in the last days of december, 1861, captain elijah v. white, for such was his rank now, reported to general hill, with fifteen men for duty, and was ordered by that officer to establish a line of couriers between leesburg and winchester, which he did on the 29th, stationing ben. f. conrad and james w. harper at leesburg, richard harding and william h. luckett at hamilton, peter j. kabrich and frank. m. myers at round hill, c. c. wenner and r. w. washington at castleman’s ferry, joseph e. conner and w. t. cruzen at berryville, and richard ferro at winchester, with gip. peter in command at that end of the line, while the captain himself remained at leesburg. the company was thus employed until the 14th of january following, when an order was passed along the line calling all the men to assemble in leesburg, and on reaching that point the captain found he had about twenty-five men, whom he marched to waterford and established in winter quarters at that place. maj. win. f. barrett, of the 57th regiment virginia militia, acted as orderly sergeant and quartermaster, and with the captain formed the board of officers of the company. the madison cavalry, 19under capt. graves, was also stationed at waterford and picketed the potomac from the point of rocks to berlin, and capt. white proposed to co-operate with these men in scouting, and guarding the line of river all the way to harper’s ferry; and here commenced the active duty of what was afterwards to be the famous battalion, now not having enough men to entitle it to a company organization, but whose rolls afterwards bore nearly 700 names. about this time an officer was sent by gen. hill to muster the company regularly into the military service of the confederate states, and this duty performed, the men considered themselves tied fast and were perfectly satisfied with their lot.
among the first duties required of the company was that of executing an order of gen. hill, to collect the delinquent militia of the 56th virginia regiment, and take them to their comrades who were at work on the fortifications around leesburg, but this was no easy matter, many of them having crossed the potomac—some to take service in the army of abraham i, and others to escape doing any kind of military duty in the confederacy—while a large portion of those who remained were quakers, who, according to the tenets of their religion, could not perform such duty, and paid their exemption fines.
another order of the general’s required capt. white to go into south loudoun and upper fauquier, 20and impress into the service all the wagons, teams and negroes that could be spared from that section, and take them to leesburg.
the execution of this order was entrusted to henry k. moore, who, finding the citizens exceeding loth to give over their property to the tender mercies of the c. s. a., took their excuses instead, and returned to camp with sundry promises on the part of the people to send the required articles at a “more convenient season.”
on making his report to the captain, the latter expressed decided disapprobation of that style of executing a military order, and to show what he considered the proper mode, he only allowed henry and his detail time enough to feed their horses, when he had them in the saddle again, and taking charge of the expedition himself, he sallied forth among the reluctant citizens of the favored region named in gen. hill’s order. and this time the wagons and contrabands came; but he left a very bitter memory among the people whom he visited, for they were just congratulating themselves that they had so easily escaped the fulfilment of the order which henry had shown them, when white swooped down upon them and executed it promptly and to the letter.
it was the custom of capt. white to leave his quarters about dark, on those long winter nights, and striking the potomac at some one of the fords or ferries along that stream, lie quiet and watch 21for the federals to come over, and also to look out for the people, who, loyal to the lincoln dynasty but traitors to their state, would cross over, some to carry news to the yankees and return with their blood money to gather more, and some to escape being called into the military service in virginia.
not the least however of his care, was to stop the exodus of the negro population who, on the border, were constantly being decoyed by yankee emissaries away from their masters and their homes.
on one of these occasions he was accompanied by the rev. mr. ——, an old school baptist preacher, who, with his shot gun on his shoulder, agreed to act as pilot for the command in a little scout to the river opposite the point of rocks.
it was sunday night and very cold, but a faithful negro had given information to the captain that a party of his colored brethren had made an arrangement to run away that night, and that some yankees were to meet them with a boat at the mouth of the catocton creek.
on getting near the ground the men dismounted and tying their horses, walked to the position, when the captain placed one man in the bridge over the creek at that place, and posted the others at the boat landing. the one man was to watch for the negroes and give quiet notice of their approach, while the others were to capture the party that brought over the boats.
22unfortunately the reverend gentleman remained with the picket in the bridge, and just when the boats were heard approaching, the poles grating on the river bottom and plainly heard; for the night was too dark to see anything on the water; the contrabands approached the bridge, and, instead of quietly retiring with the information, the picket ordered them to halt, whereupon they commenced to run, and in great excitement the preacher sprang forward, and, firing his piece, called upon them in language far more emphatic than elegant to halt.
at this the boats hastily put back and a volley of bullets from the yankee side came whizzing over the river, the great signal lights on the point at the same time beginning to swing to and fro, giving a weird and ghostly gleaming to the wild scene. the captain and his party at once rushed to the bridge, hoping at least to catch some of the negroes, but they were gone, not even a wounded one left as the result of the preacher’s shot.
the company then returned to camp, and that was, i believe, the last, as well as the first, expedition ever made by the parson as a scout.
