USA > West Virginia > Hampshire County > History of Hampshire County, West Virginia : from its earliest settlement to the present > Part 42
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the movements of the soldiers. He saw one squad of cav- alry start down toward the river, another up the pike to- ward Frenchburg, while a squad of infantry took his track up the hill. There was snow on the ground. The pursuit was vigorous. Once he was so bear a company of cavalry that he heard the men laying plans for his capture. He reached the brook which empties into the river near the resi- dence of William Stump, and by wading in that he threw his pursuers off the track. A dense fog settled down and the snow melted, both favorable for his escape. He endeavored to follow the range of hills leading south, facing the river. In the afternoon the fog lifted, and, to his surprise, he found himself within half a mile of Romney. He had trav- eled in a circuit. He started again, and keeping certain well-known objects in sight, he reached the house of D. J. Parsons, seven or eight miles above Romney, and learned that his pursuers had been there a few minutes before. He procured a horse and rode to Joseph Archey's, where he spent the night. The next morning he was so stiffened by travel and exposure that be could scarcely move. That day he made his way to a shanty on Big mountain, a ren- dezvous for confederates who found it necessary to keep in hiding. He there found Isaac Pancake, George Stump and others, and he remained there a week.
He never ascertained to a certainty whether he bad killed the guard whom he had struck. A prisoner named John Smith, who was in the room at the time, said that the man died soon after, but the statement was denied by others. The corporal who had permitted the escape was punished by being compelled to wear a barrel shirt, that is, a flour barrel with holes cut for his head and arms.
Taking Chances .- Constant association with dan- ger makes men reckless. There is an element in the makeup of men which loves romance; it takes pleasure in doing unusual things; it runs unnecessary risks for the sake of the excitement. Of course, Lieutenant John Blue 39
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was marked for distruction after his spying expedition be- came known, and especially after he had assaulted the guard in Romney and had made his. escape. . Word was sent among the union soldiers that they must be constantly on the outlook for him, and, if possible, take him at all haz- ards. Yet, in the face of this danger, which he well knew, he ventured again within the union lines in Hampshire county. It was after the second battle of Bull Run, in 1862. General Imboden was ordered into Hampshire county, and Lieutenant Blue accompanied him for the pur- pose of visiting his home. He approached his father's house in the night, and saw a soldier on the porch doing picket duty. The barn was a short distance from the house, and Blue went there, and climbing to the haymow, waited for his father to come out in the morning to feed the horses. At daybreak the old gentleman came, and was surprised to see his son; but urged him to make his es- cape, telling him that pickets were posted at the house day and night, during the night on the porch, and during the day on a hill some rods in front of the house. The lieuten- ant said he wanted to go to the house, and would take his chances. He asked his father for the red blouse he wore, which Mr. Blue gave him, and returned in his shirt sleeves to the house. Lieutenant Blue waited till the relief guard came on and took his post on the eminence in front of the door, and then, with the blouse on, he walkad leisurely to the house, the guard not doubting but that it was the old gentleman. He went up stairs and remained a week. Frequently the soldiers were in the room below him, and he heard them talking about him and asking when he had been heard from. His sister told them the last letter she had from him he was in the vicinity of Richmond.
At length, one Sunday morning he was lying on the floor upstairs, listening to the guards who were in the room be- low. A soldier came down the road at a gallop, calling to the pickets, "Run, Imboden is coming." The soldiers
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took to their heels up the hill, and when about one hundred yards off, Lieutenant Blue showed himself on the porch and told them not to be in a hurry, there was no need of running from rebels, as they had been in the same house with one for a week. They stopped, and seemed about to come back; but after considering the matter a moment, they again took to their heels. Lieutenant Blue left the county with Imboden.
