to the numbers offered by the people, that there was throughout the State an increasing uneasiness lest there would not be opportunities for others to join the army. In the wave of enthusiasm that rolled over the State, swift as the lightnings that flashed along the wires the news of the fall of Fort Sumter, the able-bodied

men en masse rushed to arms, drilled, organized and armed, and besought the authorities to accept their services. In the thorough comprehension of the situation, and the true conception of the magnitude of the impending danger, the State authorities of Pennsylvania were far in advance of the Government at Washington, and the people of this great Commonwealth were even more sensitive to the perils of invasion that threatened their border counties, lying immediately north of the territory claimed by the insurgents, than were their magistrates and military authorities.

Such was the feeling throughout the State, that the adoption of precautionary measures by the Legislature, was but a prompt and necessary response to the demands of the people.

When it was ascertained that only a limited number of troops would be accepted by the National Government, believing that the army of the United States was wholly inadequate for the maintainance of order and for the protection of public and private property, public-spirited citizens in all parts of the State, acting in the high and honorable capacity of sovereigns in a republic, organized and preserved intact at their own expense, military companies to be ready for emergencies, which they believed would speedily come. In many cases, men who had organized companies under a call for troops from the President of the United States, but which could not be accepted because of the great numbers offering, appealed to their fellow-citizens for, and bounteously received, contributions of means for the subsistence of their companies. At the time, therefore, of the passage of the Act creating the "Reserve Corps of the Commonwealth," more than a sufficient number of men td organize the regiments authorized by the law, had been offered to the Governor.

The loan of three millions of dollars authorized in the Act, was taken by the capitalists, with a promptness that did honor to a loyal and patriotic people. Upon opening the bids for the loan, it was found that the whole amount had

been taken at par, and a large number of bids were in excess. Thus the enthusiasm to volunteer in the armies, manifested by those who were able to endure the hardships of the service, found a worthy counterpart in the liberality of the wealthy citizens and corporations, who, with a commendable promptitude, supplied money to defray the military expenses of the State.

Immediately after the passage of the Act creating the Reserve Corps, Governor Curtin invited George A. McCall, of Chester county, to accept the position of major-general provided for in the law. McCall accepted the appointment, and was confirmed a major-general of Pennsylvania troops by the Senate on the 16th of May, and on the same day entered upon his duties as commander of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.

General McCall was born in the city, of Philadelphia on the 16th of March, 1802, and graduated at the West Point Military Academy, 1822. In 1831 he received the appointment of assistant adjutant-general on the staff of Major-General Gaines, who was then commanding the Western Department of the United States. In 1836 he was promoted to a captaincy in the Fourth regiment United States infantry. He served with his regiment in the war against the Florida Indians, and was recommended by General Worth for the brevet of major "for gallant conduct in the battle of Pelalicaha Gen. Worth in recommending McCall for promotion said, "He will do more honor to the rank than the rank can confer on him."

At the beginning of the war with Mexico, Captain McCall accompanied his regiment to Corpus Christi, and marched under General Taylor to the Rio Grande. He participated in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and received the brevets of major and lieutenant-colonel, "for gallant and distinguished conduct" in these battles. The citizens of Philadelphia also acknowledged his services by presenting to him an elegantly mounted sword.

At the close of the war with Mexico, Lieutenant-Colonel

McCall resigned his staff commission of assistant adjutant-general, and crossed the Atlantic to spend a year in Europe in the hope of regaining his health, which had been seriously impaired during the campaign in Mexico.

While in England, and also on the Continent, be obtained permission from the authorities to visit the military schools, fortifications, camps, barracks and hospitals, and thus in his tour acquired much useful knowledge, which subsequently he put into practice.

On his return, he took command of the Third regiment United States infantry, stationed at Santa Fe. Before leaving Washington to assume this command, he was required by the War Department to prepare a historical sketch of the newly acquired territory, embracing a statistical account of its population, mineral and agricultural resources and commerical advantages. This "Report" was published by order of Congress.

