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The
Raid on Beltsville July 12th, 1864
150 summers ago in Prince
George's County, on July 12th, 1864,
Confederate soldiers rode into Beltsville, Maryland, tore up the rail-line and
burned railcars of the B&O railroad before returning to Virginia. Commanded
by Maryland-born Brigadier-General Bradley Johnson, the rebel cavalry was
operating on the left of Jubal Early's invading Confederate Second Corps'
attack on Washington, D. C.
The raid and resultant skirmishes
between Federal and Confederate cavalry units took place between today's
Beltsville and College Park. The military actions moved on a north-south axis
west of the CSX railroad line, then operated by the B&O, and were centered
along US Route 1 formerly called the Baltimore-Washington Pike. To the west of
the turnpike was the Paint branch, a stream that head south east through
Maryland on its way to join the eastern branch of the Potomac river, the
Anacostia. To the west of the pike, along the Paint branch, named for the red
and blue clay that lines its course, big trees grew close together on the bank;
low woodland stretched far back from the stream presenting a scenic wild aspect
to the landscape (The Rambler. Sunday
Star. November 1916).
Most of the buildings mentioned in
reports of the day are long gone including the home of Major. Geo. M. Emack,
CSA (now a shopping center across US 1 from St. John's Church), Brown's White
House Tavern (now a shopping center immediately south of USDA BARC), the rail
depot or station in Beltsville; Dr. Montgomery Johns' house on Knox Ave. in
College Park; and Mrs. McDaniel's house which served as a headquarters for
federal operations in front of Fort Lincoln in Bladensburg, Maryland.
The Official Record of the Civil
War, Series I, Vol. XXXVII, provides a running account of the day's events
which reflects the confusion of the moment that translates into uncertainty of describing
exactly what happened when and where to readers today. At 7:50 a.m., Major-General Gillmore, USA,
set up his "command near the old Bladensburg road" to coordinate
Union defense from Fort Lincoln to Fort Bunker Hill. Two hours later, Major Fry, the
provost-general, sent word that "the enemy's cavalry is trying to turn our
right."
The
Daily Constitutional Union, (2nd Edition July 12, 1864), reported that
"enemy appears to have reached the line of the Washington branch railroad
between 12 and 1 o'clock, today, shortly after the last train from Baltimore
had passed to the city. The train which left Baltimore at 10 a.m., came through
to within about 1 mile of Beltsville, when a number of men at work on the
second track of the road came running towards it, giving the alarm that rebel
cavalry, in some force had just been approaching towards Beltsville. After
delay a 15 minutes, however, by sending ahead, information was received that it
was our own cavalry else that had been seen, and the train again came on, and
arrived here quarter of an hour behind time. By 1 o'clock, it was found that
the telegraph wires were down between this city and Baltimore, which would seem
to confirm the idea that the alarm at Beltsville was not entirely
groundless."
By 1:30 p.m., Capt. Paddock, Post
Commander Battery Jameson, Fort Lincoln, was informing Secretary of War Stanton
that "a farmer just arrived bringing intelligence from the commanding
officer of the outside pickets that the enemy was [sic] approaching in force in
this direction. They are now about two miles this side of Beltsville, which is
five miles northeast of here." At 2:00 p.p.,, from Mrs. McDaniel's house,
Major Barney, [USA], "of Washington City, just from the front",
[brought] a report from the officer commanding the cavalry [5th Michigan
Cavalry] on the Baltimore pike that he had been driven in, and that the enemy
are in force two miles this side of Beltsville making for railroad." [1]
A newspaper account 52 years later
described the coming of the Union forces to the Brown farm to water and feed
their horse. As the Federal soldiers commandeered supplies, the widowed Mrs.
Brown saw a dust cloud and a large large numbers of horsemen approaching, and
called for the Union commander to come upstairs and see for himself. He rounded
up his troops and shot his way across the Paint branch to safety before the
Confederate forces could surround him. One Union cavalryman was wounded when
Major Emack's 1st Maryland, CSA, cavalry company charged the hurriedly
regrouping Federal cavalry. The wounded soldier was sent to Major Emack's home
across from the Episcopal Church, St. John's, less than two mile up the road. (The Rambler. Sunday Star, November 1916).[2]
 |
| Emack House - Locust Grove image courtesy - DeMarr Library Historian Prince George's County Historical Society |
In a telegraphed message to General
Grant from Under Secretary of War, Charles A. Dana, the defense of Washington
was described as consisting of many generals none of whom were in command. In
this vein of multiple commanders, at 2:15, General Meigs was reporting from
Fort Slocum that "500 cavalry, under Major Fry, was attacked four miles
beyond Bladensburg, toward Baltimore, by the enemy in force, with artillery. He
[Major Fry] is falling back toward Bladensburg, at which place ... he will need
rations and forage, and also carbine and pistol ammunition, for 100 men who
reported to him last evening unsupplied." The 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry,
USA, sent word to Captain Paddock at Fort Lincoln that " a scouting party
just returned report[ing] that they met a force of the enemy's cavalry with
artillery about three miles above this place toward Beltsville."
By 3:00 p.m.,, Secretary Stanton was
receiving information from the peripatetic B&O ticket agent, G. S. Koonz, who
explained how the railroad company's " ballast engine has just come in
from Beltsville. Trainmen report that rebels in force were in sight when they
left. Our forces ready to receive them. Rebels fired at engine, but it was out
of range. Beltsville is twelve miles distant from Washington and is a station
on our road." Twenty minutes later, the Secretary of War was updated by Major
Fry of the situation at Fort Lincoln and points north:
"A force of rebel cavalry
has within the last few hours been engaged with about 300 of our cavalry, at
the Baltimore pike where it crosses Paint Creek, about three miles beyond
Bladensburg. The rebel force was accompanied by light artillery, which up to the
time my informant left had fired about fifteen shots. My informant is one of
our cavalry, just in, who was wounded in the skirmish. Our 300 cavalry were
yielding their ground slowly. I should say it was an attempt to interrupt the
railroad by a cavalry force. The skirmish is about two miles west of railroad.
