"Battle for the Fairfield Road"

All Images copyrighted to BuckHorn Design/ Dick Bloom

 All Images by Dick Bloom

"Battle for the Fairfield Road"

As told by Josiah Kepner

Even’n Folks

I’m Josiah Kepner I grow'd up not a fer piece from here in the mountains near Fairfield when the battle of Gettysburg was happen'n!  It was a scary time with all the shoot'n and the talk we heard about the loot'n and all that was happen'n.

There was soldiers a rid'n around everywhere…. both Johnny rebs and Billy yanks a com'n and goin' in all directions, all the folks was try'n to find places up in the mountains to hide the cows, pigs and chickens sos the soldiers wouldn't take 'em an slaughter 'em for food. 

My cousin David Stoops and me was a doing just that taken their ol' milk cow Bessie up in the woods on Mary's Hill to hide her when we heard what we thought was a thundergust off in the distance but it was louder an any we heard afore it seemed to be going on for a long time .....{It was as we heard later the thundergust noise was all the cannons shoot'n at what they called Pickett's Charge!!} which took place at the same time as the fight we saw}

Just about the same time me an David heard some  gunshots an they was a bunch closer than the other thunder'n noise,  we wanted to know what was happe'n so we hid ol' Bessie in a thicket …….tied her up and snuck toward the edge of Mary's Hill and there it was……. we was a see'n the elephant right before our eyes….. there was a bunch o' Johnny Rebs with wagons com'n up the sunken road that headed to Cashtown and then there was a what looked like a dust storm foller'n em'  it was really a coupla hundred Yanks…..the  Reb wagons had a whole bunch of mounted troops rid'n with em'….. next thing we knew the Yanks had kinda caught up close to the wagons, they got off their horses and were spread'n out along a little ridge an a orchard….them Rebs rode hard in an attack toward 'em but the Rebs fell back..... just then, we saw the Rebs had  brought up some horse drawn cannons and were set'n up and fire'n on the Yanks…… when that was happen'n  the horse mounted Rebs attacked  again.......and sent the Yanks scatter'n.... this ended up with an all out horse mounted battle ..........it was so loud me and David could here the "Thundering Sabers.................. a clash'n an gnarlin' as the Yanks were battlin' on their horses while retreat'n across the fields toward the Fairfield Gap....... men was a fallin'...... everywhere and the rest was ridin' hard in the direction of David's farm where he lived nearer to Fairfield.  

Me and David took off a runnin' but stayed just inside the heavy woods that opened up on to the hellish area we was watch'n. My heart was throbbin' as I had never known afore……. It was for sure a sight to behold for me and David. Them Rebs run the Yanks for good ways till we could'nt see nuthin' but dust probably a coupla miles right past the Stoops farm and through Fairfield but the Rebs give up after a while and the Yanks got away from em' so we heard later.

A hainted tale that  has been told over the years was that after that battle the McKeeson house was used to care for some o' the Yanks that had been shot. 

The house which was lived in by the Cunningham family for five generations.... Helen the youngest child of the family was told the tale that Major Sam Starr who was cared for in the home place after that fight lost his leg and his life in the house and the leg was buried in the flower bed out back, so the story goes and the Major come back every night look'n for his leg......The McKesson house still stands and could it be that ol Major Starr still is seek'n out the lost limb....... or maybe he found the bloody limb and is now rest'n peaceful in the ol' boneyard...............…"

A foot note on Starr".....It was rumored that some years later after Helen was grown. .....One of Starr's relatives stopped by for a visit at the home place to see where Starr died.............. after bein' scared for so long as a youngster.....after show'n the place to him and talk'n with the man..... Helen was to have asked the relative if Major Starr and his leg arrived in fine condition for bury'n and the relative said,  "Ohhhh it wasn't his leg it was his arm and was right their in the in his bury'n box with him when he got home.

An update: on the Starr story was that it was jest a ghost tale told to little Helen, the fact was that Paddy Starr did not die from his lost arm at the battle of Fairfield and lived until 1891!

Story by Dick Bloom

More on David Stoops {an actual relative of mine, I have his original Company G muster list} went on to enlist in Wert's Company G of the 209th Pennsylvania Volunteers, The unit served in the Army of the James and the Army of the Potomac and saw action during the Siege of Petersburg, helping to repulse the attack on Fort Stedman.