Читать книгу A Summer in Maryland and Virginia; Or, Campaigning with the 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry онлайн

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4:30 P. M., July 9th, 1864.

Colonel:

Major General Wallace directs me to say that he directs that you hold your position to the very last extremity, and, when nothing more can be done, that you fall back, and if pressed, direct your men to disperse and take care of themselves. This is to be done when nothing more can be done to retard the enemy’s progress.

Respectfully,

E. B. Tyler,

Brig. Gen.

Col. Brown was unaware of the retreat of the rest of the army and was left alone in advance of the stone bridge, beating back the repeated attacks of the enemy until 5:30. At that time a farmer living near informed him of the retreat of the whole Union army except his Regiment, and that they were a mile and a half away. So he gave the order to retreat. Adjutant Hildebrand was sent with three companies and deployed as skirmishers on the left. They showed such steadiness that Early stopped to reform his lines, and behind this thin curtain of skirmishers the Regiment cut its way through and escaped to the north and toward Baltimore.