In 1850, McCall received from President Taylor the appointment of Inspector-General of the United States Army, with the rank of colonel of cavalry, which appointment was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Having made inspections of the troops and military posts in New Mexico, California and Oregon, Colonel McCall found his health again failing, and therefore in April, 1853, resigned his commission and retired from the service.

After leaving the army, Colonel McCall devoted much of his time to scientific pursuits and made numerous valuable contributions to natural history.

In 1855, he removed from his residence in Philadelphia to a farm in Chester county, where in retirement, enjoying the society of his family and friends, he remained until the rebellion of the Southern people and the bombardment of Fort Sumter called his country to arms. Immediately thereafter, in April, 1861, Governor Curtin summoned Colonel McCall to Harrisburg to advise with him on the military organization of Pennsylvania. While at the capital he was unanimously elected colonel of the Tenth regiment of Penn-

sylvania Volunteers enlisted for three years or the war. Having declined the position, he was on the 15th of May appointed by the Governor of the State, Major-General of the Penusylvania Reserve Corps. General McCall without delay entered upon the work of organizing fifteen regiments of troops in the manner provided by law. On his staff, Henry J. Biddle, who graduated at West Point in 1835, was appointed assistant adjutant-general with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Henry Sheets, of Philadelphia, and Eldridge McConkey, of West Chester, who had just graduated at Cambridge College, were appointed aids-de-camp. Subsequently Professor Henry Coppie, late Captain of United States Artillery, joined the staff' as inspector-general of the corps.

General McCall gave his personal attention to the organization of the troops. The renowned regiment of skirmishers known throughout the world as the "Bucktails," received his special care. The men were armed with rifles and drilled to manceuvre in wooded hills, swamps and ravines. Henry II. Smith, Surgeon-general of the corps, received orders from the general commanding to allow no man to pass through his inspection into the companies, who would not be received into the ranks of the regular army as physically unexceptionable. The surgeon strictly enforced this order, and to this military foresight is due much of the gallantry and power of endurance the corps .subsequently evinced. The riflemen were selected from those districts in the State where game most abounds and the people are accustomed to the use of the rifle ; the cavalrymen were recruited in the mountainous counties where the young men travel on horseback, and the entire body of infantry and artillery, was culled from the noblest sons of the industrious citizens of all classes in the State. The best materials in Pennsylvania were placed at the disposal of the commanding general. Men, horses and munitions of war, were supplied in numbers and quantities that enabled the authorities to select materials proper for the most honorable and severe service a generous people could expect.

Through. the most untiring efforts of Major-General McCall, heartily seconded by the State authorities, the organization of the corps proceeded with such rapidity that on the 21st of June, two regiments were sent to the relief of the Eleventh Indiana regiment at Cumberland in the State of Maryland, and on the 21st of July, the whole corps responded to the call of the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army, by marching to the defence of the Capital of the nation. Of the companies that were organized in response to General Patterson, which was countermanded on the 30th of April, many maintained their organizations and were variously distributed over the State. Some were still in the immediate vicinity of the homes of the men, others were at the county seats of the respective counties, in which they had been organized, and a few who had reached designated camps before General Patterson's order had been countermanded, remained there awaiting further orders. The first duty devolving upon General McCall, was the collecting of these companies into camps.

It was found that a much larger number of companies applied for acceptance than could be received under the Act of the Assembly. Hon. Eli Slifer, Secretary of the Commonwealth and Assistant Secretary Samuel B. Thomas endeavored to apportion the companies throughout the State in an equitable ratio; yet in many cases, when men were told their companies could not be accepted into the service, they turned away in tears and wept bitterly, because the honorable privilege of fighting in the defence of their country was denied them. The required number of companies which had been accepted were ordered into designated camps of instruction.

