5 8 4

FORCING FOX’S GAP AND TURNER’S GAP.

quarters, stung Moor into dashing ahead at a gallop, with his escort and staff,and the gun. Just at the outskirts of the town the road turns to the leftamong the houses, and cannot be seen. While we were wondering at thecharge by the brigade commander and his escort, he came to the turn of theroad: there was a quick, sharp rattling of carbines, and Hampton’s Legion wasatop of the little party. There was one discharge of the cannon, and some ofthe brigade staff and the escort came back in disorder. I ordered up quicklythe 11th Ohio , of Seammon’s brigade, which was in column in the road, andthey dashed into the town at a charge with fixed bayonets. The enemy’scavalry had not waited for them, but had retreated out of the place by theHagerstown road. Moor had been ridden down, unhorsed, and captured. Theartillerymen had unlimbered their gun, pointed it, and the gunner stood withthe lanyard in his hand, when he was struck by a rushing horse ; the gun wasfired by the concussion, but at the same moment it was capsized into the ditchby the impact of the cavalry column. The enemy had no time to right thegun or carry it off, nor to stop for prisoners. They forced Moor on anotherhorse and turned tail as the charging lines of infantry came up on right andleft, together with the column in the road, for there had not been a moment’spause in the advance. Those who have a fancy for learning how Mun-chausen could tell this story are referred to the narrative of Major HerosYon Borcke, of J. E. B. Stuart’s staff. Moor’s capture, however, had con-sequences, as we shall see. His brigade passed to the command of ColonelGeorge Crook, of the 30th Ohio .

Frederick was a loyal city, and as Hampton’s cavalry went out at one endof the street and our infantry came in at the other, while the carbine smokeand the smell of powder still lingered, the closed window-shutters of thehouses flew open, the sashes went up, the windows were filled with ladieswaving their handkerchiefs and the national flag, and the men came to thecolumn with fruits and refreshments for the marching soldiers.

We encamped just beyond the town. Pleasonton’s cavalry, which hadadvanced by a different road (the one leading through Urbana), was sentforward next morning (September 13th) to reconnoiter the passes of CatoctinMountain, and Rodman’s division of our corps went as his support. Throughsome misunderstanding, Rodman did not advance on the Hagerstown roadbeyond Catoctin Mountain, but moved toward Franklin’s line of march uponCrampton’s Gap (southward). About noon of the 13th, I was ordered tomarch with my division to Middletown, on the National road leading toHagerstown . McClellan himself met me as my column moved out of town,and told me of the misunderstanding in Rodman’s orders, adding, that if Imet him on the march I should take his division also along with me. I didnot meet him, but his division returned to Frederick that night. The othertwo divisions of our corps crossed the Catoctin in the evening, and campednear the western base of the mountain. My own camp for the night waspitched on the western side of the village of Middletown.

The Catoctin or Middletown valley is beautifully included between CatoctinMountain and South Mountain, two ranges of the Blue Ridge , running north-