0:00

You're listening to an Airwave

0:02

Media Podcast. Hey

0:05

everyone. Guess what? We're

0:07

moved. And exhausted.

0:10

Man, moving is hard work.

0:13

But worth it because we really like our new

0:15

place. We do. It's

0:17

great. We're still here in Colorado.

0:20

We moved to Erie, Colorado. So

0:23

we're still near Denver. It's

0:25

kind of funny we moved to Erie since I

0:27

have a lot of family back home in Erie.

0:30

Pennsylvania, home of

0:32

Civil War hero Strong Vincent. And

0:36

I looked it up and the town

0:38

of Erie, Colorado wasn't established until 1874.

0:42

So that means no Civil War

0:44

heroes hailed from here. Anyway.

0:48

Anyway, since we're moved and

0:50

in our new place, that means this will

0:52

be the last of these members episodes that

0:54

we'll share with y'all. So

0:56

next week we'll be back with a brand

0:58

new episode. We've

1:30

had the opportunity to inspect the town, the supplies

1:32

and equipment and the Federal

1:35

soldiers that the troops under his command had captured a

1:37

few hours earlier. It

1:41

was late morning on Monday, September

1:43

15, 1862 as Stonewall entered

1:45

Harpers Ferry. And

1:48

as he passed the lines of prisoners, many of

1:50

them couldn't help but gawk at the unremarkable looking

1:54

but already legendary Confederate general. One

1:58

of the Yankees told those. Around him boys,

2:01

he isn't much for looks, but if

2:03

we'd had him, we wouldn't have been

2:05

caught in this trap. There

2:08

was general agreement that observation

2:10

among the captured Yankees in

2:12

snapping set the trap that

2:14

Harpers Ferry and forcing the

2:16

surrender of it's garrison. Stonewall

2:19

had bad about twelve thousand

2:21

prisoners, abundant supplies and clothing

2:23

and equipments, thirteen thousand small

2:25

arms, and over seventy pieces

2:27

of artillery. The

2:29

only rebels, I'm happy with the

2:31

outcome. With a cavalry man who

2:34

had looked forward to resupply themselves

2:36

with fresh mounts and new equipment.

2:39

One of the Confederate horseman said

2:41

that the fact the Yankee cavalry

2:43

had somehow managed to slip out

2:46

of the trap and escape Harpers

2:48

Ferry quote was enough to vex

2:50

a saint. When Jackson

2:52

found out the Sistine Hundred sedwill

2:55

troopers had thought away, he supposedly

2:57

muttered, i would rather have had

2:59

this horses and that calvary than

3:01

everything else there is in the

3:03

polls. That cavalry

3:05

was indeed gone. But.

3:07

How and aware. About

3:20

sixteen hours before stem on tax

3:23

and rode into Harper Series, this

3:25

team hundred Union cavalry men had

3:27

crossed a nearby pontoon bridge over

3:30

the Potomac River, eluded detection by

3:32

Confederate tickets, and started as one

3:35

historian has written quote one of

3:37

the more spectacular. Cavalry deeds of

3:39

the war. Still most victory was

3:42

marred only by the escape of

3:44

the group dubbed the Harpers Ferry

3:47

could adult years. The

3:49

officer who led the elusive Union

3:51

troopers out of the Confederate traps

3:53

was a Southerner himself. Colonel.

3:55

Benjamin as Davis commander of the

3:57

Eighth New York Cavalry Regiment, A

4:01

Mississippi born, West Point or. Grinds

4:03

Davis as his pre war old

4:05

army friends called him. Learned the

4:08

cavalry trade on the plains of

4:10

Texas and in the mountains and

4:12

valleys of New Mexico. in California.

4:15

As a second lieutenant of the

4:18

First Or games, he fought against

4:20

Apache Indians in the Healer Expedition

4:22

of eighteen fifty seven been wounded

4:24

and a skirmish along the Healer

4:26

River in June of that year.

