Eyes In The Dark

Eyes In The Dark. A Courageous Girl Guides Union Troops. , "The act of guiding me and my party ... down that dark lane, across those creeks, alone among rough and strange soldiers is enough to convince me of the nobleness of your character...." , , Postwar letter from Lt. A.E. Matthews, 1st Michigan Cavalry, Rain and gunfire swept over the mountains here on the evening on July 4, 1863. Union cavalrymen of the Army of the Potomac were clashing with retreating Confederates of the Army of Northern Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg and trying to destroy wagon trains., On the road in front of you, the sound of approaching horses disturbed the night as Union cavalrymen approached. They were led by 17-year-old Henrietta "Hetty" Zeilinger., Hetty was the youngest of three daughters of a widow who lived at a farm in front of you. She had been walking down the turnpike in the early evening and met neighbor Charles Buhrman guiding Gen Judson Kilpatrick's Union cavalry. Hetty told Burhman and Kilpatrick not to continue up the turnpike to your right as Confederate artillery commanded the road., Kilpatrick wanted to block Confederate wagons from reaching Monterey Pass, and ordered Lt. Col. Peter Stagg's squadron of 1st Michigan Cavalry to Fairfield Gap. A trooper hoisted Hetty into his saddle and she led Stagg's column up the road to your left, then a farm lane, toward the Fairfield Gap to attack the rear of the wagon train., (captions) , The red "X" in this 1899 photograph marks the spot where you are standing, facing Furnace Road. Fairfield Gap is visible in the background. - Courtesy Antietam Watershed Association, Hetty married Jacob Fitz in 1865, and spent her entire life on South Mountain. She died at age 87. Courtesy Ray Zeilinger, Visit the park and museum to learn more about the battle.