After we recrossed the
Potomac we marched to the
Moorefield Valley to rest and recuperate, after a severe campaign.
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There is no lovelier spot in all
Virginia than this little mountain-locked valley; and, as it had escaped the desolation of war, it was the very spot for rest.
Our regiment was camped nearest the river, and the company to which I belonged was nearest the river of all. My messmate and myself had crossed the fence from the field in which the regiment was camped to make our bed in a soft green fence corner, so that I believe we were the nearest of the whole brigade to the enemy.
We had been camped quietly a day or two when, in the middle of the night, the order came to ‘saddle up.’
We soon were ready for a reported advance of the enemy, but after waiting an hour or two with no further orders, the men gradually got under their blankets and went to sleep.
Just at the break of day I felt a rude shock, which I supposed came from the careless tread of a comrade, and I made an angry remonstrance.
This was followed by a kick which I thought came from a horse.
I, furious, threw the blanket from over my head and found a couple of
Averill's men, with cocked pistols at my head, one of whom said: ‘Get up, you——Chambersburg burning——!’
I got up at once and at this moment, had
Mr. Hoke been there, he would have been delighted, for I mildly intimated that I had nothing to do with the burning of
Chambersburg and considered it altogether wicked and unjustifiable.
As soon as I collected my thoughts I took in the situation at a glance.
I saw the blue-black column of
Averill winding down the road and breaking off into the fields where our men slept.
I saw them, to my utter humiliation and disgust, dashing in among the men and waking them up from their sleep.
Some of our command who had heard the rush of the charge succeeding in mounting their horses and escaping.
With such, some shots were exchanged, but the greater part of our regiment was caught asleep and captured without firing a shot.
A complete answer to the statement adopted by
Mr. Hoke is that not one of my regiment (to the best of my recollection), was killed or wounded, and, as I have already stated, they were nearest to the enemy and received the first shock of the charge.
Farther on down the road, where the shouts of combat had aroused the other
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portion of the brigade, and they had time to rally to some extent, there was fighting, and some of our men were killed, and I saw some of
Averill's wounded brought to the rear, but our rout was complete and irretrievable and the rallies, as I afterward heard, were without vigor on our part.
As soon as the comrade with whom I was sleeping (a cousin of mine, now in business in this city), and myself had given tip our arms the usual and almost invariable compliments passed on such occasions took place.
‘I want them boots,’ said trooper No.
I, I had just gotten them in
Hancock a day or so before and, as they were regular cavalry boots and worth, with us at least, $150 to $200 in Confederate money, it nearly broke my heart to part with them.
But the occasion was pressing and they were soon exchanged for a very sorry looking pair.
My hat, which was also a recent
Maryland acquisition, with a martial black plume, was appropriated by trooper No. 2.
The object with which he replaced it was a much greater insult to my dignity than the loss of my boots.
My pockets were carefully investigated, but that part of the raid was a complete failure.
I was not at all surprised at their attentions, for, as I have said above, the custom was a general one and I had myself paid the same compliments to my guests when the situation was reversed.