Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-08-08
Augusta Troops the First il the Field
in 1861.

WERE STARTED TO HARPER FEHNA.
&C., &C., &C.
The writer in the Richmond "lnte Ill
gencer" continues this week his interest,"
ing "reminiscences of the exciting scenes IN
which Augusta county was foremost ana
which Immediately preceded the civil war.
We published from them last week the man
ner in which the Virginia secession conven-
ton was influenced, and this week we
give an extract relating how active hes
tilities were commenced in Virginia ny
county troops: =
After the adjournment OF the meeting
at the Exchange, Capt. Imbodan, IN COM
pany with Col. Fontalne, drove to the
Governors Mansion and found Gov Letch.
er in the act of going to bed, wien Capt.
said him: well sir, we have
the movement
TO TAKE HARP ER's FERRY.
Gov. Wise is at the bead of it, and
have called to inform you Of the fact. ana
to request that the very moment you feel
free to assume the responsibility of giving
military orders that you sanction this as
a State movement, for whilst We have
made UP our minds to take the arsenal aud
secure the arms at Harper's Ferry, we
NAV. and probably will, have fight, and
it would not be pleasant if any Of us should
fall into the hands of the United States to
be swung up to tree rs volunteer lnsur-
gents. intend you shall know our pur-
pose, and believe you will back us as soon
as you CAM" The Governor smiled and
said Il suppose if you succeed none OF
YOU will be hung You shall hear from
me tomorrow" Understanding the Gov
ernor really to approve the movement, be-
cause he had given an order to Capt. Inn
bnden late in the evening for two Hundred
rounds of six-pounder fixed ammunition.
which had been sent to the depot OF the
Central railroad. and also eighty stand OF
Enfield rifles, which Capt. Imboden was
entrusted with to take to "a Martinsburg
company. organized, but not armed, the
Captain babe him good night" with full
confidence that legal orders would follow
rounds Of fixed ammunition was issued
ssfor target practice''-sO the order read.
On leaving the Governors, Capt. limbo
den proceeded to the telegraph office, and
sent message to Stanton ordering his
company, "The Staunton Artillery,"t to be
prepared to march at any time the next
day april 17th) to laid IN the capture OF
Portsmouth Navy gard" and to send for
ward their guns to Gordonsville by attach
ing fats to the m orning passenger train
from Staunton. He also telegraphed Col.
Regiment Virginia Volunteers, urging him
to call them out, or, at least, s'The West
Augusta Guard"-a magnificent company
of infantry at Staunton, previously COM
manded by Col. Baylor as captain, and
which was, in fact, the nucleus around
which the Fifth Regiment was formed,
afterwards so distinguished as part Of
the s'Storewall Brigade
Capt. Imboden left Richmond for Staun-
ton early on the morning of the 17th He
had indicated PORTSMOUTH Navy-yard"
as the objective point in his dispatch, fear
ing that the wires might leak and excite a
movement from Washington to defend
Harper's Ferry. The precaution was nee
essary, for one of his coadjutors abiding
imprudently to their enterprise on the
train, the next morning. a passenger made
the effort to telegraph to Washington, but
his dispatch was intercepted. Great ex-
citement was caused at StauntOn when
Capt. Imboden's kilograms were made
public on the morning of the 18th. s'The
Staunton Artillery,''- guns-and the
'West Aug usta Guard were in readiness
to march by noon. Thousands of people
1ocked to town to see them off. Scores of
young men volunteered to join the s'Artil-
lery." and
ITS ROLL WAS RUN UP DURING THE DAY
FROM ABOUT 80 TO 14O MEN.
Others were then refused, and they Joined
the ''Guards.'' The cannon went forward
under detachment early in the day. Just
east of the Blue Ridge Tunnel the rain
had caused heavy slide, and several
hours were lost awaiting the up-traln, to
which the gdns were transferred in the
afternoon, and switched off the track to
await the train with the full company
which was expected along towards night
Some one aG Staunton questioned the le-
| gality of the orders. Geo. W. 1mbOden,
afterwards the colonel of the Eighteenth
Virginia Cavalry, to quiet the apprehen-
sions of the doubling, telegraphed his
brother, Capt. 1mboden, at GordOnsville,
| to know if the "orders came from the
Governor" John A. Hartman. who was
on the train, heard the message-boy in
curing for Capt. Imboden on the arrival
Of the train at Gordonsville, and received
from him the dispatch, and read it. With
out consulting Capt. Imboden, or even
telling him he had such message, he an.
swered it in the name Of Capt. Imboden-
1.-THE orders are from the Governor -
After leaving GordOnsville some time
had done, and the two agreed that it no
Staunton they would have to
FALL BACK UPON GOV. WISE,
as the Governor" under whom they were
acting. They did hot reach staunton till
about P. NJ, owing to the slide above
mentioned. There they found the two
companies ready to embark. and only
awaiting Capt. Imbcden's arrival That
officer could hardly make his way through
the crowd, so eager were the people to
hear what was going on. He found Maj.
Gen. Kenton Harper, and Brig. Gen. VIM.
FL. Hartman. and Col. William S. HI. Bay
lor IN full uniform awaiting him. Three
more gallant spirits never ived-twO,
Hartman and Baylor, were slain during
the war, and Harper died of disease con-
tracted in. the army. In company with
Office of Col. Baylor, locking out the
crowd, and intending to make clean
breast of it, about the orders. How
ever, as soon as the door was closed Har-
per drew from his pocket a telegram re-
ceived an hour before, to this purport:
'sCall out all the volunteers of your
military district and proceed at once to
Harper's Ferry and take possession Of the
arsenal. See Imboden for details.
''(Signed) JOHN LETcHER,
Governor"
Gen Harper eagerly inquired for all the
information Imbodeh could give him.
And within an hour had the two compa-
MES embarked-issued orders to all the
other companies of the Fifth Regiment,
in Augusta county, to follow next day.
Gen. Harper went down the Valley direct
ly to Winchester. Gen. Hartman took the
cars and was in command till the expedi-
ton reached Winchester, several compa-
MES having joined it on the way. The
trains bearing these troops went by way
of Gordonsville and Manassas Junction
to Strasburg, reaching the latter place
early on the 18th, and by night had march
ed eighteen miles to Winchester, where
Gen. Harper had collected cars enough to
convey them to Harper's Ferry that night.
The Federal commander at that place
bearing of the expedition,
EIREn THE ARSENAL. AETER MIDNIGHT