On the 27th of May General McCall directed William B. Mann, Esq., of .Philadelphia to take the organized companies that had been mustered into the service of the State, in that city and march them to Easton. In accordance with instructions, Camp Washington, a camp of instruction, was established on the Fair-rounds at that place, and thirty com-

panies were ordered to rendezvous there for the purpose of forming three regiments. Most of these companies were

from the city of Philadelphia and had maintained their organizations from the time of the first call for volunteers in April. Colonel Mann was placed in command of the camp and proceeded at once to make arrangements to instruct the men in the manual of arms and in company and battalion drill.

By a special order, dated at Harrisburg June 1, 1861, Captain Henry M. McIntire, of the Brandywine Guards, was ordered to march his company to Camp Wayne, near West Chester, on Monday the 3d of June, to assume command of the camp and of all companies of the Reserve Corps as they arrived at that post, until they were regularly organized into regiments.

In response to these orders, the "Brandywine Guards," company A, of Chester county, commanded by Captain II. M. McIntire; the "Union Guards," company B, of Lancaster, Captain Thomas B. Barton; the "Slifer Phalanx," company C, of Delaware county, Captain Samuel A. Dyer,: the "Safe Harbor Artillery," company D, of Lancaster county, Captain George II. Hess; the "Lancaster Guards," company E, Lancaster county, Captain Aldus J. Neff; the " Archy Dick Rifles," company F, of Delaware county, Captain William Cooper Talley ; the "Phoenix Artillery," company G, of Chester county, Captain John R. Dobson; the "Carlisle Light Infantry," company H, of Cumberland county, Captain Robert McCartney; the "Carlisle Guards," company I, of Cumberland county, Captain Lemuel Todd; and the "Adams County Infantry," company K, of Adams county, Captain Edward McPherson, which companies subsequently constituted the First Regiment, rendezvoused at Camp Wayne, near West Chester.

On the 9th of June these companies held a meeting, as provided in the Act authorizing the establishment of the corps, and proceeded to elect field officers and to organize the First regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps. R.

Biddle Roberts, Esq., of Pittsburg, was elected colonel; H M. McIntire, of the Brandywine Guards, lieutenant-colonel, and Lemuel Todd, of the Carlisle Guards, major of the regiment; Charles B. Lamborne was appointed adjutant, J. R. T. Coates,, quartermaster; L. W. Read, surgeon; E. D. Brenneman, assistant-surgeon, and Rev. John A. McGinley, chaplain.

R. Biddle Roberts was born at Pittsburg, August 25, 1825. He is a son of Edward J. Roberts, Esq., for many years Clerk of the United States Court at that place and a soldier in the war of 1812 ; and a grandson of the Hon. Samuel Roberts, Judge of that district, and the author of "Roberts' Digest of the British Statutes."

Mr. Roberts received a liberal education, and was early brought into public life as Clerk of Councils and Clerk of the District Court of the United States. He was admitted to the bar of his native county in 1850, and in 1853 was elected, by a large majority, District Attorney of the county, although nominated on the Democratic ticket, at a time when the Whig party had two thousand of a majority in the district. ,' He discharged the duties of that office with marked ability, and retired in March, 1857, after having won a commanding position at the bar. President Buchanan appointed him District Attorney of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania, which position he held until the war broke out in 1861, when he retired from his professional pursuits with the kindest feelings of the bench and the bar.

When the report of the reduction of Fort Sumter reached Pittsburg, Mr. Roberts was first lieutenant of a company of volunteer infantry, an organization of many years standing, called “The Duquesne Grays” The men had already tendered their services to the Government, under the call for seventy-five thousand men, for three months, and with them he determined to march; while, however, he was arranging his papers and the affairs of his large and lucrative practice, he was called on by a committee of young men

