Franklin County: "Death of Corporal Rhial," by W. A. Reed, June 22, 1886
Summary: This article describes Lee's invasion, including a description of the first Union casualty in Pennsylvania.
Incidents of Lee's Invasion As Written By W. A. Reed for the Greencastle Press June 22, 1886
Greencastle in the Confederate Lines Without Soldiers or Aid of Any Kind to Oppose the Men Lately Led by Stonewall Jackson
Twenty years is an age when as a young man we attempt to look forward, but, when we come to look back, how short it is! We will attempt in a few paragraphs to glance back to 1863, when "war's rude blast was heard', in these vales. It is difficult to bring up to the memory all the moving incidents and accidents of that period, and we ask reader's indulgence for errors and omissions.
In looking at "The Pilot" (the only paper issed in Greencastle at that time) of June 9, 1863, we read: "It was reported in Cincinnati, on Friday, that General Johnson is marching upon Mhiis. Advice from General Grant (Vicksburg) assure the government that the seige is progressing favorably. The fall of this Rebel Gibraltar is near at hand." In the local news we notice the report of the Ladies's Aid Society of Greencastle, showing the hospital stores sent to the Christian Commission at Philadelphia. Mr. S. H. Eby still conducts his News and Periodical establishment in the post office room. Rev. T. G. Apple's congregation met on Sunday to celebrate the ter-centenary of the (German) Reformed church. The choir sang most beautifully "A Hundred Years to Come." Jacob Shook, esq, is enrolling officer. "Corn and locust blossoms" tell the meaning of the old sign. Our poetical assistant (for we were them the chief writer on the Pilot) goes off into rhapsodies over "June, the fairest month of all the year. The caroling of birds, the rippling of brooks, the balmy zephyrs, all invite us to enjoy the beauties-" Surely all is quiet on the Conococheague. But how soon the change! A fortnight! "The rebels are coming!" 'Ah, it is the same old story." "No, not quite," said a voice near by, they are coming." This was Sunday, June 14. In less than 15 minutes it had spread over town. Bad news always travels fast, you know. Evening came, but it was not the quiet, holy Sabbath evening, such as we used to know, when the family circle was brought together and recited the Westminster catechism and engaged it services befitting the day. No: on this evening such things were forgotten. The people were stirred up, or, to speak moderately, they were excited You could hear the hammer of the merchant engaged in packing up his goods. In a little while side walks were filled with boxes and the shippers impatiently "waiting for the wagon" to transport their merchandise to the railroad. Then came horses, wagons, carriages, with a retinue of drivers, riders and skedaddlers. Virginia refugees, too, were not few in number; their stories, too, were listened to by vast crowds; their tales of rebels, dangers, escapes and "accidents by flood and field," were, as, usual, moving, we wouldn't say without foundation, or, like Wright's Pills, sugar coated, that the victim-the patient we mean-may swallow them more readily. Ye 'contraband" heard the news, The "intelligent" and those otherwise felt the magic of the word "skedaddle." Black faces, blue gingham, linsey woolsey, gay cloth, huge bundles, and cooking utensils were all seen making their exit out the borough limits, steering for a place of safety just "furder norf." The cars were too slow for traveling just then, so they "took it afoot,"
The foregoing is an extract from an article in the Pilot (July 26 1864) describing an incident about a year later than Lee's invasion, but it is just as true of June 1863. Our memory readily, confirme it. On that Sunday evening Lieut. J. Gilmore Rowe went to Williamsport on his little black pony we knew so well, and made a reconnoisance in person. His return was eagerly waited for; his intelligence was quietly given, and we expected the foe. The morning came, goods were hastily packed and horses sent away, but Monday evening Gen. Jenkins made his first appearance his troopers made a spirited dash for the water station, expecting to capture the freight train, but the engineer got his train off just in time to save it. "Hudibras" wrote:-
"Do you remember, reader,
The evening the rebs came here?
They came in
files-by fours, by twos,
Some minus hats, and others shoes.
They broke
their ranks and canvassed town,
In search of horses, clothes, and so on."
Jenkins spent the week in visiting Chambersburg and other points in the county, taking horses and cattle and pillaging stores. Sunday he set apart for "looting" the stores in Greencastle. The merchants then in business were Geo. W. Ziegler & Co, where they now re-mains: A. L. Irwin's hardware store in what is now known as the Rhodes building; Prather & Krens, where J. Adam Carl has his family grocery; S H. Prather & Co., where are now Col. Winger's law office and Seacrest's bookstore; T. S. Riley & Co., in Mrs. Fleck's house. All these places and others were visited by the chivalry. Such good as would suit them they took and what they could not take they injured or wantonly destroyed. The plunder Jenkins's men carried south on the Williamsport turnpike road. But in the early gray of the next morning more alarming news came in, and the strains of martial music gave notice of-General Ewell's Advance.
