The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1881-12-10
THE BUCKTAIL RIFLES.
WHERE THE REBEL GENERAL ASHBY FELL

F. A B., in Philadelphia Times.
HarrisOnburg is pretty little town located at
the head of the Shenandoah Valley, that great
granary Of the South through which the armies
chased each other during the rebellion, and which
furnished more supplies to the confederacy than
any other half dozen sections of its territory This
region was settled by the Hessians after the Rev
olution upon lands which General Washington
secured from Lord Fairfax and sold to then at
low price and upon easy terms. They made good
use of their opportunity and erected neat homes
upon these beautiful lands, which more nearly
resemble the best agricultural sections Of Penn
sylvania than any have ever seen in the South.
The soil is well cultivated, the farms clean, and
the buildings good. Another generation will see
the Shenandoah "alley, of which tbs section is
prominent part, one of the most beautiful agri-
cultural regions in this country.
There is hardly foot of this beautiful valley
that was not tramped over by both armies. 1t
was favorite place for the confederates to redez-
YOus in their operations against Washington and
toward Maryland and Pennsylvania. 1t was,
therefore one vast battlefield, and some Of the
hardest-fought engagements Of the war took place
over these beautiful hills and smiling wales.
When the clouds of war cleared it found this
once prosperous region desolated The torch of
war had destroyed the once beautiful homes, and
the tramp of armies had wiped out the efforts of
years and destroyed most of the evidences Of civ
ilization that had made this section of Virginia
known throughout all the land.
Great battles are not always the most interest
ing ones. There are many skirmishes and minor
engagements in all wars that are as full of inter-
+l,a1
ones that overshadOw if not entirely smother
them upon the pages of history. There never
was more truthful saying than that great
events hang upon trifing causes" An incident
and Ofttimes an accident provoked and decided
some Of the greatest events of the civil war
This fact was brought prominently to my mind in
going over the field near here where Ashby was
killed He fell here when the First Maryland
confederate regiment and the First Pennsylva-
MIA Bucktail Rifles met in an almost hand hand
engagement. 1t was not a great fight, and is
hardly mentioned in any of the prominent hsto-
ries of the rebellion, yet that little struggle was
full OF interesting situations and joined, if it did
not affect, later and more bloody events
After going over the battlefield | heard the
story of the fight from General Bradley T. John
son, one of the most brilliant and dashing of the
younger confederate officers He lived in Fred
erick, Md, when the war broke out and raised
and commanded the First Maryland confederate
regiment through the early years of the war and
in the engagement with the First Pennsylvania
Bucktail Rifles, of which / am about to write
General Johnson is now a prominent lawyer of
Baltimore and is great writer upon the stirring
events of the war. He bore conspicuous and
gallant part in many of them. He was charged
by his superior officers with the destruction of
Chambersburg and won great reputation for
his fearless daring upon many battle-felds.
Speaking of the fight of his regiment with the
Pennsylvania Bucktails, he said:
I" 1t was but short distance from Harrisonburg
that Ashby was killed. / never shall forget that
engagement 1t was, for the length of time it
lasted and the number of troops engaged, one of
the hardest fought battles of the war There
were more troops engaged than the two regiments
which finally came together in an almost hand
to-hand fight Just as we were filing into line
of battle the brigade commander called upon me
for two Companies to act as skirlnishers, and 1