4:28

And Davis was the captain in the

4:31

First Cavalry in California when the Civil

4:33

War began. To sing

4:35

allegiance to the Union instead of

4:37

to his native stayed blinds stay

4:40

this may dislike east and health

4:42

various posts things until in teen

4:44

eighteen sixty two when he was

4:46

given command of the Ac like

4:49

travel Although his new didn't actually

4:51

have any horses yet, status nevertheless

4:53

instituted a rigorous program. Of training

4:56

and drill. The New

4:58

Yorkers are volunteers, of course. At

5:00

first resented their new kernel strict

5:02

regular army mindset that when horses

5:05

were finally secured in mid July,

5:07

morale improved. Considerably. On

5:10

August Twenty ninth, Davis received orders

5:12

to take his regiment to Harpers

5:14

Ferry, and three days later, the

5:16

eighth New York road into the

5:18

town, joining the garrison there. We

5:21

one can into the details

5:24

of the Confederate investment of

5:26

Harpers Ferry since we discovered

5:28

that in the last two

5:30

members episodes. But what's just

5:32

say that as the Rebels

5:34

approached the town, Davis' troopers

5:36

and for other Federal cavalry

5:38

units engaged in patrolling and

5:40

reconnaissance. But once the Confederate

5:42

trap snapped shut the Union

5:44

cavalry man could no longer

5:46

tactically a than the defense

5:48

Harpers Ferry. In

5:50

other words, once it became a

5:53

siege, there just wasn't much for

5:55

the Federal cavalry to do. Since

5:57

then, the federal infantry and artillery.

6:00

That would have to actually defend

6:02

the town. Lieutenant Way

6:04

and last of the twelve Illinois

6:06

Cavalry later recalled the trooper state

6:08

of mind saying quote the situation

6:11

was extremely depressing, surrounded on all

6:13

sides by the enemy with no

6:15

hope of relief. Or opportunity to.

6:18

Make an adequate defense and with

6:20

the prospect of early capture or

6:22

surrender the mind to the officers

6:24

and men nationally turned toward escape.

6:27

And. Close. With escape

6:29

so tempting an idea Grimes

6:31

Davis approach lieutenant colonel has

6:33

but Davis of the twelfth

6:35

Illinois Cavalry on the morning

6:37

of September fourteenth to seek

6:40

another officers opinion. The

6:42

junior officer agreed that escape

6:44

was preferable to surrender. Both.

6:47

Men's and consulted with three

6:49

other officers. Colonel. Or

6:51

know voss, commander of the

6:53

twelfth Illinois and ranking cavalry

6:55

officer Harpers Ferry. Major.

6:58

Augustus Corliss commanding the

7:00

Seven Squadron Rhode Island

7:02

Cavalry. And Lieutenant hands

7:04

and green of the First Maryland

7:06

Cavalry. All agreed

7:08

to go with Davis to support him,

7:11

as he presented the idea of escape

7:13

to Colonel Dixon Miles, the commander of

7:15

all the Federal defenders of Harpers Ferry.

7:18

Destiny in the Cowboy Officers

7:21

Met this. Miles Davis presented

7:23

his idea and outlined his

7:25

rationale. One. The

7:27

horses has no for it to

7:29

the cavalry, was no longer as

7:31

any military use and three is

7:34

Harpers Ferry surrendered which in all

7:36

likelihood it would be it's than

7:38

the federal calories. Horses and equipment

7:40

would be an important cat to

7:42

the Confederate. But

7:45

Miles said no. Colonel.

7:47

Avast later said that quote

7:49

at first he wouldn't listen

7:51

to such a proposition at

7:53

all, denouncing it as wild

7:55

and impracticable, imperiling the lies

7:57

of the whole command. My.

