Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-06-14
From the Baltimore Sun
THE ASHBY BROTHERS,.
Sketches Of their Lives.

THE WAR AND THE PART THE ASHBYS
TOOK IN IT-CAPT. ASHBY'S DEATH
NEAR CUMBERLAND-THE BOLIVAR
HEIGHTS AND THE BATH CAMPAIGN
TURNER ASHBY'S BRILLIANT SER
VICE-HIS LAST NIGHT ON EARTH
CAPTURE OF SIR PERCY WYNDHAM-
ASHBY'S DEATH AND BURIAL, ETC.
The unveiling In Stonewau Gene
terry, Winchester, Va, June 9Th, of a
monument over the grave Of Turner
Ashby aud Richard Ashby renders a
sketch of the lives Of these devoted broth
ers and noted cavalrymen altogether
appropriate. Col. Turner Ashby, the
father of Turner and Richard Ashby,
was the child of John and Mary Ashby,
of Fauquier county, Va, and married
Dorothea F., daughter Of James and
Elizabeth Green, of Rappahannock
county, Va. From this marriage sprung
ut Rose Bank, in Fauquier county :
Elizabeth, born July 4, 1925 James
Green, born July 13, 1927 Turner, born
October %, 1928 Mary, born June 26,
1880 Richard, born October 2, 1881 ,and
Dorothea F., born November Is, 1885.
Thus, had Gen. Turner Ashby lived
until the 25th of October, 1851. he would
have been SO years of age, but yielding
up his young life on the 9Th day of
June, 1862, he was not quite IS years of
age when he was killed, in all the
strength and promise of manly prime.
He inherited from his father, Col. Tur-
ner Ashby, an officer of the war of 1872,
a love of arms, amounting well-nigh to
a passion. When he was mere lad of
six or seven summers his father died,
and thus, as in majority of cases when
men distinguish themselves, did wid-
owed mother coin the character and fix
t le mould of HIM whose life is here
sketched. Mrs. Ashby employed good
teachers for her children at her delights
full home, where her boys we're taught,
like the young Medes In the days or
Cyrus, to ride, to shoot and to speak the
truth. Here it was. in this sweet home
of his mother. that he feltthe coinage of
those safeguards which went SO far to-
wards the preservation of that purity of
inner life which gave him such strong
hold on all those admitted into close re-
lations with him. Possessed of manly
aud unselfish spirit, in his habits he
was retiring, grave and thoughtful.
i9s was very fond of books and general
" preferred history. After he became
ms.l for some time he lived with his
mother. but after while be bought a
farm within rifle shot of old Rose Bank.
He nsrted his new home "Wolf's
Crag," 2ad here he lived until ne was
called to take his place in the lists of
1 death. Ia politics, Gen, Ashby was
what was known as an ''old line whig,"
believing that the weight of conserva
ton Law with that party, and the last
vote he cast was for Bell and Everett.
! THE BROWN RAID.
| When on the 17th of October, 1859.
John Brown made hissraid on Harper's
/ Ferry, young Ashby Immediately col
. lected q company of mounted men and
rode day and night until he reached
that border now so Intimately assOciat-
ed in its incidents with his name. He
often renarke ed that the war began not
At Fort Sumter In 1861, but at Har-
per,s Ferry in 1859 At this eventful
period in Virginia's history began that
friendship between Stonewall jackson
and Turner Ashby which confined till
bv death they were separated. The
Measure with which Jackson in after
days sou ght to honor Ashby argued the
fnlIest confidence in him as. at the head
of his cavalry, the right man in the
rirIlt place. When the Brown raid was
over Ashby's company presented him
| with a beautiful sword and an elegant
service of silver in testimony ofthelove
and admiration they had for him
THE WAR AND THE PART AsHBY TOOK
| IN 1T.
4 Gen. Ashby was no sscessionlst, bu'
1 q revolutionist in the fullest sense OF the
term, Just as soon as Sumter was free
! into. or rather just as soon as Lieuten'
4 ant Catesby Jones commenced the des-