The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-05-12
MOSBYS GREENBACK RAID.
He Captured One Hundred and Fifty
Thousand Dollars.

Mr.. Charles E. Grogan, of the
Southern Society,was lieutenant in
Mosby's command during the war.
1t only requires a reference to the
old guerrilla chiet or to the famous
raids in Loudon county to remind
MIR. Grogan of story, and the story
is always worth listening to. A
lew nights ago Mr.. Grogan was
asked by one OF his friends:
Did Mosby ever take any OF the
plurder that was captured in those
raids?
No, he replied promptly, he never
took a cen! of it. l remember one
occasion when we made a raid On
railroad train and captured SI5o.oco.
The money was divided among the
men share and share alike, but
Mosby did not take a cent OF.
Perhaps you have never heard the
story.
Of course, no one had ever heard
it in detail before, and Mr.. Grogan,
after rejecting to recall the incidents
told it as follows:
This raid is known throughout the
South as the greenback raid. 1t
was near Dulheld Station on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, be-
tween Baltimore and Martinsburg.
There were about sixty five OF us
with Mosby himself in command.
We took it into our heads to ditch a
train. thinking we'd find one full of
Yankees going 10 the front. We
hadn't the slightest idea what kind
Of luck we were going to have Or
what we would encounter.
We selected a spot where the
railroad ran between two steep
banks. There were two tracks there
and we tore up one of them. |
forget which. Presently a train
came along on the other track and
passed US. To take no more
chances, we at once tore up the
other track. Then we hid ourselves
at the top of the embankment and
waited.
Presently train came along-1
think it was moving westward-and
we all got up aud watched it.
When it came to the spot where the
rails were torn the engine quietly
turned over on her side and fell
against the embankment. The
whole thing was over in few
seconds without bit ofnoise or fuss.
Nobody was hurt except the fireman
who was killed, | believe. The cars
all remained standing.
Our men at once went through
the cars and ordered everybody ou..
There we're great many immigrants
on the train, and We had a hard
time explaining 10 them that we
wanted them to get out OF the cars.
We noticed two men who seemed
to be rather anxious about their
: baggage. One had a tin box and
the other had carpet bag. We
relieved the gentlemen OF their
burden, and to our great surprise
we found the bag and the box o.
ereenbacks and Treasury notes.
| 1t turned out that the two men were
; paymasters going to the front with
, money for the army.
! When we got this money Mosby
put it in my charge and told me te
t get across the river with it as fast a:
f l could. Two men and mysel
E Immediately set out for Loudor
, county with the money and rode
hard all night. l remember distinctly
J tha; one of the horses slipped ane
Y the rider was thrown to the grouno
e scattering the greenbacks he carried
f right and left. l remember, too
! that the other man and mysel
: laughed while he picked up the
money, and teased him,
The next morning Mosby and the
: others caught up with us and we al
y stopped under tree to divide th'
: money, which believe amounted tt
about S15o,ooo. We weren't very en-
o thusiastic about it, because we didr
e know whethes it was good for any
n thing or not. The Treasury not
were fresh from the mint and son
of them bore coupons. The m,
g called it money with tails to
r rs Mospy insisted on the money bel
Nc divided equally among the men /
ue he did not take a cent,