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Our Cambria County Militia
Their Campaign on the Frontier and Return Hither

The two companies we mentioned last week as having departed from our
midst in response to Governor Curtin's call for 50,000 troops to repel
invasion - Capt. Litzinger's Ebensburg company and Capt. Cole's
Carrolltown company - have returned home, the exigency that demanded
their services having happily been dispelled by the great loyal
uprising of the people of the State and by the overwhelming victory
achieved by our forces on the Antietam. Although their campaign was
necessarily short, these Militia deserve the highest measure of praise
of the promptitude with which they responded to the call of duty.
Immediately on the proclamation of the Governor being issued to
organize companies throughout the State, "ready to march at an hour's
notice," the nucleus of these companies was formed. A short time only
intervened until the full complement of men had been obtained when the
proper authorities were promptly notified and transportation solicited.
This latter was obtained Saturday noon and the same evening saw the
companies on their way to the State Capital.

On Monday the regimental organization was perfected by the election
of the following officers: Col. Litzinger of Cambria; Lt. Cole Harmon
of Berks; Major Ross of Mifflin. The Ebensburg company was assigned the
position in the regiment designated by the letter "E," this being the
color company. The Carrolltown company took the position of company
"K." The residue of the regiment was composed of two companies from
Mifflin, two from Lycoming, one from Schuylkill, one from Delaware, one
from Dauphin and Lieut. Crosby's battery of six guns.

The same day the regiment took its departure Dixie-ward arriving at
Chambersburg the same evening where they went into camp. Next day they
took up their march further Southward encamping successively at camp
three miles beyond the Chambersburg camp at Hagerstown, Md., and camp
three or four miles beyond Hagerstown and near Williamsport. This [two
words faded] Friday. Here the regiment was formed in line of battle in
anticipation of attack from the enemy who were known to have been in
considerable force somewhat less than a mile in front, at that
particular juncture. They kept this position nearly two days -
sleeping on their [word faded] at night and exercising an unwearying
vigilance during the day time - but the enemy failed to make his
appearance and the boys, although "spitin' for a fight" were XXXXXXXX
to remain unmolested. In the meantime, the cannonading between
M'Clellan's forces and the rebels, a few miles in front, could be
distinctly heard and shortly the good news came that the invaders had
skedaddled, bag and luggage, leaving us master of the situation.

The news being strictly true, the threatened invasion of
Pennsylvania, with its long trail of attendant horrors had virtually
failed. So the militia, having nothing further to do, were ordered
back in the direction whence they came, leaving M'Clellan and his
veterans to "push the enemy to the wall" and punish him at their
leisure.

The regiment took up its line of march Northward on Sunday afternoon
for Greencastle, Penna., fifteen miles distant, which journey they
accomplished in some few hours. Tuesday they took the cars at that
place, arriving at Harrisburg the same evening. On Thursday, following
25th inst., our Cambria boys reached this place, thus happily ending a
campaign of twelve days without the occurrence of a single casualty of
any kind whatsoever.

Although they were not called upon to engage in any fight - no fault
of theirs, - still the militia are entitled to great credit for the
promptitude with which they responded to the appeal of the Governor.
As one man they sprang to arms - fifty thousand and more - and soon the
entire border of the State bristled with an unbroken line of bayonets.
A column of hardy [next two sentences completely faded], longed for by
the half-starved Rebels - and with a splendid army pressing on his
rear, no wonder that the foe shrank back affrighted at the prospect of
invasion under the circumstances! We firmly believe that the moral
effect on the enemy of the presence of this fresh column was worth a
victory to us in itself.

Gen. M'Clellan himself has paid the militia a handsome compliment,
thanking them officially for the valuable service they rendered in
expelling the enemy from Northern soil. Governor Curtin also tenders
the following graceful recognition of their patriotism:

"Whereas, The threatened invasion of Pennsylvania by the rebel army
has been arrested by the prompt and patriotic response of loyal men of
the State and the signal victory achieved by Gen. M'Clellan's army on
the Antietam.

"And whereas, The alacrity with which the people in every section of
the Commonwealth rushed to the rescue of their brethren on the
Cumberland Valley border, is worthy of the highest measure of praise.
Although not required by the terms of the call to pass the borders of
the State, our brave men, unused to the rigors of war and untrained in
military movements, not only entered Maryland, but held Hagerstown
against an advancing foe, pressed forward to the Potomac and resisted
the threatened movement of the rebels upon Williamsport until troops in
the United States service arrived and relieved them. Their timely and
heroic action has saved the State from the tread of an invading enemy,
whose necessities made even military strategy subordinate to plunder.

"Now, Therefore, I, Andrew G. Curtin, Governor of the Commonwealth,
do hereby order that the troops called into the service of the State by
General Order No. 36, be discharged, and that they be sent to their
homes as rapidly as transportation can be furnished and in the name of
our mighty State and in behalf of our threatened people on the border,
I tender them the grateful acknowledgment of a rescued Commonwealth."

