Hand Colored Albumen Possibly Taken at the Bendann Brothers Baltimore Studio in 1861 – Depicts Charles R. Thompson Co. E 1st Maryland Cavalry and John Eager Howard Post Co. H 1st Maryland Infantry – Both Soldiers Are Uniformed in their Early War Maryland Home Guard Uniforms

Hand Colored Albumen Possibly Taken at the Bendann Brothers Baltimore Studio in 1861 – Depicts Charles R. Thompson Co. E 1st Maryland Cavalry and John Eager Howard Post Co. H 1st Maryland Infantry – Both Soldiers Are Uniformed in their Early War Maryland Home Guard Uniforms – This rare, hand-colored albumen depicts two young, Maryland Militia soldiers in the late Spring of 1861. Each soldier is wearing a French influenced, Zouave style uniform, with Chasseur caps, red sashes, puffy trousers tucked into white leggings; the soldier on the right is holding what appears to be a M1840 Musician’s sword; both have white buff belts with rectangular belt plates; one soldier has his knapsack and blanket roll on his shoulders; the other has his knapsack and blanket leaning against his left leg. Painted in white on the knapsack resting on the soldier’s knee is the regimental numerical designation “53” and the letters “M” and “G” (Maryland Guard) on the blanket affixed to the top of the knapsack. On the original wooden back of the image in the frame is the following old typed descriptor that identifies the sitters in the image:

‘“… to accompany the colored photo of John Eager Howard and Charles R. Thompson

made in Baltimore, in April, 1861.

The photograph was made for a “Miss Thompson, 80 Chase Street” according to the 

photographer’s not on the back of the picture. This accounts, undoubtedly, for the 

fact that the information about Howard, written in longhand on the back of the frame

cover states that Howard was a member of the 1st Maryland Cavalry. Actually, Thompson joined the 1st Maryland Cavalry, being a private in Co. E., according to Goldsborough Md. Line in the Confed. Army (1900 Edition) Page 235, while Howard was a Captain in and (sic) … C.S. of the 1st Md. Infantry, later Asst. QM of 2nd Md. Inf.,

same book, pages 72 and 152.”

Below this typed inscription, in the right corner, written in pencil is the following:

“John Eager Howard Post

                Adj. 1st Md. Cav.”

Written in pencil, on the bottom front side of the backing pasteboard is:

     “Taken in 1861”

We presume that the soldier on the left of the image is John Eager Howard, while the soldier on the right is Charles R. Thompson. The image remains in its original, period frame with original glass; the backing pasteboard is somewhat foxed, but remains in strong condition as does the image proper – it retains great color. The two soldiers each appear to have Corporal chevrons. This is an extremely rare image and the first of its kind we have encountered. 

Measurements: Backing pasteboard – H – 9.5″; W – 8″; Albument – H – 8″; W – 5.75″

Many men prior to the onset of hostilities became members of several prominent Baltimore City militia volunteer organizations which were encompassed under the general term the Maryland Guard or MG. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Maryland’s pre-war volunteer militia units—including the Maryland Guard Battalion formed in Baltimore in 1859—splintered. Because Maryland was a divided border state, pre-war militia and citizen volunteers split; many went south to fight for Confederate units, while the official state apparatus and most organized regiments ultimately supported the Union. John Brown’s Raid: In 1859, elements of the Maryland militia and the Maryland Guard helped suppress John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry.1861 Dissolution: Pro-Southern leanings among Baltimore’s militia leadership caused deep friction when the war began. Following the Baltimore riot of April 19, 1861, and federal occupation, pro-secession militia units were disbanded or slipped south.

The term “Maryland Home Guard” most historically refers to the Potomac Home Brigade (PHB) and local militia units raised in Maryland during the American Civil War and the American Revolution. These units were organized specifically to defend local borders, railways, and towns rather than join regular field armies.Civil War Potomac Home Brigade (PHB)Formed in 1861 as Union volunteer infantry regiments to protect local areas and critical infrastructure, especially the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad.1st Maryland Infantry (Potomac Home Brigade): Fought at the defense of Harpers Ferry (1862) and later participated in the Gettysburg Campaign and the Battle of Monocacy .2nd & 3rd Maryland Infantry (Potomac Home Brigade): Served extensively on railroad guard duty and operations across western Maryland and neighboring West Virginia regions.1st Maryland Eastern Shore Infantry: Enlisted under local home guard terms, though parts of the unit later faced disciplinary issues or restructuring when ordered to march outside state lines for broader campaigns

Charles R. Thompson

Residence was not listed.

Enlisted as a Private (date unknown).

He mustered into “E” Co. Maryland 1st Battn Cavalry. (Organized: Winchester, VA on 11/25/1862 Mustered out: 4/28/1865)

Thompson would die and was interred at Camp Chase POW camp.

John E. Howard

Residence was not listed.

Enlisted as a Priv(date unknown).

He mustered into “C” Co. Maryland 1st Battn Cavalry.

John E. Howard

Residence was not listed.

Enlisted as a Priv (date unknown).

He mustered into “D” Co. Maryland 1st Infantry.

