The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-05-23

Who Slew Capt. Dick Aslsby?
wAsnIYGToN, d. c., May Il. 1sso.
To the Editor Of The Sunday Herdd:
SIR: Your usually correct and always in
teresing correspondents 'Gaih - In his last weeks
letter, makes the statement that Capt. Dick Ashby
killed while trying to arrest private citizen.
Now til" inference naturally drawn from this asscr
tion is That Capt. Ashby was killed by civilian,
which is vide of the truth. II Is true, however, that
the obiec of the movement In which Asliby was en-
gagged Wien he received his death wounds was the
'gatherlng up Of some of those ''pestilcnt
fellows - called "Union men, who had rendered
themselyc particularly obnoxious to the rebels because
Of their unfinchng devotion to the Of the
Union. But the unexpected arrival upon the scene
of action of squad of Federal soldiers necessiated
a change of tactics the part Of Aslby: and the
glitterng weapons of his gallant troopers, which were
wont to errify Jefenseess citizens into quiet sub
| mission, were destined ere long to he used In real
earnest In combating an attack of "worthy foe
| men, Many accounts of this remarkable engage
ncn have, from time To time, appeared In print, but
| those of them That have read grossly misrer-
resent the truth that am tempted In the Interest of
the truth Of history to ask permission to lay before
| the readers of THE HERALD the "unvarnislicd
| facts.' Being n member of Col Wa'lace's reg-
ment WAS present at Cumberland Mt the time Of the
engagement AMI the leading incidents connected
with 1t are still fresh In my memory.
III the month of June 1861, while the Eleventh lii
diana Infantry, Col. Lew Wallace, stationed at
Cumberland, Md, the rebel scouts and .ucrras on
| the Virginia side of the Potomac quite active
and troublesome. The unlonsts of the border coun-
| ties OF Mineral and Hampshire were constantly ha-
| rassed by them And they We're also In the habit Of
rading across the river into Maryland abusing peace
ably disposed citizens and destroying and carrying of
private property, and seriously Obstructing and en-
dangerng travel over the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
| road and the Chesapeake and Ohio canal In this
| emergency Col Wallace conceived the idea Of organ
| izlng mounted scouting party to watch the move
| mens of the marauders. This party was composed
| Of picked man from each OF the ten companies oi
tho regiment, and was placed under the command OF
| Corporal David B Hay, Of Company A. 'Dave "
was of splendid physique daring yet discreet, and
possessed Of an indonitabc will. Add to these his
experience soldier In the Mexican war, and you
have man whose selection the leader OF this little
| band seemed eminently wise. The party was wei
mounted, and Immediately entered upon active duty.
| The men "armed To the teeth, - so to speak.
Each had either Iiarper's Ferry, Springfield, Oi
| short Enfield rifle, and Navy revolver. think,
too, that most II not all OF them were provided viii
| large bowie knives,
Upon the scouts OF CorporaI Hay pariy-JuuC
| ga detachment Of the seventh Virginia Cavalry,
better known ast the " Black Horse Cavalry, ~ under
| command Of capt. Dick Aslby, was encountered at
pOint the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, not far from
Kelleys Island "a long aud narrow island In the roo
| mae eight miles below Cumbeilaud.) The prowess o
| these famous troopers known all the land
and the mdianans had long wished To ''measur,
| swordsr with them, JIere was their opportunity
Aud each realizing that his personal reputation
and tho credit Of his State AT stake, determine,
tO do his level best. 10 strike his hardest blows VIII
this feeling the boys closed on the enemy, and, ate
emptylng their rides aud rcyolyers at short range,
desperate hand To- hand contest 0nsued, The scene
as described by the returned participants was eSc
| ing In the extreme. The personal combat betwecI
CAPT. Asbby and Corporal Hay was particularly
| fierce. They were both unhorsel early In the fight
10th were Of powerful physique, aud rapid and heay
were the blows they exchanged. In the contest hshb
received fatal wounds and died few days aiterward
July 3, believe, while Hay carried fIom the ne
disabled At this stage of the action while tho lndi
anans held the field, the Nirginians reinforced b.
detac chnlent from their regiment lod by Lieut., Col
| Ashby, capt. Ashby's brother. II happened tia
col. A shby WAS making scout In a direction 0the
than that Of his brother, and, hearing hrpg In ia
direction taken by the latter FASTENED Ia and Ieaco
| the scene Of action very upporunely. The hye or n
remaining Indilnans, now confronted by greatly supc
| rior numbers, fell back 10 kelloy's Island whcr
they made a stubborn stand To enable their woundc
comrades TO reach the Federal lines In safety. Her
John g. HOllenbeck, tho representative of oompan
| b. was killed. The little band being now nearly sur
rounded and without ammunition dispersed Iroug
the woods la order to escape capture. within a da
or two they reached camp AT Cumberland relleyln
the anxiety of their friends, who feared they had bee
either Killed or captured.
In addition to the killing Of Private II Ioenbock
and the woundlng of Corporal Hay, some tlrc
or four others Of the party received slight wound'
The Confederate loss waa, according TO CurTospou
dent of the Richmond IPhig, who by the way wg
chaplain OF Ashby's regiment three allied, on
Capt Ashby) mortaily wounded, and seven seyerc
wounded. Poor llollenbcck's body WAS recoycrc
and buried with military honOrs In Cumberland
pretty little cemetery.
Corporal Hay, the hero of the fght, was rewarde
for his gallantry by being promoted to leutenanC