USA > West Virginia > Hampshire County > History of Hampshire County, West Virginia : from its earliest settlement to the present > Part 46
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And above the black smoke, trailing Like a star, it beckoned on;
Then the little apron fluttered, And the beacon light was gone.
Then they lifted him, so softly, Smoothed the clustered curls apart;
Found the tiny battle apron Closely pillowed on his heart.
Then they bent to catch the whisper Through the storm and din of strife :
"Take my pledge; 'tis not dishonored. I have kept it with my life."
It is just a little apron, And its simple tale is told.
There are battle marks upon it; Blood stains are upon its fold.
Captain White's Company .- Company C, Twenty- third Virginia cavalry, was raised for special service by Captain C. S. White. It was composed of men from sev- eral counties and from different states. In June, 1861, Captain White was a member of the Hampshire Guards, under Captain Sherrard, and left Romney with that com- pany, and served with it four or five months, and was made sergeant-major of the Thirteenth Virginia infantry ._ He
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was then reported for promotion to adjutant, and was ap- pointed, but never received his commission. He was taken sick with typhoid fever and was ordered to the hospital at Staunton, and was discharged from the service. When able for work he went to Richmond and was given charge of a bureau in the treasury department. He remained there during the winter of 1862-63. While there he was sent for by President Davis, who wanted him to organize a company of scouts or spies. Captain White undertook the work. This company was wanted for special service, and among its duties was to range over the rough and mountainous region stretching from Monroe county, through Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Highland, Pendleton, Randolph, Hardy to Hampshire. With about twenty men from Richmond, mostly from the treasury department, as a nucleus, he commenced recruiting, and in a short time had three hundred men. He was not permitted to retain more than one hundred and twenty; consequently the oth- ers sought service elsewhere. A considerable number were taken by D. E. Beall of Hampshire county, who, with them, joined General Imboden's cavalry. Beall was made lieutenant colonel of the eighteenth regiment.
Captain White's company saw active service from the time it took the field till the close of the war, but particu- larly during the year 1864 and the early part of 1865. Dur- ing the summer of 1864 it had fifty-six battles and skir- mishes, including picket fights. In that time it had two men killed, twenty-six wounded, four died of wounds, ten were taken prisoner, and on the first of October the com- pany had fifteen serviceable horses and seventy that were not serviceable. Below will be found a list of the company, as it existed October 1, 1864, together with the county to which each man belonged:
Captain, C. S. White, Hampshire, wounded June 21, 1864; first lieutenant, Alexander White, Hampshire county; second lieutenant, J. R. Baker, Hardy county; first ser-
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geant, J. M. Binford, Norfolk, wounded; second sergeant, J. Heishman, Hardy county, wounded; third sergeant, C. E. Taylor, Richmond, wounded; fourth sergeant, J. C. Wood, Morgan county, wounded August 6, 1864; fifth ser- geant, James Gochenour, Hardy county; first corporal, Stephen Runnells, wounded August 3, 1864; second cor- poral, Hulver Hayden. Pendleton county; third corporal, James Wetzel, died of wounds, July 6, 1864, from Hardy county. Privates, Benjamin Funk, Hardy county; Noah Albright, Nicholas county, supposed to have been killed at Fisher's Hill; Lewis Albright, Nicholas county, wounded June 5, 1864; John Allen, Hampshire county, wounded August 16, 1864; W. H. Bush, Hampshire county, wounded at Fisher's Hill and taken prisoner; Z. Curry, Hampshire county, wounded August 14, 1864; James Delaughter, Greenbrier county; James Devine, Greenbrier county, wounded June 5, 1864; J. W. Dyer, Pendleton county; Frank Lewis, Hardy county, killed at Forestville; Jacob Gochencur, Hardy county, supposed to have been killed; James Healy, Pocahontas county, taken prisoner June 7, 1864; E. F. Heishman, Hardy county, taken prisoner June 7, 1864; E. Hern, Randolph county, wounded June 5, 1864; Adam Hulver, Hardy county, wounded June 5, 1864; D. Holtzinger, Pendleton county, supposed killed; John Hans- burger, Highland county, taken prisoner July 16, 1864; John Koogler, Randolph county, wounded; Richard Land- ers, wounded; Moses Longacre, Hardy county, wounded; L. Q. Murphy, Hampshire county, wounded May 15 and July 26, 1864; Joseph Rumburg, Hampshire; L. C. Rucker, Hampshire, taken prisoner zt Winchester; Marcus Slate, Hampshire, wounded June 5, 1864; Michael Sayer, Pendle- ton county, wounded; W. A. Vaden, Hampshire, wounded; L. M. Vass; Abram Whitmore, Hampshire, wounded May 15, 1864; Peter Wetzel, Hardy, wounded; J. Wilson, Hardy; J. Wilkins, Randolph county, wounded at Winchester and taken prisoner. The following members were taken pris-
.
