HISTORY: Historic Huntingdon, 1767-1909, Chapter 21, Battle of North Mountain, Huntingdon County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Nancy Lorz

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Historic Huntingdon, 1709-1907.  Huntingdon Old Home Week, September 
5-11, 1909.  Souvenir Edition.  Huntingdon, Pa.: Historical Committee 
of the Old Home Week Association, 1909.
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                              CHAPTER XXI.

Military - Fear of Confederate Invasion and Battle of North Mountain.

  DURING the month of June, 1863, intense excitement prevailed 
throughout the county.  Many rumors were circulated that the 
Confederate troops would soon be in our midst.  In the latter part of 
the month many of the citizens of Huntingdon were engaged in hiding 
their valuables in cellars, cisterns, gardens and wherever they thought 
they might be safe from the invading foe.
  On the evening of June 15th a meeting was called in the Court House 
for the purpose of enlisting men, ostensibly to guard the Pennsylvania 
Railroad at Mount Union.  Patriotic addresses were made by a number of 
Huntingdon's prominent citizens and under the enthusiasm created by 
these addresses a company of about 126 was organized and transported by 
railroad to Mount Union at midnight where they bivouacked for the night 
after properly posting pickets.  In the morning they were furnished 
with arms and ammunition from the State Arsenal.  Captain William W. 
Wallace, who had served gallantly on the battlefield of Antietam and 
Chancellorsville as Captain of Company "C" 125th Regiment P.V.I., and 
which had been mustered out in May, 1863, had been chosen as commander 
of the company.  He, with the company, inspected a block house built 
near the railroad bridge crossing the Juniata River, but concluded that 
the best defense of the railroad was to prevent the enemy from getting 
near it, and consequently moved the company to Orbisonia, twelve

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miles distant from Mount Union, and remained there over night.
  The next day the company was moved farther south and by short moves 
McConnellsburg, Fulton county, was reached June 22nd.  Remaining here 
two days, on the evening of the 24th about 5 o'clock word was received 
that "Jeb" Stuart's cavalry was crossing the mountains toward 
McConnellsburg.  A battalion of about 300 militia under command of Col. 
Zinn was posted on the top of Cove Mountain on the Mercersburg pike, 
the route on which Stuart was approaching, and Captain Wallace with his 
company, now dwindled to 27 men, started up the mountain at once to 
assist in the preventing of Stuart's purpose, but what was his surprise 
to meet Col. Zinn and his battalion of militia in full retreat.  
Nothing daunted, he proceeded with his little company up the mountain 
until the tramp of the horse, the rattle of the sabre and the voices of 
the invader could be distinctly heard.  Then he deployed his men along 
the mountain side at a distance of about sixty feet from the road in 
squads of five, and at a given signal opened fire on the Confederate 
troops consisting of about 2500 well organized and disciplined 
infantry, cavalry and artillery.
  The Confederates were then halted and a surrender of Captain 
Wallace's command was called for, which demand was not complied with, 
but instead a continuance fire was kept up, which was responded to by 
the Confederates, the bullets from their guns striking the bushes and 
rocks like hail. Finally they threw several shell into the mountain and 
had the little band almost surrounded.  Then it was either surrender or 
retreat so the latter course was pursued and each one took care of 
himself.  The result was that they all escaped in squads of two or 
three, without losing a man, although some made narrow escapes, many 
having their clothing cut by balls.  They were scattered in all 
directions; some of them being between the Confederate lines for 
several days; some remained in the woods from Wednesday until Saturday 
when they were all reunited

139

at McConnellsburg.  In this conflict the Confederates afterwards 
acknowledged they had lost five killed and thirteen wounded, beside the 
loss of several horses.  As a result of this attack Genl. Stuart only 
proceeded as far as McConnellsburg, fearing there might be more troops 
to interfere with his march to Mount Union, to which place he had been 
ordered with directions to burn the bridge and destroy the railroad.  
Had this attack not been made he would probably have reached Mount 
Union in the morning of May 25th, as there were no opposing forces 
between McConnellsburg and Mount Union.  This was one of the first 
conflicts with the Confederates on Pennsylvania soil and preceded the 
battle of Gettysburg by one week.
  The following is an extract from the minutes of a meeting of the 
Board of directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad in reference to the 
attack made by Captain Wallace and his company:
  Extracts from the minutes of a meeting of the Board of directors of 
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, held September 2nd, 1863.
  "The following letters were read:
Huntingdon, Pa., July 31, 1863.
  To the President and Directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
  Gentlemen:  Having been in the capacity of an assistant to the 
Adjutant General of this state at Mt. Union, during a part of the rebel 
invasion, and in a position to know the service rendered to your road 
by the faithful discharge of Military duty by Captain W. W. Wallace and 
the men under his command, I deemed it a duty to obtain from him the 
names of his men that I might transmit them to you.
  He went out at the first alarm with a company of militia from 
Huntingdon and remained in service with the men named by him until the 
24th day of June.
  On that day the rebels started from Mercersburg under the belief that 
no opposing force was between them and