A Prisoner in Cumberland .- Having made so lucky an escape, Lieutenant Blue concluded to tempt fate once more in Hampshire county, and accordingly came into the neighborhood below Romney and spent a few days visiting among friends. While there, Captain Stump's company of confederates came into the vicinity, and Lieu- tenant Blue felt safe. One evening he visited the house where Garrett Parsons now lives, to attend a social gather- ing. Isaac Parsons was then at home, and he and Blue rode down to Old House run, where they saw a small squad of soldiers, and mistook them for rebels, supposing then to be a portion of Captain Stump's company. But they were yankees. Parsons and Blue wheeled their horses and galloped back, the yankees after them. They were heard coming by the ladies of Mr. Parsons' house, one of whom ran out and opened a gate leading up a ravine to the left of the road. Blue and Parsons galloped in, and before the pursuers could enter, the gate was shut and locked by the young lady. The soldiers lost some time in breaking it open, and this enabled Isaac Parsons to make his escape; but Lieutenant Blue attempted to ride up a steep hill, could not do it, and was thus overtaken by half a dozen soldiers who had fired all the loads from their guns, and who came at Blue with their sabres, threatening to hack him to pieces. He had only a revolver, and that, too, was empty, he having fired all the loads during his retreat up the road. He sprang from his horse, laid the pistol across the saddle, and by threatening death, destruction, and all
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general and particular terrors to any man who approached him, he kept the soldiers at bay. They seemed drunk, and swore dreadfully, but were afraid to approach him. Lieutenant Summers, who was in command of the party, came up and told Blue he would better surrender, as he was overpowered, and it was foolish to throw his life away. "I have been waiting," said he, "for a chance to surrender. These men seem to be drunk, and threaten to kill me." "I will see that you are not hurt," replied Lieutenent Sum- mers, and Lieutenant Blue threw down his pistol and sur- rendered. He was taken to Cumberland, expecting to be tried on the old charge of spying; but the federals had either forgotten it or had decided to let it drop. He was treated with marked kindness by Colonel Porter and Gen- eral Kelley, and instead of being sent to the guardhouse he was allowed to go where he pleased, upon his word that he would not leave Cumberland. Colonel Porter gave him ten dollars for expenses. As strange fortune had it, he met Lieutenant Cole on the street, the same who had dis- covered him when he was spying for Stonewall Jackson in 1861. He was invited to board with the yankee lieutenant, and did so, free of charge. In a short time he was called before General Kelley, who permitted him to return home upon his promise to stay there until further orders.
He returned home, and before leaving Cumberland bought gray cloth for a new uniform, paying for it with the ten dollars given him by Colonel Porter. He remained at home three months, assisting his father on the farm. One day a yankee soldier galloped up and gave him a letter from General Kelley, ordering him to come to Cumberland at once, or he would be arrested. Instead of reporting in Cumberland, Lieutenant Blue reported in Dixie. He and John Lynn, one of McNeill's men, made their way through the lines, and Blue had a new uniform made from his gray cloth, and wore it on the Gettysburg campaign, where be was wounded and sent to the hospital.
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Prisoners Rescued by McNeill. - Lieutenant Blue had no sooner recovered from the wound received at Gettysburg than he again came into Hampshire county. He was not yet able to wear a boot on the crippled foot. There were no federal soldiers in Romney at that time, nor nearer than Cumberland, as far as he knew. But a troop of "Blincker's Dutch" came from Winchester and spread over the county. Having learned of the arrival of the union troops, Lieutenant Blne, accompanied by Ephriam Herriott and John Inskeep, started for Virginia by way of Hardy county, believing that to be the safest road. After dodging scouting parties some time, they succeeding in reaching Lost river, where they considered themselves safe. They stopped for dinner at Angus Wood's, a place where not a yankee soldier had been seen during the war, up to that time. They sat down to dinner, and were progressing well, when a yankee rode up to the house, and presently a dozen or more followed him. They came into the house and took them all prisoners, mistaking Blue for a colonel, because his new uniform was that of a colonel. They seemed very proud of their capture, and guarded Blue carefully. He had some letters in his pocket which if they should fall into the hands of the federals, might cause trouble for some of the people of Hampshire. At his first opportunity he passed them to Mrs. Wood, together with his pocketbook; but a soldier detected the movement and demanded that Mrs. Wood give the letters up. She said it was a pocketbook which had been passed to her. The soldier then demanded the pocketbook, say- ing that it was just what he wanted. Mrs. Wood handed her own pocketbook to the soldier and he was satisfied.
