Camp Near Warrenton Junction, Va.
Thursday, July 28th, 1863.
Messrs. Editors:–On the morning of Saturday, the 18th of July, we passed over the Potomac on a pontoon bridge into Harper’s
Ferry and was again upon the “sacred soil” of Secessia. Passing over the Shenandoah on a wire bridge, and marching around
Loudon Heights, we entered Loudon Valley. On the 20th tents were pitched near a little village called Bloomfield, where the
bloom was it couldn’t be seen, unless half a dozen tumble-down buildings and a waterless pump can be called blooming. In
fact the Old Dominion everywhere presents an appearance of complete desolation; and its many hills and vales all look as if
they were “weeping, sad and lonely” for this cruel war to be over. This was a very pleasant camp. The fields around us were
filled with a bountiful supply of blackberries, the 2d corps made a charge upon them and captured the entire lot, without any
serious loss to us.
To show how much innocent persons must suffer who are so unfortunate as to live at the “seat of war” we relate the
following truthful history etc: Two years before the commencement of the war, a gentleman, a native of Ohio, purchased a
farm near here, and was prospering finely. Soon after the beginning of hostilities, his only son was forced into the rebel army,
and the enemy took all his horses, some fifty in number, and gave him the worthless “promises to Pay” of the Confederacy.
Soon after most of his cattle in like manner were appropriated; leaving him three colts, an old blind mare, and a few head of
cattle. When the rebel army passed through on its way to Pennsylvania, they stole two of his colts. Soon after some of our army
made off with the one remaining colt, leaving him the old blind mare. During the night his smoke house was robbed and all his
meat taken. He had not twenty pounds of flour in the house. His garden was ransacked and vegetables stolen, and fruit
destroyed. Most of the corn and wheat was thrown down by the troops; all his money was about one hundred dollars in secesh
papers. Leaving his land and crops to the mercies of conflicting armies, he intends to make his way to Ohio a poor man. Such
is the devastation of war in the country in which soldiers march and battles are fought.
At noon on the 22d, knapsacks were shouldered and the march resumed, the column marching over a road that seemed to have a
strong inclination to run around everywhere to get us no where. About four o’clock we got upon the Winchester pike to the left of
Upperville, and the scene of one of Pleasonton’s cavalry fights. Two miles over the pike and we reached Paris, at Ashby’s Gap in the
Blue Ridge. Here the Corps bivouacked for the night. Our Brigade was moved up the Gap to the summit of the ascent on picket. The
next morning the Corps began moving at 5 o’clock. We were to hold our position at the Gap until the advance of the 12th
Corps came up. At 2 o’clock we were relieved by the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 12th Corps, Gen. Bowen commanding. Our
Brigade then proceeded forward on the Rectortown road. Four miles from Paris we turned abruptly to the right and marched
toward Manassas Gap. We marched until four o’clock, and we were then ordered to bivouac. Half of our shelter tents were up,
and were about cooking coffee for tea (we usually have coffee for tea) when we received orders to forward on. At sunset we
arrived at the entrance of the Gap. Now began the most disagreeable march we ever made. The night was dark and the sky
clouded. Of course the worse the road the faster we had to travel. The way through the Gap was narrow and rugged. Every few
hundred yards a small stream ran across the road that we were compelled to wade. Occasionally these streams were dammed
up and we slashed and dashed and splashed through the mud and water a distance of several hundred yards. At many places the
road was altogether impassible and we picked our way in single file along the side of the steep, stony hill. At 1 o’clock at night
we bivouacked about four miles from Front Royal.
During the day a skirmish occurred near this place, between the 3d Corps and a force of the enemy, in which we
captured a number of prisoners one thousand head of cattle and five hundred head of sheep–some of the stock that the rebs had
drove out of Pennsylvania. The enemy were driven over the Shenandoah. They were grazing their stolen cattle on this side of
the river when the 3d Corps came upon them and compelled them to retreat. They forded the river in order to save their
“mutton,” each Johnny Reb shouldered a sheep and carried it across the river with him. As Lee made some of getting
possession of the Gap, Gen. Meade massed the greater part of his army in a very short time and was amply prepared to receive
him. But the enemy did not come in force.
The following day the 24th, we moved back through the Gap. We were halted for rest at Linden, where the skirmish
commenced the day before “at Linden when the sun was low.” At Mark Hall we bivouacked for the night. Early next morning
we packed up and resumed our tramp through Dixie. At noon the column passed through Rectortown. It was cloudy throughout
the day and a fresh breeze was blowing, making marching pleasant. At 4 o’clock we reached White Plains, just as the 12th
Corps was moving out.
At daybreak on Sunday, the 26th, the “General” was sounded and the column moved towards Thoroughfare Gap.
Instead of passing through the Gap as we expected to, we moved down the valley in the direction of Warrenton. At New
Baltimore, an insignificant village half a dozen buildings, we got upon the Warrenton turnpike. At noon we arrived at
Warrenton. Here we expected to have some rest but were badly mistaken; but half an hour was given us to eat dinner, when we
continued the march proceeding towards Warrenton Junction. The day was very warm, and during the latter part of the day’s
march a number of men died from the effects of the great heat, and all along the roadside were scattered men who were
completely exhausted by the severe marching through the sun. About five o’clock we went into camp at this place, which is
about two miles from Warrenton Junction. Here we expect to stay for several days and get what this army so much needs, food
and rest.
