1           Bucks County Intelligencer, Doylestown Guards on the March.  July 2, 1861  Page 3  Col. 3           1

 

Doylestown Guards on the March.—After a stay

of about six weeks on the Arsenal Grounds, at Washing-

ton, the Doylestown Guards have at last been called upon

to take part in the active movements now going on along

the Potomac.  On Friday last, Colonel Cake’s regiment

to which they are attached, received orders to march on

Saturday to join Colonel Stone’s column, now moving in

the direction of Harper’s Ferry.  This body of troops left

Washington two or three weeks since, and by slow marches

has approached Harper’s Ferry, being now in communi-

cation with General Patterson’s army which came down

from Chambersburg.  The Doylestown boys will have to

march some forty or fifty miles before reaching their des-

tination, and will thus have an opportunity of testing

their pedestrian abilities.  They are heartily glad to get

out of their stationary quarters.  They had feared that

their term of enlistment would expire before they had an

opportunity of getting near the rebels.  The prospect now

is that they will soon see active service, for it is scarcely

possible that a forward movement into Virginia can be

long delayed.  Col. Stone, commander of the forces near

Lessburg and Harper’s Ferry, is an officer of the regular

army, and is entirely familiar with his business.  His

troops, in addition to Col. Cake’s command, now on the

way, consist of the Ninth New York Regiment, 800 strong,

the First Pennsylvania Artillery, 1,100, New Hampshire

First, 900 and three battalions of District Columbia Vol-

unteers, about 500 in number, and one section of the West

Point Battery, Lieutenant Piper, making upward of 3,000

men.  That force is stationed as follows :  The New

Hampshire Regiment and Battery at Edward’s

Ferry ; the First Pennsylvania Artillery at Darnesville,

three miles this sie; and the Ninth New York at Pooles-

ville, seven miles from the Ferry.  The battalions of Dis-

trict of Columbia Volunteers were stationed on Big Seneca

with each other, acting as a reserve corps.  On the Vir-

ginia ride, at Edward’s Ferry, a force of Confederates, es-

timated between two and three thousand, is stationed, who

are doubtless there to prevent the landing of the Federal

forces.  A little further on, at Conrad’s Ferry; is a large

body of rebels.  The above points are about two-thirds of

the way from Washington to Harper’s Ferry.