Stuart's Famous Chambersburg Raid

Of all the minor operations of the Civil War, the one most marked at

once by daring and success was the pioneer invasion of the Northern

States, the notable Chambersburg raid of the most famous cavalry leader

of the Confederacy, General J. E. B. Stuart. This story of bold venture

and phenomenal good fortune, though often told, is worth giving again in

its interesting details.



The interim after the battle f Sharpsburg or Antietam was one of rest

and recuperation in both the armies engaged. During this period the

cavalry of Lee's army was encamped in the vicinity of Charlestown, some

ten miles to the southward of Harper's Ferry. Stuart's head-quarters

were located under the splendid oaks which graced the lawn of "The

Bower," whose proprietor, Mr. A. S. Dandridge, entertained the officers

with an open-hearted and genial hospitality which made their stay one of

great pleasure and enjoyment.



There were warriors in plenty who would not have been hasty to break up

that agreeable period of rest and social intercourse, but Stuart was not

of that class. He felt that he must be up and doing, demonstrating that

the Army of Northern Virginia had not gone to sleep; and the early days

of October, 1862, saw a stir about head-quarters which indicated that

something out of the ordinary was afoot. During the evening of the 8th

the officers were engaged in a lively social intercourse with the ladies

of "The Bower," the entertainment ending in a serenade in which the

banjo and fiddle took chief part. Warlike affairs seemed absent from the

thoughts of all, with the exception that the general devoted more time

than usual to his papers.






With the morning of the 9th a new state of affairs came on. The roads

suddenly appeared full of well-mounted and well-appointed troopers,

riding northward with jingling reins and genial calls, while the cheery

sound of the bugle rang through the fresh morning air. There were

eighteen hundred of these horsemen, selected from the best mounted and

most trustworthy men in the corps, for they were chosen for an

expedition that would need all their resources of alertness, activity,

and self-control, no less a one than an invasion of Pennsylvania, a

perilous enterprise in which the least error might expose them all to

capture or death.



On reaching the appointed place of rendezvous, at Darksville, Stuart

issued an address in which he advised his followers that the enterprise

in which they were to engage demanded the greatest coolness, decision,

and courage, implicit obedience to orders, and the strictest order and

sobriety. While the full purpose of the expedition must still be kept

secret, he said, it was one in which success would reflect the highest

credit on their arms. The seizure of private property in the State of

Maryland was strictly prohibited, and it was to be done in Pennsylvania

only under orders from the brigade commanders, individual plundering

being strongly forbidden.



These preliminaries adjusted, the march northward began, the command

being divided into three detachments of six hundred men each, under the

direction of General Wade Hampton, Colonel W. H. F. Lee, and Colonel W.

E. Jones. A battery of four guns accompanied the expedition. It was with

high expectations that the men rode forward, the secrecy of the

enterprise giving it an added zest. Most of them had followed Stuart in

daring rides in the earlier months of that year, and all were ready to

follow wherever he chose to lead.



Darkness had fallen when they reached Hedgesville, the point on the

Potomac where it was designed to cross. Here they bivouacked for the

night, a select party of some thirty men being sent across the river,

their purpose being to capture the Federal picket on the Maryland side.

In this they failed, but the picket was cut off from its reserve, so

that the fugitives were not able to report the attack. Day had not

dawned when all the men were in their saddles, and as soon as word of

the result of the night's enterprise was received, the foremost troops

plunged into the river and the crossing began. It was completed without

difficulty, and Colonel Butler, leading the advance, rode briskly

forward to the National turnpike which joins Hancock and Hagerstown.



Along this road, a few hours before, General Cox's division of Federal

infantry had passed, Butler coming so close to his rear that the

stragglers were captured. But a heavy fog covered the valley and hid all

things from sight, so that Cox continued his march in ignorance that a

strong body of Confederate cavalry was so close upon his track. On

Fairview Heights, near the road, was a Federal signal-station, which a

squad was sent to capture. The two officers in charge of it escaped, but

two privates and all its equipments were taken.



Yet, despite all efforts at secrecy, the march had not gone on unseen. A

citizen had observed the crossing and reported it to Captain Logan of

the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, and the news spread with much rapidity.

But there was no strong force of cavalry available to check the

movement, and Stuart's braves passed steadily forward unopposed. Their

line of march was remote from telegraph or railroad, and the

Pennsylvania farmers, who did not dream of the war invading their

fields, were stricken with consternation when Stuart's bold riders

crossed Mason and Dixon's line and appeared on their soil.



