The
Civil War Along Tom's Creek and Waynesboro Pike
Holding Fairfield &
the Waynesboro Pike
Prelude to the Battle of Monterey
John Miller
Part 3 of 5 Before the Gettysburg Campaign,
Generals John Imboden and William (Grumble) Jones' fought most of
their Civil War career in the western areas of modern day West
Virginia. Together they carried out one of the most daring raids
during the Civil War in April of 1863. The raid went completely
around West Virginia and entered Oakland, Maryland. The purpose of
the raid was to destroy the B & O railroad overhangs that were
vital to the Federal Army. This was known as the Jones and Imboden
Raid. As the Gettysburg Campaign was unfolding parts of the Army
of Southwestern Virginia was summoned to General Lee to assist in
the Confederate Invasion of Pennsylvania. By June 30th
General Jones’ Cavalry Brigade was closing in on the Mason and
Dixon Line.
On July 1st General Grumble Jones and his Cavalry
brigade crossed the Potomac River at Williamsport, Maryland. There
he left the 12th Virginia Cavalry on the southern side
of the Potomac while Colonel White’s 35th Virginia
Cavalry was detached to operate independently. On July 2nd,
General Jones and his Cavalry marched from Greencastle to
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania where they encamped that night.
Shortly after midnight, General Jones’ Brigade consisting of
the 6th, 7th, 11th Cavalry
Regiments, and Chew’s Battery began their march toward Cashtown.
Once they arrived in Cashtown, General Jones received an order
from General Lee. The order stated that there needed to be a force
of Cavalry to form a battle line near Fairfield. Complying with
General Lee’s request, General Jones traveled the road leading
from Cashtown to Fairfield. It was at this same time that General
Imboden was guarding the Divisional supply wagons of the
Confederate Army. The Confederate wagons were moved further to
rear of the main Confederate Army near Cashtown.
General Wesley Merrit’s Cavalry was moving from Emmitsburg to
Gettysburg when a local resident notified Merrit’s command of
Confederate Wagons assembling near Fairfield. Once the General
Merritt received word of the wagon trains movement near Fairfield,
he ordered the 6th U.S. Cavalry under Major Samuel H. Starr to
scout the area in Fairfield and to find the wagon train.
Moving back toward Emmitsburg, the 6th U.S. Cavalry
took a road leading into Fairfield where they realized that the
Confederate wagon train must have been approaching Cashtown. As
the afternoon progressed, not a rebel was spotted nor was the
wagon train. Major Starr ordered the men to halt. However Major
Starr found out that some of the wagons he was looking for had
left Fairfield before his arrival.
Once in Fairfield, Major Starr learned that a wagon train had
just rolled out of town and was heading to Cashtown. He divided
his 400 men and began to search for the wagon train. He ordered
Captain George Cram to follow the old railroad bed that was at the
western end of Fairfield. Major Starr also sent Lieutenant
Christian Balder ahead of the column on the Fairfield and Orrtanna
Road (Carroll's Tract Road) to catch up with the rear with the
wagon train that was moving to Cashtown. Major Starr and the other
members of the 6th U.S. Cavalry followed behind but nothing was
spotted.
Lieutenant Christian Balder’s small band was just a few yards
away when they spotted roughly 50 pickets of the 7th
Virginia Cavalry. Lieutenant Balder managed to push back the
Confederates until suddenly he was overwhelmed and ordered a
retreat. He turned his men around and rode toward Major Starr to
inform him of the situation.
As Major Starr’s men cleared a small ridge, he ordered them to
dismount and form a battle line on both sides of the road. As the
Federal Cavalry moved to their line of battle, 50 men of the 7th
Virginia Cavalry charged, and were repulsed by the 6th
U. S. Cavalry who had taken refuge near the gates and threw out
their men on both sides of the country road. The 7th
Virginia Cavalry quickly fell back and took up defenses on a
country lane that was enclosed by a rail fence.
General Jones later recalled the failure of the 7th
Virginia Cavalry was due to the lack of promptly being rallied by
it’s officers. General Jones ordered the 6th Virginia
Cavalry to support the 7th Virginia Cavalry and try to
reorganize their battle lines. The 7th Virginia would
soon redeem itself during the various skirmishes on Waynesboro
Pike.