There remained nothing for the citizens to do but to accept the situation and become for a while citizens of the Confederacy. There were no arms, their were no soldiers to oppose the men until lately led by "Stonewall" Jackson. It was nearly noon when Jenkins, chosen to lead on account of his knowledge of the country gleamed from a week's raiding through our country, reached the town, and marched out the Chambersburg road. Hearing that a body of Federal troops was somewhere in the vicinity, artillery was placed in position, on Shook's hill to the west and in a field to the right. Jenkin's cavalry then pushed forward, and when a few hundred yards beyond Fleming's. Capt. Boyd's company of the 1st New York Lincoln cavalry came out from the little woods then standing on the right of the road and making a gallant charge the Virginians fell back toward the main column. The Federals were unable to drive them further, for, when the artillery opened upon them and numerous infantry rose up in the wheat field like the clan of Rhoderick Dhu they could drive the Johnnies no further but, undismayed, the Federals fired boldly into the ranks of the enemy, and, learning the strenth and situation of the southern troops, withdrew again to the woods. They were dot pursued, because Jenkins doubtless thought it was a faint and that a larger force was certainly behind them. Mr. Hoke, in his "Reminiscence of the War," states upon the authority of D. K. Appenzellar, who was captured that morning by a scouting party, that they were informed that Gen. Couch was on his way south from Harrisburg with a force of 20,000 men. The boldness of this charge doubtless confirmed them in the belief that the report was true. Under cover of the woods the feasibility of another attack was discussed and some impatient spirits, unable longer to contain themselves, rushed out with Sergeant Cafferty to make another onset. This time they lead not proceeded far when Cafferty was shot through the leg, and young
Corporal William H. Rhial Fell
mortally wounded. Cafferty was paroled and received into the hospitable home of George Ilginfritz and was kindly cared for until he was ready for duty. He is expected here to-day, a living witness of that day's charge. Rhial was buried in a shallow grave, and in a few days afterward Gen. David Detrich and Jere. Detrich, with the assistance of citizens, took up the remains and buried them in the Lutheran graveyard with appropriate services by Rev. John Rebaugh and Rev. E. Breidenbaugh. Rev. Rebaugh never officiated at a funeral afterwards. Rhial was but a lad, born in Philadelphia, and joined Company C, raised by Capt. W. H. Boyd, also of Philadelphia. The 1st N. Y. Lincoln Cavalry had peen raised for the purpose of being the President's body guard, and it was expected that the Eastern States would each furnish a company, but New York filled all the companies except two, one from Michigan and the other Company C-here mentioned.
From the punished letter of Dr. Hall of Altoona, who was then a Lieutenant in this company of Boyd's we quote: "From Greencaste we went back to Chambersburg, and from which place we started can the morning of the 22nd to find where Jenkins was encamed. At a little village (Marion) between Chambersburg and Greencastle we encountered a scouting party sent out by Jenkins, and sending word from advance guard, which I commanded, back to Capt. Boyd, I at once changed them and endeavored without success to capture one of their number. Capt. Boyd, with the rest of the party, closed up on the advance and we drove them several miles until just near the edge of Greencastle, at a large white horse; we were suddenly halted by a wolleyform Confederate line. While huddled in a mass directly in a mass directly in front of the house, which was on the right hand side of the road, Rhial was shot, falling on left-hand side, where his body was left lying. Sergeant Cafferty was just beyond the house, right side of road a few feet, when, he was wounded."
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed and the dust of Rhial reposed in the old
graveyard, till the G. A. R.
Post No. 438, named after the brave lad whose blood
was given for his country's sake, thought proper to commemorate the incident and
erect a suitable monument to the-First Union Soldier Killed In Battle
on
the free soil of Pennsylvania. As an historic incident it deserves to be
perpetuated, and his fellow soldiers this duty as they are reminded of the many
dangers they have passed, and in remembrance of the glorious causes of freedom
and union, will drop a tear at his grave. And when the last soldier shall have
been placed under the clods of the valley, may the
memory of Rhial and fellow soldiers of the Union long live in the hearts of
every American citizen.
Bibliographic Information: Source copy consulted: Kauffman's Progressive, June 22, 1886
