Summary:
Robert E. Lee reports to Secretary of War George Randolph on the results of Jeb
Stuart's October, 1862, raid into Pennsylvania and Maryland and ride around the
Union army. Lee mentions the capture of Chambersburg along with supplies, and
the destruction of some infrastructure.
Hon. GEORGE W. RANDOLPH,
Secretary of War, Richmond,
Va
HDQRS. ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
October 14, 1862.
SIR:
The expedition, under Gen. Stuart, to Pennsylvania, which crossed the Potomac on the evening of the 9th instant at McCoy's Ford, above Williamsport, will reach their camp to-day. They proceed through Mercersburg to Chambersburg, where they obtained from the United States store-houses such supplies as needed, but were unable to destroy the railroad bridge over the Conococheague in consequence of it being of iron. The shops, &c., of company were, however, destroyed. Thence he proceeded to Emmittsburg, through Liberty, New Market, Hyattstown, Barnesville, to White's Ford, below the mouth of the Monocacy, making a complete circuit of the enemy's position. On approaching the Potomac he was opposed by the enemy's cavalry, under Gen. Stoneman, but drove them back, and put to flight the infantry stationed on the bluff at White's Ford to guard the passage.
His expedition was eminently successful, and accomplished without other loss than the wounding of 1 man. He obtained many remounts for his cavalry, and deserves much credit for his prudence and enterprise.
From the information he was able to obtain, I am inclined to believe that Gen. McClellan has detached no part of his army eastward, but, on the contrary, has been receiving re-enforcements. His main army is posted west of the Blue Ridge range, and stretches from Hagerstown to Rockville, the center resting at Harper's Ferry, with detachments guarding the river. They have a large force repairing the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and I should judge from all I can learn that the operation of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Harper's Ferry west is viewed by them as an object of great importance, and that efforts will be made to repair it. I am breaking up the Harper's Ferry and Winchester Railroad to increase the obstacles to their advance up the Shenandoah Valley. The iron would be very useful to the roads farther south, and the flat iron might be used for Government purposes, but I have no means of sending it away.
I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
R. E. LEE,
Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 19, Serial No. 28, Pages 51, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
