“Have Some Fun at Dumfries”

In late December 1862 members of the 61^st found themselves in pursuit of Confederate cavalry as JEB Stuart launched a raid behind Union lines north of Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Early on the afternoon of December 27 Colonel Alexander Schimmelfennig learned from a prisoner that a brigade of Confederate cavalry had crossed the Rappahannock River to “have some fun at Dumfries.”  Dumfries, located about 20 miles north of Fredericksburg, was held by a brigade of the 12^th Corps, including the 5^th, 7^th and 66^th Ohio regiments.  Schimmelfennig reported this up the chain of command to Brigadier General Julius Stahel, then in temporary command of the 11^th Corps and requested permission to march from Acquia Creek towards Dumfries and either reinforce the force there or intercept the rebel cavalry at Keyes’ Farm 4-5 miles west of Dumfries when it returned to Fredericksburg.  By 3 pm on the 27^th Schimmelfennig had assembled a force of 200 men from each of his five regiments (the 61^st Ohio, 74^th Pennsylvania, 68^th New York, 157^th New York and 82^nd Illinois).

However, from there nothing went as planned.  While Schimmelfennig’s infantry was ready by 3 pm, the artillery and cavalry he had requested were not ready to move until 8 pm on the 27^th.  As a result, Schimmelfennig’s force didn’t arrive at Keyes’ Farm until 1:30 am on the 28^th.  There he learned from a civilian that the Confederates had passed by 6-7 hours earlier heading in retreat towards Trent’s Church, about 6 miles west of Keyes’ Farm.  Schimmelfennig did not immediately leave Keyes’ Farm but instead waited for a detachment from the 6^th Ohio Cavalry which he had earlier ordered to proceed to Dumfries.  The cavalry detachment was to report Schimmelfennig’s plan to the commanding officer there and then meet Schimmelfennig at Keye’s Farm.  At 3 am Schimmelfennig received a report from the 6^th Ohio Cavalry that they had been fired on while approaching Dumfries and it appeared the town was held by the Confederates.  Schimmelfennig found this “very improbable” given the reported retreat of the enemy and ordered the 6^th Ohio Cavalry to meet him at Trent’s Church, where he hoped to catch up to the Confederates.

When Schimmelfennig reached Trent’s Church at daybreak on the 28^th he learned that the enemy had passed there at 11 pm the previous night.  Nor did Schimmelfennig find the detachment from the 6^th Ohio Cavalry, which had remained at Dumfries. Schimmelfennig had also lost his artillery support, which fell behind on the march to Trent’s Church and took a wrong turn, along with the 200 men from the 82^nd Illinois that were escorting them (they ended up marching to Dumfries).  Schimmelfennig returned to Keyes’ Farm where at 12 pm on the 28^th he received a request from the commander at Dumfries to help against the Confederates still in the area.  Schimmelfennig and his men arrived at Dumfries that afternoon but found that the enemy had departed.  The next morning Schimmelfennig’s command returned to Acquia Creek.

While they ended up not engaging the enemy, Schimmelfennig still praised his infantry for its “excellent behavior” in marching 25 miles in 18 hours without straggling.  He also pointed out that his infantry had largely been left to operate in advance in place of the cavalry because the cavalry, “with a few honorable exceptions, nowhere did their duty.”  For the men from the 61^st, this would not be their last attempt at campaigning that winter as a month later they struggled through Burnside’s “mud march.”

Source: War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.  Series I, Volume 21, pages 718-722.