8:00

With unwilling to sanction Davis's plans

8:02

for fear that the cavalry says

8:04

scape attempt would lead to a

8:06

stampede of all the federal defenders

8:08

seeking to break out of the

8:11

rebel trap, Davis stood his ground

8:13

though and argued with Miles. According

8:15

to one account the to exchanged

8:17

quote. Some sharp words. However,

8:21

Miles at last relented and

8:23

agreed to Davis' proposal. He

8:26

asked by which route the escape would

8:28

be attempted. After some

8:30

discussion, Davis said the horsemen would

8:32

cross the pontoon bridge spanning the

8:34

Potomac, and then once across the

8:37

river, follows the roads that lead

8:39

north to Sharpsburg. This

8:41

route, however, involved serious risk

8:44

since the Union cavalry would

8:46

have to ride directly under

8:48

the noses of Lafayette the

8:50

Claws confederates up on Maryland

8:52

Heights. The chances were slight, the

8:55

Confederate would have less this avenue

8:57

of escape unguarded, and the Federal

8:59

horseman would probably have to fight

9:01

their way out. that. Nevertheless, Miles

9:03

agreed to the plan and said

9:05

that orders would be forthcoming before

9:07

the conference broke that. Miles admonished

9:09

the carefully officers not to discuss their

9:11

escape attempt with the rest of

9:13

the garrison since he was afraid

9:15

sets talk would cause an uproar

9:17

among the trafficking. And infantry. Miles.

9:31

Reporters arrived later that afternoon.

9:34

They. Designated Voss, the senior cavalry

9:36

officer as commander of the

9:38

operation, but in reality Grimes

9:40

Davis, who has suggested and

9:42

lobbied for the escape attempt,

9:45

would be in charge. The

9:48

orders specify that the cavalry units

9:50

would depart at eight o'clock that

9:52

evening. They would move

9:54

out quote without noise or

9:56

loud command and quote. First

10:00

Maryland Potomac Hum Brigade would lead,

10:02

followed by the Twelfth Illinois, the

10:04

Eight New York, and the Seventh

10:06

Rhode Island Cavalry. And then the

10:08

First Maryland would act as rear

10:10

guard. Miles orders

10:13

concluded by stating quote know whether

10:15

instructions can be given to the

10:17

commander than to force his way

10:19

through the enemy lines and join

10:21

our own army. Worried

10:24

the impending escape attempt spread rapidly

10:26

to the cavalry units, the Federal

10:28

horseman, we're delighted and excited. The

10:31

knees few preparations were required and

10:33

the men were ready shortly after

10:35

dark. All baggage with to be

10:37

left behind and said the twelfth

10:40

Illinois left their brass band behind

10:42

along with their tents. It didn't

10:44

laugh. Would later say that quote

10:46

we miss the tents afterward that

10:48

managed to get along without the

10:51

band. The Horsemen

10:53

converged near the Arsenal buildings

10:55

and the street paralleling the

10:57

Shenandoah River. In

10:59

training and experience, the units

11:01

varied greatly from Davis' well drilled

11:03

New Yorkers to the green

11:05

Rhode Islanders who had only ten

11:08

days left in their three

11:10

month enlistment. The

11:12

twelfth Illinois, like the eight New York,

11:14

was made up a veteran three year

11:17

man, while the To Maryland units were

11:19

experienced in scouting and picketing and many

11:21

of those men were familiar with the

11:24

region and which the column was about

11:26

to ride. The guides

11:28

for the operation had been selected from

11:30

the Maryland unit, and there was also

11:32

a civilian scout who possessed a thorough

11:35

knowledge of the country Said blinds stay.

11:37

This would ride with the Vanguard. At

11:40

the designated our everything seemed ready. Company

11:42

officers reminded them and keep close that

11:45

everyone knew that if he fell behind

11:47

a thought last, you're on your own

11:49

An officer told his men that by

11:52

the next morning they would either be

11:54

in Pennsylvania or in hell are on

11:56

their way to Richmond. As prisoners.

