Major General Franz Sigel had advanced up the Shenandoah Valley with a force of 9,000 men in early May as part of Grant’s plan for a coordinated Union offensive in Virginia. Sigel was defeated at New Market on May 15 by 5,000 Confederates under Major General John C. Breckinridge, and was replaced by Major General David Hunter. After reorganizing his forces, Hunter defeated Brigadier General William E. Jones at Piedmont on June 5, occupied Lexington, and then began advancing on Lynchburg, an important rail junction that linked Petersburg and Richmond with the Shenandoah Valley. On June 13 Lee sent his Second Corps, now commanded by Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early, to help defend Lynchburg. Early’s troops began to arrive on June 17, and after two days of skirmishing Hunter abandoned his offensive and retreated into the mountains of West Virginia. His withdrawal allowed Early to march north through the Shenandoah Valley and launch a raid into Maryland intended to draw Union troops away from Petersburg. A veteran of Yorktown, Glendale, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, Private Henry Robinson Berkeley served in an artillery battalion in the Confederate Second Corps.
July 4. Taking the right-hand road, we passed through Smithfield and Charlestown, Jefferson County, Virginia and encamped on the Harpers Ferry Pike four miles south of Harpers Ferry. Here we remained all night. The Yanks who were in Harpers Ferry have retired to the Maryland Heights, leaving a good deal of plunder in the Ferry. Some of our boys went into the town to plunder. They got quite a lot of sugar, coffee, hardtack, molasses, etc. John McCorkle went in on a mule and undertook to bring out a water bucket of molasses on his mule. The Yanks were amusing themselves by throwing among our plundering boys a lot of shell. They did no harm and no one was hurt; but a lamp post (i.e. a nine-inch shell) whizzing from the Maryland Heights, “busted” about three yards in rear of John’s mule’s tail, while John was on his way back to camp with his water bucket of molasses. This shell lighted up all the surroundings for a few seconds, and John’s mule lighted out for camp; that mule made two-forty time to camp. John, however, clung bravely to his molasses, knowing full well that “lasses” was “lasses” in Dixie in those days, and finally arrived in camp covered completely with molasses, having about two quarts left in his bucket. He spent the rest of the night washing his clothes and his mule. Thus ended for us, The Glorious Fourth of July, 1864.
July 5. In the afternoon we marched over to Shepherdstown and encamped near the town for the night.
July 6. Left camp near Shepherdstown and, after crossing the Potomac River, which came a little above our waist, we encamped near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Had to examine my caisson boxes to see if the water had gotten into any of them, while crossing the Potomac. I found them O.K.
July 7. Remained in camp near Sharpsburg all day.
July 8. Marched to Frederick City, Maryland, and encamped near the town.
July 9. Passed through Frederick City and took the Washington, D. C., Pike and came upon the Yanks in line of battle on Washington side of the Monocacy River; the latter is a small stream flowing into the Potomac. We first took a position on the left of the Washington Pike and afterwards crossed over to right and put our battery on a hill fronting a still higher hill held by the Yanks. We got here about 1 P.M. We were ordered to open on the Yankees, as soon as we heard Gen. Gordon’s Division open on our right. Gordon was flanking the Yanks on our right. About 3:45 P.M. we heard, on our right, some heavy fighting in a big field of big corn. We immediately opened on the Yanks in our front. I was acting as gunner, which position I had filled since R. B. Winston was wounded on June 3, 1864. We were hotly engaged only for about twenty minutes, the Yanks in our front giving away very soon; but, alas! We had three splendid men killed: viz., Gardner and Page were killed instantly by a shell and Lieut. George Hobson was killed by a sharpshooter after the enemy had been routed, and was retreating rapidly from the field. Hobson had had a wheel on his gun knocked to pieces by a cannon shot and could not go with us as we moved rapidly down the pike after the Yanks. While his men were putting a new wheel on his gun, he and J. H. Berkeley, being on their horses, rode to the brow of the hill in front of them (which hill overlooked the river), and halted their horses. Just at the moment they halted, two Minié balls whizzed over from beyond the river, one of which struck Lieut. Hobson on the right shoulder and, passing diagonally downward, stopped on his left hip. He sank from his horse and was caught by my brother and laid on the grass. He never spoke after being struck and breathed his last in about ten minutes. Just as he was shot, he was talking to my brother (J. H. Berkeley) of Gardner and Page, who had been killed a few moments before and whose bodies had been left unburied a short way behind us. And these were the last words on his lips, “Those poor boys must be buried and their graves marked, if I have to go back.” As he reached the word, “back,” the fatal ball struck him and he sank from his horse. Our chaplain, Mr. Gilmer, carried his body and those of Gardner and Page back to Frederick City and had them all three put into coffins, neatly buried and their graves marked. Lieut. Woodruff is missing tonight and has not been seen or heard of since one o’clock today. A cannon ball came very near taking my head off today. I think it was the same ball which killed Gardner and Page. I was leaning over aiming my cannon and it passed just over my head. If I had been standing up it would have struck me full in the face. We crossed the Monocacy River and after having followed the enemy for three miles we went into camp in a wheat field, which had just been cut. We found a wounded Yank in the fence corner near our campfire and carried him to our fire, gave him some water and after dressing his wound (he had been shot through the leg) and giving him some supper and a cup of coffee we fixed him a bed with some bundles of wheat and put him on it. He was very grateful and told us that he was a Marylander and was only about ten miles from his home. He said he was only eighteen. He looked very young. He said that he had been told that we were very cruel to our prisoners, and that when we first came to him, he thought we were going to kill him immediately.
July 10. The Yanks are falling back on Baltimore. We took the Washington Pike, and after a long and hot day’s march encamped for the night twenty miles from that city. We gave our wounded Yankee some breakfast this morning and fixed up his blanket on four stakes to keep off the sun. We left him to his friends. I have no doubt that by this time he is at home. Lieut. Woodruff still missing. He is supposed to have been killed or captured. He was last seen in Capt. Carpenter’s Battery, asking for us and left there to find us. Some of our boys think he has deserted to the Yanks. I have very little confidence in him. I have just found, on going to bed, that it is Sunday. In times of marching and fighting, a soldier frequently forgets the days of the week, all being just alike.
July 11. We marched to within two miles of the corporate limits of Washington City and encamped at “Silver Spring,” the home of Postmaster General Blair. We can see the dome of the capitol and a large part of the city. There has been some heavy picket fighting this evening. There is a rumor that we are to try and storm the fortifications at daybreak tomorrow.
July 12. Remained near Washington, D. C., all day on the farm of Francis P. Blair. It is called “Silver Spring.” Is a beautiful place with a large lawn running down to a beautiful and cold spring fixed up with marble basins, etc. There was very heavy skirmishing this evening, but no attempt to take the strong fortifications in our front. We retreated after dark and marched all night towards Leesburg, Virginia.
July 13. Continued to march towards Leesburg, marching all night, only stopping at 4 P.M. long enough for the men to cook and eat and for our horses to be fed. We reached the Potomac River, at Edwards’ Ferry about day.