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Mt. Union and intending to push in that direction. 
  Captain Wallace learning this, went with his little squad upon the 
mountain and, as he very modestly relates, attacked the advancing 
forces.
  It had the effect of checking the advance, producing the impression 
that it was but the advance of a large force, when in truth no other 
armed force was then in the field in their march to Mt. Union.  Had it 
not been for this attack the road might and probably would have been 
cut at that point.
  In addition to the service thus rendered to the road they have the 
merit of drawing the first rebel blood that was spilled in the invasion 
of Pennsylvania, and as they are all young men, I have deemed it but an 
act of justice to them that their names should be where you can have 
access to them and know who they were.
  For that purpose I selected and now send to you the note addressed to 
me by Captain Wallace.
Yours Respectfully,
JOHN SCOTT."
"Huntingdon, Pa., July 7, 1863.
"John Scott, Esq.,
   Solicitor Penna. R. R. Co.
  Dear Sir:  Agreeable to your request I transmit you herewith a list 
of the names of those who on the 24th day of June, 1863, marched with 
me from McConnellsburg road to the Cove Mountain Pass, on the 
Mercersburg road, to check the advance of a brigade of rebels.  The 
best evidence of the manner in which they sustained themselves in the 
encounter which ensued, consists in the admission of the enemy, who 
acknowledged a loss of five killed and the wounded are variously 
estimated from twelve to thirty.  The enemy by throwing out a heavy 
force of skirmishers dislodged us and obliged us to withdraw, which I 
am happy to say we accomplished without the loss of a man.  The 
following are the names:

  John A. McCahan,                  Hollidaysburg.
  William A. Orbison,               Huntingdon.

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NAMES (Continued).
  J. H. O. Corbin,                  Huntingdon.
  James K. Moorehead,               "
  Sam'l A. Steel,                   "
  Benson W. Conrad,                 "
  Matthew W. Taylor,                "
  Henry P. Decker,                  "
  Henry Willoughby,                 "
  Thomas King,                      "
  James Long,                       "
  Samuel Hatfield,                  "
  John Hatfield,                    "
  John Showalter,                   "
  James Lee,                        "
  ________Kelley,                   "
  John Miller,                      Mill Creek.
  Seely                             "
  Henry Hebshler,                   Shirleysburg.
  T. Edward McVitty.                Scottsville.
  John Heeter                       "
  Richard Hudson,                   Fort Littleton.
________Taylor,                     "
  Lieut. James Pott.                McConnellsburg.
  Wm. Leisthter,                    "
  Geo. W. Wilds,                    "
  I have the honor to be respectfully your obedient servant.
WM. W. WALLACE."
"Office of the Penna. R. R. Co.
Philadelphia, Sept. 3, 1863.
  "At a stated meeting of the Board of Directors of this Company held 
yesterday, the following resolutions were adopted:
  Resolved, That the thanks of the Board of Directors of this Company 
are hereby tendered Captain Wallace and his men for their noble and 
patriotic efforts on the 24th day of

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June last, in preventing a rebel force from injuring the road of this 
Company near Mt. Union.
(Signed) EDMUND SMITH, Secretary."

     Extract from Philadelphia Inquirer,
June 26, 1865.
  McIlwaine's Hotel, 14 miles west of McConnellsburg, June 25, 1863.  
The rebels in force entered McConnellsburg last evening, June 24th.  A 
regiment of militia under Col.----- fell back at the advance of the 
enemy, but an independent company under Captain Wallace took a position 
in the mountain and bushwhacked the rebels with great success.  Numbers 
of rebels are known to have been killed, but the extent of their loss 
is unknown.  Fears are entertained for the safety of Captain Wallace 
and his company as up to this morning he has not made his appearance  
It is believed he has retreated to the other side of the mountain.

                            The Regular Army

                      GEORGE McKNIGHT WILLIAMSON.

  Major United States Army; born at Shade Gap, Huntingdon County, Pa., 
July 5th, 1863; son of William McKnight Williamson; entered the 
Military academy at West Point, 1883; graduated 1887; and appointed 
Second Lieutenant, Sixth United States Cavalry; promoted First 
Lieutenant, Eighth United States Cavalry 1895; Captain and Assistant 
Quartermaster of United States Volunteers, 1898, and Captain and 
Assistant Quartermaster Regular Army, 1899; served in the west and 
northwest in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Dakota, Nebraska and 
Wyoming until September, 1893; Professor of Military Science and 
Tactics at Pennsylvania Military College, Chester, Pa., 1893 to 1897; 
in Porto Rico, August, 1898 to 1900, with the First Army Corps under 
Gen. Brooks; in command of Schuylkill Arsenal, Philadelphia, February, 
1900, to September, 1901; Depot Quartermaster and Commissary Honolulu, 
Hawaiian Islands, 1901 to 1902; Depot Quartermaster Boston and Chicago 
1902 to 1906; and 1906 stationed in Philippine Islands at Manila and 
Zamboango, and since December, 1907 has been Constructing Quartermaster 
with headquarters at San Francisco, where he has charge of a large 
amount of new work being done at the forts in and about San Francisco.