12:00

Guides and the to Davis' lead

12:02

the column on the bridge and

12:04

into the intense darkness beyond. Once

12:07

across the bridge the column turned to

12:09

last and increase the pace from a

12:11

walk to a near do it. From

12:14

almost the beginning the units became

12:17

spread out and unable to keep

12:19

close stop because of the inky

12:21

darkness and the increased speed. The

12:24

operational hardly started the for a

12:26

disaster nearly a third when a company

12:28

of the twelfth Illinois turned right

12:30

after crossing a bridge digging. It had

12:32

lost contact with the company before

12:34

the for it while crossing the bridge

12:37

and after making the wrong turn

12:39

on the far side, they rode on

12:41

a short distance until they ran

12:43

into a strong Confederate picket line. The

12:45

Federal captain realizing his mistake quickly

12:47

turned his men around and wrote back

12:50

to the bridge and rejoined the

12:52

column. After crossing

12:54

the bridge and turning last, Bunion

12:56

Horseman found that the road to

12:58

Sharpsburg passed between the Chesapeake and

13:01

Ohio now and the High Ground

13:03

near the Potomac for a mile

13:05

before turning right and then up

13:08

a steep percent over a spur

13:10

of Maryland Heights. Near

13:12

that point, the head of the

13:14

column encountered Mccloskey pickets. But

13:16

the rebel pickets when faced with

13:18

Federal cavalry rushing get them out

13:20

of the darkness, decided discretion was

13:23

the better part of valor, and

13:25

they quickly scattered after firing a

13:27

few. And

13:29

with that, the road to Sharpsburg

13:31

lay open before the Yankee troopers.

13:34

E Si Se as he was

13:36

on taxing Maryland size and worried

13:38

about Federals appearing to his rear

13:40

and Pleasant Valley Lafayette a clause

13:42

had failed to adequately guard the

13:44

Sharpsburg read and said the escaping

13:46

Federal cavalry were able to simply

13:48

brushed aside the see rebel tickets

13:51

and ride on. Exactly

13:53

the brief encounter with their see

13:55

rebel pickets hardly slow down the

13:57

federal horseman. They. Continued the

14:00

steep rocky road with the head of

14:02

the column several miles beyond the bridge,

14:04

even as the rear so waited to

14:07

cross. In the darkness,

14:09

the column became like a huge

14:11

accordion, stretching and then abruptly halting

14:13

as troopers spurt their mounts on

14:15

only to quickly stop when they

14:17

ran into the rider a head.

14:20

Wound frustrated. Federal later recalled how

14:22

quote sometimes we would be twenty

14:25

yards from our file leader and

14:27

then we would come up for

14:29

dries. Then we would hear some

14:31

tall swearing. It continues

14:33

that way for miles with the

14:35

Yankee Horseman trying to judge the

14:37

pace in the darkness by the

14:39

clatter firsts, the raveling of equipment

14:42

or by the sparks in the

14:44

horses sees striking stones in the

14:46

red view of the man has

14:48

ever done anything so difficult. Distress

14:50

was almost unbearable. Lieutenant last admitted

14:52

that quote it was had killing

14:54

pace. And very hard work to keep that.

15:13

The. First Federal horseman reached the outskirts

15:15

of Sharpsburg shortly before midnight on

15:17

Sunday night and their Grimes Davis

15:20

called a hard to allow the

15:22

column to close up and rest

15:24

of forces. After

15:26

half an hour, Davis has the men

15:28

remount and the Federal cavalry entered the

15:31

southern end of Sharpsburg. When.

15:33

Davis reach the Town Square. He

15:35

turned eastward onto the Been Sparrow

15:37

Turn to head toward Cedric. before

15:40

that harpers ferry miles had

15:42

told the cavalry officers that

15:45

according to his latest information

15:47

the clones army was near

15:49

frederick moving westward but as

15:51

the yankees approach the old

15:53

lutheran church situated on a

15:55

slight rise on sharpsburg eastern

15:57

outskirts the trooper suddenly heard

15:59

from added darkness the challenge,

16:01

hope, who goes there? When

16:05

a cavalryman responded, friends of the

16:07

Union, a smattering of

16:10

musket fire immediately answered

16:12

that unsatisfactory reply. The

16:16

leading Federal Troopers, as they had

16:18

at Maryland Heights, charged forward to

16:20

overrun the unseen enemy. But

16:23

as Voss later recalled, quote,

16:26

suddenly a sheet of flame illumined the

16:28

darkness for an instant, followed

16:30

by the report of at least

16:32

a hundred rifles sending their leaden

16:34

messengers about our ears. The

16:37

Federals recoiled from this obvious show of

16:39

force and withdrew back down the main

16:41

street, where the milling horsemen became bunched

16:43

up for two blocks. Incredibly,

16:46

no one was hit in the unexpected

16:48

encounter with the enemy. The

16:50

Southerners were, in fact, horsemen who belonged

16:52

to Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry brigade, who were

16:55

acting as the vanguard of the Confederate

16:57

force that was about to converge on

16:59

Sharpsburg prior to the Battle of Antietam.

