Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-10-30
IMBODEN'S CAVALRY.
4 Days Stern Chase in the Shenan.
doah Valley.
Daredevil Dash OF Harry CiImoFess
wild Horsemen-A sabre that
Looked Long a. q
Fence Rail.
Washington Republican

Washington Republican,
1.-THE Johnnies had some pretty derned
smart officers during the war; said the ms
jor. "Imboden was one of them. He was q
smashing good soldier, had the true instincts
Of cavalryman, and was as much at home
IN the saddle for three days ride to raid an
outpost as be would have been playing bean
poker for apple brandy in q crossroads
grocery in the Shenandoah mountains.
"On the morning Of Oct. IS 1858, not an
hour after SUNRISE had nv batteries out
drilling. on the high ground at the western
foot Of Maryland heights, across the Potomac
when / heard guns to the southwark, away
beyond Bolivar, and riding out to the redoubt
above the river was signaled in a short time
70 come at once with my command to head
quarters, Col. Revere Of the Tenth Maryland,
receiving the same orders. Igave the same
Instructions to battery commanders, and
started off at once with lieutenant and our
orderlies and in half an hour or so reported.
No one yet knew the trouble, but the lookout
froVi Bolivar heights located the firing at or
very near Charlestown, and Col Wells of the
Thirty-fourth Massachusetts, infantry was
started out, Miners Indiana battery with
which went, and Coles battalion Of the
,avalry accompanying.
I'VE soon found out what the trouble was
| Cen j. ID. lniboden, with small force OF
cavalry, perhap, 800, and section Of artil-
lery had started from Berryville at 0 clock
that Sunday morning, nearly twenty miles
away, and marched to CharlestowIl, where he
| arrived about sunrise, and succeeded In sur
rounding the place before d single officer or
man discovered the least sign Of his ap.
proach.
| ImLoden demanded surrender, but Col
| Simpson Of the Ninth demanded an hour for
consideratiorI--probably wanted to drill his
troops Inboden wouldn't have that, and
sent word that he would give five minutes
before be opened fire, and advised Simpson
t. send the women and children out of the
way. Simpson answered CALAMITY to Take
me if you can," and firing at once began.
| Imbpden had his guns posted within two
squares Of the court house, and they were
served so well that in less than five minutes our
| people got out in the streets and tried to skip
out for Harpers Ferry. Just at the edge OF
! town Imboden's brother and Harry Gilmore
met them, and after firing only one volley
| our troops downel their arms and surren-
| dered-not TO single man, however for Mt |
the first shot Col. Simpson, his lieutenant |
colonel. whose name don't recollect, AMI |
five other mounted officers lit cut, got through |
the rebs, and reached Bolivar heights
"Well, in not much more than two hours |
after the first shot was fired Col Wells bad |
pushed his command so hard that we
Jumped into Imboden, who had cen |
hastily improving his time in gathering |
together his prisoners and the consider |
able quantity of plumber he had secured in |
the way Of arms, ammunition, accoutre-
ments and supplies, and had started them of |
to the southwark on the Berryvilie pike.
1T was not long before matters began to
warm up and the game began, and the
fighting all that beautiful day was kept up
in echelon, almost as regularly if French |
general Of brigade was exercising in tactics
section of the battery was limbered to tn,
front couple Of hundred yards at the gallop,
supported 10y portion of the other troops,
and a hot engagement would follow for
twenty, or ten, or five minutes. the case
might he, Imboden resisting enough
TO check continual movement for
ward and retiring as the other sec
tons and portions of the command
came up and passed on to right or left so
that for most of the time there was continu-
Gus fighting over almost every inch Of the
way from Charlestown to point few miles
below Berryville, when the night came on
"Once late in the afternoon. at point
somewhere between Fairfield blacksmith
shop, grocery, etc. and Berryville. Miner
had gone into battery with all its guns in a
rolling field off to the right of the road,
where Imboden made what threatened to be
n determined stand. as the ground was all he
could have wished for IL he had picked it out.
our front Close by our right, and 400 or
800 yards from the road was a patch Of
woodland that seemed to have been well
thinned out, and had thick second growth
of scrub pine that you SO often see III tir.
ginia, and apparently impassahle say
apparently advisedly. for | had ridden over
to The margin OF the woods and could see no
trace of road, either wagon or bride path.
The guns wore well al work. and Miner
was short Of officers | was directing one Of
his sc tons, when, with a whoop and
O yell. out Of that thick underground lit
tie 10 the rear, came a couple of Harry Gill
more suuadrors, with that daredevil sabieur
leading them, straight down on us. every
man with his saber pommel at the thigh and
looking as il there was whole division Of
them wasn't more than fifty yards away,
and of course it didn't take long for them to
get there Josh
Our support at the time was one Of Coles
troops and two companies Of tie Thirty
fourth. and the rush was sudden and I'M
looked for--an episode. in fact. that the
support gave way and Gilmore made straight
for the guns. | was dis!nounted at the time,
and actually, before any thing could ba done,
they rode right over and past the guns,
sabers slashing and pistols firing As they went
j bad been Juggling like hazes at my huge re-
volver-army pattern, weighing as much as n
carbne almost-but couldn't get the
blamed thing out, and as they rode over us
long legged. rcd headed fellow made
vicious slash at me over the wheel with his j..
sabre promptly lodged under tie muzzle
of the gun, and he didn't reach me. much to
nv satisfaction.
"FourS left WHEEL, rang out, AMI hack
they came before you could draw breath
with any satisfaction, and when they did laid
for the son OF saber that reached for me
before. for | had got out Inv gun by this
time. and got around in the rear Of the piece
by the trail ! didn't see my red-headei
friend, but happened to look up suddenly
Just as n handsome. dark-moustached young | s
stcr. boy in looks. was making point to
run me through. Dem my buttons. gentle
men, but if that s,ber didn't look as long
as fence rail. and as bright as an
electric light. I'll let my pay this month q
go into the conscience fund Ii seemed to
me as if Just stood still half an hour look
ing at it; but that just fancy, for I
dropped fiat under the gun axle and the boy
swept on past. BY this time the support had
rallied and began work. and in n second or
two we wheeled gun round a it stood a
stand of canister emptied q couple Of sad
dies and the thing was practically over.
But il warm weather for the moment.
As far as my experience and observa- ,
ton GU. that dash OF Harry Gilmores was ]
the hanisomest thing Of the kind that took
place during thu war You see ne and his
men knew ever, blessed inch of that whole =
country. and had just slipped around our
flank 10y an almost unnoticeahie bride path.
Id like to run across that young fellow some
time, if he pulled through the war alive, and =
talk that over l would like TO know just