who bad just formed a volunteer company, called the "Zouave Cadets," with a request that he would take command of them. He at once consented, conditioning that the company should be raised promptly. This the committee guaranteed to do, and in twenty-four hours Captain Roberts found himself in command of ninety patriotic young men, and many others offering. The company was placed in the Twelfth regiment of three months men, and marched from Pittsburg on the 24th of April, in General Negley's brigade. On the 25th they were mustered into service at Harrisburg. Just before their muster, the officers of the brigade called at the Capitol to pay their respects to Governor Curtin; while in the executive chamber, the Governor stated to them that he required a gentleman of some military knowledge and of good business qualifications to act upon his staff, and that he would be glad if they would recommend a person so qualified. The officers of the brigade consulted together, and in a short time unanimously recommended Captain Roberts, who was at once appointed an aid-de-camp on the staff of the Governor, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The duties of this position, though extremely laborious, were faithfully discharged by Colonel Roberts. When the bill authorizing the Reserve Corps was passed by the Legislature, Colonel Roberts having, expressed a wish to go into the field, was, on the 9th of June, elected colonel of the First regiment, which was organized at Camp Wayne, at West Chester. Soon after his election, he assumed command of the camp, and proceeded to perfect the organization and equipment of his own regiment and also of the Seventh regiment, which was organized at the same camp.

On the 5th of June, Governor Curtin issued an order establishing a department of ordnance, and a department of transportation and telegraphing, and appointed Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Wright chief of these departments. To this officer was committed not only all the valuable ordnance of the corps, but also the -making of all contracts and arrange-

ments for transportation and telegraphing required in organizing and moving the troops.

The companies in the western counties were ordered to march into the camps of instruction at Pittsburg, and those in the central portion of the State to Camp Curtin, at Harrisburg. These camps had been established under previous calls for volunteers. Colonel John McLean commanded at Pittsburg, and Colonel G. A. C. Seiler at Harrisburg; to these officers, company commanders arriving at the , camp were ordered to report.

When it had been determined by General McCall to organize a regiment of rifle skirmishers, the following companies were selected to compose the regiment, on account of the superior skill of the men in the use of the rifle: The "Anderson Life Guards," company A, of Tioga county, commanded by Captain Philip Holland; the Morgan Rifles," company B, of Perry county, Captain Langhorn Wistar ; the "Cameron County Rifles," company C, of Cameron county, Captain John A. Eldred.; the "Raftsmen's Guards," company D, of Warren county, Captain Roy Stone; the °` Tioga Rifles," company E, of Tioga county, Captain Alanson E. Niles; the " Irish Infantry," company F, of Carbon county, Captain Dennis McGee; the "Elk Rifles," company G, of Elk county, Captain Hugh McDonald; the; " Wayne Independent Rifles,"" company II, of Chester county, Captain Charles h'. Taylor; the "McKean Rifles," company I, of McKean county, Captain William T. Blanchard; the "Raftsmen's Rangers," company K, of Clearfield county, Captain Edward A. Irvin. All of these companies, in obedience to orders, had rendezvoused in Camp Curtin at Harrisburg, and on the 12th of June held a meeting for the purpose of organizing the regiment, by the election of field officers. Thomas L. Inane, of McKean county, was elected colonel, but feeling that a regiment organized for a special service of so much importance to the corps, and, indeed, to the whole army, should be commanded by an officer of experience, he subsequently resigned. The com-

pany officers convened on the following day and elected Charles J. Biddle, Esq., of Philadelphia, colonel; Thomas L. Kane, lieutenant-colonel; Roy Stone, of the "Raftsmen's Guards," major. John T. A. Jewett, of Warren county, was appointed adjutant of the regiment; Lieutenant Al'. H. Patton, of Clearfield county quartermaster; S. D. Freeman, surgeon ; W. T. Humphrey, assistant-surgeon, and Rev. W. H. D. Hatton, chaplain.

The character and experience of Colonel Biddle made it eminently proper that the Rifle regiment of picked men, organized as a regiment of skirmishers, should be placed in his command.