17:03

Meanwhile townsfolk were telling the Federals

17:05

they wouldn't find anyone but Robert

17:07

E. Lee's army up the Boonsboro

17:09

turnpike. Grimes

17:11

Davis, Voss, and the

17:14

guides quickly huddled and discussed

17:16

this sobering news for a

17:18

change of plan was certainly

17:20

needed. In a

17:22

few minutes a decision was reached. The

17:24

Hagerstown to the north and beyond

17:27

it, the Pennsylvania border, would be

17:29

the column's new objective. The

17:32

Yankee troopers therefore headed out of

17:34

Sharpsburg on the Hagerstown turnpike, which

17:36

was an excellent road leading northward

17:38

for ten miles to its namesake

17:40

town. They rode at

17:43

a trot through the darkness, putting some

17:45

distance between themselves and the Confederates back

17:47

yonder. Following

17:49

Jones's crossroads at the intersection

17:52

of the Hagerstown Road and

17:54

the Williamsport-Boonsboro Pike, Davis

17:56

called another halt near a house belonging to

17:58

a Dr. Matt who

18:01

the civilian scout said was a well-known

18:03

Union man. Davis

18:05

wanted to know if the loyal doctor

18:07

could provide any specific information as

18:10

to the dispositions of the nearby

18:12

Confederates. The good doctor had

18:14

grim news. James Longstreet's entire

18:16

command was up at Hagerstown.

18:19

Maddox's report was actually outdated, since

18:21

Longstreet's rebels had already marched from

18:24

Hagerstown to go to the aid

18:26

of D.H. Hill at South Mountain.

18:29

Not knowing that the doctor's news

18:31

was outdated, the Federal Horseman had

18:33

to proceed as if Hagerstown was

18:36

occupied by a strong enemy force.

18:39

Based on that assumption, Davis decided

18:41

that the column would still head

18:43

north, but would stay off the

18:45

turnpike and instead would ride cross-country.

18:49

It was now 2 a.m. on Monday morning,

18:51

September 15th, two days

18:53

before the Battle of Antietam. The

18:56

Federal Troopers had been riding for

18:58

six tiring hours, but their

19:01

ordeal was still far from over,

19:03

for more challenges lay ahead. Over

19:17

rolling meadows and fields through cornfields,

19:19

across streams, the column of Federal

19:21

Horsemen bumped and snaked along. Bone-numbing

19:25

fatigue began to take its toll. Many

19:28

of the troopers fell asleep in the saddle. In

19:31

other cases, the exhausted horses simply

19:33

stopped, unable to continue. Some

19:36

men simply became separated from their comrades

19:38

in the darkness and lost their way.

19:41

The strain on already frayed

19:44

nerves and tired minds was

19:46

intense. Longstreet's

19:48

wagon train and one of his infantry brigades,

19:52

rather than heading for South Mountain, was

19:54

marching down the turnpike from Hagerstown to

19:56

Sharpsburg, and often the

19:58

Union cavalrymen were on the way. would pass

20:00

so close to the Rebel bivouacs

20:02

that the enemy could be seen

20:05

standing or sleeping around the campfires.

20:08

Corporal I. W. Haysinger of the

20:11

7th Squadron, Rhode Island Cavalry, was

20:13

passing through a cornfield when he

20:15

was suddenly stopped by a Confederate

20:17

soldier who drawled out, Say,

20:20

what regiment are you?

