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Chapter 40: in front of Washington.
On the 10th, the march was resumed at daylight, and we bivouacked four miles from
Rockville, on the
Georgetown pike, having marched twenty miles.
Ramseur's division, which had remained behind for a short time to protect a working party engaged in destroying the railroad bridge, was detained for a time in driving off a party of cavalry which had been following from
Maryland Heights, and did not get up until one o'clock at night.
McCausland, moving in front on this day, drove a body of the enemy's cavalry before them and had quite a brisk engagement at
Rockville, where he encamped after defeating and driving off the enemy.
We moved at daylight on the 11th;
McCausland moving on the
Georgetown pike, while the infantry, preceded by
Imboden's cavalry under
Colonel Smith, turned to the left at
Rockville, so as to reach the 7th Street pike which runs by
Silver Spring into
Washington.
Jackson's cavalry moved on the left flank.
The previous day had been very warm, and the roads were exceedingly dusty, as there had been no rain for several weeks.
The heat during the night had been very oppressive, and but little rest had been obtained.
This day was an exceedingly hot one, and there was no air stirring.
While marching, the men were enveloped in a suffocating cloud of dust, and many of them fell by the way from exhaustion.
Our progress was therefore very much impeded, but I pushed on as rapidly as possible, hoping to get into the fortifications around
Washington before they could be manned.
Smith drove a small body of cavalry before him into the woods on the 7th Street pike, and dismounted his men and deployed them as skirmishers.
I rode ahead of the infantry, and arrived in sight of
Fort Stevens on the road a short time after noon, when I discovered that the works were but feebly manned.
