Tom LeGore has studied, written and spoken about the Civil War most of his life. When he was just a teenager, he helped co-author Just South of Gettysburg, examining Carroll County’s role in the Civil War.
Written By Jeffrey Roth, Photos by: Phil Grout
In his “House Divided” speech on June 12, 1858, Abraham Lincoln, speaking as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, paraphrased Matthew 12:25, and spoke of the schism that he feared would ultimately divide families, as well as the country, during the coming Civil War.
For brothers Andrew K. and William Shriver of Union Mills and their families, a house divided was not metaphorical; rather, it was an accurate description of the impact that the war had on both their houses, said James Shriver, a direct descendant of the brothers and board member of the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, who lives in the ancestral home of William Shriver.
To commemorate the role played by Carroll County residents in the events leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, the Union Mills Homestead Foundation and the Corbit’s Charge Commemorative Committee is sponsoring the 150th anniversary of “Corbit’s Charge-Union Mills 1863,” on June 28-30.
On Friday evening, June 28, the observance will begin in Westminster at the Battle Site Monument and Ascension Church graveyard, where soldiers killed during the cavalry battle known as Corbit’s Charge, are buried.
Rather than highlight only the military aspect of what transpired in Carroll County in June of 1863, the program will focus on the impact the war had on civilians.
If Corbit’s Charge had not delayed the arrival of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart at Gettysburg until July 2, Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia may have defeated the Union Army, commanded by Gen. George Gordon Meade, said Carroll County historian Tom LeGore, who will be portraying Andrew Shriver at the June 28 event. Stuart, said LeGore, was Lee’s “eyes and ears.”
The Battle of Westminster, more familiarly known as Corbit’s Charge, is named for Capt. Charles Corbit, a native of Philadelphia and commander of Company C, 1st Delaware Cavalry. During the June 29 battle, which occurred near the intersection of East Main Street and Washington Road, Corbit was captured by Stuart’s cavalry.
“When Stuart’s column of 5,400 cavalrymen rode north after crossing the Potomac River, they encountered a detachment of [Corbit’s cavalry in Westminster],” said LeGore. “Corbit only had seven officers and 101 enlisted men – 108 total – who were green troops untested in battle. Companies C and D of the 1st Delaware Cavalry had arrived in Westminster, from Baltimore, on June 28, 1863, tasked with guarding strategic railroad and road junctures. They were encamped on the high knoll where McDaniel College is located today.”
Stuart had three brigades of cavalry, along with six cannon, LeGore said. The battle began about 4 p.m. and ended about an hour and a half later.
A witness said Corbit and his troops “fought with almost suicidal bravery,” LeGore said. “The battle was one of the major factors that delayed Stuart’s arrival at Gettysburg until July 2.”
LeGore said that on June 28, 1863, in Frederick, Meade assumed command of the Army of the Potomac. Uncertain as to the location of Confederate forces, Meade established a 20-mile line, paralleling Big Pipe Creek, from Middleburg to Manchester. It was along this line in Carroll County that Meade expected to battle General Lee’s forces. It was an accident of fate, said LeGore, that the battle was fought north of the Mason-Dixon Line, in and around Gettysburg.
Late on the night of June 29, 1863, the family of William Shriver was awakened by the arrival of Stuart’s cavalry. The soldiers camped in the nearby fields and were treated to flapjacks made by Shriver’s family. Stuart was a guest in their home.
“What makes this site unique is that Andrew Shriver, who lived at the homestead, and his brother, William Shriver, who lived across the road, split loyalties during the war,” said James Shriver. “Andrew and his family were staunch Union supporters who had a son in the Union Army, while William, who operated the mill at the time, supported the South and had four sons in the Confederate Army.”
Confederate soldiers stole Andrew’s horses and Union soldiers burned all of William’s fences. During the three-day Battle of Gettysburg, the family knew they were behind enemy lines and could hear the thunder of the cannonade that was a prelude to Pickett’s Charge, on the morning of July 3, 1863.
“Citizens meet the soldiers” is the theme of the two-day commemoration at Union Mills, said Jane Sewell of the Union Mills Homestead. Civilian re-enactors will portray members of the Shriver family, some of their neighbors, household slaves and other civilians. Military re-enactors will also be on hand.
“We’re not taking it from the military approach, but from the view of the family and other civilians who lived here,” said Sewell. “Their interaction with the soldiers, first the Confederates on June 29, and on the next day, the Union soldiers, will be portrayed. They were entertained in each of the two houses, so each of the families interacted with the soldiers. We’ve never used this approach before.”
McDaniel College graduate Sarah Reeves, who recently returned from study in Scotland, will portray Eliza Shriver, Andrew’s daughter. Reeves said she volunteered at Union Mills because of her love of history and interest in using her curating skills.
“I read some of the letters written by Eliza, as well as some by her family members,” said Reeves. “I was able to get information about her character. For example, her younger brother, who was 12 at the time, described Eliza, who was 21 or 22, as talking back very sharply to Confederate soldiers. It was nice to get her take on the Confederate soldiers as compared to the Union soldiers, which her family supported.”
The commander of the Confederate re-enactment group, Jim McGlincy, said his cavalry unit has worked with Union Mills Homestead for the past nine years. Many of the members are Gettysburg residents.
“We will be portraying the Confederate cavalry on June 29,” McGlincy said. “On Sunday, June 30, we will portray the Union cavalry. When I’m at Union Mills, I will portray Col. John Chamblis of the 13th Virginia, who came through Union Mills from Westminster.”
Learning history is a never-ending process, said McGlincy. What attracts him to re-enacting is the opportunity to learn from other living historians. It took two years, working three days per week, to train horses not to react to gun and cannon fire, he said.
Following the Union Mills event, McGlincy and his group of 27 will meet with other Confederate cavalry re-enactors ?- a total, of about 200 – to participate in the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
For more information on Corbit’s Charge, visit www.westgov.com/explore/explore_preserve_events.html; for more information on the Union Mills Homestead and the Corbit’s Charge-Union Mills event, visit www.unionmills.org; for more information on the 1st Maryland Cavalry, visit www.1stmarylandcav.com; and for more information on the Battle of Gettysburg re-enactment, visit www.gettysburgreenactment.com.