It was hard for them to believe it. One old gentleman, whose sorrel mare

was taken from his cart, protested bitterly, saying that orders from

Washington had forbidden the impressment of horses, and threatening the

vengeance of the government on the supposed Federal raiders. A shoe

merchant at Mercersburg completely equipped Butler's advance guard with

foot-wear, and was sadly surprised when paid with a receipt calling on

the Federal government to pay for damages. While nothing was disturbed

in Maryland, horses were diligently seized in Pennsylvania, the country

on both sides of the line of march being swept clean of its farm

animals. Ladies on the road, however, were not molested, and the men

were strictly prohibited from seizing private property--even from taking

provisions for themselves.



Chambersburg, the goal of the expedition, was reached on the evening of

the 10th, after a day's hard ride. So rapid and well conducted had been

the journey that as yet scarce one enemy had been seen; and when the

town was called on to surrender within thirty minutes, under penalty of

a bombardment, resistance was out of the question; there was no one

capable of resisting, and the troops were immediately marched into the

town, where they were drawn up in the public square.



The bank was the first place visited. Colonel Butler, under orders from

his chief, entered the building and demanded its funds. But the cashier

assured him that it was empty of money, all its cash having been sent

away that morning, and convinced him of this by opening the safe and

drawers for his inspection. Telegraphic warning had evidently reached

the town. Butler had acted with such courtesy that the cashier now

called the ladies of his family, and bade them to prepare food for the

men who had made the search. That the captors of the town behaved with

like courtesy throughout we have the evidence of Colonel A. K. McClure,

subsequently editor of the Philadelphia Times, who then dwelt in the

near vicinity of Chambersburg. Though a United States officer and

subject to arrest or parole, and though he had good opportunity to

escape, he resolved to stay and share the fate of his fellow-townsmen.

We quote from his description of the incidents of that night. After

speaking of an interview he had--as one of the committee of three

citizens to surrender the town--with General Hampton, and the courteous

manner of the latter, he proceeds:



"With sixty acres of corn in shock, and three barns full of grain,

excellent farm and saddle horses, and a number of best blooded cattle,

the question of property was worthy of a thought. I resolved to stay, as

I felt so bound by the terms of surrender, and take my chances of

discovery and parole....



"I started in advance of them for my house, but not in time to save the

horses. I confidently expected to be overrun by them, and to find the

place one scene of desolation in the morning. I resolved, however, that

things should be done soberly, if possible, and I had just time to

destroy all the liquors about the house. As their pickets were all

around me I could not get it off. I finished just in time, for they were

soon upon me in force, and every horse in the barn, ten in all, was

promptly equipped and mounted by a rebel cavalryman. They passed on

towards Shippensburg, leaving a picket force on the road.



"In an hour they returned with all the horses they could find, and

dismounted to spend the night on the turnpike in front of my door. It

was now midnight, and I sat on the porch observing their movements. They

had my best corn-field beside them and their horses fared well. In a

little while one entered the yard, came up to me, and after a profound

bow, politely asked for a few coals to start a fire. I supplied him, and

informed him as blandly as possible where he would find wood

conveniently, as I had dim visions of camp-fires made of my palings. I

was thanked in return, and the mild-mannered villain proceeded at once

to strip the fence and kindle fires. Soon after a squad came and asked

permission to get some water. I piloted them to the pump, and again

received a profusion of thanks....



"About one o'clock, half a dozen officers came to the door and asked to

have some coffee made for them, offering to pay liberally for it in

Confederate scrip. After concluding a treaty with them on behalf of the

colored servants, coffee was promised them, and they then asked for a

little bread with it. They were wet and shivering, and, seeing a bright,

open wood-fire in the library, they asked permission to enter and warm

themselves until their coffee should be ready, assuring me that under

no circumstances should anything in the house be disturbed by their men.

I had no alternative but to accept them as my guests until it might

please them to depart, and I did so with as good grace as possible.



"Once seated round the fire all reserve seemed to be forgotten on their

part, and they opened a general conversation on politics, the war, the

different battles, the merits of generals of both armies. They spoke

with entire freedom upon every subject but their movement into

Chambersburg. Most of them were men of more than ordinary intelligence

and culture, and their demeanor was in all respects eminently courteous.

I took a cup of coffee with them, and have never seen anything more

keenly relished. They said that they had not tasted coffee for weeks

before, and that then they had paid from six to ten dollars per pound

for it. When they were through they asked whether there was any coffee

left, and finding that there was some, they proposed to bring some more

officers and a few privates, who were prostrated by exposure, to get

what was left. They were, of course, as welcome as those present, and on

they came in squads of five or more until every grain of brown coffee

was exhausted. Then they asked for tea, and that was served to some

twenty more.



