| General Lew Wallace, who was opposing General Early’s
advance at the Monocacy River, Md., in July, 1864, placed a line of
skirmishers on the west bank of the river to defend a railroad bridge
and a wooden bridge that continued the pike from Frederick City to
Washington.
On the 9th the situation was critical.
Early’s forces greatly outnumbered Wallace’s. Ricketts was
engaged with the enemy and might be driven back before the skirmishers
could be retired. If the skirmishers were retired the enemy would
follow on their heels, thus allowing no time to destroy the bridge.
General Wallace, seeing that it was useless to further resist the
overwhelming assault, decided to destroy the bridge and sacrifice his
skirmishers to save Washington.
First Lieutenant George E. Davis,
of Company D, Tenth Vermont Infantry Regiment, who was in
command of the skirmishers, gives the following account of their brave
resistance of the enemy and of their ultimate escape:
| “Early in the morning on
the 9th, with one second lieutenant and seventy-five men of
our regiment, I was ordered to report as skirmishers to
Captain Charles J. Brown, commanding Companies C and K, First
Maryland Regiment, near the blockhouse on the west bank of the
Monocacy River. He and his two hundred men had just entered
the service for one hundred days, to repel this invasion of
Washington, and knew nothing of actual service. The
lieutenant-colonel, nominally commanding our skirmishers, was
not ‘present,’ so that when the enemy advanced along the
pike to Fredrick City at about 8:30 A.M., Captain Brown
insisted upon my taking command, and ordered me to hold the
two bridges at all hazards, and prevent the enemy from
crossing. “I assumed command instantly, brought up my Tenth
Vermonters to this point, and after a severe fight of about an
hour the enemy retired. Having just assumed command, I knew
nothing of the situation, or plan of battle, except as was
apparent to the eye. The natural advantages of cover and
position were in our favor. The main body of the enemy moved
around to our left and crossed the river at a ford one mile
southwest, compelling General Ricketts to change front to the
left and advance his line to the west of the pike. This left
us a part of the main line of battle, without any support in
our rear, which gave the enemy the opportunity to cut us off,
take us prisoners, cross the railroad bridge and turn General
Ricketts’ position. “Anticipating a flank attack, I had,
on assuming command, sent pickets up and down the river, who
warned me of this movement, which was entirely hidden from my
view. I drew back my men to the west end of the railroad
bridge, faced to the north, repelled the attack, then resumed
my former position on the pike, which we held until the final
retreat at about five o’clock. During all this time we were
the only troops on the west side of the river. “In the early
part of this noon attack, the wooden bridge over the Monocacy
River was burned, without notice to me. At the same time the
Ninth new York pickets were all withdrawn, also without
notice. “The third and last attack began about 3:30 P.M. The
situation was critical; the enemy came upon us in such
overwhelming numbers and with such desperation that it seemed
as though we should be swept into the river. The place of the
Ninth New York pickets at my left had not been filled; the
force of the hundred-day men was diminishing. Apprehending an
advance at my left, I sent Corporal John G. Wright through a
cornfield to reconnoiter. He was killed at once. Immediately
the enemy wee seen passing around my right, to cut us off from
retreat by the railroad bridge; our division was falling back
and we were obliged to do likewise at once or succumb to the
merciless fire. I gave the signal to retreat to my noble
Vermonters, who had stood the fire without wavering. We gained
the railroad bridge and started across, stepping from tie to
tie. It seemed ages before we reached the other side, though
in reality it must have been only a few minutes. One poor
fellow fell through the bridge to the river, forty feet below,
and several were taken prisoners, for the enemy had been close
at our heels all the way. Those of our number who escaped
rejoined our regiment at midnight.” |
|