The Portland daily press., 1892-01-18
stonewa1l's methods, however, called for


other qualities in a cavalry commander,
| and in carrying out his chieftain's policy
| to always mystify, mislead and surprise
the enemy" Ashby was as cunning as he
was reckless at other times. In Jackson's
one disastrous battle, Kernstown. March
90, 1862, Ashby played a mastery game
| Ali day on the 22d he skirmished with his
enemy, Shields, drawing him farther and
| farther from his supports. On the 30
jackson had his infantry on the field and
| the battle opened. Ashby WAS statio1ed IN
| front Of the Union right wing with
meager force of cavalry, four infantry com
panies and one battery. jackson led the
main body of his infansry against the
| Union right and was bloodily repulsed
Ashby held his own and covered Jackson's
| retreat.
Soon after the Kernstown fight jackson
learned that an army under Fremont was
moving on his rear from West Virginia
with the purpose of entrapping him between
two foes-one from the lower and one from
the upper end of the valley. AS he was not
strong enough to cope with both, he re-
solved to disappear with part of his troops,
! go around Fremont's column and head it
| off, then turn against Banks, who WAS on
the other front. Ashby took the task
of keeping up chatter in the old lines
facing Banks while Jackson was away, and
succeeded to perfection. jackson fought
Fremont's advance at Mcdowell on May
| g. Banks meanwhile actually retreating
before Stonewalls shadow, which Ashby
caused to hang over the valley.
With Fremont disposed of for a time
Jackson turned again to Banks. The Whole
force marched down the valley toward
how low hohf ind
cations, and Ashby pressed the Union out
posts, feigning attack. Then with sudden
dash he appeared miles away on the Union
left and rear between Front Royal and
| Strasburg. His instructions were to cut
| the telegraph and railroad so as to isolate
Banks army, but in carrying out these
orders he met opposition from several com
panies of infantry guard posted along the
track. Although his enemy was sheltered
by buildings, fences and the high railroad
embankment, Ashby attacked i'll saddle,
and was at first successful. He burned the
Buckton railway station, destroyed the
wires and tore up rails, and then turned
upon the guards who had concentrated
across his pathway to the Union rear
Hoping to stampede his opponents, Ashby
called upon his men to follow and rode
over fences and bitches up the embank
ment, relying upon saber and pistol to cope
with rifle and bayonet Three times the
charge was repeated, and two of Ashby's
captains fell byhis side before he gave up
the contest.
The remainder of the campaign, so dis
astrous to Banks, was an inglorious one
for Ashby's cavalry. For some reason the
men, with few exceptions, fought on their
own hook and but IL handful rallied around
their leader to follow up and harass Banks
retreating column.
When, in turn, jackson made his retreat
up the valley few days later to anticipate
Fremont's column that was threatening
the rear, while Gen. Shields pressed the
Confederate front, Ashby made skillful
defense with the rear guard. One day a
Union battery advanced close enough to
stampede the cavalry and infantry of the
guard with volley Of well aimed shells.
This stroke was followed up by charge
of Union cavalry, which Ashby repulsed
by personally leading small ambush
party made up Of stragglers that lowered
in the wake of the column.
In an affair of this kind Ashby ended his
career at Harrisonburg, June6. Fremont's
advance, under Cen George D. Bayard,
was pressing Ashby's guard closely, and
huc lcts<lllS ocCdCulIiCAC Was successfully
ambushed and it's leader, Col. Percy Wynd-
ham, captured. Col. Kane's Pennsylvania
Bucktails were behind Wyndham, and
Ashby laid another ambush for them, aud
with two infantry regiments attempted to
strike the Union column in the flank.
Kane's men, however, delivered the first
fire. and Ashby, who bravely rode at the
head of his men, was shot down almost in
stantly. So it was with him as with his
chieftain, Stonewall; with "Jeb'' Stuart
also, and with our own Kearny, and with
the ill starred Bayard himself few
months later. Death came not in the ideal
way of some grand hurricane of battle, but
in a trivial collision that counted for moth
ing in the final result. Had Ashby lived it
is quite probable that the Shenandoah val
ley would have become the theater Of ex-
ploits as startling as those which in the
west made Forrest renowned as the great
est volunteer general of his time.
GEORGE l.. kILMER.