Franklin County: "An Interesting and Correct Account of Colonel Dahlgren Adventures in and Around Greencastle," by Dr. F. A. Bushey, March 4, 1921
Summary: Bushey writes of his encounter with a Colonel Dahlgren, a Union officer whom Bushey admired greatly. Dahlgren recruited Bushey to guide a small party through enemy-occupied territory to General Meade's headquarters to deliver mail, then returned Bushey home and send Bushey along before a skirmish with Confederate forces.
Gives Data From Residents Who Lived Here at the Time of Lee's Invasion and Who were Active in Support of the Union
"Mr. Pawling's recollection of the Dahlgren raid." On the morning of July 2, 1863 James C. Morehead came to my house and into the bar-room, he called me to one side and told me there were union soldiers camped out in Allisons woods, and inquired if it would be safe for them to come into town. I replied that I thought it would be safe, for the rebels had all gone through, but a few stragglers. Mr. Morehead ate his breakfast, and then went for Capt. Dahlgren and his party and I think it was between 7 and 8 o'clock, when Dahlgren and his men came to my house and ate his breakfast.
They did not all eat at my house but were divided up among the neighbors, my recollection is that there were 12 mounted men in the party, Capt Dahlgren, Sergeant Cline, and ten privates. After breakfast, they captured quite a number of rebel stragglers, who were going backward and forwards on the roads in the meantime There were Scouts and pickets sent out the oail road and turnpike southward. and James Moorehead returned and reported a party of rebels coming. Capt. Dahlgren then marched his men from in front of my house down to the square and stationed them at the north front of Kreps and Prathers store, and ordered all the citizens to keep in doors The citizens that were permitted to stay out doors were diricted to stand on the corner of George W. Zeiglers' pavement and gave the signals to Capt. Dahlgren showing the approach of the rebel party. Capt Dahlgren and his men were out of sight of the rebels, until the mail carrier and his guards got near the corner of the square then Capt Dahlgren ordered his men to left half-wheel and charge as one man, the union soldiers drew their sabres and with a terrific impulse and yell, threw themselves upon the rebel party, who taken by surprise, surrendered. Capt Dahlgren ordered the rebels to surrender their arms, which they did promptly, giving up two small bags of mail; and all their arms. There were about twenty five prisoners taken all of whom were placed under Sergeant Cline, together with all the soldiers under Captain Dahlgren and these together, with other rebel straglers that had been picked up by the Union soldiers, making a bunch of forty or fifty rebels, all of which were promptly marched out the Leitersburg road, toward Emmittsburg, Capt Dahlgren said to me, "come," and I went with him up to my house. he stopped and said. I would like to have you go along with me to General Meades' headquarters. for I have some official documents of great importance, which the general must see as soon as possible. You have been kind to us and you are acquainted with the roads and people. I did not want to go and leave my wife and children, and told him he must get my wife's consent before I could think of going. Capt. Dahlgren then asked "Where is your lady? I told him she was in the dining room. He and I went in to see her, and there I witnessed the true and genuine greatness of the man-his magnetic influence over others. In addressing my wife he was so kind and courteous yet so determined, he seemed so grea when compared with my wife's consent for me to go, and I got out my gray horse that I had ridden in the charge with the soldiers and we started by the same route, The prisoners had been taken, whom we overtook and passed near Canebrake school house. Then we separated, Capt. Dahlgren, a sergeant two mounted orderlies with the captured mail and myself, started for Waynesboro. When we arrived at the latter place, one of the orderlies horses became very lame.
There was only one horse, in the town, and he was reported to be a very good one, so sergeant Cline and the orderly took the horse, but the citizens said the owner was a rebel sympathizer, and should take him. Capt. Dahlgren, that noble man, said it was a war necessity, and so we left the lame horse and a voucher for thh price of the horse.
After getting something to eat, we started for the mountain. When we got to the top of the mountain, we heard the cannonading at Gettysburg. Capt. Dahlgren heard it first and said "they are at it." That decided me to go to Gettysburg following the sounds of the cannons. We stopped a while and rested and fed our horses, opened the mail bags, and read what letters we wanted to, some of them were the finest love letters I ever read, and all kinds as you may suppose. Capt Dahlgren had the official documents in his boat.
When we got down the mountain we met a man whom I knew, he said "Tom where are you going?" I told him about the mail, and he said the rebel pickets are about two miles from here. I asked him how we could get to union headquarters. He directed us to go off toward Emmittsburg and we followed his directions for one or two miles, when I approached a house and again inquired. The gentleman pointed toward a clump of timber, and "the rebel picket is there," so we rode across wheat fields and through timber, passed two other rebel picket posts, and finally got into the union lines after dark. Then Capt. Dahlgren commenced asking of all parties for Mead's headquarters. We finally found we were near Emmittsburg. We rode all night and just at daylight July 3rd, 1863 we reached Mead's headquarters. The General had heard of Capt. Dahlgren capturing the rebel mail, and was anxious to see our party. Capt. Dahlgren, sergeant Cline and myself were taken into a room and all the officers sent out. Genl. Meade read the dispatch and said captain (to Dahlgren) and Mr. Pawling, this is worth millions of dollars, to the United States for General Lee has asked for re-inforcements and Jeff Davis says he cannot send him any more, that Genl. Grant has Pimberton with 30,000 men surrounded and will have to surrender to Grant. "General Mead thought there were 10,000 rebel soldiers at Washington." I told him there were none to speak of. Then you ought to have heard ME plead for soldiers to go back to Greencastle. I wanted a Brigade of Cavalry. Sergt. Cline said we could not get supplies there for that number of men, I said Greencastle and neighborhood would feed men and horses, and so at last Capt. Dahlgren and Cline agreed upon one company, (100 men) which we secured at once, and started for home by way of Mount Hope and Shady Grove, and camped in woods, east of town. I wanted Capt. Dahlgren and Sergt. Cline to go with me to town, but they would not, and directed me to go to Greencastle and let them know if any rebels were around. I went home, I was very tired, having been in the saddle thirty-six hours, and I went to bed. Samuel Detrick, James Moorehead and others were on the lookout, so Sam Detrich came to my room, before daylight and woke me up, and told me the rebels were coming. I got up, got my gray horse, again rode out to Capt. Dahlgren, woke him up out of a puddle of water, for it had rained that night. He got onto his horse, and we came to John Ruthrauff's Hill, from there we could see along the railroad, as far as Fleming's. Capt.Dahlgred said to me, "is there a way by which we can attack there army from this town." He said they might fire the town or some of the citizens might get hurt-see the kindness of the man,-I told him we could go back to the Hrgerstown road and get down to the Williamsport pike and struck the rebels at John Hades. Then there was a hot time for about two hours and we captured a lot of prisoners. The rebel wagon guard of perhaps 2000 soldiers came upon us and were too strong, so we fell back to the Hagerstown road, and as near as I could judge about 500 rebel Cavalry followed us. Capt. Dahlgren saw that they were in too great force for us to resist, so he formed a line of battle on the Hagerstown road, and commenced firing rapidly. That stopped the rebels. Captain Dahlgren came up to me and said "you had better get out of this, if the rebels get you, they will hang you." Now from this thoughtfulness you can see the kindness of the man.
You ought to have seen me and tue gray mare get up that stony lane at Stines. These were the last words I heard him speak and the last I ever saw of him. There was quite a skirmish there, and I afterward heard that he was the last to leave the field of battle, and that the rebels ran him so close, that he dismounted from his horse and got into an oats field. He escaped but the rebels Captured his horse.
The End
Bibliographic Information: Source copy consulted: Kauffman's Progressive, March 4, 1921