The prisoners, including George Turley, who was also in the hands of federals, were put on horses and the caval- cade set forward. It was soon ascertained by the pris- oners, from the conversation of their captors, that the fed- erals were in that country hunting for Captain McNeill;
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and, as subsequently ascertained, McNeill was also in the country hunting for the federals. When two parties are in the same district, hunting for each other, and truly desirous of finding the object of their search, they are usually suc- cessful. During the day one of McNeill's men, Frank Maloney, was seen near the road, was fired upon and wounded in the thigh. But he continued to run, and have ing crossed a field in open view, and in a shower of bullets, reached a thicket and escaped. Joseph Williams, a pris- oner, made his escape during the day by putting spurs to his horse and dashing into the woods. He was well ac- quainted with the county, and went straight to McNeill's men.
The union troops now began to grow uneasy. They were certain that McNeill knew more of their move- ments than they knew of his; and he had it in his power to fight where he pleased, while they must accept battle wherever offered. If the federals had entertained doubts that McNeill was in the vicinity, those doubts were soon expelled. While moving cautiously down the road, they met several small boys who were on their way home with buckets of huckleberries which they had picked in the woods. They stood in a row on the upper side of the road, watching the soldiers pass. At length one of them piped out: "Captain McNeill 's down the road a-waitin' for you.'" The federal officers were aware that children sometimes: tell very important truths without being conscious of it. The children were questioned, coaxed and threatened, but not another word of information could be gotten from them .. They had evidently believed at first that they were ad- dressing rebels, but discovering them to be yankees, the: boys' lips were sealed. After vainly trying to ascertain from the children where McNeill was, the soldiers marched on, and orders were given to shoot the prisoners in case of an attack.
McNeill was waiting by the road. He posted his men
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on both sides, with orders not to fire until he fired first. He was afraid of killing the prisoners, and it was his inten- tion not to fire at all unless he could ascertain whether the prisoners were in front or rear. He considered it better to permit the cavalcade to pass than to kill the prisoners. Night came on, a very dark one. Sometime after dark the federals were heard coming. McNeill had taken his posi- tion behind a tree near the road, and was peering out, try- ing to see where the prisoners were, when he was discoy- ered by a yankee, who raised his revolver and fired. It was an unfortunate shot for the federals. It did not hurt McNeill, but his men took it for the expected signal to be- gin the fight. Instantly a volley was poured in from both sides of the road. The darkness of the night was lit by the flash of revolvers. The federals sprang from their horses and tried to fight, but the rain of lead came so thick and fast that what few were left fled for their lives. About a dozen got away, while between thirty and forty were left dead or wounded in the road. The prisoners escaped injury, except Ephraim Herriott, who was wound- ed in the arm. A boy who was acting as pilot for the fed- erals, was shot through the lungs, but he recovered, and was afterwards pensioned by the government. Captain McNeill sent a prisoner to Moorefield for a surgeon to at- tend the wounded, and then passed up the South fork. The fight occurred near Howards lick, in Hardy county.
CHAPTER L.
STONEWALL JACKSON IN ROMNEY,
Early in January, 1862, Stonewall Jackson captured Romney. There was little opposition. General Lander left a few hours before the confederates arrived. Jack- son was in command of this part of the state, and he re- garded Romney as of considerable importance, and left General Loring to hold the town with a force deemed suffi- cient to resist successfully any union troops in the vicinity. Having established Loring in Romney, Jackson returned to Winchester, and soon after this resigned from the army of the Southern Confederacy. This is a point in history not generally known, and but imperfectly understood. A true account of his resignation, and his reasons for that step, is properly given in detail in the history of Hamp- shire county; for he was prompted to that action because the secretary of war for the Southern Confederacy inter- fered with his plans at Romney, and undid his work. Following is a history of the matter:
Jackson left Loring in Romney and returned to Win- chester. Shortly afterward, January 31, 1862, J. P. Ben- jamin, secretary of war for the Southern Confederacy, or- dered Jackson to recall Loring and his troops from Rom- ney to Winchester, having taken this step without consult- ing Jackson or ascertaining what his plans were. This was resented by Jackson, who, under date of January 31, 1862, wrote to the secretary of war as follows:
"Your order requiring me to direct General Loring to return with his command to Winchester immediately has been received and promptly complied with. With such
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interference with my command I cannot expect to be of much service in the field, and accordingly respectfully re- quest to be ordered to report for duty to the superinten- dent of the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, as has been done in the case of other professors. Should this ap- plication not be granted, I respectfully request that the president will accept my resignation from the army. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"T. J. JACKSON."