"In the mean time a subordinate officer had begged of me a little bread

for himself and a few men, and he was supplied in the kitchen. He was

followed by others in turn, until nearly a hundred had been supplied

with something to eat or drink. All, however, politely asked permission

to enter the house, and behaved with entire propriety. They did not make

a single rude or profane remark, even to the servants. In the mean time

the officers who had first entered the house had filled their pipes from

the box of Killikinick on the mantel--after being assured that smoking

was not offensive--and we had another hour of free talk on matters

generally....



"At four o'clock in the morning the welcome blast of the bugle was

heard, and they rose hurriedly to depart. Thanking me for the

hospitality they had received, we parted, mutually expressing the hope

that should we ever meet again, it would be under more pleasant

circumstances. In a few minutes they were mounted and moved into

Chambersburg. About seven o'clock I went into town....



"General Stuart sat on his horse in the centre of the town, surrounded

by his staff, and his command was coming in from the country in large

squads, leading their old horses and riding the new ones they had found

in the stables hereabouts. General Stuart is of medium size, has a keen

eye, and wears immense sandy whiskers and moustache. His demeanor to our

people was that of a humane soldier. In several instances his men

commenced to take private property from stores, but they were arrested

by General Stuart's provost-guard. In a single instance only, that I

heard of, did they enter a store by intimidating the proprietor. All of

our stores and shops were closed, and with a very few exceptions were

not disturbed."



This was certainly not like the usual behavior of soldiers on foreign

soil, and the incident at once illustrates the strict control which

General Stuart held over his men and the character of the men

themselves, largely recruited, as they were, from the higher class of

Southern society. Though Colonel McClure evidently felt that the lion's

claws lay concealed under the silken glove, he certainly saw no evidence

of it in the manners of his unbidden guests.



Return was now the vital question before General Stuart and his band.

Every hour of delay added to the dangers surrounding them. Troops were

hastily marching to cut off their retreat; cavalry was gathering to

intercept them; scouts were watching every road and every movement.

Worst of all was the rain, which had grown heavy in the night and was

now falling steadily, with a threat of swelling the Potomac and making

its fords impassable. The ride northward had been like a holiday

excursion; what would the ride southward prove?



With the dawn of day the head of the column set out on the road towards

Gettysburg, no damage being done in the town except to railroad property

and the ordnance store-house, which contained a large quantity of

ammunition and other army supplies. This was set on fire, and the sound

of the explosion, after the flames reached the powder, came to the ears

of the vanguard when already at a considerable distance on the return

route.



At Cashtown the line turned from the road to Gettysburg and moved

southward, horses being still diligently collected till the Maryland

line was crossed, when all gathering of spoil ceased. Emmittsburg was

reached about sunset, the hungry cavaliers there receiving a warm

welcome and being supplied with food as bountifully as the means of the

inhabitants permitted.



Meanwhile, the Federal military authorities were busy with efforts to

cut off the ventursome band. The difficulty was to know at what point on

the Potomac a crossing would be sought, and the troops were held in

suspense until Stuart's movements should unmask his purpose. General

Pleasanton and his cavalry force were kept in uncertain movement, now

riding to Hagerstown, then, on false information, going four miles

westward, then, halted by fresh orders, turning east and riding to

Mechanicstown, twenty miles from Hagerstown. They had marched fifty

miles that day, eight of which were wasted, and when they halted, Stuart

was passing within four miles of them without their knowledge. Midnight

brought Pleasanton word of Stuart's movements, and the weary men and

horses were put on the road again, reaching the mouth of the Monocacy

about eight o'clock the next morning. But most of his command had

dropped behind in that exhausting ride of seventy-eight miles within

twenty-eight hours, only some four hundred of them being still with him.



While the Federals were thus making every effort to cut off the bold

raiders and to garrison the fords through a long stretch of the Potomac,

Stuart was riding south from Emmittsburg, after a brief stop at that

place, seeking to convey the impression by his movements that he

proposed to try some of the upper and nearer fords. His real purpose was

to seek a crossing lower down, so near to the main body of the Federals

that they would not look for him there. Yet the dangers were growing

with every moment, three brigades of infantry guarded the lower fords,

Pleasanton was approaching the Monocacy, and it looked as if the bold

raider was in a net from which there could be no escape.



Stuart reached Hyattstown at daylight on the 12th, having marched

sixty-five miles in twenty hours. The abundance of captured horses

enabled him to make rapid changes for the guns and caissons and to

continue the march without delay. Two miles from Hyattstown the road

entered a large piece of woodland, which served to conceal his movements

from observation from any signal-tower. Here a disused road was found,

and, turning abruptly to the west, a rapid ride was made under cover.



Soon after the open country was reached again a Federal squadron was

encountered; but it was dispersed by a charge, and from this point a

rapid ride was made for White's Ford, the nearest available crossing.