The following is the muster roll of Company E - otherwise known as
the "Barker Guards:"

Captain:
Daniel O. Evans

Lieutenants:
1st Evan D. Evans
2d C. T. Roberts

Sergeants:
1st Wm. M. Jones
2d Jeremiah Fagan
3d John W. Roberts
4th Daniel J. Davis
5th J. Todd Hutchinson

Corporals:
1st George Gurley
2d G. A. Kinkead
3d Joseph Conaway
4th James J. Thomas
5th Hugh Jones
6th Edward Owens
7th Richard R. Tibbot
8th Evan Griffith

Privates:
Adams, Wm. H. H.
Banan, Hugh J.
Bennet, David
Barker, A. A.
Barker, Florentine
Barker, Augustine
Blickenderfer, John
Collins, James
Davis, Wm. D.
Davis, John D.
Davis, Daniel K.
Davis, Rowland R.
Davis, Joshua
Davis, David
Davis, John E.
Davis, Daniel
Evans, David E.
Evans, Alvin
Evans, Jeremiah
Evans, Erasmus F.
Evans, David N.
Evans, Thomas E.
Evans, Evan C.
Elliott, Joseph A.
Evans, Hugh
Empfield, Thomas
Evans, John H.
Fick, Henry C
Griffith, Wm. W.
Griffith, Griffith
Griffith, Richard
Howells, David
Hughes, Hugh H.
Hughes, Thomas H.
Hudson, Edward
Harman, Charles J.
Jones, John J.
James, Benjamin B.
Jones, George W.
Jones, John P.
Jones, David S.
James, Edmund
Jones, Scott W.
Jones, Wm. D.
Jones, David A.
James, William
Jervis, Thomas
James, John C.
Kaylor William
Lloyd, Thomas J.
Leddy, Mark
M'Kean, Osborn
M'Kean, Seth
Myers, William
Makin, Abram C.
Noel, Philip J.
Pryce, Richard W.
Preall, C. F.
Roberts, John
Rodgers, Edward
Roberts, Richard J.
Roberts, William H.
Rager, John L.
Rager, George C.
Simpson, J. N.
Shoemaker, Theo. W.
Smith, Lawrence
Shinafelt, Adam
Sanders, Philip
Thomas, George W.
Thomas, Robert D.
Tibbott, Samuel
Williams, Thos. W.
Williams, B. F.
Williams, Joseph

We did not get the roll of Company K or we would have published it
also.

Keywords/Tags: Captain Litzinger's Ebensburg company, Captain Cole's Carrolltown company, Company E, Company K, Colonel Litzinger, Lieutenant Cole Harmon, Major Ross, Lieutenant Crosby's battery, Captain Daniel O. Evans, 1st Lieutenant Evan D. Evans, 2nd Lieutenant C. T. Roberts, 1st Sergeant William. M. Jones, 2nd Sergeant Jeremiah Fagan, 3rd Sergeant John W. Roberts, 4th Sergeant Daniel J. Davis, 5th Sergeant J. Todd Hutchinson, 1st Corporal George Gurley, 2nd Corporal G. A. Kinkead, 3rd Corporal Joseph Conaway, 4th Corporal James J. Thomas, 5th Corporal Hugh Jones, 6th Corporal Edward Owens, 7th Corporal Richard R. Tibbot, 8th Corporal Evan Griffith, William H. H. Adams, Hugh J. Banan, David Bennet, A. A. Barker, Florentine Barker, Augustine Barker, John Blickenderfer, James Collins, William D. Davis, John D. Davis, Daniel K. Davis, Rowland R. Davis, Joshua Davis, David Davis, John E. Davis, Daniel Davis, David E. Evans, Alvin Evans, Jeremiah Evans, Erasmus F. Evans, David N. Evans, Thomas E. Evans, Evan C. Evans, Joseph A. Elliott, Hugh Evans, Thomas Empfield, John H. Evans, Henry C Fick, William W. Griffith, Griffith Griffith, Richard Griffith, David Howells, Hugh H. Hughes, Thomas H. Hughes, Edward Hudson, Charles J. Harman, John J. Jones, Benjamin B. James, George W. Jones, John P. Jones, David S. Jones, Edmund James, Scott W. Jones, William D. Jones, David A. Jones, William James, Thomas Jervis, John C. James, William Kaylor, Thomas J. Lloyd, Mark Leddy, Osborn McKean, Seth McKean, William Myers, Abram C. Makin, Philip J. Noel, Richard W. Pryce, C. F. Preall, John Roberts, Edward Rodgers, Richard J. Roberts, William H. Roberts, John L. Rager, George C. Rager, J. N. Simpson, Theo. W. Shoemaker, Lawrence Smith, Adam Shinafelt, Philip Sanders, George W. Thomas, Robert D. Thomas, Samuel Tibbott, Thomas W. Williams, B. F. Williams, Joseph Williams, Civil War Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Ebensburg Alleghanian