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| CHAPTER XXXII. THE FIFTH BELIEVED. ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST REGIMENT AT FROSTBURG AND THE RETURN OF THE FIFTH TO BALTIMORE. On June 23 the Fifth Regiment, under orders from the Governor, returned to Baltimore, and were replaced in camp by the First Regiment, to which the Frostburg and other Alleghany companies belonged. There was, at the time the Fifth left, no signs of violence or serious disorder, and the mines were well filled with men, but it was not considered prudent to withdraw the troops altogether, so the First took up the task of maintaining order. After his visit to Camp Brown, the governor gave a picture of the scenes in newspaper interviews. "I went from Frostburg to the Alleghany mine, on the morning of my arrival," he said, "and there I found a body of men lying on the ground with no covering but their blankets, and nothing between them and the earth but a little straw. Two sentinels were patrolling this spot, keeping guard over their sleeping comrades and, also, on the alert for intruders on the mine property. This looked to me like campaigning in reality, and I have never witnessed anything like this scene since the Civil War, of which it strongly reminded me. I felt touched by the self-denial I saw, and proved that Maryland has such excellent material to guard her peace. The work and conduct of these men has not been fully appreciated, because it has never been thoroughly understood. To talk about marching in rain, guarding property and sleeping on the damp ground, night after night, cannot properly stir the feelings of those whose beds are comfortable. The people of Maryland owe a debt of gratitude to their troops which cannot be too quickly paid." |