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oner in the latter part of 1863 and early in 1864: William Henderson, Julius Hoskins, J. Copenham, John Jones, C. Graham, James McCarty, Robert Magee, Joseph McDon- ald, Robert Wheeler and John Wilbur.
Captain White's company was in the Alleghany moun- tains in the spring of 1865, when the order came to move eastward. The company marched toward Lynchburg, and when near that town received the news of Lee's sur- render. It was believed that the end of the war was at hand, and the men were given permission to disband or go to North Carolina and join Johnston, who was still holding out. Captain White, with about twenty men, started to go to Johnston, but before proceeding far, the intelligence was received that Johnston had surrendered. They made their way to Highland county, Virginia, where it was un- derstood General Rosser was collecting a force for the pur- pose of making a last stand. But they failed to find any army in Highland, so they disbanded and went home. Captain White reached Romney June 22, 1865. He never surrendered and was never parolled. He brought home with him his horse, sword and pistol. The horse lived twenty years after the war and finally met his death in jumping a fence.
CHAPTER LIV.
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Below will be found a roll and brief history of Company A, Thirty Third Virginia infantry, which was composed of men chiefly from Springfield and vicinity: Captain, Philip L. Grace, promoted major September, 1862, resigned two months later and went home; first lieutenant, Simeon D. Long, left the command in 1861 and never returned; second lieutenant, Jacob N. Buzzard, died of pneumonia in 1862; third lieutenant, William Johnson, died in Charlotts- ville, 1862; first sergeant, James G. Parsons, promoted to third lieutenant in April, 1862, and soon afterwards re- signed; second sergeant, William Montgomery, wounded at Manassas, July 21, 1861, served two years in Eighteenth Virginia cavalry, came back to Company A in January, 1864, and was taken prisoner at Spottsylvania Court House in May, 1864, and remained a prisoner till the close of the war; third sergeant, James P. Dailey, wounded at Kerns- ville in March, 1862, was taken prisoner and died; first corporal, Monroe Blue, promoted to second lieutenant in the Eighteenth Virginia cavalry, taken prisoner in 1863, and escaped while being carried to Fort Delaware, by jumping from a moving train, made his way across the lines and was killed at the battle of New Hope in June, 1864; second corporal, A. A. Young, wounded July 21, 1861, at Bull Run, left the company and went home in Sep- tember, 1862; third corporal, James Connelly, left the company in 1862 and went home.