1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion (Confederate)

Formation: Formed in mid-1862 under Captain Ridgely Brown, drawing core members from Marylanders previously serving in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. Officially organized as a battalion in November 1862 at Winchester, Virginia.Leadership: Commanded by Major Ridgely Brown (later killed in action in June 1864) and noted figures like Harry Gilmor.Key Campaigns: Served under the Army of Northern Virginia, fought during the Gettysburg Campaign (acting as scouts and messengers for Ewell’s Corps), participated in early 1864 raids, and took part in the burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.End of War: Served through the Appomattox Campaign in 1865; rather than officially surrendering with Lee’s army, many members dispersed to their homes.

1st Maryland Cavalry Regiment (C.S.A)

1862

May 15 Company A of the First Maryland Cavalry was organized from members of the 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment under the command of Captain Ridgely Brown. They were Marylanders who had joined the Virginia regiment when Maryland was forcibly kept in the Union in 1861. After a year of service they chose not to reenlist but to form their own Maryland unit. It was temporarily attached to Colonel Thomas Taylor Munford’s 2nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment in the Shenandoah Valley until a full battalion of Maryland cavalry could be raised.

May 23

Battle of Front Royal

June 2 Woodstock

June 8

Battle of Cross Keyes

The company supported the 1st Maryland Infantry (CSA)

June 9

Battle of Port Republic

August 17 Assigned to Robertson’s Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of Northern Virginia

August 23 Warrenton (Sulfur Springs)

August 26 Bristoe Station

August 28

Groveton Heights

August 30

Second Battle of Manassas

September 2 Leesburg

September 4

Maryland Campaign

September 4 Crossed the Potomac River at Edward’s Ferry. Reached Poolesville.

September 5 Monocacy Church

September 6 Colonel Munford took command of the brigade as senior colonel when Brigadier General Robertson was transferred to North Carolina. Lieutenant Colonel Richard H. Burks of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, formerly Adjutant of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry, transferred back to the regiment and took command.

September 10 Sugar Loaf

September 14 Burkittsville

September 15

Battle of Crampton’s Gap (South Mountain)

September 17

Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)

Covered the right flank of the army and the retreat to Boteler’s Ford.

From the marker for Munford’s Brigade on the Antietam battlefield:

The 2nd and 12th Virginia Cavalry reached the field on September 16 and took position on the extreme right of the Army of Northern Virginia, to cover the lower crossing of the Antietam. The 7th Virginia took position, on the evening of the 16th, on the Hagerstown Pike, northwest of Sharpsburg. It joined the Brigade on the right on the 17th. The Brigade remained on the right until the close of the battle.

November 25 The 1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion was created at Winchester when Companies B, C & D were formed and added to Company A. Captain Ridgely Brown was promoted to Major and given command of the battalion, which was assigned to W.E. Jones’s Brigade of Stuart’s Cavalry Division. Company E was added shortly after.

Winter The battalion was on picket duty in the Shenandoah Valley.

1863

January 2

Expedition to Moorefield

February 25 Company A under Captain Bond and Company E under Captain Dorsey, with Captain Bond in command, decided to probe the Federal positions near Winchester. They overran a Federal picket on the Cedar Creek road two miles out of town, then overran another at the junction with Staunton Road. They continued on, attacking a third picket in a house that was near the road. Reaching Kernstown, they attacked a mounted picket, losing one man but capturing 15 horses and 14 Yankee prisoners. Captain Bond then decided to return to Strasburg. Union General Milroy ordered out the 1st New York Cavalry Regiment and the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment to try to stop the raiders.

February 26 Companies B. & G headed out on the morning to relieve Bond and Dorsey, but ran headlong into the two Northern cavalry regiments. As the badly one sided battle began it attracted the attention of General Jones, who was nearby with Colonel Funston’s 11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment. A more balanced full scale battle evolved, and the Federal cavalry was driven off. Over 200 Federal troops and horses were captured.

April 20-May 21

Jones-Imboden Raid

Left Lacy Springs in the Shenandoah Valley and moved into West Virginia, which was in the process of becoming a state.

April 25 The 1st Maryland Cavalry was held up by a Union Garrison in a church that dominated Greenland Gap. After dark the battalion made a dismounted attack and set the church on fire, opening the pass.

April 26-29 Genral Jones split up his forces. The battalion was grouped with the 12th Virginia Cavalry Regiment and McNeil’s Partisan Rangers. The detachment moved to Oakland, Maryland, damaging the railroad bridge and taking 40 prisoners, then moved on to capture Morgantown. They then began moving back to Virginia.

April 29 The battalion surrounded a Union force of about 300 men while Company E fought dismounted to hold the enemy in place.

April 30 A company of enemy cavalry was captured at Bridgeport. The detachment moved on to Oiltown and destroyed oil and machinery before returning to West Virginia.

May 29 The 1st Maryland Cavalry moved to Fisher’s Hill to join with the 2nd Maryland Infantry and the Baltimore Light Artillery under the command of Brigadier General Albert G. Jenkins. Major Harry Gilmore, who commanded several companies of partisan rangers, temporarily took over command of the 1st Matyland Cavalry after Lieutenant Colonel Ridgely Brown was wounded.