Upon arriving on the field, Chew’s Battery took up position in
a Wheatfield and began shelling the Federal Cavalry. The 7th
was re-enforced by the 6th Virginia Cavalry and a part
of the 11th Virginia Cavalry. The 7th was
situated on both sides of the country road while the 11th
supported the 7th Virginia’s left flank. With the 6th
Virginia in support, the Confederate Cavalry charged and forced
the 6th U. S. Cavalry Regiment to retire with heavy
losses. The 6th U. S. Cavalry losses were 6 killed, 28
wounded, and 208 accounted for.
Lieutenant Nicholas Nolan recalls when the 6th U. S.
Cavalry began falling back:
"After the regiment was repulsed from Fairfield, I
immediately commenced 'retreating,' disputing every inch of
ground with the enemy. Finding the enemy in force, I gradually
fell back in the direction of Mechanicstown, where I found the
regiment, and also ascertained that the commanding officer was
wounded and in the hands of the enemy."
The Confederates pursued the retreating Federal cavalry for
about three miles, through the streets of Fairfield, to the
entrance of Fairfield Gap, where they finally gave up the chase.
Lieutenant Nolan fearing he was being cut off found the only exit
through the Confederate lines. He and some of his comrades made
their escape through the streets of Fairfield. After being chased,
Lieutenant Nolan headed toward the Maryland Border to
Emmitsburg
as fast as they could. Once there, Lieutenant Nolan led his small
detachment to their old camp near Mechanicstown (Thurmont), where
they met Major Starr's remnants that had also fled the scene from
Fairfield.
Lieutenant John Blue of the 11th Virginia Cavalry
regarded the situation:
"The chase was soon dispensed. Lt. Louis H. Carpenter of the
6th U. S. managed to assemble some of the disorganized Federals
three times in half a mile, checking Jones' advance and
compelling him back through Fairfield. By this time, Carpenter
had only 100 men with him, and Nolan an additional fifty. Their
ardor for the chase thus chilled, Jones' Brigade then went into
camp. The remnants of the 6th U. S. Cavalry fled all the way to
Emmitsburg, where its survivors found fragments of the rest of
the Reserve Brigade."
The losses for the 7th Virginia Cavalry were 8
killed, 21 wounded, and 5 missing. During the charge Richard Black
of Company "B" had his horse killed and later on was paid $600.00
to compensate his lost.
After the battle of Fairfield, General Jones and his Brigade
camped for the night about a mile outside of Fairfield. By this
time, the last battle of July 3rd was over. Later that
night the Union Cavalry started it's withdraw from Gettysburg,
Union Colonel Pennock Huey commanding the Second Brigade Cavalry
of General Greg’s Division received orders to move his command to
Emmitsburg, for the purpose of taking possession and holding the
town. Colonel Huey's command bivouacked near Westminster to
receive rations and forage where they would pick up their march to
Emmitsburg in the morning.
Around 11 o'clock that night, General Imboden received word
from a courier that General Robert E. Lee had summoned him to his
headquarters. After riding from Fairfield to Lee's Headquarters,
General Imboden met with Lee around 1 o'clock in the morning on
July 4th. It was during this meeting that General Lee order
General Imboden to lead the wagon train of wounded men back to
Virginia.
General Lee instructed the full retreat of his army. General
Lee issued the orders for a retreat with the importance of doing
so in perfect order. General A. P. Hill's Corps would lead the way
by withdrawing from it’s position after dark. A. P. Hill's Corps
was to proceed on the Fairfield road through the mountain passes
of Fairfield and Monterey. General Longstreet's Corps would then
follow. General Richard Ewell's Corps then brought up the rear of
the Confederate Army.
The wagon trains that accompany the army would move between the
leading and the rear corps, each under the charge of their
respective chief quartermasters and Lieutenant Colonel James L.
Corley who was chief quartermaster and would regulate the order in
which they moved. The artillery of each army corps would move
under the charge of their respective officers of artillery under
the commander of the artillery of the army.
After dark, on July 3, Stuart withdrew his Cavalry from the
battlefield to the York Road, where he encamped for the night. The
main army was at the same time withdrawn to the ridges west of
Gettysburg. Information of this activity did not reach Stuart, and
it was only by a personal visit to army headquarters during the
latter part of the night that he was made aware of it. His command
was now in an isolated and dangerous position. In the early
morning of July 4th, Stuart reorganized his line of march putting
his cavalry in a much safer area.