All now seemed to depend upon whether this ford was occupied in force

by the enemy. As Colonel Lee approached it this question was settled;

what appeared a large body of Federal infantry was in possession, posted

on a steep bluff quite close to the ford. It seemed impossible to

dislodge it, but foes were closing up rapidly from behind, and if all

was not to be lost something must be done, and done at once.



To attack the men on the bluff seemed hopeless, and before doing so Lee

tried the effect of putting a bold face on the matter. He sent a

messenger under a flag of truce, telling the Federal commander that

Stuart's whole force was before him, that resistance was useless, and

calling on him to surrender. If this was not done in fifteen minutes a

charge in force would be made. The fifteen minutes passed. No sign of

yielding appeared. Lee, with less than a forlorn hope of success, opened

fire with his guns and ordered his men to advance. He listened for the

roar of the Federal guns in reply, when a wild shout rang along the

line.



"They are retreating! Hurrah! they are retreating!"



Such was indeed the case. The infantry on the bluff were marching away

with flying flags and beating drums, abandoning their strong position

without a shot. A loud Confederate cheer followed them as they marched.

No shot was fired to hinder them. Their movement was the salvation of

Stuart's corps, for it left an open passage to the ford, and safety was

now assured.



But there was no time to lose. Pleasanton and his men might be on them

at any minute. Other forces of the enemy were rapidly closing in. Haste

was the key to success. One piece of artillery was hurried over the dry

bed of the canal, across the river ford, and up the Virginia bluff,

where it was posted to command the passage. Another gun was placed so as

to sweep the approaches on the Maryland side, and soon a stream of

horsemen were rapidly riding through the shallow water to Virginia and

safety. With them went a long train of horses captured from Pennsylvania

farms.



Up came the others and took rapidly to the water, Pelham meanwhile

facing Pleasanton with a single gun, which was served with all possible

rapidity. But there was one serious complication. Butler with the

rear-guard had not yet arrived, and no one knew just where he was.

Stuart, in deep concern for his safety, sent courier after courier to

hasten his steps, but no tidings came back.



"I fear it is all up with Butler," he said, despondently. "I cannot get

word of him, and the enemy is fast closing in on his path."



"Let me try to reach him," said Captain Blackford, to whom the general

had spoken.



After a moment's hesitation Stuart replied,--



"All right! If we don't meet again, good-by, old fellow! You run a

desperate chance of being raked in."



Away went Blackford at full speed, passing the lagging couriers one by

one, and at length reaching Butler, whom he found halted and facing the

enemy, in complete ignorance of what was going on at the front. He had

his own and a North Carolina regiment and one gun.



"We are crossing the ford, and Stuart orders you up at once," shouted

Blackford. "Withdraw at a gallop or you will be cut off."



"Very good," said Butler, coolly. "But how about that gun? I fear the

horses can't get it off in time."



"Let the gun go. Save yourself and your men."



Butler did not see it in that light. Whip and spur were applied to the

weary artillery horses, and away they went down the road, whirling the

gun behind them, and followed at a gallop by Butler and his men. As they

turned towards the ford they were saluted by the fire of a Federal

battery. Further on the distant fire of infantry from down the river

reached them with spent balls. Ten minutes later and the rear-guard

would have been lost. As it was, a wild dash was made across the stream

and soon the last man stood on Virginia soil. The expedition was at an

end, and the gallant band was on its native heath once more.



Thus ended Stuart's famous two days' ride. The first crossing of the

Potomac had been on the morning of the 10th. The final crossing was on

the morning of the 12th. Within twenty-seven hours he had ridden eighty

miles, from Chambersburg to White's Ford, with his artillery and

captured horses, and had crossed the Potomac under the eyes of much

superior numbers, his only losses being the wounding of one man and the

capture of two who had dropped out of the line of march--a remarkable

record of success, considering the great peril of the expedition.



The gains of the enterprise were about twelve hundred horses, but the

great strain of the ride forced the men to abandon many of their own.

Stuart lost two of his most valued animals--Suffolk and Lady

Margrave--through the carelessness of his servant Bob, who, overcome by

too free indulgence in ardent spirits, fell out of the line to take a

nap, and ended by finding himself and his horses in hostile hands.



The value of the property destroyed at Chambersburg, public and

railroad, was estimated at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars; a few

hundred sick and wounded soldiers were paroled, and about thirty

officials and prominent citizens were brought off as prisoners, to be

held as hostages for imprisoned citizens of the Confederacy.



On the whole, it was eminently a dare-devil enterprise of the type of

the knightly forays of old, its results far less in importance than the

risk of loss to the Confederacy had that fine body of cavalry been

captured. Yet it was of the kind of ventures calculated to improve the

morale of an army, and inspire its men to similar deeds of daring and

success. Doubtless it gave the cue to Morgan's later and much less

fortunate invasion of the North.