June 10 Jenkins moved his command to Cedar Creek.

June 3-July 24

Gettysburg Campaign

The battalion was assigned to Fitz Lee’s Brigade of the Cavalry Division. It was temporarily commanded by Major Harry Gilmor.

June 12 Company E, along with a detachment from the 14th Virginia Cavalry and Major Harry Gilmore with eight companies of his partisan rangers met and skirmished with a larger Union combined arms force. Company E lost 5 men killed and 30 men wounded and captured.Company A was ordered to join General Ewell’s Second Corps at Winchester and accompany them across the Potomac and into Pennsylvania serving as scouts and messengers.The rest of the battalion was placed under the command of Major Harry Gilmore and ordered to seize the bridge over the Monocacy River outside of Frederick.

June 12-28 Major Gilmore found the bridge too heavily guarded and returned to South Mountain, then Hagerstown. The battalion was then ordered to join Steuart’s Brigade on its march through Chambersburg, Carlisle and McConnelsburg to forage for shoes, horses and cattle.

June 30 Major Gilmore had not reached Carlisle when the order reached him ordering all of Lee’s scattered army to immediately concentrate near Gettysburg.

July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

When the battalion reached Gettysburg companies B-E were ordered to support Caret’s and Pogue’s artillery batteries while Company A served on Provost duty in town. They were employed as couriers and to support artillery, and saw no mounted action.

July 4

Battle of Monterrey Pass

A company of the 1st Maryland Cavaly defended defended the Confederate wagon train of wounded in a confused action on a pitch black, rainy night when it was attacked by Kilpatrick’s Union Cavalry Division. Badly outnumbered, the Confederates held off the Union cavalry for several hours until overwhelmed and forced back at 3 a.m.

July 6

Battle of Hagerstown

The battalion fought Kilpatrick’s Cavalry again in the streets of Hagerstown until Confederate infantry from Iverson’s Brigade arrived to drive them back.

July 7-14 Rertreat to the Potomac and into Virginia.

July 15 – October 10 Assigned to Lomax’s Brigade of Fitzhugh Lee’s Cavalry Division and performed picket duties near Leetown, West Virginia.

October 11 Fitzhugh Lee’s Division moved towards the Rapahannock.

Winter When the army went into winter quarters the 1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion was sent to Hanover Junction with other Maryland units to form the “Maryland Line” under the command of Colonel Bradley Johnson.

1864

Winter and Spring Patrolling North of Richmond.

May 1-2

Kilpatrick’s Raid on Richmond

With only sixty men available, Johnson directed them to harass the rear and flanks of the Union raiders. After intercepting a courier from Union Colonel Ulrich Dalgren revealing his plans to attack Richmond Johnson launched an attack into the rear of Kilpatrick’s column, hoping the confusion would cover for his weak numbers. It worked, and Kilpatrick was unable to aid Dalgren, whose attack completely failed. Johnston kept up his harassing tactic until the next day when Wade Hampton arrived with his division of cavalry, drove Kilpatrick off and killed Dalgren.

May 9 Just before midnight Colonel Ridgely Brown and 150 men encountered what they thought was the camp of a small party of raiders. Brown dismounted his men and attacked, and was swept up in a heavy firefight. He had stumbled on part of Sheridan’s main column, who counterattacked. Brown was able to hold them off until daylight, when he received an order from Stuart asking him to hold Sheridan as long as possible. Brown was able to keep up the lopsided battle since the dense woods allowed him to conceal his weakness. When Sheridan prepared an overwhelming charge Brown withdrew, returning to Hanover Junction.

May 10 Johnson was ordered to join Stuart at Hanover Court House. The battalion met Federal troops near Dabney’s Ferry and in hand to hand fighting was quickly cornered into a fenced area at Pollard’s Farm. Colonel Bradley Johnson’s horse was shot out from under him and Colonel Brown was wounded. The battalion lost 50 men, but their sacrifice allowed the 1st North Carolina Cavalry to escape their fight with Custer’s Federals.

June 1

South Anna Bridge

The battalion fought for six hours to defend the bridge. Colonel Ridgely Brown was killed by a stray bullet during a lull in the battle. Captain Warner G. Welsh took over the battalion.

June 11-12

Battle of Trevillian Station

The Battalion joined Hampton at Trevillion Station and fought on the right of the line. Custer broke through Hampton’s line, but General Rosser along with the 1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion drove him back to his own wagons,  avenging themselves for Pollard’s Farm.

June 28-30 Colonel Bradley Johnson had put together a plan  to kidnap President Lincoln, and Hampton sent him to the Shenandoah Valley to attempt it. Johnson joined Early’s Second Corps advancing down the Shenandoah Valley (down is north in the Valley). Gilmore’s Partisan Rangers and the survivors of Jones’s Cavalry Brigade were added to Johnson’s command, and Johnson was promoted to Brigadier General.

July 1-2 The battalion, along with Johnson’s Brigade, moved towards Leetown.

July 3 Brigadier General Bradley Johnson ran into a strong Union cavalry command near Leetown. A battle developed, and Johnson was driven back. But he was reinforced by his reserves, resumed his attack and forced the Federals out of town.

