452 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period V, 



towards Emmetsburg, through which he passed and 

 moved towards Frederick ; then turning short to the 

 east again he marched in the night through Liberty, 

 Newmarket, and Monrovia, where he cut the wires and 

 th(; railroad. At daylight he reached Hyattstown, on 

 McClellan's line of communications with Washington, 

 where he captured a few waggons, and then pushed on 

 to Barnesville. 



At that point Stuart learned positively that General 

 Stoneman, with 4,000 or 5,000 men, was near Poolesville 

 guarding the fords on the river. To deceive his opponent 

 General Stuart started directly for Poolesville, but instead 

 of moving upon that point avoided it by a march through 

 the woods, leaving it two or three miles to his left, and 

 so got into the road from Poolesville to the Monocacy. 

 Guarding his flanks and rear, he then pushed boldly 

 forward, and soon met the enemy marching towards 

 Poolesville. This was the first serious attack he had 

 encountered on the expedition, and here the ability of 

 the cavalry to fight dismounted was of great service. The 

 story had better be told in General Stuart's own words : — 



" I ordered the charge, which was responded to in 

 handsome style by the advance squadron (Irving's) of 

 Lee's brigade, which drove back the enemy's cavalry 

 upon the column of infantry idvancing to occupy the 

 crest from which the cavalry were driven. Quick as 

 thought Lee's sharpshooters sprang to the ground, and 

 engaging the infantry skirmishers, held them in check 

 till the artillery in advance came up, which, under the 

 gallant Pelham, drove back the enemy's force upon his 

 batteries beyond the Monocacy."^ 



Occupying the crest, which he used as a screen to 

 cosher his real movement, Stuart made a rapid dash to 

 his left to White's Ford, which was guarded by 200 

 infantry strongly posted in the cliffs. A few shells from 

 the small guns, and the attack of the dismounted cavalry, 

 soon drove off these enemies, and the passage of the 

 ford was effected with all the regularity of the passage 



General Stuart's Repoi*t. 