Charles John Biddle was born in Philadelphia in 1819 was educated at Princeton College; and was admitted to the bar in his native city in 1840. At the beginning of the war with Mexico, he raised a company for service under the Act of Congress adding ten regiments to the regular army. Captain Biddle's company was in the regiment of Voltigeurs, of which the colonel was the present Paymaster-General T. P. Andrews, and the lieutenant-colonel was Joseph E. Johnston, now a general in the Confederate army. This regiment rendered distinguished service in all the battles in the valley of Mexico, in the campaign of General Scott. Honorable mention of Captain Biddle's name appears in the official reports of Generals Scott, Worth, Pillow, and Cadwalader, as published by Congress in 1817. In his report of the storming of Chapultepec, General Scott names Captain Biddle as " one of the first in the assault," and his regimeqtal commander, Colonel Andrews, in his report of the same action further says of Captain Biddle, "he joined us in the morning from a sick beet, against my wish and order." He received the brevet of major for "gallant and meritorious services," and was selected by General S. W. Kearny, as his aid-de-camp. At the end of the war, he resumed the practice of the law in Philadelphia.

On the breaking out of the rebellion, he was chosen a

member of the " Committee of Safety," organized for the defence of Philadelphia, and gave much time and attention to raising and drilling troops for that purpose. On the 13th of June, 1861, he accepted the command of the Thirteenth Reserve regiment, afterwards more widely known as the "Bucktails;" at the same time he was placed in command of Camp Curtin.

He left Harrisburg on the 21st of June, 1861, in command of a detachment of the Reserve Corps, consisting of his own regiment, the Fifth, Colonel Seneca G. Simmons, and a battery of the First Pennsylvania Artillery. General McClellan, in that portion of his report which treats of his campaign in Western Virginia, commends the "great activity and intelligence displayed by Colonel Charles J. Biddle,"while commanding a brigade.

During the period of his military service, an election for Congress was held in Philadelphia, to fill a vacancy in the representation of the second district.

Colonel Biddle was elected, but believing his service in the field more valuable to his country be did not attend the first session of the Congress. He declined a brigadier-general's commission which was tendered to him soon after his election, replying that the acceptance of it was "incompatible with the civil trust which he bad just accepted from the people of the second district of Pennsylvania." At the time of the second session of Congress, in December, 1861, Colonel Biddle was with his regiment on the Potomac, near Washington City, and as it was known that the army was to pass the winter in that position, his constituents desired him to take his seat in the House of Representatives. He obtained leave of absence to visit Philadelphia, where he was received by his fellow-citizens with becoming honors. In a written address they referred in complimentary language to his military services, and urging him to take his seat in Congress, the committee said

" The circumstances attending your recent election to. this body, the strong declaration of the wishes and expectations

of your constituents, in conferring upon you, during your absence with the army and without solicitation on your part, a position attended at this time with peculiar responsibility, are, we trust, such as may, induce you to relinquish, at least for the present, that military life in which, through more than one campaign, you have already earned a just distinction."

To this Colonel Biddle replied

"It has been my earnest desire, at this great juncture in our National affairs, to give my humble services where they may be most useful to my country. With this purpose I took the field; and holding, during the period of the extra session, a separate and important command, I did not feel at liberty to quit it to take the seat in Congress to which you had, in my absence, elected me.

" It is true that, according to high authorities, I might at once hold the two positions; but it is plain that I could not perform the duties of both, and, waiving the bare legal question, it seems to me to be incompatible with the character of a representative and a legislator to be a paid officer, subject to the orders of the Executive, and present in his place only by the revocable leave of a military superior. I have, therefore, reached the conclusion that your representative must not now be thus trammelled: yet, should the tide of war, indeed, roll around the National Capital, I hope that my brethren in arms will find room in their ranks for one soldier more"

The resignation of Colonel Biddle as colonel of the " Bucktails" was accepted by the Secretary of War December 12, 1861. While the enemy continued to threaten the Capital from Mannassas, he held the position of volunteer aid to General Andrew Porter, then commanding in Washington City.