July 5 Johnson crossed the Potomac, then moved across South Mountain toward Frederick.

July 8 The battalion ran into Lieutenant Colonel David R. Clendenin’s 8th Illinois Cavalry and pushed it back towards Frederick.That evening Colonel Bradley Johnston was ordered to make a raid around Baltimore and Washington to rescue Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout Prison, which was on the tip of the peninsula between the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. His plan was to free and arm the prisoners, them march on Washington.

July 9, 1864

Battle of Monocacy

Johnson’s Brigade, including the 1st Maryland Cavalry commanded by Captain Warner G. Welsh, guarded Early’s left flank until after the battle then made its way towards Baltimore as the first part of its movement to Point Lookout.

July 10

Skirmish at Westminster

Leading Johnson’s advance, Gilmor’s cavalry attacked Union cavalry in Westminster and drove them out. The main body of Johnson’s men drove Lew Wallace’s retreating troops from Monocacy into the Cockeysville-Hunt Valley, north of Baltimore.They then turned south to destroy tracks and bridges along the Northern Central Railway. When they reached Timonium, north of Baltimore, Johnson divided his brigade.

Major Harry Gilmor of the 2nd Maryland Cavalry took a detachment of the 1st Maryland Cavalry and moved undetected across northern Baltimore County into Harford County at Jerusalem Mill. They captured horses and supplies there.

The other half of Johnson’s men, including the rest of the 1st Maryland Cavalry, turned south and headed toward Point Lookout Prison. On the way they burned the home of Maryland Governor Augustus Bradford. But before they had gone too far south it was discovered that the Federals knew about the plan and had taken steps to prevent it. The Point Lookout plan was abandoned.

July 11

Skirmishes at Magnolia and Towson

Gilmor’s command reached the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad railroad bridge over the Gunpowder River at Magnolia Station. It was defended by 70 men from the 159th Ohio Infantry Regiment. The detachment was driven off or captured. Gilmore’s men also captured two trains and the supplies they were carrying. After evacuating the passengers, they set fire to one of the trains and backed it over the railroad bridge, which was partially destroyied. They also tore down telegraph lines around the station. One of the passengers on the northbound train was Union Major General William B. Franklin, who was returning north on medical leave. He was taken as a prisoner of war, but escaped the next day.

Gilmor’s men returned west across Baltimore County, stopping to rest near Towson. A large cavalry detachment which had been sent out from Baltimore caught up with them there.Outnumbered two to one, Gilmor attacked and drove off the Federals, pursuing them to Govenstown. Gilmor claimed that if his men had not been so tired, he would have gone into Baltimore and captured the city.

On the way back west they burned the home of Maryland Governor Augustus Bradford.

July 12 The 1st Maryland rejoined Early’s army as it crossed the Potomac River back into Virginia from its unsuccessful attempt to capture Washington (but very successful attempt to divert Union troops from the fighting at Petersburg). They served as rear guard on the way back to Virginia.

July 16 The battalion crossed the Blue Ridge at Snicker’s Gap with Early’s army and reached Berryville.

July 17

Battle of Cool Spring (Snicker’s Ferry)

Union pursuers failed to force their way across the Shenandoah River at Snicker’s Ford, also known as Castleman’s Ferry.

July 19 The battalion withdrew to Strarford with Early’s main body.

July 24

Second Battle of Kernstown

Early turned on Union forces that were resting in camp south of Winchester after the Battle of Rutherford’s Farm. Thinking Early had been defeated and was leaving the Valley to rejoin Lee, two Union Corps were sent back towards Washington to reinforce Grant. Now Early had a superior force to the remaining Union Corps under Crook. After a day long battle the Union troops collapsed and withdrew to Harpers Ferry. Early’s men followed them north, capturing many supply wagons and men who had become separated from the commands.

July 25-28 Early ordered Brigadier General John McCausland and 2,800 cavalry, including Brigadier General Bradley Jonson’s brigade with the 1st Maryland Battalion, to occupy Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. They were to ransom it for $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in U.S. currency. It the ransom were not paid they were to burn the town in retaliation for the Federal burning of private homes and farms in the Shenandoah Valley.

July 29 McCausland’s command moved into Pennsylvania, their advance delayed by 35 men of the 6th United States Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Hancock McLean who skirmish the entire way north from Hagerstown. They overnight in Mercersburg, looting the town.

July 30

Burning of Chambersburg

McCausland’s force continued into Chamberburg, only slightly delayed by a section of New York artillery that greeted them with a round of canister. Union Major General Darius Couch, commanding the Department of the Susquehanna, barely had time to pack up his headquarters and escape to the north.

The citizens of Chambersburg were unable to pay the ransom. There was no money in the town; it had all been removed. The Confederates, including the 1st Maryland Cavalry, looted everything of value including citizen’s watches, and burned all the public buildings and many private buildings in the town – a total of over 537 structures. Soldiers quickly became drunk. Individual citizens were forced to ransom their homes for anywhere from $150 to $750. An elderly black man died when Confederates kept forcing him back into his burning house. The house of the county school superintendent was burned after he was asked if he had ever taught black children and he answered “yes.”

