Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-12-26
MOSBY, THE GUERILLA.
SOME LIVELY INCIDENTS OF HIS CAREER
In VIRGINIA.
How Plucky Grl Saved an Indiscrest Lieutenant
from an Ambush-Ths Stirring Adventures
and Death Of Union Dssertsr.
Boston GLOBE.

Colonel John >. MoSDy, the celeoIdVe'
Confederate raider, relates some interest
ing incidents of his work in Northern Vir
GINA, in the San Francisco Call. with
in few weeks after began operations Il
Northern Virginia" he says, Il received
aceessions to my command from variou
sources. The Confederate Government di'
not mount the cavalry, but paid each mai
forty cents day compensation for the us
of his horse When the trooper lost HI
horse, or it became disabled, be was giVel
furlough to 90 and get another. A grea
many of this class Of men came to ME, t
whom would furnish captured horses II
consideration of their going wit
me on a few raids. l made
proposition to mount all the dismounte'
men of Fitz-Hugh Lees brigade if the.
would be allowed to serve with me shor
time. 1t was declined and they were sen
over to Fuquier, under command OF al
ambitious officer, who thought, like San
Patch when he went over GenesSe falls
that some things could be done as we'll
Others. Reports of my forays, which hat
been almost universally, had spread
through the army, and it seemed after thu
thing had been done, TO be very easy Il
surprise and capture cavalry outDosts
The result at this attempt at imitation wa
that all the dismOuntd men were returned
as prisoners of war, via Fort Monroe
the mounted officer who commanded
them alone escaping capture. About
this time | receive valuable re-
cruit in the person of Sergeant
Ames of the Fifth New York Cavalry, who
deserted his regiment to join me. l never
really understood what his motives were ii
doing so. never cared to inquire. The
men of my command insisted that l should
treat him simply as q prisoner and send
him back to Join many of his comrades
whom | had sent to Richmond. After q
long conversation with him | felt an In
stinctive confidence in his sincerity. He
came to me ION foot, but proposed to re,
turn TO camp and mount himself II would
receive him. 1t happened that a young
man named walter FARMLAND was pres
ent, who had also come to me unmounted.
With my consent they agreed to walk down
to Fairfax that night, enter the cavalry
camp on foot, and ride out on two OF the
best horses they could find. At the same
time l started off on an expedition in an
other direction.
We then proceeded on toward Fryingpan,
where had heard that cavalry picket
was stationed and waiting for me to come
after them. | did not want them to be
disappointed in their desire to visit Rich
mond. When | got within mile OF II
and had stopped for few minutes to make
my dispositions for attack, observed two
ladies walking rapidly toward me. One
was Miss Laura Radcliffe, a young lady tc
whom Stuart had introduced me few
weeks befOrc-when returning from his
raid on Dumfres-with her sister. Theil
home was near Fryingpan, and they had
got information of plan to capture
me and were just going K
the house of citizen to get him tC
put me on my guard when fortune brought
them across my path. But for meeting
them my life as partisan would have
ended that day. There was IA cavalry pos
in sight ut Fryingpan, but near there, il
the pines, large body of cavalry had beer
concealed. 1t was expected that would
attack the picket, but that my momentar!
triumph would be like the tabled DeaC
Seas fruit-ashes to the taste-as the party
in the pines would pOunce from their hid
ing place upon me. A garrulous lieutenan
had disclosed the plot to a young lady
never dreaming that she would wall
through the snow TO get the news to me
This was not the only time during the wa
when | owed my escape from danger to tn
tact of a Southern woman.
On my return to Middleburg | fOunt
Ames and FARMLAND there i'll advance o
me. They had entered the camp of thu
Fifth New York Cavalry at night on foot
and had ridden out on two of the fines
horses they could find in the stables
They had passed in and ont without eve
having been mOlested or challenged by ;
sentinel. Ames had not time to exchange
his suit of blue for a gray one, but Frank
land was in full Confederate uniform. Il
was perfectly Legitimate enterprise, Ger
tainly as open and bold as the capture il
the night time of the Palladium OF Troy by
Ulysses and DiOmede. But still the mel
we're not satisfied of Amcs' good faith
franklin because he wanted to entraI
us all at one time. A few days
after that, | once more put him to test
which convinced the men of his truth and
fidelity. He seemed to burn with an i'm
placable feeling of revenge toward his ole
companions in arms. But ! never had 9
truer or more devoted follower. He was
killed in skirmish in October, 1864, anG
carried the secret of his desertiOn TO the
grave had made him lieutenant, anG
he had won by his courage and genial de-
pertinent the respect and affection OF my
men. They all sincerely mOurned hi,
death. Since the war have often passed
his lonely grave in clump of trees on the
very spot where he fell. The soldier who
killed him was in the act of taking his arms
off, when one of my own men rode up anC
shot him. Ames is prominent figure il
the history OF my command.
1t was my habit to either 90 myself
with one OrtwO men, or to send scouts, OF
to find out some weak and exposed place
in the enemy's line. l rarely rested fol
more than one day at a time. As soon a:
l knew of point offering a chance for {
successful attack, gathered my men to-
gether and struck blow. From the rap
idity with which these attacks were deliv,
cred and repeated, and the distant point.
at which they were made, most eXag
gerated estimate Of the number of my
force was made. / have before spoken OF
John Underwood, 10 whose courage and
skill as a guide was so much indebted
for my earlier successes. He was equally
at home in threading thick
labyrinth of pines in Fairfax OIL
leading a charge. He was among
the first everywhere, and always reward,
ed his zeal. About this time l had sem
him down on a scout, from which he re
turned informing me that picket of thir
ty or forty cavalry had been placed al
Herndon station on the Loudon and Hamp
shire railroad. This was the very plac,
where l had got the suffers wagon tn,
week before. | could hardly believe it
thought it must be another trap-for
could not imagine why such a number O
men should be put there, except for tn,
purpose of getting caught. Ihad supposed