Privates-Herman Allen, went home September, 1862; Edward Allen, wounded at Bull Run, taken prisoner March
a
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23, 1862, at Kernstowns, was exchanged and went home; Jacob Adams, went home in September, 1862; James Adams, killed at Bull Run, 1861; George Arnold, went home in November, 1863; Andrew Baker, died in the hos- pital in 1862; John Baker, went home November, 1862; William I. Blue, killed at the first battle of Bull Run; Michael Blue, hired a substitute in July, 1861; Joseph Berry, went home in September, 1862; Michael Bright, captured at Kernstown, exchanged, wounded at Antietam; Joseph Cadwallader, wounded at the first battle of Bull Run; John O. Casler, transferred to the Eleventh Virginia Cavalry January, 1865, captured in Hampshire county February 5, 1865, remained in prison until the close of the war; Elisha Carder, wounded at Fisher's Hill; Joseph Carder, in Lynchburg sick at the close of the war; William A. Dailey, joined rangers in 1863; Daniel Doran, discharged in 1862; Joseph Earsom, transferred from Second Virginia Regiment, elected second lieutenant in July, 1862, killed at the second battle of Bull Run August 30, 1862; Charles M. French, joined the rangers in 1862; Thomas Furlough, killed at the first battle of Bull Run; Thomas Gross, killed at Kernstown; John Grayson, went home in November, 1862; Robert Grace, wounded at Kernstown, was cap- tured and died; James Gaither, killed at Spottsylvania Court House in 1864; George Gaither, died in the hospital in 1863; John Halderman, killed at the second battle of Bull Run; James Hass, died in the hospital at Lynchburg April, 1863; Edward Hartley, went home November, 1863; Elijah Hartley, killed at Kerastown; John Harris, went home September, 1862; Amos Hollenback, killed at the first battle of Bull Run; John Kelley, went home in No- vember, 1862; Patrick Kenny, went home in the fall of 1862; James Linthicum, went home in 1861; John W. Long, went home in 1862; Emanuel Miller, went home in Novem- ber, 1862; Martin Miller, wounded at Kernstown; Polk Marker, killed at Bull Run, Joseph McNemar, sick in the
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hospital at the close of the war; Edward Montgomery, joined the rangers in 1863; Thomas McGraw, died in prison at Camp Douglas, Illinois; George Offutt, killed at the second battle of Bull Run; William H. Powell, elected first lieutenant in April, 1862, seriously wounded at Gettys- burg July 3, 1863; David Pownall, transferred to Eighteenth Virginia Cavalry November, 1862; Hugh Pence, transfer- red to Eighteenth Virginia Cavalry September, 1863; Sam- uel Pence, killed at the second battle of Bull Run; David Pence, in prison when the war closed and died before he reached home; Ralph Perrin, aged sixteen years at the time of his death, which occurred at the second battle of Bull Run; Charles Perrin, died in the Charlottesville hospital in 1862; William Pollard, wounded in the battle of Winchester September 19, 1864; Thomas Powall, went home Novem- ber, 1862; Joseph Parker, went home November, 1862; John Rhinehart, wounded at the battle of Bull Run, after- ward' joined the cavalry; John Rizer, sick and discharged; David Shelley, went home in November, 1862; William Sivills, sick at the close of the war; George Short, went home in September, 1862; David Simmons, went home in January, 1863; Culver Stockslager, went home in Novem- ber, 1862; Frank Swisher, went home sick in December, 1861.
The Potomac Guards, under command of Captain Grace, marched from Springfield to Blue's gap about the middle of June, 1861. They found the Hampshire Riflemen, un- der Captain George Sheetz, already there. About that time Colonel A. P. Cummins was sent from Harper's Ferry to Romney to collect the confederate companies in Hampshire and adjoining counties and form a regiment. On June 19 the Potomac Guards and Hampshire Riflemen marched from Blue's gap to Romney to be placed under orders of Colonel Cummins. The Riflemen were organized before the war and were well armed, but the Guards had only old muskets and flintlock rifles which had been sent from Har-
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per's Ferry. Two small cannon were also sent from Har- per's Ferry. The Guards had no cartridge boxes and they carried their ammunition in their pockets. In addi- tion to the two companies above named, Colonel Cummins had under his command the Independent Greys, a Moore- field company. He was able to furnish uniforms for the men, but good guns were scarce. He was proceeding nicely in his work of getting together a regiment, but be- fore he had been in Romney a week, General Lew Wallace interfered with the confederate plans by sending a regi- ment of union troops from New Creek to capture the con- federates in Romney. The plan would have probably suc- ceeded had not the eagle eye of a citizen on Patterson's creek discovered the advance of the federals, and suspect- ing that they had designs against Romney, he hastened by short roads, and gave Colonel Cummins warning of his danger. The confederates were in no condition to fight such a force as was approaching, and they took the road for Winchester as fast as possible. The federals came in at one end of town as the confederates went out at the other. About a dozen shots were fired up and down the streets, but no one was hurt. The troops from New Creek soon returned to that place, and Romney was again quiet.