There were Confederate casualties. Captain Caulder A. Bailey, the Adjutant of the 8th Virginia Cavalry, had become drunk and separated from his men and was killed by a group of citizens. Two Confederates died when they were locked in a store that they had set afire, and another was killed with a shotgun.

But many Confederates refused to take part. The town’s Masonic Lodge was spared, guarded by Southern Masons. Colonel William Peters of the 21st Virginia Cavalry refused to execute the order; he was placed under temporary arrest and was ordered to take his regiment out of town. Brigadier General Bradley Johnson would later say that McCausland’s men had “commited every crime known to man during that expedition.”

When the town was well in flames McCausland led he men west, where they would spend the night at McConnelsburg.

August 1

Battle of Folke’s Mill (Cumberland)

McCausland took his command South West from McConnelsburg to Hancock. He had hoped to try to ransom Hancock in the same way as Chambersburg. But Johnson, who commanded Maryland troops, vehemently argued that Hancock was not only a Maryland town, but it had been a Southern town throughout the war, sending recruits and supplies south into Virginia. Johnson ordered Gilmore to post his Maryland cavalry as guards on the buildings in Hancock and to shoot any of McCausland’s men who tried to burn them. Pursuing Union cavalry put an end to the argument and forced McCausland to continue west to Cumberland, where they hoped to destroy the shops of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Union Brigadier General Benjamin Kelly had rounded up a battery of artillery and three regiments of “100 days troops” – Ohio National Guard signed up for 100 days of Federal service – reinforced by a number of armed townfolk. As McCausland approached Cumberland Kelly’s artillery opened fire. McCausland brought up his own guns, and they exchanged fire for around three hours, with both sides suffering about 30 casualties each. McCausland’s position was on the grounds around Folke’s Mill, which gave its name to the battle. The Folke barn was struck by artillery, took fire, and burned to the ground with the whole year’s harvest. At around 8 p.m. McCausland withdrew to the southeast, heading for Old Town.

August 2

Battle of Oldtown (Green Spring)

McCausland hoped to cross the Potomac River at Oldtown. But Colonel Israel Stough had the 153rd Ohio Infantry Regiment behind the river, supported by a Railroad battery commanded by Captain Petrie of the Potomac Home Guard, an armed and armored train. There was also a strongly armed and protected blockhouse at the bridges.

Slough deployed his men between the Potomac and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. He repelled the first Confederate attack. But the 21st Virginia Cavalry built a bridge and crossed the canal, outflanking Stough, who withdrew to the blockhouse. The Confederate Baltimore Light Artillery put a shell though the boiler of the armored train’s locomotive with its first shot and disabled one of the train’s guns with its second. Its third scattered the infantry of the Potomac Home Brigade into the woods, leaving Stoughton and his Ohionans unsupported in the blockhouse.

There was an hour and a half standoff until Johnson sent a message under a flag of truce demanding a surrender. Stough asked for and received generous terms – immediate parole with all personal equipment except weapons. Johnson agreed and the Ohioans surrendered.

The Confederates crossed the river and headed to Springfield, West Virginia, where they rested until the 4th.

August 3 McCausland rested his command before heading for Moorfield.

August 4 McCausland tried to raid New Creek, but a train of reinforcements sent down from Cumberland by Kelley caused him to abandon the attack.

August 6 Brigadier General John McCausland took his tired cavalrymen into camp at Moorefield, West Virginia.The campsites were chosen for grazing rather than defense. McCausland believed the pursuing Federal cavalry under Averill were no nearer than Hancock, 60 miles away, and he knew Averill had a much smaller force. His felt his men would have plenty of time to rest and recover from their hard ride to Pennsylvania and back. Brigadier General Bradley Jonson’s brgade was placed on the north side of the South Branch of the Potomac, while McCausland’s own brigade was on the south side. McCausland himself chose to stay 3 miles away in the town of Moorefield. But John McNeil was so concerned about the lack of defensibility of the sites he took his Partisan Rangers to a better location eight miles away after McCausland ignored his warning.In reality Averill was less than a day behind McCausland. With only 1,760 men against around 3,000 Confederates, Averill knew surprise would be essential. During the night he quietly advanced on the Confederate camps while his advanced guard, dressed as Confederates, captured all the Confederate pickets.

August 7

Battle of Moorefield

At first light Averell’s advance brigade launched a saber charge on Johnson’s sleeping men on the north side of the river. Many of the Confederates simply ran for it, leaving weapons, horses and sometimes boots behind. Averill sent his second brigade charging across the river into McCausland’s camp. Although some of McCausland’s men had a few moments warning, the unprepared men were no match for the Northern troopers with their repeating rifles and revolvers.

McCausland’s two brigades dispersed into the hills, leaving their loot from Chambersburg behind. The scattered Confederates made their way in little groups and individuals back to Early’s main army.

The Confederates lost at least 13 men killed and 60 wounded, along with 38 officers and 377 enlisted men captured. Four cannon and 400 horses were also lost. Averill lost 2 officers and 9 enlisted men killed, 18 men wounded, and 13 captured.