Our route from Harper’s Ferry has been over, most of the time, the same roads we traversed last fall under McClellan
and Burnside; but we marched three times as rapidly as we did then. Whether we have gained anything more by it remains to
be seen. Forced marches day after day on half filled stomachs is mighty heavy work. The soldiers say “we are marched twenty
and thirty miles a day, and when we come up to the enemy we are halted until the enemy escapes bag and baggage.” It is a little
difficult to see what all this speedy marching is for, but we hope it is all right. Gen. Meade is undoubtedly a commander that
can handle his army and fight it well and victoriously; although the soldiers have no particular love for him, yet they will fight
for him, and fight nobly as they have done for every previous commander, even “Fighting Joe” Hooker.
Since we left Falmouth, on the 25th of last month, we have marched four hundred and thirty-two miles–fought one
grand and bloody battle and had several skirmishes. This we believe is nearly equal to a famous “change of base” made by a
certain “Millish” Regiment from Gettysburg to Harrisburg during the “emergency.”
Ever since we recrossed into Virginia, guerrillas have been constantly hanging on our flanks and rear, for the purpose
of picking up stragglers and watching our movements. The last few days of our march these guerrillas have been unusually
bold and it is not safe to get out of sight of the column. The women along the line of march greatly aid these bushwhackers,
who are concealed in the woods near by a house and when there is an opportunity to capture any of our men who may be
straggling from the column, the ladies signal to the ambushed foe. The guerrillas who are watching for the signal, at once
bounce upon the unfortunate fellow, and take him off a prisoner. At quite a number of houses on the line of our march there
was half a dozen or more young ladies assembled. These little bands of secesh beauties would endeavor by those means which
all young and pretty women know so well how to use, to get our officers to remain with them until all our troops had passed,
when, to their great surprise, the officers who permitted themselves to be beguiled by these fair Delilahs, would discover the
house surrounded by guerrillas, and themselves prisoners.
A few days ago one of Colonel Brooke’s orderlies had left the road the troops were marching on, to go to a house about half a
mile distance, for the purpose of purchasing bread, &c. The lady of the house received him kindly, but was sorry there was no
bread baked, but if he would wait, why, she could accommodate him with any amount of butter, milk, pie, &c. The lady opened
a lively conversation and seemed to be a very agreeable woman, so he waited. He had been in the house scarce fifteen minutes
when he noticed an old darkey outside the building, beckoning to him. He went to the slave, who quickly whispered to him–
“Massa get out from here, quick, quick.” Taking the hint he at once mounted his horse. As he was galloping out of the yard he
noticed two young women signaling with their handkerchiefs towards a woods in the rear of the house. The object was to keep
him at the house until the women could signal to the guerrillas hovering near, to come and capture him.
While moving from White Plains to our present camp Major Bull, the Provost Marshal of the Corps, had a very
narrow escape. His position during the march is generally in the rear of the Corps. Near Thoroughfare Gap, he, followed by his
orderly, was galloping leisurely along quite in the rear of the column, when he observed two rebel officers on horseback, come
down a hill into the road and very coolly walked their horses on the same road he was on but moving in an opposite direction.
The Major commanded them to halt several times, but they paid no attention to his order, one of them hollowed that “they were
all right.” The Major and his orderly then fired upon them with their revolvers, when the rebs struck the spurs to their horses
and moved off. Sending his orderly forward to the column, Lieut. Jones and thirteen of the mounted Provost galloped up.
Dividing the party they made a circuit around and endeavored to capture the rebs. The hunt proving unsuccessful, the Major
with the man he had with him, came back to the rear of our column. Finding that Lieut. Jones and his party had not returned, he
galloped back agin in search of him. When about five hundred yards from the rear of our rear Brigade, which ahd just passed
out of sight over the brow of a hill, he discovered that the enemy at least fifty strong, had got between himself and our column.
The Major and the three men he had with him, at once opened fire on the enemy with their revolvers, and endeavored to cut
their way back to our troops, but a stone wall behind which some of the guerrillas were posted effectively prevented this. As
the Major and his men were only armed with pistols while the rebs had carbines, they were compelled to abandon their horses
and make for the woods, where they lay concealed until after nightfall, when a contraband piloted them safely into Warrenton.
Lieut. Jones and his party have not been heard from and are supposed to be captured. The commander of the rear guard says he
heard the firing, but didn’t go back with his command because he thought there was plenty of cavalry to his rear.
Yesterday morning there was some skirmishing at Rappahannock Station, about nine miles from here. We are happy
to see that most of our wounded men are at their respective homes. Sergt. Almen Cheesebro, of Co. G, died a few days ago of
wounds received at the battle of Gettysburg. We will soon again be moving. Gen. Meade is not the man to keep still long. Well,
our sky is bright; victory rests on our banners, and heaven is smiling on the just cause.
Yours, &c.,
Levi J. Fritz
[Montgomery Ledger, August 4, 1863]
