ft it with
Mrs. Frederick Bernal, wife of the British Consul at Baltimore. The
sympathies of many of the Britishers were decidedly with the South.

Gilmor was a born raider. He used to raid the hearts of these Blue
Belles "befo de wah," on Charles Street Avenue. His command was made up
largely of Marylanders, and Maryland was frequently the victim of his
incursions. Our desire to "possess" him was perhaps as great as that of
any of his lady admirers.

On November 1st, 1864, I intercepted the sword on its way to Harry. From
the person of the messenger I got a letter which was to make him "solid"
when he should arrive in the Confederate territory. Gilmor was
understood to have been wounded, and as being then laid up at the
Inglenby Mansion, three or four miles from Duffield Station, Virginia,
on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (the Inglenby family were descendants
of one of the original colonists).

The letter was somewhat blindly framed, it did not mention the bearer,
except to say that "he is perfectly reliable" or something to that
effect.

I proposed to General Wallace that I would be the messenger, using this
letter, and would thus locate Gilmor, so that he might be captured.

With one man, Mr. Kraft, I started for Harper's Ferry, reported to
General Stevenson, engaged one of his scouts, Corporal George R. Redman
(who at one time was of my corps) to go with me and equipped with the
below described pass, I started out on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
for Duffield Station.

Office Provost Marshal,
Military District of Harper's Ferry.

Nov. 5, 1864.

Guards and Pickets will pass bearer in and around this
Military District. Good for three days.

By order of

Brigadier General STEVENSON,
Commanding.

A. D. PRATT,
Capt. & Provost Marshal.

It was my custom never to have about me anything to indicate my name or
identity. And to conceal my passes, I frequently hammered them down into
a small wad in the finger of a glove. This pass shows such an
appearance. The pass did not indicate Duffield, because that destination
was a secret.

Duffield was a small way station, and any stranger alighting there,
especially in those days, would be noted. Many of the employees of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were Confederate sympathizers (some were
quite active). To give no chance for warning, we waited until just after
the train started up, and then we dropped of