Two days after receiving his commission Colonel Biddle reported for duty to General McCall. He was ordered to join his regiment at Camp Curtin and to assume command of the encampment. He repaired at once to the post of duty and commenced the work of organizing and disciplining the

companies that were daily arriving in camp. The rigid military discipline enforced by Col. Biddle, was new and, in a measure, distasteful to the volunteer soldiers, who had so recently been of the sovereign people. Though while in Camp Curtin some of the men murmured, after engaging in active service and through all their long and severe campaigns the companies and regiments attributed due credit to the lessons of military duty learned while in camp at Harrisburg.

The "Jersey Shore Rifles," company A, of Lycoming county, commanded by Captain H. C. Ulman; the “Taggart Guards," company B, of Northumberland county, Captain James Taggart the " Washington Cadets," company C, of Clearfield county, Captain J. 0. Loraine; the "Slifer Guard," company D, of Union county, Captain Thomas Chamberlain; the "Centre Guards," company E, of Centre county. Captain John I. Gregg; the "Bradford Union Guards.°' company F, of Bradford county, Captain A. J. Trout; the "Huntingdon Infantry," company G, of Huntingdon county, Captain A. S. Harrison; the "Pollock Guards," company H, of Northumberland county, Captain John McCleerv ; the "Scott Infantry," company I, of Huntingdon county, Captain George Dare, and the " Cookman Rangers," company K, of Lancaster county, Captain J. W. Fisher, were ordered to report to the commanding officer at Camp Curtin.

On the 20th of June these companies organized themselves into the Fifth regiment of the Reserve Corps, by electing Captain John Irving Gregg, of Centre County, colonel; Captain J. 'W. Fisher, of Columbia, lieutenantcolonel; and Captain George Dare, of Huntingdon county, major of the regiment.

The following day Colonel Gregg resigned the colonelcy of this regiment to accept an appointment in the regular army. Seneca G. Simmons, a captain in the regular army was elected and commissioned to fill the vacancy. Colonel Simmons was a man thoroughly educated in the science of military tactics, and was a soldier by profession

and experience. His service in the regular army eminently fitted him to command the men who had chosen him to be their colonel. Lieutenant A. G. Mason, of the Bradford Union Guards, was appointed adjutant; John Bigler, quartermaster; John S. Carpenter, surgeon; and W. F. Marsh, assistant-surgeon of the regiment.

The original strength of each company, in conformity to the army regulations, was limited to seventy-seven men, including officers and privates; but on the 20th of June instructions were issued from the headquarters of the Corps, at Harrisburg, to commanders of regiments and companies, to establish recruiting rendezvous and fill up as rapidly as possible, the companies to the full maximum strength of ,one hundred and one men, the number authorized by the War Department under General Order of May 14th.

In obedience to these instructions, the work of recruiting was begun, and in a few days the ranks of all the companies were filled with men, who rejoiced at the opportunity thus offered to enter the service.

On the 21st of June, General Winfield Scott, Commander-in-chief of the United States army, telegraphed from Washington to Governor Curtin, at Harrisburg, requesting him to send immediately two regiments of Pennsylvania troops to the relief of Colonel Lew. Wallace, commanding the Eleventh Indiana regiment, at Cumberland, in the State of Maryland.

On the same day General McCall ordered Colonel Charles J. Biddle to march, without delay, with his own regiment and the Fifth, commanded by Colonel Simmons, and Battery A, First Pennsylvania Artillery, commanded by Captain Charles T. Campbell, to the relief of Colonel Wallace. The brigade comprising these regiments and the battery, was at once placed in cars on the Pennsylvania Railroad, opposite Camp Curtin; the trains moved westward early -on Saturday morning until they arrived at Huntingdon, and thence over the Huntingdon and Broad Top railroad to Hopewell, where the command camped during the night of the 22d of June.

