Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-01-27


in the convention. Thus a strong on
side pressure in favor of immediate 81
cession was brought to bear on the con
ventiOn, and yet it moved slowly ii
Sumpter was fired on and Mr.. Lincol
called for troops.
THE INFLUENCE or GOVERNOR WISE.
| Public excitement and the war feelin
had reached the point of explosion o
the 10th of April, and still the cOnven
ton hesitated to vote on the ordinance
Governor Wise was leading membe
OF the body and was exceedingly pop
uiar in the State. His views, as far a
they had reached the public, went far t
shape the public mind. He had urge'
| remaining in the Union, and ifa figh
came to fight in the Union and for th
Union and the rights of the States,
claiming the old flag and the constitu
ton as ours. But having failed to shape
the policy of the convention in supper
of his theory. and seeing the war wa
inevitable, he struck for secession anC
resistance to invasion of the State, ant
hit the key note of popular feeling
Therefore, nearly every one called tC
Richmond on account of the military
preparations going on conferred with
Governor Wise
It so CHANGED that on April 16, the fol-
lowing gentlemen were in the city -
Captain Turner Ashby, afterwards
Stonewalf Jackson's famous cavalry
commander (Ashby then commanded g
company Of volunteer cavalry in Fau'
quier county y Major John A Harman
of Staunton, afterwards Jackson's chie1
quarter master Captain Oliver p. Funs-
ton, Of Clark CO., af'erward a colonel of
cavalry, John S Barbour, of Culpeper
comfy. then and still president of the
line of railway from Alexandria to
Lynchburg; Colonel Edmund Fontaine,
president of the Virginia Central Rail
road Major Alfred Barbour. then late
superintendent Of Ha per's Ferry. Of
all these, bel eve no one survives to =
day except Mr. john s Barbonr I was
also present. Ear'ysn3h he ev ning.we
met in q private room at the Exchange
Hotel. having invited Governor Wise to
be present The conference was a long
and earnest Que. Enough was known
of the secret proceedings of the conven-
ton to satisfy US that vote would be
reached next day on the question of Sc
cession. A committee was appointed to
wait on Governor Letcher and urge him
that night to issue orders to enough of
the State volunteers to take Harper's
Ferry and secure the IS 600 or 10000
stands of arms there and the machinery.
When the committee laid before the
Governor their plan, he said to US that
he was pledged to the convention not to
make any military movement without
its concurrence until after vote on the
<~f to- l~nx L.
therefore could give US no orders that
night. The result of the interview with
Governor Letcher was reported to the
meeting at the hotel. 1t was our unani-
nous judgment that, from the tenor of
several kilograms sent to Governor Wise
that evening from Washington, the gov
ernment would, within q day or two,
garrison Harper's Ferry with force we
could not easily overcome, and that to
save time such of US as commanded vol
unteer troops should that night send or
ders to them to rendezvous the next day,
and take up the line of march towards
Harper's Ferry, we agreeing to act un-
der direction of Governor Wise in these
preliminary movements. The commit
tee again after midnight waited on Gov
ernOr Letcher and informed, him of our
purpose and urged him to ratify it by
his orders the next day, as soon as pos
sible after the ordinance was passed by
the convention, as we did not wish to
strike an actual blow without the legal
authority of the State, but to put our
selves in position to strike quick when
the orders came He promised com
pliance with our wishes.
THE MOVEMENT ON HARPER'S FERRY.
Immediately orders were telegraphed
by Ashby, Funston and myself to our
respective commands to be in readiness
the next day to move as part of force
to capture Portsmouth and the Navy
Yard-thus cOncealing our destination
lest a knowledge of it reaching Wash
ington might Illustrate the plan. We
also telegraphed to other military com
manders of volunteers at convenient
points 10 be in readiness to join us under
the Governors orders, next day. for a
military expedition, to be still held
secret for obvious reasons. In the wee
sma' hours ayant the twal,' we ar
| ranged with Colonel FOntsine and Mr.
Barbour for enough trains to transport
the forces via Gordonsville and Manass-
as Junction to Strasburg, and spent thu
entire night and the early part of next
morning in preparations. including the
procurement of ammunition and also
some arms from the arsenal in Rich
mond. About o'clock on the 11th we
left Richmond to join our respective
commands. My own battery and a
splendid infantry company at Staunton
were the most remote from Harper s
Ferry. l met a train at p. M. with my
field guns aboard, already twenty miles
In; to 5hY,r hn
naming at StauptOn. News of the
movement had spread all over the coun-
ty of Augusta. and thousands of people
had assembled to learn what it meant
and to wish US God speed; Governor
Letcher, true to his promise, had tele-
graphed to Staunton to Major General
Kenton Harper and Brigader General
William H. Harman, of the State mill
tia, to take the field with all their avail
able troops, and referred them to me, on
my arrival, for further details asito des
tination, etc. Before the sun went
down we were all or board the cars. un-
der General Harman, General Harper
having started for Winchester by rapid
private conveyance.
At Charlottesville and Culpeper we
We're Joined by other companies, and at
daybreak Of the 18th were at Manasa/
junction, and at 10 A. M. at StrasburE
Ashby and Funston had called out all
the cavalry Of that region and were en-
route across the country toward Harper's
Ferry. AT Strasburg the people were
astounded by our sudden appearance in
their midst. Men were sent out into all
the neighboring fields to impress horses
| from the farmers to haul my battery to
Winchester. Appeals and remonstran-
ces and threats of the law were alike
unavailing to recover the horses, which
however, we promised to deliver over to
them at Winchester that night, anC
kept our promise. much to the joy of a
swarm of farmers who followed in oul
wake on that first and weary march O
eighteen miles down the Valley pike.
THROUGH THE VALLEY.
On reaching Winchester about sunset
we were received. as we thought. yer,
coldly. No cheering as we marched
down the streets, and we learned from
General Harper, who had preceded US ,
few hours, that no provision had beer
made to feed US except such as he hat
ordered. The truth is, the people wer'
taken by surprise No telegraph thei
connected them with Richmond, excep
the line through Washington, aud o
course they had not heard that the Stat