Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1895-12-10
Trihute to brave Men.

wards ColoneD R, W. Baylor and
sons, of this -county-of whom Lieut..
(afterwards Captain) George Baylor,
leading and popular attorney at
this place, still survives. The Reg
lister says:
Among the heroes and brave men
brought to notice by the war for our
independence, is Capt. Robert w.
Baylor, of Jefferson county, of the
18th Regiment Va. Cavalry, who has
been appointed Provost Marshal Gen.
eral of the Valley Department, and
who is now stationed in Harrison
burg. A brief reference to the SER
vices rendered the Confederate
cause by this gallant soldier and his
sons will not be regarded as out of
place, as it is our duty to assist in
transmitting to posterity the names,
the services and the sacrifices of all
who have given themselves to their
country in this her struggle for ma
tional life.
Capt. Baylor entered the service
under the heroic and lamented Ashby
at the first sound of the tocsin of war,
and has been in the harness ever
since, except when he was captured
and in the hands of the enemy. He
has had several almost hair breadth
escapes from death. He was
wounded through the lungs, sup
posed TO be mortally, near MEGA
heysville, in this county, when the
gallant Ashby was here, and was
taken prisoner by the enemy, in
whose hands he remained 20 months,
suffering the indignities. and under
going the privations which the Yam
KEGS know too well how to infict.
He was tried by Federal Court
Martial at Harper's Ferry, charged
with ''violating a flag of truce" and
with ''murder," and came within an
ace of ''going up" as such Court
found no difficulty Whatever in find
ing q gallant Confederate officer
'.guilty'' of any offence with which he
stood charged. He was found guilty
of the specification to both charges
and of both charges, and was sem
fenced ''to be hung by the neck till
he be dead, at such time and place
as the commanding General might
direct" two thirds of the members
of the Court concurring in the SEN
tence. But the proceedings in this
case we're disapproved by the Fed
eraI General commanding the De-
partment in which the trial took place
on the ground that the guilt of the
prisoner had not "been established
with such degree of certainty as"
was consistent with the supposition
of his innocence" So the neck of
the gallant Confederate Captain
slipped through the moose prepared
for it by the Court Martial. He was
accordingly discharged from custody,
and handed over to the Commissary
General of Prisoners as a prisoner of
war. This was fortunate exchange
for Capt. Baylor, as the hardships of
a Yankee prison were nothing COM
pared with the execution of the SEN
tence pronounced by the Court Mar
tiaI before which he was tried.
When or how he was exchanged, and
sent through their lines we have not
heard but it is very certain he yet
lives, and is as determined in spirit
and as unyielding as when he first
drew blade for his country's free
dom.
OF course the sons of such sire
would be brave and fearless soldiers.
Two of them have already sealed
their attachment to their country
with their blood. One of them was
slain on the 29th of November, 1868.
and the other on the 29th of Novem-
Der, 1864, in fearless charges upon
the enemy stationed not far from
where they first sew the light. Both
we're shot about the same place, and
both lived about the same length of
time after they were shot.
These two brave boys were not the
only sons this patriot father had to
offer to his country. He has another
dashing son, the gallant Lit. Baylor,
who has very recently performed
several achievements in the lower
Valley, which mark his character as
one of the bravest and most intrepid
of all our brave and gallant cavaliers.
To show that he is. indeed, ga chip
of the old block and that his
fathers blood isin his veins, we
close this article by referring to some
of the incidents which have occurred
in his career within the last five or
six weeks.
On the night of thes22d of Novem-
ber he attacked, with eight men, the
picket force at Keyes' Switch, killing
and wounding three, capturing seven
prisoners, and sixteen horses and
equipments, with no loss.
On the night of the 29th of No
vember he attacked, with twenty
seven men. the picket garrison in
Charles Town, killing and wounding
eleven, capturing thirteen prisoners
and thirtY-seven horses and equip
ments. His loss in this charge was,
killed, R. w. Baylor. his brother !;
wounded, Geo. Crayton, severely.
On the evening of the 9Th of De-
cember he attacked, with forty men,
a scouting party of two companies of
the 21st n. Y. Cavalry, ran them
three miles, killing ard wounding
fifteen, (among them the command
ing officer, and capturing twenty
eight prisoners, thirty horses and
equipments, besides some dozen or
more horses belonging to citizens of