As soon as the secretary of war received Jackson's resig- nation he sent an officer to Governor Letcher to acquaint him with the fact, and the governor hastened to the war office and urged Mr. Benjamin not to take action in the matter until General Jackson could be heard from further. The secretary agreed to the governor's proposal, and the resignation was laid aside. Returning to his office Gov- ernor Letcher wrote a long and earnest letter to General Jackson at Winchester, urging him to recall his letter. Scarcely was this letter finished when a letter from Jack- son, written January 31, the date of his resignation, was delivered to Governor Letcher, saying:
"Governor: This morning I received an order from the secretary of war to order General Loring and his command to fall back from Romney to Winchester immediately. The order was promply complied with, but, as the order was given without consulting me, and is abandoning to the en- emy what has cost much preparation, expense and exposure to secure, and is in direct conflict with my military plans, and implies a want of confidence in my capacity to judge when General Loring's troops should fall back, and is an attempt to control military operations in detail from the secretary's desk at a distance, I have, for the reason set forth in the accompanying paper, requested to be ordered back to the institute; and if this is denied me, then to have my resignation accepted. I ask as a special favor that you will have me ordered back to the institute. As a single
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STONEWALL JACKSON IN ROMNEY.
order like that of the secretary's may destroy the entire fruits of a campaign, I cannot reasonably expect, if my op- erations are thus to be interfered with, to be of much ser- vice in the field. A sense of duty brought me into the field and has thus far kept me. It now appears to be my duty to return to the institute, and I hope that you will leave no stone unturned to get me there. If I have ever acquired, through the blessings of Providence, any influence over troops, this undoing of my work by the secretary may greatly diminish my influence. I regard the recent expe- dition as a great success. Before our troops left here, Jan- uary 1, there was not, so far as I have been able to ascer- tain, a single loyal man in Morgan county who could remain at home in safety. In four days that county was entirely evacuated by the enemy; Romney and the most valuable portion of Hampshire county were recovered without firing a gun, and before we had even entered the county. I desire to say nothing against the secretary of war. I take it for granted that he has done what he believed to be best, but I regard such a policy ruinous.
"'T. J. JACKSON."
The letter which Governor Letcher wrote to General Jackson was carried by Colonel Boteler, and he returned with Jackson's reply, in which he consented to have his resignation withdrawn from the files of the war office. This was done. The resignation was entrusted to the keeping of. Governor Letcher. When the confederates retreated from Richmond this paper was forgotten, and would have been lost had not the governor's mother secured it, with other papers, and carried it to a place of safety.
Skirmish at Peter Poland's .- In April, 1862, a fight occurred near Grassy Lick, at the residence of Peter Poland, between a company of federals and a dozen or more men who were preparing to enter the confederate service. At that time a man styling himself Captain Umbaugh was
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in that part of Hampshire county raising a company for the confederate service. He claimed to have authority from Stonewall Jackson, but it was subsequently learned that he had no authority. He collected a dozen or more men and would perhaps have raised a company if his career had not been cut short. Colonel Downey of the union army, went out from Romney with one company, on April 22, 1862, looking for Captain Umbaugh's men, and any other confederates he might find. They came to the house of Peter Poland and took his son, Peter Poland, jr., prisoner. The young man was a confederate soldier and was visiting his father. Sometime after the federals left, Captain Um- baugh, with a dozen of his men, came to Mr. Poland's to spend the night. About three o'clock in the morning the federals returned and called upon the men to surrender. They refused to do so, and a fight immediately began. The yankees fired through the doors and windows. The walls were so thick that bullets would not come through. The members of the family protected themselves the best they could from the bullets, but one came through the door and struck Peter Poland's arm. The same bullet wound- ded Isaiah W. Pownall. Jasper Pownall, who was in the house, was also wounded. Peter Poland's wound proved fatal two weeks later. When daylight came the men in the house killed three federals and the others withdrew. Captain Umbaugh took advantage of the situation and retreated with his men. In a short time the federals returned with reinforcements from Romney, bringing artillery with which to batter the house down. Troops also arrived from Moorefield and Petersburg. But there was no one in the house to oppose them, and they notified Mrs. Poland and her daughters to take their furniture out of the house. They said they would give her two hours to get the things out. She commenced removing the furni- ture, but in less than fifteen minutes the building was set on fire. The soldiers loaded the household goods on wag .