one night the captain ordered the company to saddle up, and taking with him his negro boy “baz,” went down near harper’s ferry, in search of news from “over the water.” here he passed himself and people for yankees, and had a very 23pleasant time among the loyal (colored) folks of that region; but his information, although very abundant, was not of much value; so after making free with the cherry-bounce, and frightening the little niggers at “old taps” until their eyes were a great deal too large for their faces, he started “baz” to a house near the crossing of the shenandoah, just opposite the town, to try if he couldn’t get them to take him over, he representing himself as a runaway, and it being pretty generally understood that the family there was engaged in that business.
it so happened, however, that none of the men were at home, and “baz” was persuaded by the ladies to wait till morning; but after some time he concluded to put off his trip, and returned to the company, about fifteen of whom were waiting for "baz"—as part of his programme was to make arrangements for crossing, then return for a couple of friends who were going with him—and he had been so long about it that white, fearing he had got into trouble, or perhaps had turned the thing into earnest and gone over literally, had started to the house and met “baz” a very short distance from it. his men at once surrounded the cabin, and ferro, going on the porch, commenced to inquire of the women—who were still standing there—the news, but no sooner did he speak, than, apparently for the first time comprehending the situation, they threw themselves on the floor and 24began to scream—“rebels, rebels; oh, my friends, come over here!—come quick!” &c., and the sentinels on the other side fired their muskets. at once the drums commenced to roll and very soon the troops were in line, when white ordered his party to retire, which they did at once; but the women kept on screaming, and the yankees opened a fire which rendered the retreat of the scouts a very interesting operation until they reached the point where the grade turns the mountain. and thinking they had heard enough for one night they mounted their horses, and going up the valley to the residence of a good citizen, above neersville, turned in until morning.
although returning empty-handed from his scouts, operations of this kind had a good effect on the border, for the reason that they diminished greatly, and at some points stopped the communications entirely, with the other side of the river.
in this manner january and february passed away, but during the latter part of february the business became a great deal more particular, and one sunday evening the captain returned to camp from leesburg with an order to cross goose creek and make a scout into fairfax. leaving the camp at dark, as usual, the command marched through leesburg, and on reaching the burnt bridge found the creek very high; in fact, some of the horses had to swim; but all crossed safely, and passing 25down the pike reached dranesville, when the captain turned to the right, and bivouacked his men in the house of a citizen. here they slept until morning, and continuing the scout, met lt.-col. munford, with a party of the 2d virginia cavalry, also on the hunt of the enemy; but nothing came of it, and white returned to his camp, with his men pretty badly used up.
soon after this, col. geary of the 28th pennsylvania, began to pay attention to the loudoun side of the river, and needed a great deal of looking after on the part of our scouting company. one day the captain, with a party, went up to the loudoun heights, and from the old blockhouses there, discovered that a pontoon bridge was nearly completed over the shenandoah, which evidently showed an intention to cross the river. after staying there for an hour or two, in easy gunshot of the workmen, the captain concluded to go across to the short hill and from the eagle rock take a look at sandy hook and the rail road generally. just as he reached his observatory some of the men looked over at the blockhouses, which they had left a short while ago, and discovered that a detachment of the enemy was in possession of them, having gone up the mountain by one path while white’s command was coming down by another. this was decidedly interesting, and the next day the captain took his boys 26up to the short hill again, to have another look at them.
pretty soon after reaching the top of the mountain one of the boys saw a man in a blue coat lying behind some rocks, and showing him to the captain he called upon him to come out and surrender, which he did, and just at that moment one of the boys, farther out on the mountain, slipped from a rock and accidentally discharged his gun. this created quite a panic, the scouts imagining that they were beleaguered by yankees, and be it known not many of them had ever seen a yankee except with the potomac between them.
the trouble was soon over though, and the prisoner, who proved to be a lieutenant in co. d, 28th pennsylvania, explained that he was one of a party that had crossed the hill there on the way to lovettsville, and by stopping at a house for something to eat he had got behind, and as a consequence fallen into the hands of those whom he termed “guerrillas.”
no boy was ever prouder of his first pantaloons than white’s boys were of their first prisoner, and rapidly retiring from the mountain they made their best time down the country towards leesburg, to show him, but great was their astonishment to see the citizens fly from their approach as if they had been a tribe of wild cats.
they couldn’t understand it all until, on reaching wheatland, they met major peyton, of gen. 27beauregard’s staff, who informed the captain that the people had heard he and his men were all captured, and they thought the party were yankees coming to devour them.
capt. white, with his prisoner, and some of his men, went with major p. to mr. braden’s, and the others stopped at mr. orrison’s, where they got supper, and related their marvelous exploit, as they then considered it, and so scrupulously chivalrous were they towards the captured officer that the men took turns at walking in order that he might ride the whole way, and although he was provided with canteen, gum-cloth and haversack, everything in fact that a completely equipped soldier needs, they took nothing from him but his pistol.