The citizens along the line of the railroad cheered on the soldiers as they hurried .away to the threatened border. At the stations where the trains stopped, baskets of provisions were distributed to all who could partake. The ladies of Huntingdon, however, excelled in their attention to the marching brigade. An ample dinner had been provided for the coming soldiers, of which they partook most freely, and filled their haversacks with the choicest dainties.

Early on Sunday morning the command resumed the march moving in the direction of Bedford Springs. At Bloody Run, the command halted to partake of a dinner prepared by the citizens of that village. The brigade encamped that night near Bedford Springs, where it remained three days.

This first day's march of twenty-three miles, through sand and dust, beneath a burning sun; the first night's sleeping on the ground, without bed or covering, and the drenching rain that poured down on the men during the night, appropriately formed the introduction to the campaigns that followed, and, which in results were honorable, as in execution they were severe.

Colonel Biddle had received instructions to move his command to a convenient camping ground near the State line, and there await further orders. The object of the demonstration was to assure the people in the border counties, by the presence of an organized force, that they would be protected against inroads from Virginia through Maryland; and also to be within supporting distance to Colonel Wallace.

The command moved from Camp McCall, near Bedford Springs,. and after two days' marching reached the Maryland State line where Camp Mason and Dixon was established, in which the troops remained two weeks.

While statesmen discussed the constitutional propriety of passing State troops beyond the State limits, Colonel Biddle diligently instructed his command in military movements and prepared it to render efficient service whenever opportunity should offer.

On the 7th of July, the citizens of Cumberland, becoming alarmed by a report that a body of rebel cavalry was about to make a raid into that place, urged the colonel commanding the brigade, to occupy the city and protect the lives and property of the citizens. The troops broke camp at night and arrived in Cumberland at twelve o'clock. They surrounded the town and laid on their arms till daylight, awaiting the approach of the enemy, who, however, learning of the arrival of so large a force, did not attempt to execute his designs. Colonel Biddle then directed his command to occupy the camps that had been previously occupied by the Indiana regiment.

From this point scouting parties were frequently sent out to reconnoitre the country in every direction. These expeditions were intrusted to the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas L. Kane of the Bucktail regiment. One of the most considerable of these excursions was made to New Creek on the 12th of July. The day after the scouting party had left camp, the entire command followed and camped about two miles from New Creek towards Cumberland. Lieutenant-Colonel Kane posted his men in a house a short distance from the village on the road towards Romney. Before daylight on Sunday morning, a great noise was heard at the New Creek depot; a detachment of men was sent from the house to ascertain the cause of the uproar, and were instructed, if they discovered the enemy, to fire on him and retreat to the house so as to draw his forces under fire of the concealed riflemen. The skirmishers advanced within one hundred yards of the enemy, delivered their fire and retired towards the house, closely pursued by the enemy's cavalrymen. When the troopers came within easy range they received a well-aimed volley of rifle shot which emptied their saddles and caused the precipitate flight of the whole force, leaving Lieutenant-Colonel Kane and his party in quiet possession of the village.

In his report of the affair to Colonel Biddle, Lieutenant-Colonel Kane says:

"The enemy's cavalry rode into the village boldly and had commenced sacking it and hunting for the Union men, whom the news of our approach had brought from their hiding places in the mountain, when I sent out a squad with the rifles which I borrowed from Captain Kesley of Cumberland, to open a fire on their right flank. They had first murdered Kelly, a youth from Cumberland, when our fire compelled them to form and make a dash at my quarters, where they were confident, as they were assured by the secessionists of the town, they would effect a complete surprise. They came up in fine order, but broke and ran on receiving a fire which was reserved till they were ready to dismount. Lieutenant Boughton of the 3d Virginia cavalry regiment, and privates Bosley and Miller, fell at the first volley mortally wounded. A number were wounded who died along the road by which they effected their retreat. The number of the wounded has not been ascertained. The rebel infantry who were drawn up to cut off our retreat, did not venture near enough to take any serious part in the engagement, but fled with the cavalry."