The line of rifle-pits from this fort westward is entirely unmanned. There is
not a soldier on the line as far as I can see it, and but two companies of
100-days' men and a few convalescents in this fort. The pike is really open to
a cavalry dash. I think troops should come to this part of the line is now
seriously threatened. I have not seen General Gillmore. Perhaps he has made
disposition. The line now is certainly weak in the extreme. I will go from here
to Fort Saratoga, and try to see General Gillmore; but I suggest action from
headquarters to strengthen this line at once. The convalescents here are not
armed. Muskets and Ammunition should be sent at once."
At
4:05 p.m., General Gillmore wrote:
"The enemy are [sic] just
beyond Bladensburg. Fugitive citizens are coming in. I have carefully examined
the line of works from Fort Bunker hill to Fort Lincoln. More troops should be
on this part of the line. I saw eight brass field pieces in Fort Lincoln not in
use. They ought to be put in position, I think, with men to man them. I am not
in command of the line in my front by any orders from you or any one
else." During the afternoon of the 12th, US Navy Admiral Goldsborough had
been order to gather up office works and man the defensive works of Fort
Lincoln in response to the perceived threat from Johnson's cavalry now
apparently moving towards Bladensburg."
At some point in the afternoon, Dr.
Montgomery Johns recounted the passing of the rebel units through what is now
the University of Maryland campus. Johns, a Professor at the Agricultural
College, later explained, in defense of his actions that day, that "the
rebel stopped on the Turnpike in front of Rossburg (presently called the
Rossborough Inn) 10 minutes, then proceeding toward Bladensburg, where met by
(Union) skirmishers at 'Kenedy's Hill' and turned westward through the campus.
Some of the Confederates stopped at the Johns' home and demanded food. Johns
was taken to see the leader, Gen. Johnson, 'a distant Kinsman'. Altogether the
troops, stated to 500 in number, were on the campus "about 45 minutes. (Pri.
Geo.'s Historical Society News & Notes, April 1974)'" During the
foray, the Confederates burned the bridge over the Paint branch just north of
the present entrance to the University of Maryland, College Park.
By 8:45 p.m., Mr. Koonz was again relaying
information to Stanton. His account this time noted that he had been "as
far as Bladensburg. Enemy has not shown himself between Washington and that
point. At Bladensburg I was met by a Mr. Bowie, who seems to be acting as an
aide. He advised me to proceed no farther, as enemy was [sic] about one mile
and a half above. He estimates their force at about 1,500 cavalry and one
battery of artillery. Our bridges across Paint Branch, two miles above
Bladensburg, have been destroyed."
The last of the rebel cavalry left
the area mid morning on July 13th. The next day the President of the B&O railroad
sent a message to Stanton noting that a "hand-car with some of our men,
and an engine and car in charge of our agent at Washington, Mr. Koontz, have
arrived in Baltimore within the last hour, communicating the information that
the road is now clear of the enemy, and that the burning has been confined to
twelve camp and other cars of the company, and the partial destruction of the
cross-ties of one bridge." On July 14th that the damage done to the railroad in Beltsville did not amount to more than three cross-ties burned and some
lumber placed across the tracks.
The Johnson-Gilmore raid ended in
Beltsville. Some after-action reports indicate that some of the Confederate
force had begun to head towards Upper Marlboro as part of the larger plan to
free Confederate prisoners in St, Mary's County. The skirmish at Beltsville
ended a rebel swing through Maryland that had taken Johnson's command from
Frederick east to Baltimore. Led by the 1st Maryland Cavalry, CSA, they had
burned bridges and obstructed rail-lines north of Baltimore, and had found time
to burn the home of Maryland's Governor, Augustus Bradford. As they continued
through central Maryland, the government of Maryland and the US military played
a telegraphed guessing game as to the intent and goal of the fast-moving
southern cavalry. The raid through Maryland was a part of a larger Confederate
operation that planned to attack the Capital of the United States, Washington,
D.C. The resulting battle fought along the Monocacy river slowed the invading
army down long enough for the US Army to execute a
defense of the city. The delayed assault of Early's Army on Fort Stephens (in
Silver Spring near Georgia Avenue) failed on July 12th, and Early order
Johnson's command to rejoin the 2nd Corps as it began its retreat to Virginia
and the end of the rebellion 10 months later. Although we have let the
buildings decay and disappear, the people and their fight continue to shape our
landscapes today.
[1]
Newspapers report that the Confederate forces, probably the 1st Maryland,
engaged Major Belmont in command of a detachment of the 5th Michigan Cavalry.
The Official Record includes mentions and reports of Major Darling and the 7th
Michigan with no mention of his being driven back.
[2]
The topography of the land along US Route 1 is such that the Emack House,
Locust Grove would have been visible from the White House Tavern grounds. The
land steps down towards the Paint branch in a series of gentle slopes. From the
White House Tavern an observer would have easily seen the stream valley and the
hills of Bladensburg beyond the College of Agriculture (University of Maryland,
College Park). An informative view of the lay of the land is found from the
observation deck of the 14th floor of the National Agricultural Library which
sits on the ground where the Union cavalry was feeding and watering its horses
when surprised by Emack's Company B.
John Peter Thompson 2014
John Peter Thompson 2014
