"Frederick City. Md., July 9, 1864.
"Hon. Major, — I am directed by Lieut.-Gen. Early, commanding, to require of you for the use of his troops —
" (500) Five Hundred Barrels of Flour.
"(6000) Six Thousand Pounds of Sugar.
"(3000) Three " " " Coffee.
"(3000) " " " " Salt.
(20,000) Twenty " " "Bacon.
" I am respectfully, Your Obt. Sert.,
" W. J. Hawks, Chief C. S. Army of Va."
"Hdqrs. V. D.
"Frederick Town, Md., July 9, 1864.
" By order of the Lieut.-Gen. Comdg.
"We require of the Major and Town authorities two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) in current money for the use of this army. This contribution may be supplied by furnishing the Medical Depart. with fifty thousand dollars ($50.000) in stores at current prices, the Commissary Depart, with the stores to the same amount, the Ordnance Depart, with the same, and the Quarter Master Depart, with a like amount.
" Wm. Allen, Lieut.-Col. and Chief Ord. V. D.
" W. J. Hawks, Chief Com. C.S.A., V. D.
"Hunter McGuire, Surg. and Med. Director.
" John A. Harman, Maj. and Chief Q. M., V. D."
Mayor Cole called the members of the corporation remaining in the city together, and to save the city from threatened destruction it was decided to ransom it by paying the sum demanded. The amount was accordingly paid in "greenbacks" of various denominations, which were placed in baskets and removed to one of the wagons. When the ransom had been paid the following receipt was given:
"Frederick, July 9, 1864.
" Received of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of Frederick the sum of two hundred thousand dollars in full payment of said sum, which this day was levied and demanded to be paid to the Confederate States Army by said corporation of Frederick.
" J. R. Brathwaite, Major and Q. M."
The stores were visited by a number of the cavalrymen, who took what they wanted, in some instances offering Confederate currency in payment, but generally helping themselves without compensation. On Sunday Cole's cavalry had quite a skirmish on Patrick Street, opposite the City Hotel, with a portion of the rear-guard of the Confederates, who were moving out towards the Washington turnpike.
On the 5th of July, Governor Andrew G. Curtin, of Pennsylvania, made an urgent call for twelve thousand troops to repel the Confederate invaders, and volunteers not coming forward with the desired promptitude, he on the next day issued another proclamation, calling for twelve thousand men, in accordance with President Lincoln's proclamation, which required to meet the exigency twelve thousand men each from New York and Pennsylvania, and five thousand from Massachusetts, all to serve one hundred days. Gen. Grant, on learning that Early had crossed the Potomac, also detached the Sixth Corps from the Army of the Potomac and forwarded it by transports to Washington. It happened, too, at this juncture that the Nineteenth Corps under Gen. Emory, which had been ordered from New Orleans after the failure of the Red River expedition, had' just arrived in Hampton Roads. Without debarking it was sent to follow the Sixth. The advance division of the Sixth Corps, under Gen. Ricketts, having arrived at Baltimore, Gen. Wallace, with that added to his own force, determined to cover the turnpike road leading to Baltimore and Washington, and to preserve communication with his forces at Harper's Ferry. With this view, after withdrawing his force from Frederick on the evening of the 8th, he took up a strong position on the east side of the Monocacy River, along the crest of a ridge running obliquely to the left from the river. The troops forming Ricketts' division of the Sixth Corps, which had arrived on the ground from the Array of the Potomac, were posted to the left of the railroad crossing the Baltimore turnpike, with their front resting on the Buckeystown road, while the remaining portion of Gen. Wallace's forces were posted to the right of the railroad. Gen. E. B. Tyler, with a small force, defended the turnpike bridge across the Monocacy. In Gen. Wallace's front lay an open field, which he commanded with his artillery, while in the rear ran a valley nearly parallel with the general direction of his lines of battle. About nine o'clock on the morning of the 9th, Gen. McCausland's cavalry brigade (dismounted) advanced and felt Wallace's line, but after considerable skirmishing they were driven back by superior numbers. McCausland occupied the attention of the Federal force until about noon, when the advance of Early's force, which had marched fourteen miles that morning from Middletown and Jefferson, arrived at the scene of action. Early determined, if possible, to disperse Wallace's command before he moved in the direction of Washington, and as soon as Breckenridge's corps arrived on the field the action began.
About 2.30 o'clock Maj.-Gen. John B. Gordon received orders to move his division, consisting of about two thousand five hundred men, to the right and cross the Monocacy about one mile below the bridge and ford (on the Georgetown pike), which was then held by the Federals. While he was carrying out this movement, Breckenridge was to occupy Wallace from the front on the opposite side of the river, with a portion of McCausland's cavalry, numbering about five hundred men. Gordon's division rapidly crossed the river, and then filed to the left to the point where McCausland's cavalry had been skirmishing. Gen. Gordon reconnoitered the Federal position, and as soon as he obtained the range of their lines he ordered his skirmishers, under Capt. Keller, of Evans' brigade, to deploy, and directed Evans' brigade, under the protection of a dense woodland about seven hundred yards in front of the Federals' left, to move by the right flank and form so as to overlap them. Gen. York, with the brigades of Hays and Stafford, was ordered to form on the left of Gon. Evans, and Terry's brigade to move in support of the left of Gordon's line. These dispositions having been made, Gordon advanced en echelon by brigades from the right. The troops emerged from the woods in front of the Federal left under a heavy fire of artillery and infantry. This force advanced but a short distance when Gen. Evans was struck down and several of his regimental commanders were killed, which threw his brigade into slight confusion. This, however, did not check their advance, for they forced Wallace to change his front under fire.
" At this point," says Gen. Gordon, " the Louisiana brigades, under the command of Brig.-Gen. York, became engaged, and the two brigades ( Evans' and York's) moved forward with much spirit, driving back the enemy's first line in confusion upon his second. After a brief halt at the fence from which this first line had been driven, I ordered a charge on the second line, which was equally successful. At this point I discovered a third line, which overlapped both my flanks, and which was posted still more strongly in the deep cuts along the Georgetown road, and behind the crest of the hill near the Monocacy bridge, and at once ordered Brig.-Gen. Terry, who as yet had not been engaged, to attack vigorously that portion of the enemy's line nearest the river, and from which my troops were receiving a severe flank fire. This brigade advanced with great spirit and in excellent order, driving the enemy from his position on a portion of the line. He still held most stubbornly his strong position in front of the other two brigades and upon my right. He also advanced at the same time two fresh lines of troops to retake the position from which he had been driven by Terry's brigade. These were repulsed with heavy loss and in great confusion. Having suffered severe loss in driving back two lines, either of which I believed equal in length to my command, and having discovered the third line longer than either of the others, and protected by the cuts in the road, in order to avoid the great loss it would require to drive the enemy from his position by a front