After Company A reached Winchester it received its supplies from Springfield. where they had been bought by private subscription. These consisted of knapsacks, blankets, cartridge boxes, canteens and tents. This com- pany was attached to the Stonewall brigade, and took part in some of the hardest fighting of the war, being in the first and second battles of Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Get- tysburg and many others.
After the battle of Bull Run there was a lull in military operations. A number of the members of Company A took advantage of the occasion to pay a visit to their homes in Hampshire. But they forgot to obtain permission from the officers. The result was that Lieutenant Buzzard was
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sent after them. He succeeded in persuading sixteen of the men to return to their company. They had not in- tended to desert, but simply thought to take advantage of the lull to go home. They were not severely punished. It was the policy of the federals not to molest confederates who came home to stay. Speaking of this, Mr. Casler in his book says: "The federals told the absentees if they would remain at nome peaceably and not go to bushwhack- ing, they would not molest them; for they knew if arrested and sent to prison they would be exchanged and put in ranks again; but if they did not molest them the probabil- ities were that they would remain at home."
Monroe Blue's Raid into Hampshire. In the winter of 1862 Lieutenant Monroe Blue, formerly of Com- pany A. but at that time belonging to the Imboden cavalry, came on a scout into Hampshire county by way of Lost river. He had a small squad of soldiers, and was joined by Thomas McGraw, Lieutenant Blue, William A. Dailey and John O. Casler. making about fifteen in all, with Ed- ward Montgomery as a guide. They cautiously made their way across the hills to the road between Springfield and the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. They waylaid and captured three men, four horses and two sacks of mail. The next day they attacked a wagon train on Patterson's creek and captured two men and twelve horses. The union troops from Springfield gave pursuit and overtook. them while ascending the mountain east of the South branch, fired upon them and took McGraw prisoner. After a running fight of several miles the others made their es- cape, but William Dailey had an eye put out by a limb of a tree. They lost several of their horses.
Company A was disbanded in January, 1865. Many had been killed, others had joined the cavalry, some had gone home, and when the last list was made out there was only one man in the company, Elisha Carder, and he was not in service, having been wounded. The company was, there-
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HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE.
fore, easily disbanded. During the winter of 1865 two companies of cavalry, one from Hampshire and the other from Hardy, were camped on Lost river, and occasional raids were made into the South branch country and toward New creek. In one of these raids a drove of twenty-four cattle were taken from a government contractor named McFern, on Patterson's creek, and he was made a priso- ner and relieved of a large amount of money. The party was pursued by a squad of union cavalry and taken pris- oner.
