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HISTORY
OF THE 2ND MARYLAND INFANTRY, C.S.A. ,by Tom
ClemensThe 2nd
MD Infantry was actually formed around the
survivors of the ;Gallant First;, who had been
disbanded by the War Department in June 1862.
Some of the old First Regiment reenlisted in the
cavalry and others in the artillery, but a few
officers and men stayed in Richmond and recruited
fellow Marylanders who had run the Yankee
blockade to form another infantry regiment. They
were successful in recruiting five full companies
by September 1862 and soon left Richmond for the
Shenandoah Valley. They did not join Lee's army
for the Antietam Campaign and therefore, on Lee's
first foray to Maryland there was no Maryland
regiment for the recruits that Lee hoped would
join him. If there was a Maryland unit in the
army at that time, Lee might have received more
recruits.
As it
was, the five companies arrived at Winchester and
formed another company from the five existing and
elected officers for the battalion. Elected were
Capt. William Murray (Co. A), Capt. J.P. Crane (Co.
B), Capt. James R. Herbert (Co. C), Capt. Joseph
McAleer (Co. D)., Capt. John Torsch (Co. E), and
Capt. Fred Gwynn (Co. F). While in this camp, the
battalion was soon joined by Capt. William
Goldsborough with a company that he had raised on
the Eastern Shore and it was designated Company G.
Since there were not enough men to form a
regiment, but only a battalion, the unit was
officially the First Maryland Battalion of
Infantry, but was generally referred to as the 2nd
MD Regiment to avoid confusion with the old First.
On
September 28th, the battalion was officially
mustered into the Confederate States Army and
elections were held for field grade officers. The
first ballot went to Bradley Johnson for Lt.
Colonel, but since he was on assignment in
Richmond, he declined the office. He suggested
that since Capt. Herbert did most of the work in
recruiting the new unit, that he should lead it
and the battalion voted accordingly. Capt.
Herbert became Lt. Colonel and Capt. Goldsborough
was elevated to Major. Their companies were taken
over by Lts. Duvall and Stewart respectively, who
were promoted to Captain.
The 2nd
MD was assigned to the command of General William
Grumble Jones in the Valley and participated in
several campaigns and raids in the upper Valley
that Winter. These were generally very arduous
marches, since most of Jones' troops were cavalry
and the infantry was hard pressed to keep up. One
of the first skirmishes that the battalion was in
was the raid on the B & O Railroad in the
Spring of 1863.
In
June 1863, Gen. Lee began his second invasion of
the North and as a start to clear the way, he
sent Gen. Richard Ewell and the 2nd Corps to the
Valley to rout Gen. Milroy's Union army. In
this action the 2nd MD was engaged at the battle
of Kernstown and Winchester and at Winchester
they faced the 5th Maryland, USA, driving them
from the field. Maj. Goldsborough captured his
brother here, a surgeon in the 5th MD.
After
the battle, the 2nd MD was attached to the
brigade of Gen. George H. Steuart, a fellow
Marylander, in Gen.Edward Allegheny Johnson's
Division of Ewell's Corps. This brigade included
the 1st & 3rd NC regiments, and
the 10th, 23rd & 37th VA regiments. They
marched with Lee's army and arrived at Gettysburg
on the evening of July 1st, and went into camp on
the banks of Rock Creek. They prepared to attack
the Union troops on Culp's Hill the next day.
The
next day, July 2nd, the brigade attacked the east
end of Culp's Hill and was successful in carrying
the Union breastworks, primarily because the
position was lightly defended; the Union 12th
Corps having been sent to reinforce the left of
the line. The 2nd MD did meet some resistance in
this charge up the rocky and tree covered slope
and it was here that Col. Herbert was severely
wounded, being hit by three separate shots and
was sent to the rear. After spending the night in
their captured trenches, the brigade formed up
the next day (July 3rd) at a right angle to their
previous position and tried to sweep the Union
troops off the rest of Culp's Hill. The Union had
been reinforced and repulsed this attack, Maj.
Goldsborough was wounded and Capt. Murray (Co. A)
was killed. So, command of the battalion went to
Capt. Crane (Co. B), the next senior rank. That
evening the brigade was withdrawn to their
original camp on the banks of Rock Creek.
Losses
were high for the two-day battle, the battalion's
losses were over 45% killed and wounded and the
other regiments' losses were similarly high. A
monument now stands on Culp's Hill to mark where
the 2nd MD occupied the trenches on July 2 &
3, and nearby are monuments to two of the
regiments that helped defend the hill; the 1st
Maryland Eastern Shore regiment, USA and the 1st
Maryland Regiment Potomac Home Brigade, USA.
It
was then time to retreat and when the 2nd MD went
into camp in Virginia, Bradley Johnson arranged
for it to be transferred to the Maryland Line, a
unique fighting unit he was forming at the time.
In an effort to consolidate all Maryland troops
together, Johnson had the 2nd MD Infantry, the 1st
MD Cavalry, and the 1st, 2nd, & 4th MD
Artillery all together and not attached to any
brigade or division. It was in this camp of the
Maryland Line that the battalion was officially
recognized as the 2nd MD Regiment by the
Secretary of War.
In
June 1864, the 2nd MD was held in reserve during
the battle of Cold Harbor and as Hancock's attack
broke the first line of Confederates, the 2nd MD
was awakened by charging Federal troops. Without
orders, the regiment quickly fell in and with the
help of Finegan's Florida brigade, they mounted a
bayonet charge and recaptured their own line,
turning some of the cannon on the retreating
Federals. The regiment was commended for their
gallantry in this action and Lee credited them
with saving Richmond.
After
this battle, the 2nd MD was attached to Archers
Brigade. Archer was another Marylander, and they
participated in the movements and battles of this
3rd Corps unit for the rest of the war. They took
part in the trench war around Petersburg and
while there, another company was added to the
Regiment (Co. H), made up of conscripts from
Richmond. But they soon adopted the morale and
fighting qualities of the Maryland men. It was at
this time that the 2nd MD became favorite for
picket duty because of its reputation for not
deserting. In the entire war there is only one
recorded deserter in the regiment.
The
regiment participated in the fighting for the
Weldon Railroad in August 1864 and suffered heavy
casualties, including Capt. Crane. So, command
was now given to Capt. Duvall of Co. C. At
Peebles Farm, the regiment was again heavily
engaged, with casualties of 30%, and leaving only
six officers in the regiment. Capt. Duvall was
wounded and Capt. Torsch (Co D);took command. At
the battle of Squirrel Level Road, the 2nd MD was
in action, numbering only 100 men. In the Spring
of 1865, at Hatcher's Run, the regiment was
overrun and the men made their way back to the
army as best they could.
When
finally assembled at Appomattox, the unit could
muster only 59 men to answer roll call of the
regiment. Most companies were commanded by
Sergeants. Company A had the most men present (12)
and Company H, the lease (1). This was all that
was left of the gallant men from Maryland who
left their homes and families to fight for an
ideal; not to defend their homeland, as did most
Confederates.
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