Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1878-12-14
VIRGINIA FREE PRESS.
|. \. &F.F. D. GALIlHER. editors.
horlestown, Jefferson Co., W. Va.
OFFICE IN " JEFFERSON BUtLDING.
Saturday, December ID, 1878.
War "reminiscences.

MEssRs. EDITOR5 FREE Press; since
the death of Captain Blazer, which took
place few weeks ago, | have read III sew
ccral of our Valley papers notices Of his
death with comments on the statement Of
an Exchange that he Blazer, during the
war met and vanquished Col. MOsby
which statement, though not emphatically,
is implicitly denied by reference to his
capture by member of Mosby's COM
mand. 1t is true that Capt. Blazer was
captured and the most of his command
killed. wounded and captured by por-
ton of Mosby's Battalion, under command
of Capt. A. b. Richards. 1t is also true,
that Blazer, on at least two occasions,
routed portions of Mosby's command. A.
bout three months before the capture of
Captain Blazer, he and his command sur
prised and ran into the mountain, on the
East side of the Shenandoah river, near
Myers' Ford. companies A and B of Mos
by's Battalion. Capt Richards, accompa-
MED by six or seven men, left the two a.
bove named companies near the above
mentioned place, crossed the river and
struck the Berryville and Charlestown
turnpike near Ripon, where he captured
five prisoners and thirteen mules, after
which he hurried to the river to cross at
the point where he had left his command.
When riding up the river, within few
hundred wards of the ford, he and the men
with him suddenly came upon some per-
sons on the river-bank, who Immediately
began to run, and at the same time exhlb-
iting very excited state Of mind, which
was clearly presented by the shrieks Of Ia
dies of the party. Some Of the men were
forced to halt and explain the cause Of
their agitation. From them it was learn
ed that party of yankees had charged
our camp on the other side Of the river,
and had killed, wounded and captured a
number of our men, and routed the COM
mand. That yankees were in possession
of the place where Capt. Richards had
left his men was soon confirmed by shot
fired from the other side at Capt Richards
who had ridden up to the ford for some
observations. Capt Richards and the
half dozen men with him on the West side
of the river had to do the best they could
for themselves They made their escape
by Going down the river to Shannondale,
where they crossed to the Eastern side and
over the mountain Mt keyes' Gap They
saved all the prisoners, but lost five mules
which they did not so much regret as,
at one time, it was very doubtful whether
tLev would save themselves. The result
of the fight between Capt. Blazer and the
companies Capt Richards had left at My
ers' ford was not definitely known by
Can't. Richards and his party until the
next dav. when they learned that Lieut..
Joseph II. Nelson-who was in command
during Captain Richards absence-had
one Of his legs broken. and had fallen into
the hands of the enemy, two or three men
were killed and several captured. The
stampede was complete-the men scatter
ed in every direction and left Blazer IN
possession Of the field. One Of the conted-
crates. who made good his escape, but
who was pursued up the rivcr-bottom
through cornfeld, since the war gave
your correspondent a description Of the
chase. He said the ears Of corn reached
about to his knees his horse was running
as fast as he could, and the ears Of corn
he thought would surely break his knee
cans he looked at the corn, and such ears
he never saw-thcy looked as large as
Aour-barreisl he then looked little in
advance and saw a fencc,-and such a
fence,-it looked too high for the moon to
rise over but some how his horse jump
ed it. About three months after this fight
Capt. Mountj0y, Of Mosby's Battalion,
was marching down the Winchester turn
pike. between Millwood and Berrys Fer
~. When near the latter place Capt.
Blazer charged out of the woods upon him
greatly surprizing him, and pursued
him through Mr.. Burwell's Island Farm
into the S6enapdoah river, about one mile
below Berry's Ferry. The extent nf Capt.
Mountiov's loss we do not remember far
tber than the killing Of young man who
was said to have been a native Of Missouri.
Two davs after this fight with Captain
Mountioy, Capt Blazer charged Captain
Richards. who had under his command
companies A and B-the same Captain
Blazer had surprised and routed about
three months before, aud in sight OF the
place of that fight, only the river and
few hundred yards of land intervening.
This was Capt. Blazers last charge on the
confederate. Il resulted in his capture