Death of Monroe Blue .- The escape from prison and the subsequent death in battle of Lieutenant Monroe Blue have been already spoken of in the history of the company to which he belonged; but the subject demands a more extended notice, as he was one of the bravest soldiers Hampshire sent into the field. Lieutenant Blue was one of a party of confederate prisoners who were confined at Johnson's Island, in the state of New York. After being in prison ten months, the order came to remove them to Fort Delaware, a prison near Philadelphia. For a long time Lieutenant Blue had meditated escape, but the oppor- tunity did not come while at Johnson's Island. When placed on the train for the trip to Fort Delaware he under- took to cut a hole through the bottom of the car. He had hacked the edge of his pocket knife and had converted it into a saw. He was making good progress toward cutting through when the guard discovered him, and his plan was frustrated. He then resorted to the more desperate ex- pedient of knocking down the sentinel on the platform and jumping off. The bell rope was cut by some one at the same time, and the signal to stop the train could not be given. The leap from the cars somewhat injured his side and hip, falling as he did upon the rails of the double track at that point. But in the excitement of the moment, and in his eagerness to see his native hills, he forgot his inju- ries. He fortunately escaped being shot, although the
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sentinel on the next platform fired at him at close range. The yankee whom he had knocked down could not regain his feet in time to fire; and the train could not be stopped. He, therefore, made his escape for the present. This oc- curred at a point in Pennsylvania about seventy miles west of Harrisburg. After getting free from the train guard he still had dangers innumerable and hardships appalling ahead of him. The stoutest heart might have yielded to despair. He was in the enemy's country, and every man's hand was against him. He was without money. It was in the dead of winter. If he remained in the woods he was in danger of starving and freezing. If he ventured to houses for food he was liable to arrest. He set forward in a southerly direction, and traveled days and nights, by field, wood, road, path and wilderness. Four times in the four days hunger drove him to houses for food. He passed himself as a railroad hand and was kindly received. When he slept an hour or two occasionally from sheer exhaustion, he wrapped himself in his overcoat and lay upon the frozen ground. When he was obliged to pass a town he usually did so at night; but he walked through Bedford in the day time. In four days and nights he walked one hundred and fifty miles, and finally reached his home in Hampshire county. His relatives were taken by surprise. They had supposed him dead.
Detackments of federal troops at that time were over- running Hampshire. Among them was Averell, with his- cavalry, passing through on one of that general's accus- tomed dashing movements. Although Lieutenant Blue was weary and footsore, he did not hesitate to do all he could to retard the progress of the yankee general. He succeed- ed in blockading a point on Averell's line of march so securely that rocks had to be blasted before the union troops got through. Lieutenant Blue soon joined his regi- ment, and on June 5, 1864, took part in the battle of New Hope, in Augusta county. At the commencement of the
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fight some of the dismounted officers of the brigade were ordered to take command of the dismounted men and de- ploy them as skirmishers, but they all seemed slow in obeying the command. Lieutenant Blue sprang from his horse and said he would lead the dismounted men. He thus entered the battle, but never returned. As he was leading his men he was shot through the neck and fell dead. On that day died as brave a soldier as ever gave up his life on the field of battle.
Captain Muse's Company .- Company F, Eight- teenth Virginia cavalry, under Captain R. Bruce Muse, in the confederate service, was composed of men partly from Hampshire county and partly from Frederick county, Vir- ginia. Captain Muse now lives at Mountain Home, near Heiskell postoffice, in Frederick county. No roll of his company is in existence, so far as known, but the captain prepared for this book, from memory, a list of the men from Hampshire who were in his company. The list is as follows: Tilbury M. Arnold, wounded; Lemuel Arnold, Harvey Arnold, died from wounds; Alfred Anderson, Daniel Anderson, slightly wounded; Westley Frank, Ben- ton Frank, wounded, and now live in the west; David Grif- fin, Richard M. Johnson, wounded three times; William Scott Johnson, Eusabius Johnson, John Johnson, wounded; John Kelso, Elkanah Lafollett, Wood McKee, wounded; Daniel Miller, Thomas Miller, Seinon Marple, wounded twice; William Nixon, transferred to Captain Lovett's company; John Nixon, John Oats, Vincent S. Pugh, Fran- cis M. Pugh, slightly wounded; George Pugh, Dorsey Reid, Martin Reid, died in the army, L. S. Spaid, Evan P. Ward, wounded, died at Lynchburg, Virginia. B. N. Lockart and J. O. Bywaters were sergeants in Captain Muse's company, but they were transferred to Captain Lovett's company and Lockart became first lieutenant and Bywaters second lieutenant.
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CHAPTER LV.