the lieutenant informed them that he and all his men were fighting for the union, and not to set the negroes free; that if he thought for one moment the latter was the object of the war he would quit the army at once and either go home and stay there, or come south and join the confederates.
after supper the company united and marched for leesburg, but on reaching clark’s gap found that the men who had been left in camp, alarmed at the rumors they had heard, had loaded the wagons and moved everything from waterford to the turnpike, and had the teams still hitched up ready to move further. leaving the company 28here, capt. w. took the prisoner to gen. hill, and in the morning came up and moved his wagons back to waterford. this was sunday morning, and a company of michigan cavalry came down to about one and a-half miles of the town, when white got his men in the saddle to meet them, but they were only on a scout, and after getting a look at the southern pickets returned to their camp. the next day the captain took his men again to the mountain, this time to capture the blockhouses on loudoun heights.
after reaching the top of the mountain, about two and a-half miles from the object of his expedition, he dismounted five men, to wit: t. s. grubb, john tribbey, r. ferro, c. cooper, and f. m. myers, and putting the last named in command, sent them forward along the backbone of the blue ridge, as a forlorn hope, with instructions to get as close as possible without being perceived by the enemy, and then to fire and dash upon the houses, telling them that he would support them with the balance of the company, which now numbered about thirty-five men—and boys. the advance guard moved off, thinking that whatever their captain said was all right, and that his orders must be obeyed at every hazard. they were deployed as skirmishers, the commander keeping as near the line of the mountain summit as possible, while on the right and left were two men, the first ten steps from the leader and the 29second the same distance beyond the first. in this manner they moved quietly along, with the understanding that as a signal their leading man, in case of need, should whistle once to cause them to lie down, and two notes from the natural bugle meant forward again. while on the way, cooper asked to be allowed to shoot at the first yankee he saw and as soon as he saw him, to which myers objected, but finally agreed that if he was near enough to see the white of his eye he might shoot.
almost before they knew it they were at the edge of the clearing around the blockhouses, and the yankees were close by them, upon which the leader whistled and all lay down to look at the situation; but soon a tramp was heard, and looking to the right they saw a sentry walking his beat, which would bring him within ten feet of the forlorn hope, if he kept on, and on looking at cooper he was seen with his gun across a stump, cocked, ready to fire, and aiming at the yankee, the white of whose eye was plainly visible certainly, and it required all the signs in his power to make for myers to prevent him from shooting the sentry, who passed on unconscious of treading so close to the heads of five rebels. there were about eight hundred infantry and five pieces of artillery at the blockhouses, and three of the guns were pointing exactly in the direction of the scouts. here was a beautiful piece of work; thirty men to assault such a force as this; but 30they were going to do it, and the five only waited for the others to get in supporting distance, to commence the attack. it was not made, however, for while lying there they heard a shot in the rear, and crawling back through the bushes until out of sight of the enemy, they got up and traveled as fast as possible to the rear, and finally reached the captain, who only pointed with his hand down towards the valley, and wheeling his horse dashed away. looking in that direction they saw a force of cavalry and infantry moving up the grade, and already they were beyond neersville, while in their rear some forage wagons were going along the grade.
they at once conjectured that their captain was going to attack this party and hurried back faster than ever to get their horses, and as soon as all his people were together white dashed down the mountain and charged the foragers, but they were too fast for him, and after following them under the guns of the blockhouses he turned about and gave up the chase.
the company then returned to their quarters, and for several days did nothing but picket, the force being divided into two parties, one under henry moore and the other under frank myers, who would relieve each other every six hours.
this was soldiering with the gilding off, and many were the homesick boys, as during the stormy hours of those winter nights they sat on 31their horses peering through the dark for the enemy who threatened them always, but never came to drive them away, although their cavalry came near to us many times; on one occasion going to the old schoolhouse at rehoboth, which had been occupied by the southern cavalry as a shelter for their pickets, and burned it down, although they knew they were advancing and it could no longer be used for that purpose.
on another occasion some of them made a valiant descent upon taylortown and captured “stout” williams’ mill at that place, carrying off his books and papers, along with his flour and almost everything else that was moveable about the premises.
however, the hard duty performed by the little garrison at waterford was soon to change now, for matters drew to a crisis very rapidly after mcclellan’s army commenced to advance from the lines around washington, and one evening capt. white came up from leesburg and informed his company that the time had come when the border would no longer be on the potomac, for generals beauregard and johnson were going to fall back from manassas in order to draw mcclellan into a battle away from his base.
the boys all thought the movement was a good one, and by midnight their wagons were loaded and everything in moving order, but all felt very sure they wouldn’t be away more than a month at 32farthest, for one more battle would, in their opinion, about end the war.
about 2 o’clock in the morning the pickets were called in, and the wagons started for leesburg, while the companies of white and graves prepared to guard them.
this ended the pleasant experience of camping in waterford, and closed the winter campaign for 1861 and ’2, the first in which capt. white’s company had been engaged, and from this time forth they were no longer to play soldier, but act it out in sober earnest.
