History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

322 FIFTY-NINTH R-EGIMENT —SECOND C VARBY. 1862
On the 20th, Colonel Price with three regiments of cavalry and a battery,
nine hundred strong, moved towards Ashby's Gap to capture a rebel wagon
train. On the way he had a brisk skirmish with the Sixth Virginia Cavalry,
routing it and capturing the commander, Lieutenant Colonel Greene, and wounding two Lieutenants and fifty men. The wagon train had moved the day previous, and the brigade returned to camp on the 23d. On the 1st of October the
regiment was transferred to General Bayard's command, and was assigned to
the First Brigade. On the 6th, it moved with the division, fifteen hundred
strong, under command of Colonel Davis, towards 1appahannock Station, driving the enemy and capturing several prisoners. The object of the reconnoissance-the capture of the rolling stock of the Orange and Alexandria Railroadbeing frustrated by its removal to Gordonsville, the command returned to Centreville, and on the 16th under command of General Stahel, moved in pursuit of
Stuart's Cavalry, then reported to be at Warrenton. It proceeded to Aldie, and
thence to Middleburg, Rectortown and Salem, where intelligence was received
of the capture of a subsistence train at Haymarket by a body of rebels, four
hundred strong, who were endeavoring to hold Thoroughfare Gap. Stahel
immediately started in pursuit via White Plains, and charged through the gap,
driving the enemy through Gainesville and Tew Baltimore to Warrenton,
where a brigade of the enemy was drawn up to check his further advance. A
brisk skirmish ensued resulting in a loss of two killed and ten wounded. One
hundred of the enemy were captured. The command then fell back to Centreville.
On the 2d of November an advance of the entire corps was made, and when
arrived in the vicinity of Bull Run rapid firing was heard in the direction of
Aldie, indicating the advance of Bayard. On the 3d the command occupied
Gainesville, and on the following morning approached New Baltimore, where a
force of the enemy was encountered, who retreated before the regiment's skirmishers to Warrenton. A sharp fight here occurred, in which the skirmishers,
after offering determined resistance, fell back, the enemy eagerly pursuing,
Until the brigade drawn up in line opened upon him, inflicting considerable loss.
The regiment was almost constantly engaged in scouting until the 28th of
December. Early on the morning of that day Captain Chauncey, with on hundred and fifty men, crossed the Occoquan, and fell into an ambuscade, the enemy
being three thousand strong, under Wade Hampton. A stout resistance was
made and the fight raged fiercely for some time; but the regiment was at length
overpowered by superior force. The enemy closely pursued it across the river.
and captured and destroyed its camp. Lieutenant Leche of company D was
killed, and Lieutenant Thomas G. Snyder of company F was mortally wounde.d
and soon after died a prisoner. Dr. Weidman suffered himself to be captured,
that he might care for the wounded of the regiment. Its loss was fully one hundred in killed, wounded, and missing.
The regiment was subsequently ordered into winter quarters at Accotink,
and directed to hold the line of the Occoquan. On the 4th of April, 1863,
winter quarters were broken up, and the regiment marched to Fairfax Court
House, where it was assigned to the Second Brigade of General Stahel's Division.
It moved on the 24th of June, on the Gettysburg campaign, crossed the Potomac at Young's Ferry, and encamped on the 28th three miles east of Frederick. General Stahel was here assigned to the Department of the Susquehanna,
and the command was turned over to General Pleasanton. The regiment was,ordered on the 29th to report to General M —eadl's headquarters. On the 1st of