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ons and hauled them off. It is said there are persons in an adjoining county still sleeping on beds stolen from Mr. Poland's house. His property was destroyed or carried off, and the inmates were turned out of doors. Mr. Poland's family consisted of his sons, Richard, James C., Peter, William, Isaac, Jasper and Frank M. His daughters were: Elizabeth, who afterwards married John Haire, who was in the house at the time of the fight; Hannah, who married Isaiah Haire, and Mary C., who married Amos Roberson.
Captain Umbaugh Killed .- Captain Umbaugh, whose fraudulent claim to being an officer in the confed- erate service led to the death of Peter Poland and the burning of his house, continued to roam about Hampshire until he met his death and caused the death of others. In May, 1862, he was at the house of J. T. Wilson where he was surprised by the federals. He was shot and killed. At the same time and place John W. Poland was killed and William H. Poland was wounded and taken prisoner.
The Grassy Lick Militia .- When the Civil war be- gan, the Grassy Lick militia was under Captain John H. Piles. It was the one hundred and fourteenth regiment of Virginia militia. It served one year and was then dis- banded, many of the men joining the regular confederate army. Following are the names of the members of this company, as made up from memory, the official roll having been lost: John H. Piles, captain; William Pownell, first lieutenant; Mathew Combs, second lieutenant; Samuel Albright, first sergeant; J. J. Ruckman, corporal; privates: George Bowman, Andrew Bowman, Peyton Combs, Ab- solom Combs, James Cool, Joseph Civil, Elisha Heare, Frank Heare, Isaiah Heare, Jasper Heare, Jonathan Heare, John Heare, Lucas Hines, Jacob Hines, Henry Hines, Da- vid Hott, John Hott, James Hott, Peter Haines, John Her- baugh, William Loy, jr., Samuel Loy, Jackson Lee, Jared McDonald, James McDonald, Samuel McDonald, Archibald McDonald, Mordecai Orndoff, John Piles, Rector Piles,
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John Park, Samuel Park, Solomon Park, Ashford Park, Benjamin Park, Peter Poland, sr., Craven Poland, Rich- ard Poland, Peter Poland, William Poland, James Pepper, Hampton Peer, J. T. Ruckman, James Ruckman, James Starkey, Frederick Starkey, John Swisher, George Swisher, Stephen Swisher, John Tharp, Samuel Tharp, William Timbrook, Isaac Timbrook, Joseph Timbrook, David Wol- ford. James Yost.
Captain Piles' Company .- When the Grassy Lick militia disbanded in the second year of the war, Captain John H. Piles and a number of his men entered the regu- lar army of the confederacy as Company K, electing John H. Piles as captain. The company became a portion of Colonel George Imb den's regiment, and belonged to Gen- eral John Imboden's cavalry brigade. The roll of Com- pany K, gathered from the memory of those living and from a partial record kept by B. F. McDonald, was as fol- lows: John H. Piles, captain; Jere Monroe, first lieutenant; Jefferson Carter, second lieutenant; Jacob Carvell, third lieutenant; Benjamin F. McDonald, first sergeant; Benja- min Monroe, second sergeant; B. F. Klump, third ser- geant, Bond Hook, fourth sergeant; Henry Hiett, fifth sergeant. Privates, Joseph Brill, J. T. Ruckman, S. H. Williams, Isaac Brill, W. P. Brill, Andrew Bowman, H. Brill, Mr. Bean, son of Aaron Bean; L. E. Brill, Lon Burch, Samuel Burch, L. P. Brill, Walker Saville, O. Bowman, Joseph Saville, Peter A. Saville, W. Garner, John W. Haines, James Haines, Bond Hook, Benjamin Hott, John Hott, David Hott, Edward Heare, Jasper Heare, Jonathan Heare, Velentine Kump, Amos Kump, Jonathan Lupton, James G. Lupton, George W. Maphas, Banjamin Monroe, Jared McDonald, George W. McDonald, Rector Piles, Hampton Peer, Peter Poland, William Poland, James Pep- per, J. J. Ruckman, John W. Ruckman, Velentine Ruck- man, Thomas Ruckman, Joseph Swisher, S. W. Swisher, Gibson Timbrook, Washington Walker, Jacob Emmart,
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