McCausland and Johnson, with bad blood already between them from Chambersburg and the incident at Hancock, accused each other of negligence and demanded courts martial, although none ever happened.

Mid-August The survivors of the battalion moved to the Shenandoah Valley and rejoined Early’s main army.

Mid-August Early proposed to consolidate the 1st and 2nd Maryland Cavalry battalions since their numbers had been so badly depleted. The men protested to the War Department, which reversed Early’s order. Shortly afterwards Company K of the 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment transferred to the Battalion. This was the company that had been formed from Maryland men and had provided the nucleus of the 1st Maryland Battalion. Its Captain Gustavus Dorsey was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the 1st Maryland Cavalry.

September 22

Third Battle of Winchester

September 22

Battle of Fisher’s Hill

The regiment charged dismounted Federal cavalry and suffered heavy casualties. Lieutenant Colonel Gustavus Dorsey was wounded.

October 9

Battle of Tom’s Brook

November Assigned to Davidson’s Brigade of Lomax’s Division. Crossed into Rappahannock County to forage and fought with Custer’s Union cavalry.

1865

Mid-March Sheridan moved his cavalry corps from the Shenandoah Valley to rejoin the Army of the Potomac at Petersburg. The battalion was ordered to harass Sheridan’s flank as he moved from Charlottesville to White House on the York River.

Late March The 1st Maryland Cavalry moved from White House to Richmond, where the rested for several days. They then moved towards West Virginia to rejoin Lomax’s Cavalry Division. After two days they were ordered to return to Richmond.

April 2

Appomattox Campaign

Returned in Richmond and continued south to Petersburg, where they went into camp for the night.

April 3 The battalion was ordered to follow Mahone’s Division and serve as rear guard as Petersburg was evacuated. For the next few days the Marylanders found themselves constantly engaged attempting to repel Federal cavlary which kept attacking the column and trains. Provsions ran out. The men fried dough in fat. Eventually they captured some raw pork and corn.

April 5 Passed through Amelia Springs on the way to Lynchburg.

April 6

Battle of High Bridge and Farmville.

Assisted General Munford in his rear guard action near Farmville.

April 9

Appomattox Court House

Munford led his brigade past the army and took the lead into Appomattox Court House, where they skirmished with the advancing Federals. Large numbers of Union cavalry approached Munford’s front, driving back the Confederate skirmishers.

Colonel Dorsey ordered the 1st Maryland to launch a saber charge, driving the Federals back, then launched a second when they again tried to advance. William C. Price fell mortally wounded during this charge. He would be the last man of the 1st Maryland Cavalry to die in the Civil War. In a few minutes a Federal officer rode up with a white flag. General Lee was about to surrender his army.

A council of war was held. The Confederate infantry and artillery had no hope of escaping the trap, but the cavalry could slip through the lines and get away, possibly to join General Johnston’s army in North Carolina. The squadrons made their way through the lines without incident, then split up to forage and wait to see if they would try to reach Johnston.

End of April A couple of weeks later Munford called the battalion to meet at Cloverdale in Botetourt County. He told them that Johnston had surrendered. The men dispersed and made their way back home to Maryland.

John E. H. Post

Residence was not listed.

Enlisted as a Priv(date unknown).

He mustered into “H” Co. Maryland 1st Infantry.

The 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment (Confederate) was a Confederate army unit formed in June 1861 by volunteers from Maryland. Though Maryland stayed in the Union, these men traveled south to fight for the South. The unit fought in major early campaigns before being disbanded in August 1862.Key FactsActive Dates: June 16, 1861 – August 11, 1862Initial Strength: About 600 menKey Commanders: Colonels Arnold Elzey, George H. Steuart, and Bradley T. JohnsonWhere It Fought: Virginia, Harpers Ferry, and WinchesterMajor BattlesFirst Battle of Manassas (Bull Run)Stonewall Jackson’s Valley CampaignPeninsula Campaign (Seven Days’ Battles)What Happened NextThe unit’s one-year service term ended in August 1862, and it was mustered out at Gordonsville, Virginia.

1st Maryland Infantry Regiment (Confederate)

Active 1861-1862

Country Confederate States

Allegiance Maryland Militia

Branch Confederate States Army

Type Infantry

Size Regiment

Engagements First Battle of Manassas

Shenandoah Valley Campaign

Peninsular Campaign

Commanders

Colonel of

the Regiment Col. Francis J. Thomas (April-June 1861)

Col. Arnold Elzey (June-July 1861)

The 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the Confederate army, formed shortly after the commencement of the American Civil War in April 1861. The unit was made up of volunteers from Maryland who, despite their home state remaining in the Union during the war, chose instead to fight for the Confederacy. The regiment saw action at the First Battle of Manassas, in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, and in the Peninsular Campaign. It was mustered out of service in August 1862, its initial term of duty having expired. Many of its members, unable or unwilling to return to Union-occupied Maryland, went on to join a new regiment, the 2nd Maryland Infantry, CSA, which was formed in its place.