The scouting party, numbering about two hundred and fifty men, followed the retreating enemy. At Ridgeville, a small village nine miles from New Creek, on the road leading to Romney, the enemy was discovered in the woods; a few shots were exchanged without taking effect. The enemy retreated precipitately towards Romney. Kane's men took possession of a stone building near the village. They removed the furniture, barricaded the doors and windows, and converted the building into a secure fortress. In this position they awaited the arrival of reinforcements.

At noon on Sunday, Captain A. J. Trout, commanding a detachment, comprising the "Jersey Shore Rifles," Captain Ulman ; the " Bradford Union Guards," Captain Trout, of the Fifth regiment, and the "Morgan Rifles," Captain Wistar, of the Rifle regiment, was sent to occupy Piedmont, and to defend it against an attack threatened by a body of the enemy's cavalry.

On Monday, Colonel Simmons directed Lieutenant-Colonel Fisher, of the Fifth regiment, to take Captain Loraine's company, of the Fifth, and Captain Holland's and Captain McDonald's companies of the Rifle regiment, and place them in position to guard against surprise, and to defend the village of New Creek. Both detachments moved promptly to the execution of the duties assigned to them.

When Captain Trout arrived at Piedmont, he found the people in a state of intense excitement, momentarily expecting the arrival of the Confederate troops. No time was lost in placing the small force in position for defence. The Morgan Rifles were placed in a stone store house owned by a Mr. Hendrickson. The men removed the windows and doors, and erected barricades in the passages. The main force of the guard occupied the brick market house and prepared to resist an attack. The enemy did not approach until Monday night at half past nine o'clock, when a party of cavalry attacked the picket station on the hill to the east of the village. The picket guard obstinately maintained its position, and was rapidly reinforced from the station at the market house. After an irregular attack, lasting about an hour, in which he lost four men, the enemy retired. The Union troops suffered no loss.

As Colonel Biddle's brigade approached New Creek, the advance guard was met by a lady, near a bridge that had been destroyed by the rebels. She was Mrs. Dayton, who came out to guide the advancing scouts to the enemy's camp. After proceeding a short distance, she introduced to the commanding officer her two daughters, who, relieving their mother, took up the lead, and, marching at double-quick time, never faltered until they reached the village and learned the strength and position of the enemy.

On the 16th of July, the brigade broke camp north of the Potomac and crossed the river. The bridge having been destroyed, it was necessary to transport the baggage on the backs of the men, to the top of the embankment on the south side. The day was consumed in this tedious

labor, so that it was evening when the command arrived at New Creek. As the troops were preparing to go into camp, a messenger arrived from Lieutenant-Colonel Kane asking for immediate relief: Orders were given to march, and, in a few minutes the whole command moved towards Romney. The road led up a narrow valley, watered by New Creek, to a point where the Romney turnpike turns up the mountain in a northern direction. The farmers, who were harvesting their grain crops, hailed with joy the arrival of the National forces, and told marvelous stories of the battle reported to be raging near Romney. The command reached the position occupied by Kane's men at nine o'clock in the night and found them securely fortified in the stone house.

In obedience to orders from General McClellan, who commanded the department of Western Virginia, Colonel Biddle did not advance against the enemy's position at Romney, but withdrew his command to the camp at New Creek, and on the 20th, marched to Piedmont. The damage done to the Baltimore and Ohio railroad by the Virginia secessionists had been fully repaired and communication was opened between Baltimore and Wheeling.

The privates in the Fifth regiment, took possession of the office of the Piedmont Independent, whose editor, A. S. Trowbridge, had been driven from his home by the rebels, and issued a newspaper called The Pennsylvania Reserve, which was the first of a great number of similar publications issued during the war by the editors and printers in the volunteer army.

After the battle of Bull Run, Colonel Biddle's brigade was ordered to return to Harrisburg, and on the 27th of July, took up the march towards Hopewell and thence by railroad arrived at Camp Curtin on the last day of the month. Thus, after forty days of service, ended the first campaign made by troops of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.