General Stuart was to designate a cavalry command, not
exceeding two squadrons, to follow the army in it’s line of march.
General Stuart was to also direct one or two brigades to proceed
to Cashtown until the rear of the army has passed through the
mountains passes. General Stuart's Cavalry would then take the
route to Emmitsburg, Maryland and proceed to Cavetown and
Boonsboro, guarding the left and rear of the army.
Once General Imboden rode back into Fairfield, the men of the
wagon train had time to rest and collect their thoughts. By 9 a.m.
the wagons, ambulances, and wounded could not move until late in
the afternoon. As General Imboden was making his final
preparations, Confederate scouts were sent out into Emmitsburg
searching for Union Cavalry.
Early in the morning Saturday, July 4, Confederate cavalry
under the command of
General Albert Jenkins came into Emmitsburg.
General Jenkins was patrolling nearby the wagon train that was in
Fairfield. The Confederate detail under the command of Colonels
Chambliss and Ferguson, came to the junction of
Zora and headed
toward Emmitsburg.
General Lee ordered the two key passes at Monterey and
Fairfield to be secured in case of a Confederate retreat. These
two passes provided the shortest distance back to the Potomac
River. If the Union would take possession of these mountain
passes, General Lee would be forced to take an unfamiliar route,
possibly cutting off their retreat. General Lee could not afford
to take such a risk.
With concerns of the supply wagon being attack by Federal
Cavalry, General Jones volunteered his command to escort it back
into Virginia. The command of the Confederate Army thought that
was a great idea and granted permission to General Jones. General
Jones’ Brigade along with Chew’s Battery would be the main force
guarding the wagons. Portions of the 7th Virginia Cavalry was used
as sharpshooters along the Waynesboro and Emmitsburg Pike,
targeting any Federal Scouts that were on reconnaissance.
General Jones also dispatched the 11th
Virginia Cavalry along with Moorman’s Battery to guard the road
leading from Emmitsburg to Fairfield. Captain A. J. Ware commanding the Bath County Squadron
(Company F, 11th Virginia Cavalry) was
ordered to scout the enemy’s movements coming from the direction
of Emmitsburg. Captain Ware encountered a Federal Regiment and
charged the Federal body back into Emmitsburg. The next day
Captain Ware’s men were to picket near Jack’s Mountain. Colonel Lomax commander of the 11th Virginia Cavalry mentions that such a
fight that took place near Fairfield on the night of July 4th
and 5th:
"Found a regiment of adversary cavalry advancing, which I
drove back nearly to the junction of the road with the
Emmitsburg Pike. The following day his regiment was instructed
to take post on the road leading to the Emmitsburg Pike" with
one company ordered to move on the pike to the top of Jack's
Mountain, to determine the movements of the cavalry column of
the adversary."
Captain W. K. Martin, Acting Adjutant of Jones’ Cavalry Brigade
noted that on the evening of the 4th, his regiment was in line of
battle, supporting Moorman's battery on the road leading from
Fairfield to Emmitsburg. By the morning of the 5th his regiment
was ordered to take post on the road crossing the mountain and
leading to the Emmitsburg pike. Captain John R. Pendleton was
ordered to take his company, and move on the pike to the top of
Jack's Mountain, to ascertain the movements of a Cavalry column of
the enemy that had passed the evening before.
Captain Pendleton took a number of prisoners and horses from
the stragglers of the enemy, but found no enemy in force. Captain
M. M. Ball was ordered to Emmitsburg, to open communication lines
with Major-General Stuart, who was supposed to be at that point.
Captain Ball found the enemy pickets about 3 miles from
Emmitsburg, and drove the pickets in. On reaching Emmitsburg, he
found the enemy in possession of the town and was forced to
retire, with the loss of 1 man severely wounded.
Jones’ Brigade had completed their objective. Which was to hold
the mountain passes and picket the left flank of the Confederate
Army as the Army of Northern Virginia began it’s withdraw from
Gettysburg. One fact remains, Fairfield is the only Cavalry Battle
in Pennsylvania that was clearly a Confederate victory during the
Gettysburg Campaign. Now the long road home would begin through
Monterey Pass, the gateway of agony. Generals Jones and Beverly
Robertson would have to pull together their small brigades to get
the supply wagons of the Army of the Northern Virginia back home
safely.
Read Part 4
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other articles by John Miller
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