History

Baltimore riots of April 1861

After the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12–14, 1861, President Lincoln called for the states to send troops to preserve the Union. On April 19, Southern sympathizers in Baltimore attacked Union troops passing through by rail, causing what were arguably the first casualties of the Civil War. Major General George H. Steuart, commander of the Maryland State Militia, and most of his senior officers were strongly sympathetic to the Confederacy. He ordered the militia to turn out, armed and uniformed, to repel Federal soldiers. Perhaps knowing of these sympathies, and that public opinion in Baltimore was divided, Governor Thomas Holliday Hicks did not order out the militia.

Joining the Confederacy

Arnold Elzey, colonel of the regiment, promoted by President Jefferson Davis to brigadier general after the First Battle of Manassas.

During the early summer of 1861, several thousand Marylanders crossed the Potomac River to join the Confederate Army. Most of the men enlisted into regiments from Virginia or the Carolinas, but six companies of Marylanders formed at Harpers Ferry into the Maryland Battalion. Among them were members of the former volunteer militia unit, the Maryland Guard Battalion, initially formed in Baltimore in 1859.

Captain Bradley T. Johnson, commander of Company A., refused the offer of the Virginians to join a Virginia Regiment, insisting that Maryland should be represented independently in the Confederate army. When the regiment was organized the first commander was Colonel Francis J. Thomas, a graduate of West Point in the class 1844. His choice as commander was vocally objected by several company commanders, and on June 8 he was relieved of command. It was agreed that Arnold Elzey, a seasoned career officer from Maryland, would take command. His executive officer was the Marylander George H. Steuart, who would later be known as “Maryland Steuart” to distinguish him from his more famous cavalry colleague JEB Stuart.

The 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment was officially formed on June 16, 1861, and, on June 25, two additional companies joined the regiment in Winchester. Its initial term of duty was for twelve months.

Civil War

In June 1861 General Johnston evacuated Harper’s Ferry, and the 1st Maryland was ordered to assist in destroying its arsenal of weaponry.

Battle of First Manassas

At the First Battle of Manassas, also known as the First Battle of Bull Run, on July 21, 1861, the 1st Maryland was combined with the 13th Virginia Infantry, 10th Virginia Infantry and 3rd Tennessee Regiments to form the 4th Brigade, led by Brigadier General E. Kirby Smith. Smith’s men were late in arriving at the battle and approached the Confederate left near Chinn Ridge. The battle got off to a bad start when Elzey was forced to assume temporary command of the brigade, as General Smith was shot from his horse and injured by enemy fire. However, Elzey was able to bring his men into line facing the flank of the Federal army, the brigade commanded by General Oliver O. Howard. His men advanced to the edge of a wood without being detected by the Union army and opened fire, after which they charged over open ground into the Union position. Soon they were joined by Colonel Jubal A. Early on the Confederate left flank and shortly afterwards Howard’s line began to disintegrate. As the federal forces fled, General Beauregard congratulated Elzey, commending him as “the Blucher of the day”.

After the battle Elzey was promoted to brigade commander, and Colonel George H. Steuart was given command of the 1st Maryland Regiment. Major Bradley Johnson was appointed his second in command.

During the winter of 1861-2 the regiment was quartered at Centerville. In April 1862 it was marched back to the Rappahannock River, and assigned to the command of General Richard S. Ewell, following which the regiment joined General “Stonewall” Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, meeting him at Luray, Virginia. At this point an unsuccessful attempt was made to form a “Maryland Line” in the CSA, uniting all Maryland units under one command.

Training and discipline

Lieut. Col. George H. “Maryland” Steuart, a strict disciplinarian.

Under Steuart’s command the regiment was drilled relentlessly. Steuart soon began to acquire a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, eventually gaining the admiration of his men, though initially unpopular as a result. Steuart was said to have ordered his men to sweep the bare dirt inside their bivouacs and, rather more eccentrically, was prone to sneaking through the lines past unwitting sentries, in order to test their vigilance. On one occasion this plan backfired, as Steuart was pummeled and beaten by a sentry who later claimed not to have recognized the general. Eventually however, Steuart’s “rigid system of discipline quietly and quickly conduced to the health and morale of this splendid command.” According to Major W W Goldsborough, who served under Steuart at Gettysburg: “…it was not only his love for a clean camp, but a desire to promote the health and comfort of his men that made him unyielding in the enforcement of sanitary rules. You might influence him in some things, but never in this”. George Wilson Booth, a young officer in Steuart’s command at Harper’s Ferry in 1861, recalled in his memoirs: “The Regiment, under his master hand, soon gave evidence of the soldierly qualities which made it the pride of the army and placed the fame of Maryland in the very foreground of the Southern States”.

Shenandoah campaign and the expiry of the regiment’s term of duty

Colonel Bradley T. Johnson, commander of the 1st Maryland, and “one of the handsomest men” in the regiment.

