Steam Tug Grace Titus Statement Of George Carlton Containing Valuable Confirmatory Information
Depot Quartermaster's Office,
Baltimore, Jany. 16, 1865.
Captain, Steam Tug
"Grace Titus."
You will proceed with your tug as directed by Lieut. H. B.
Smith, who will hand you this.
Upon completion of the service demanded by Lieut. Smith, you
will return to this port and report to me.
Respectfully,
A. M. CUMMINGS,
Capt. & Quartermaster.
I cannot recall what the expedition was for. Incidentally, I may say, I
am continually recognizing that many good stories will be omitted from
lapses of memory, but you will not lose much, as the ones I am
furnishing serve to show the general varied character of my work. My own
personal work and the work of my men, employed in every direction, kept
me busy. I had a man on every steamer plying Chesapeake Bay.
In glancing over subpoenas to attend courts, I find name after name,
none of which occur here; but the most important proposition before me
was to gather information that would assist me in my proposed work to
cripple Mosby's damaging work in the territory known as "between the
lines." It was the country outside our lines and outside the Confederate
lines, peopled by our enemies, always willing to serve the Confederacy,
never serving us; acting as a sponge to draw supplies from us by means
of blockade-running, which could in turn be absorbed by the
Confederates. The efforts of our gunboats to stop the traffic were
futile, as I have heretofore remarked.
Office Provost Marshal,
8th Army Corps.
Baltimore, Jany. 19, 1865.
Statement of George Carlton, deserter, Battery Baltimore,
Rebel Horse Artillery, says:
"I am a native of Brooklyn, New York. Went South in the year
1859; went to Mobile. I was engaged in a dry goods store. In
May, 1862, I was put in the Rebel Army at Richmond, which
place I was taken to from Mobile. I had the chance to join
what command I pleased and I joined the Baltimore Battery in
Richmond. I staid in the company two weeks, then was detailed
in the Quartermaster's Department at Gordonsville, Va.
"I remained there until the spring of 1864, when I was sent to
my Company, then in the valley, under Early. I stayed with the
Company until Oct. 1864, when I deserted from my Company and
came to Westmorland County, Va., and then took a boat and
crossed the Potomac River and landed in St. Mary's County,
Md., and from there I walked to Baltimore.
"I was afraid to attempt to desert before that time. (Oct.
'64.) I deserted during Early's retreat. The Battery that I
was a member of lost all their guns. I heard officers say that
they lost forty-four pieces.
"I had a hard time getting through Westmorland County. I did
not cross the river until about two weeks ago, and during that
time I have been on my way from St. Mary's County to this
city.
"Now I wish to give certain information to the Government:
John J. Spaulding, who lived near Leonardtown, Md., and now
lives on the Virginia side, at Westmorland Court House, six
miles from the Potomac River, and boarding with a Mr Harvey,
who keeps tavern at the Court House, brought me over the river
and eight persons besides myself.
"He brought us over in the night; he seemed very much afraid,
and kept out of sight, and landed at Caywood's Bluff, near
Britton's Bay.
"Spaulding is a blockade runner, and keeps a large store of
blockade goods at Westmorland Court House. He brought a large
lot over the river a few days before I arrived at the Court
House. He keeps his boat in Poor Jack Creek, and in a small
gut. From what I heard, I think when he comes over after goods
he goes to St. Clemmen's Bay in St. Mary's County, up to a
certain Merryman's store, and I know that Merryman sells goods
to Spaulding and a much larger quantity to Watkins & Pumphrey,
two blockade runners at the Court House.
"Pumphrey did belong to my company; Watkins to the 1st
Maryland Infantry (Rebel) and deserted, and they are now
running the blockade.
"Watkins and Pumphrey were over about a month ago, and while
on their way up St. Clemmen's Bay, while landing in a creek
near Merryman's store, the Federal Cavalry, being informed by
a citizen came near capturing them, but they hid in their
hiding place, and then they went in the night to Merryman's
store; he told them that if they were not more careful, he
would not sell them goods.
"Pumphrey told me about it when he came back to the Court
House. They bought at that time about five hundred dollars'
worth of goods; Pumphrey showed me the bill made out by
Merryman. The kind and quantity of goods were, sugar, coffee,
dry-goods, gray cloth, hats, boots and shoes, gun-caps, powder
spices and other goods, shot, &c.
"I have seen them haul the goods from the boat to the Court
House, and have seen most of the things, including the powder
and caps on Merryman's bill. The powder came over in cans,
weighing about five pounds each. The party who hauls the stuff
from Merryman's store to the boat is named Bows, or Bowers,
who lives near Leonardtown.
"Jarboe and Molacy, blockade runners who were captured, bought
their goods of Merryman, sometimes. Certain vessels running
wood from near Leonardtown to Washington or Alexandria as a
pretext, drop in on the Virginia shore and land goods and
recruits for the Rebel Army, so I learned at the Court House.
"John J. Spaulding had a brother, a Doctor, in Leonardtown,
who forwarded goods to the river shore for his brother John;
he, Dr Spaulding, was drafted and ordered to report. He
deserted and went over to the Virginia shore to his brother,
and took Blair, Bailey Bowers, a son of the man who hauls
goods, and Hayden; they were all drafted men.
"Since Dr. Spaulding left this side, his wife, Mrs. Dr. Eck
Spaulding, has attended to all the business in that line; she
has the name on the Virginia side of being the smartest of the
three in that business. The Spauldings told me that she
forwarded stuff to them.
"They understood that I had a furlough and that I was on my
way to Maryland to make what I could and return to Virginia.
John Harvey, the keeper of the tavern, runs refugees over the
river, but I can't say whether he brings goods back or not,
but runners say he does.
"While I was at Westmorland Court House, some four companies
out of seven, of Mosby's men, came down and camped at
Heathesville, some twenty or twenty-five miles from where I
was. They intended to winter their horses there. Mosby was not
in command; they were commanded by a Major. I heard Mosby was
wounded.
"John J. Spaulding showed me a bill of exchange, fifteen
pounds sterling, on Brown Brothers and Company, Baltimore, in
favor of Thomas Levering. John J. Spaulding, on arrival on
this side, passed it into the hands of Dr. Spaulding's wife,
for collection.
"About six weeks ago Spaulding brought over to the Md. shore,
a Lieut. Smith, of Mosby's command, and Russel Low, and Daniel
DeWolf Low, and at another time Wm. H. Sweeney, of Washington;
he is engaged to get married, and came over to get wedding
clothes. Sweeney has been over before, in company with
Watkins.
"Spaulding also brought over a man by the name of Richy, who
was a detective in Richmond, and has carried two Rebel mails
to Richmond from Maryland. Spaulding also brought over one
Carroll, of Baltimore; also some Jew blockade runners, and a
great many others. The Jews run a great deal of medicine for
the Confederate Government.
"It is my opinion that a cavalry force, landed above on the
Neck, could cut Mosby's four companies off, and capture them
in the position they lay.
"There is a Signal Post on the Potomac River, near Mathias
Point, Va., in charge of Captain Caywood, of the Confederate
Signal Corps. He has a boat, and in good weather he comes over
twice a week. He carries the regular mail and the foreign
mail; it is a regular government concern.
"I tried to find out who assisted him on this side, but could
not do so. I found he would carry no one over without a pass
from the Secretary of War. In crossing the river they sometime
pass within 1200 yards of a gunboat."
(Signed and sworn.)
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