20:22

The quick thinking Haysinger replied,

20:25

14th Alabama Cavalry, the

20:28

Rebel shot back, you're a

20:30

damned liar, but he let

20:32

the matter drop there, apparently not concerned

20:35

enough to pursue the issue further as

20:37

Haysinger rode on. As

20:39

the night wore on, the guides unerringly

20:42

brought the saddle-worn column back to a

20:44

road. They emerged from the

20:46

fields at a point on the Williamsport-Boonsboro

20:48

road near the College of St. James.

20:51

The Federals rode westward for a

20:53

mile toward Williamsport, then turned off

20:56

onto a narrow country road which

20:58

ran north by northwest for nearly

21:01

two miles before it intersected with

21:03

the Hagerston-Williamsport turnpike. When

21:05

the horsemen reached the pike, Davis called a

21:08

halt to rest the mounts and allow the

21:10

column to close up. The

21:12

landscape was still dark, although the first

21:14

faint gleam of dawn was just barely

21:16

beginning to lighten the eastern sky. Then

21:19

to the north, the Federals heard the

21:22

rumbling of many wagons coming down the

21:24

road from the direction of Hagerston. Davis,

21:27

assuming the oncoming convoy was Confederate,

21:30

decided to lay a trap for

21:32

it. Along

21:34

the immediate stretch of turnpike, trees

21:37

lined both sides of the road,

21:39

which provided ideal concealment for the

21:41

mounted Yankees. On

21:43

one side of the turnpike, Davis placed

21:45

his own New Yorkers, and

21:47

on the other side he positioned the 12th

21:49

Illinois, with the Maryland and

21:52

Rhode Island units in reserve. Grimes

21:55

Davis, with the squadron of the 8th New York,

21:57

waited in the middle of the road, ready to

21:59

go. to intercept the approaching wagons.

22:02

The wagons pulled by six mule

22:05

teams were Longstreet's Ordnance and Commissary

22:07

Train which had been ordered to

22:09

move from Hagerstown to Williamsport on

22:11

the Potomac so they would be

22:13

ready to cross the river

22:16

to safety if necessary. The

22:18

11th Georgia Infantry Regiment under Major

22:20

F. H. Little had been tasked

22:22

with guarding the wagons. The

22:25

1st Virginia Cavalry rode to the rear of

22:27

the wagon train since that was the only

22:29

direction from which a Yankee attack was expected.

22:33

Grimes Davis halted the first wagon even

22:35

as his men closed in around the

22:37

guards and disarmed them. The

22:40

surprise was complete and the Federals

22:42

quickly seized the next wagons in

22:44

line and quietly captured the unsuspecting

22:47

guards. While Davis

22:49

was giving orders for the wagons to be

22:51

taken over to the Green Castle Peak and

22:53

then up to that Pennsylvania town, a

22:56

Confederate officer rode up to the

22:58

first wagon and accosted the teamster

23:00

driving it wanting to know why

23:02

he had halted. The teamster pointing

23:04

to one of the nearby horsemen

23:06

blurted out, the woods are full

23:09

of yanks. Not

23:11

believing the fellow, the rebel officer

23:13

angrily asked one of the unidentified

23:15

horsemen by what authority he had

23:18

halted the wagon train. Major

23:20

William Frisby of the 8th New York

23:23

calmly replied by the authority

23:25

of an officer of the United States

23:27

Army. At that

23:29

the Confederate was disarmed and joined the

23:31

other prisoners. Without

23:33

any further incidents the captured wagons

23:36

proceeded south another quarter of a

23:38

mile, turned right onto a

23:40

country road and rolled toward the Green

23:42

Castle Turn Peak. Davis

23:44

meanwhile stationed himself at this intersection

23:47

and awaited the next victim. As

23:50

each wagon approached the native southerner

23:52

used his best Mississippi drawl to

23:54

direct the teamster onto the country

23:56

road where awaiting federal horsemen disarmed

23:59

any guards. Lt.

