Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-03-01
9aiIg Gmpite.
Capture of Generals Crook and
Kelley
lTrOm The wheeling RegIsisr, February 81


From the Wheeling Register, February e2
Governor Boreman yesterday received
dispatch from CumbeI land stating that abou
thirty Confederate cavalry dashed into tha
place on Monday evening and captured Maiol
General Crook aud Brevet Major Genera
Kelley, who we're at the time of the ncursior
seated in their Office at headquarters As
soon as the fact became known force OF sew
eral hundred cavalry was sent in pursuit
From passengers who left Cumberland yes
terday morning, and came here on the Balti
more and Ohio train last night we learn that
the capture was complete surprise, and one
OF the most daring feAts Of the war About
two o'clock yesterday morning fifty or sixty
men entered the town, leaving their horses
about half a mile from the corporate limits.
A squad Of four or FIVE mel entered the tele-
graph office and arrested the operator, and in.
formed him that il he made any resistance
or attempted to give any alarm,
he was dead man. The cpe.
rator was given a seat in one corner Of the
telegraph Office, and the men Immediately
destroyed all the telegraphic instruments,
batteries, &c, and cut all the wires This
accomplished, they seated themselves and
awaited the signal for departure. While
this work was going on, squad of ten OF
twelve men entered the Revere House
passed through the hall, unobserved, and
went to General Crooks room. The Gene.
raj was in bed, sound asleep, when his room
door was opened and the men politely
informed him that they had received march
ing orders for him, and gave him to under
stand that he was to prepare TO leave loT
Richmond Immediately The General saw
there was no use to offer resistance, and
hasti y made preparations for HE departure.
He was escorted to the street. placed on q
horse, and taken to the outer part o! the
town, where he met Gen. Kelley and Captain
Thayer Melvin, of his staff, who iH like
manner bad been taken from the st. Nicho.
las Hotel. The party was soon Joined by
the telegraph Office squad, and prisoners
and captors rode off at rapid speed. While
in Cumberland, the Southern troops took
fresh horses from the Government sta-
bles, and left their jaded and worn out ami
mails on the borders of the town. The tele-
graph operator was bound hand and foot snd
the door OF his office, and all the doors leading
therefrom, we're locked and not until about
an hour and half alter the raiders had es
capped, was the operator able to give the alarm.
he succeeded in releasing himself, broke
open the doors, and hAstened to give the
alarm A force OF two or three hundred cav
airy were Immediately started in pursuit, but
mp to last accounts nothing had been heard
from them. There we're at the time between
five and six thousand Federal troops stationed
in and around Cumberland, and that two gen
erals, quartered in the very heart OF the town,
could be seized aud carried of, is one Of the
strangest things ever heard Of The Federal
Pickets on duty we're all captured by the raid
ers and taken prisoners, thus preventing any
alarm being given. 1t is supposed the force
and that they wished TO capture General
Crook as a retAliatory measure for the cap
ture Of their leader The town Of Cum
berlRnd was thrown into tho greatest excite.
ment when the fact Of the capture became
known