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ONE FEDERAL COMPANY,
When the civil war began Mineral county was a part of Hampshire, and Company I, Tenth West Virginia volun- teer infantry, under Captain James A. Jarboe, was organ- ized at Piedmont, May 5, 1862, and was mustered into the service of the United States May 19, 1862. There was not one company of union soldiers organized in the present territory of Hampshire, but as its limits at that time in- cluded Mineral, it is given credit for one federal company to offset thirteen companies and parts of companies mus- tered into the service of the confederacy. Following will be found a history of Captain Jarboe's company.
The field and staff officers were: Colonel, T. M. Harris; lieutenant colonel, M. S. Hall; major, Henry Withers; sur- geon, George E. Ganes, died at Harrisonburg, Virginia, October 3, 1864; assistant surgeon, J. R. Blair; adjutant, O. P. Boughner; quartermaster, Samuel Adams; chaplain, John Branch; sergeant-major, Henry H. Detimore; quar- ter-master-sergeant, Herman Gregg; commissary ser- geant, John P. Phillips; hospital stewart, Antony Simon. The company officers were: Captain, James A. Jarboe, wounded September 6, 1863; first lieutenant, John M. Jar- boe, wounded at Shafer's mountain, promoted from second to first lieutenant June 1, 1863; second lieutenant, Michael Ahern, promoted from first sergeant, June 1, 1863, taken prisoner; orderly sergeant, Isaac N. Trout, promoted from corporal June 1, 1863; second sergeant, John W. Rawlings; third sergeant, William I. Hilkey, wounded July 24, 1864; fourth sergeant, Benjamin F. Mayhew, captured and died
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at Andersonville, Georgia; fifth sergeant, John H. Kitzmil- ler; first corporal, Henry Danner, taken prisoner; secor corporal, George W. Miers; third corporal, John Likens, deserted; fourth corporal, David K. Crawford; fifth cor- poral, Joseph H. Aronhalt, taken prisoner; sixth corporal, William Hershman, taken prisoner; seventh corporal, John T. Cross; musicians, Richard H. Thrush, killed near Stras- burg, Virginia, October 13, 1864; Ransom T. Powell; wag- oner, Abram P. Byrd. Former officers, commissioned and non-commisioned: First lieutenant, W. Barclay, died at Winchester, Virginia, April 19, 1863; sergeant, William Turner, died at Winchester; corporal, James Shillenburg, died at Winchester; corporal, Michael Thrush, died from wounds received September 19, 1864.
Privates, Gabriel F. Arnold, Hezekiah P. Bailey, William Bartholow, Joseph Bobo, Silverton Burns, wounded at Win- chester, September 19, 1864; James S. Barrick, deserted; James Blackburn, deserted; George Blackburn, taken pris- oner; Samuel T. Brooks, died in a confederate prison ;. Peter Bever, taken prisoner; Thomas Cornell, Orlando. Chester, taken prisoner; William Drew, wounded at Lee- town, Pennsylvania; Joseph Danner, taken prisoner; Wil- liam J. H. Dye, taken prisoner; Theodore Elliott, deserted; Pater R. Greenwalt, wounded October 19, 1864; John Grapes, deserted; David Harrison, taken prisoner; Jacob H. Hull, discharged; James G. L. Harrison, Runnels Har- rison, wounded at Winchester, September 19, 1864; George A. Harrison, died in the hospital; Henry Hall, taken pris- oner; Francis M. Jarboe, Arnold Lyon, died at New Creek, West Virginia; Michael A. Liller, John Liller, taken pris- oner and died at Andersonville, Georgia; Peter Mason, taken prisoner; Solomon Martin, George Martin, wounded September 19, 1864; Joshua J. Mayhew, wounded July 24, 1864; John W. Moore, died at Winchester; John McAnerny, George Miller, died at Philippi, West Virginia; Jacob Mun- gold, deserted; James May, deserted; Hugh O'Donnall,
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