Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-09-08
a Ssory~Eof the Civil Var
CAPTURE OF MAJOR GENERALS
GEORGE CROOK AMI b. r.. KEEL


accurate ny sprigg Lynn, one q
After the death Of Capt. Join
Hanson Mcneil. MORALLY BspnpGed
near Mis~Jack sbsidgF,. igAthe
Valley nf Virginia, October y, 1864,
In a5y f0t on Il company f0fa tile
Twelfth Pttnsylvauia CsVally, his
son Jesse, then Il first litntenaut of
the company (. aNfbiii0us ~
promotion .determinFd % attempt
the cart ufe VI MajeF Generals Crook
and Kely,then iDscommand OF the
Federal forces az Cumberland, Nd.
s. s. Lynh, II native 0 the place,
having previously penetrated into
the very heart of the city on four
different occasions, obtained thor
ough infoi nation as to the number
of the troops in Cumberland, the
location of the various headquarters,
pickets, dc and reported TO Major
Hany Gilmor, stationed at Moore
fold, West Virginia. John b. Fay
and g. Richie Hell er, a young
Missourian, were sent by Mcneil
to procure similar information,
which they obtained through George
stanton, iu the employ 81 The Bal
timofe ard Ohio Railroad Company.
With this fund Of knowledge they
returned and reported the facts to
k4ieyt. Mcneil The command,
then in camp ten miles north Of
Moore field, was ordered about noon
on tie DIST of February, 1865, to
march rapidly toward Cumberland,
a ..f IA
the south Branch near Rooney,
and feeding their horses at Boss
Herred :, farmer, the command
crossed Middle Ridge and struck
The, Nobley Mountain road at its
base. and crossed the mountain to
the North Branch of the Potomac
at a point five miles west of Cum
beriand. Here the command was
halted almost within pistol range of
a cavalry picket A portion Of the
command, composed of Lieut. Nc
Neill, Fay, Lynn, Vandiver,
Kuykendall, Daley and Nichols,
went to the house of Mr.. j. d. Brady,
where consultation was held.
Here SicNeiii courage failed
him, and he proposed to capture the
pickets and return. and gave as a
reason that he was afraid it was too
late to do more than this before day
light Fay & Lynn vehemently oppos
ed this, and the command was speedy
pushed forward again. Lynn here
took the advance alone, with the
advance'guard in mailing distance
lin the rear. just below the three
mile water station on the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad the first cavalry
picket post composed of three men,
was encountered. 'sHalt: Who
comes there?" Friend without
the countersign, bearing important
dispatches to Gen. Kelly" was
Lynn'S response. "Dismount, ad.
vance and give the conntersign. -
The words hardly escaped the sen,
tinel's lips before Lynn dashed by
the astonished picket and refined up
where the two in reserve were quiet.
iy sleeping, who were ordered to
surrender, which they promptly did.
Petting pistol In each boot, Lynn
kept his prisoners in the road until
the command came up.
n pistol shot fired by Mcneil as
Gbe first sentinel passed had but one
meaning, which was to retrace our
steps, and again the proposition was
made and as promptly repealed by
Fay and Lynn. With one voice
the whole sixty five men, composed
OF Marylanders and Virginians,
whispered, $50 ahead, we will fol
low." AT this juncture the COM
mand virtually devolyed on Fay and
Lynn, and the command was ordered
Forward. Lynn again placed him
self in advance, and at the junction
of the river road and the old pike
the second picket post was enc0unt'
cred. Again rang out IN the frosty
air, Halt Who comes there z"
@'Erlend with the countersi gn,n
'DiSmount, advance and give the
eountei sign, demanded the sentinel
on duty. Tie countersign having
been obtained from the first three
pickets, Lynn dismounted and,
leading his horse, walked to the
sentinel and whispered Bulls Cap"
in his ear. "All right" replied the
sentinel. Lynn then ordered the
advance forward, and quickly the
astonished infantry pickets, six in
number were ordered TO surrender,
which summons they promptly
oE,yed. On trying the ramrod ia
each gun it was discovered that
every gan was empty and that the
hammer of the pistol of the first
picket could not be raised. The
guns were placed on the comfortable
Jog FIRE burning in front of their
quarters and destroyed, and the
command again ordered forward.
Lynn here overheard a conversa-
ton between Mcneil, KuyEendal
and Vandiver, placing the former
in command of ten men, to secure
Gen. Kelly, and the latter Gen.
Crook, the previous arrangement
being that Lynn was to capture
Kelly and Fay Crook, in recognition