On May 17 the initial 12-month term of duty of C Company expired, and the men began to clamor for their immediate discharge. By this time Steuart had been promoted brigadier general, assigned with the task of forming the Maryland Line, and Colonel Bradley Tyler Johnson had succeeded to command of the regiment. Johnson reluctantly agreed with the men, but could not disband the entire regiment in mid-campaign, and discontent began to spread. By May 22, on the eve of the Battle of Front Royal, discontent became open mutiny. Steuart and Johnson argued with the men to no avail, though news of the rebellion was kept secret from General Jackson. When given orders to engage the enemy, Johnson addressed his soldiers:

“You have heard the order, and I must confess are in a pretty condition to obey it. I will have to return it with the endorsement upon the back that ‘the First Maryland refuses to meet the enemy’, despite being given orders by General Jackson. Before this day I was proud to call myself a Marylander, but now, God knows, I would rather be known as anything else. Shame on you to bring this stigma upon the fair name of your native state – to cause the finger of scorn to be pointed at those who confided to your keeping their most sacred trust – their honor and that of the glorious Old State. Marylanders you call yourselves – profane not that hallowed name again, for it is not yours. What Marylander ever before threw down his arms and deserted his colors in the presence of the enemy, and those arms, and those colors too, placed in your hands by a woman? Never before has one single blot defaced her honored history. Could it be possible to conceive a crime more atrocious, an outrage more damnable? Go home and publish to the world your infamy. Boast of it when you meet your fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and sweethearts. Tell them it was you who, when brought face to face with the enemy, proved yourselves recreants, and acknowledged yourselves to be cowards. Tell them this, and see if you are not spurned from their presence like some loathsome leper, and despised, detested, nay abhorred, by those whose confidence you have so shamefully betrayed; you will wander over the face of the earth with the brand of ‘coward’, ‘traitor’, indelibly imprinted on your foreheads, and in the end sink into a dishonored grave, unwept for, uncared for, leaving behind as a heritage to your posterity the scorn and contempt of every honest man and virtuous woman in the land.”

Johnson’s speech seems to have worked where threats had failed, and the Marylanders rallied to the regimental colors, seizing their weapons and crying “lead us to the enemy and we will prove to you that we are not cowards”

Battle of Front Royal

At the Battle of Front Royal, May 23, 1862, the 1st Maryland was thrown into battle with their fellow Marylanders, the Union 1st Maryland Infantry Regiment. After hours of desperate fighting the Southerners emerged victorious. When the prisoners were taken, many men recognized former friends and family. According to Goldsborough:

“nearly all recognized old friends and acquaintances, whom they greeted cordially, and divided with them the rations which had just changed hands”.

Among the prisoners was Charles Goldsborough, captured by his brother, William Goldsborough, who would go on to write the history of the Maryland Line in the Confederate Army.

Battle of Winchester

Just two days later, on May 25, 1862, the 1st Maryland fought again at the First Battle of Winchester, another Confederate victory. After the battle, Colonel Johnson, who was described by Goldsborough as “one of the handsomest men in the First Maryland”, was the recipient of some not entirely welcome female attention:

“having dismounted from his horse in an unguarded moment, [Col. Johnson] was espied and singled out by an old lady of Amazonian proportions, just from the wash tub, who, wiping her hands and mouth on her apron as she approached, seized him around the neck with the hug of a bruin, and bestowed upon him half a dozen kisses that were heard by nearly every man in the command, and when at length she relaxed her hold the Colonel looked as if he had just come out a vapor bath”.

Battle of Cross Keys

The unit again saw action at the Battle of Cross Keys on June 8, where the 1st Maryland were placed on General Ewell’s left, successfully fighting off three assaults by Federal troops. At Cross Keys George H. Steuart, was severely injured in the shoulder by grape shot, and had to be carried from the battlefield. A ball from a canister shot had struck him in the shoulder and broken his collarbone, causing a “ghastly wound”. The injury did not heal well, and did not begin to improve at all until the ball was removed under surgery in August. It would prevent him from returning to the field for almost an entire year, until May 1863.

Peninsula Campaign

On June 26 the 1st Maryland fought at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill where the regiment held off an assault by Federal infantry until the Baltimore Light Artillery could be wheeled into place to dislodge the Federal troops. They saw action the next day when they participated in an attack which captured a number of guns, weapons and many prisoners.

The regiment also saw action on 1 July 1862 at the Battle of Malvern Hill, this time a Union victory. The regiment was held in reserve, but still suffered severe casualties from the heavy barrage of the Federal artillery. On July 2 they fought off a Federal cavalry attack in a brief skirmish.

Disbandment

By late summer the Southern capital of Richmond, Virginia was considered safe from Federal attack, and the Regiment’s one-year term of duty having expired, it was soon disbanded. Company A. was assigned to escort duty, bringing General Jackson’s prisoners to Richmond, and soon after this it was mustered out of service. On August 17 the rest of the regiment was also disbanded at Gordonsville, Virginia. In September 1862 the regiment’s former commander, Colonel Bradley Tyler Johnson, and many members of his staff, finding themselves without a command, offered their services to General “Stonewall Jackson”.

However, the soldiers of the disbanded regiment found themselves in a precarious position, being unable to return home to Union-occupied Maryland, having effectively committed themselves to the Confederacy for the duration of the war. With little choice but to fight on, many went on to join other units of artillery, or cavalry, while others waited to form a new Maryland Infantry Regiment, which would become known as the 2nd Maryland Infantry, CSA in order to distinguish it from the original regiment. The new regiment would suffer such severe casualties during the course of the war that, by the time of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, only around forty men remained.