24:01

Luffe remembered how, quote, "...the

24:04

capture was affected so quietly that

24:06

after the foremost wagons had been

24:08

taken and turned toward Green Castle,

24:11

the escorts of the remainder were in

24:13

complete ignorance of what had taken place

24:16

until they reached the point where the change

24:18

of direction was made, and they

24:20

too passed into the service of the

24:22

United States. A

24:24

change of governments was probably never

24:26

more quietly or speedily affected." In

24:29

all, 45 wagons were captured

24:32

before Major Little of the 11th

24:34

Georgia discovered that something was seriously

24:36

amiss, and he stopped the

24:38

rest of the convoy and avoided further loss.

24:41

He then ordered the 1st Virginia Cavalry

24:43

to pursue the Yankees, but by the

24:46

time the Confederate horsemen got themselves sorted

24:48

out and set off in pursuit, the

24:50

Federal column was on the Green Castle

24:53

Pike and headed north fast. The

24:55

Virginia horsemen mounted a feeble attack, but

24:57

they were easily driven off by the

24:59

12th Illinois, which was now acting as

25:02

rear guard. The

25:04

final miles to the Pennsylvania border

25:06

and then up into the Keystone

25:08

State passed without incident or trouble,

25:11

except when several of the upset

25:14

Southern Teamsters succeeded in wrecking

25:16

their wagons by driving them off the

25:18

road. The Federal

25:20

horsemen burnt those disabled wagons,

25:22

and then two troopers with

25:24

cocked pistols were assigned to

25:27

ride alongside each wagon with

25:29

orders to shoot any Teamster

25:31

who tried any more such

25:33

shenanigans. The column

25:35

then continued on its way until it

25:38

was within sight of its destination, Green

25:40

Castle, Pennsylvania. There,

25:43

as the dust-covered Federal cavalrymen

25:45

approached the town's outskirts, they

25:47

were mistaken for Confederate raiders

25:49

by some local militiamen, who

25:51

speedily scattered without further ado.

25:54

When the horsemen were correctly identified, though, the

25:56

embarrassed militia returned and the townspeople in the

25:58

middle of the war. enthusiastically welcomed the

26:01

column to Green Castle with food

26:03

and drink, but many of the

26:05

Yankee troopers, more exhausted than hungry,

26:08

simply sank down and fell asleep

26:10

the moment they dismounted. It

26:13

was nearly nine o'clock on Monday morning

26:15

when the column reached Green Castle, thirteen

26:18

hours after the Federal Horsemen had

26:20

ridden out of Harpers Ferry. One

26:24

contemporary wrote that, quote, This

26:27

escape of Davis from Harpers

26:29

Ferry and Nathan Bedford Forrest's

26:31

escape from Fort Donelson under

26:33

very similar circumstances, show

26:36

what a bold subordinate may achieve

26:38

after his superior has lost heart,

26:41

end quote. And

26:44

indeed for daring, courage, resourcefulness,

26:47

drama, and plain good luck,

26:50

this minor exploit has few equals

26:52

during the Civil War, and

26:54

the credit belonged primarily to one man,

26:57

Grimes Davis. It

27:00

was his idea to extricate the

27:02

fifteen hundred Federal Horsemen from the

27:04

Confederate Trap at Harpers Ferry, and

27:07

then he led them more than fifty

27:09

miles through scattered enemy forces with

27:11

the invaluable help of some remarkable guides.

27:15

And then to top it all

27:17

off, he captured a significant portion

27:19

of Longstreet's Ordnance train without hardly

27:21

firing a shot, all

27:23

with the cost of only one hundred and

27:25

seventy-eight men missing. Grimes

27:28

Davis received the Brevitt rank of

27:30

Major in the regular Army for

27:32

his night's work in September, eighteen

27:34

sixty-two, but a volunteer general

27:36

star was never to be his. The

27:39

next spring, in June, eighteen sixty-three, while leading

27:41

a charge at the Battle of Brandy

27:43

Station, he was hit in the head

27:45

by a Confederate bullet and was dead

27:47

before he hit the ground. Davis

27:50

died as a cavalry officer of

27:52

much promise, whose most brilliant moment

27:54

was when he and the Harpers

27:57

Ferry Scadadallers Rode across the

27:59

pontoon bridge. And headed for Pennsylvania

28:01

to. Hell or rich.