Page News & Courier
Heritage and Heraldry
Federal Cavalry and the December 1863 Raid on Luray
Article of April 20, 2000
On the morning of December 21, 1863, Colonel Charles H. Smith, commanding the 2nd, 8th, and 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 2nd Maine Cavalry, set out from Bealeton Station on a trek to find the disposition of General Thomas L. Rosser's cavalry somewhere near Luray. Interestingly, Rosser's command, including a company of Page County men (the Massanutten Rangers of Co. D, 7th Virginia Cavalry), had itself just completed responding to rumors that a force of Federal cavalry was passing from Winchester to Staunton � actually a diversion from Federal Gen. W.W. Averell's descent upon the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. After a grueling 72 hour march covering 230 miles, [from Fredericksburg to the Occoquon, Sangster's Station on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, Upperville, Berry's Ferry, Front Royal, Luray, and Conrad's Store (Elkton)] Rosser joined forces under Gen. Jubal Early at Mt. Jackson on December 20. Having evaded one force of enemy cavalry, Rosser had also learned that the force he had been sent to the Valley to pursue had returned to Winchester.
Nevertheless, Smith and his troopers still believed Rosser to be in the vicinity of Luray and passed through Thornton Gap on December 22. As the Federal brigade descended into the Page Valley, it was fired upon by a few of Harry Gilmor's men (also having recently withdrawn to Page County) just after dusk, but the encounter lead to nothing but "more than a dozen shots." Smith's party reached a point just four miles from Luray that night.
On the following morning, with the 2nd Pennsylvania as a vanguard, the Federal expedition continued and was met by another "small picket force" that was "easily brushed away." When within sight of Luray, the Federals again encountered yet another group of about thirty men who were charged and driven through the town with a loss of at least two prisoners, and by evening, two deserters. After the pounding of hooves through the streets, Smith learned from a "reliable" source that Rosser had camped near the town two days before and had since taken "the 'grade' up the Page Valley, on the east side of the river in the direction of Madison, "thus putting itself between my command and the Confederate army, with the advantage of forty-eight hours' start." Believing the source to be true and with too much ground to make up, Smith came back into Luray and began to order detachments to investigate the town. Smith reported:
"At Luray, examined the post office, jail, &c., and learned that some conscripts
had been removed on the news of our approach. Also discovered a large three-story building (Borst's tannery) used as an extensive manufactory of Confederate bridles, saddles, artillery harness, &c., well filled with leather, buckles, rings, tools, and everything requisite for such an establishment, together with a large supply of articles ready manufactured. Adjacent to this building was an extensive tannery, with vats filled with stock, and store-houses full of leather and raw material, all of which were completely destroyed by fire or otherwise."
In addition to Borst's tannery, the Federals had also destroyed Britton's shops and broken up Gilmor's camp equipage.
Now feeling threatened himself, Smith decided to withdraw from Luray, back through Thornton Gap. With the Valley clear of Federals once again, Rosser's men, including the Page County horsemen, were afforded the rare opportunity to receive furloughs and spend a wartime Christmas in their Valley homes. By the morning of December 31, the gray-clad horse soldiers were again on the move.
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