The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-01-19
FITZ LEE FOOLED HIM
THE DiRfNG CIy.GLEY COLOsE :.
arr ORDEEs ~ THE TNEMy.
How He Pniicd the Wool Cgerthe FEEDER
O:ilcer's Eyes Gen. stuart and
Gen. Pope's Uniform.

eff 1t hadn't been quite 50 easy to pull
wool over my inexperienced German eyes
and turn my young head the old mother
Of Presidents Virginia would not have
had Bobby Lees nephew. General f'itz-
hugh Lee. for governor"
The remark was made by II. c. Kellner.
who for years has been a commercial
traveller for a Chicago tobacco house.
Kellner was an understood. beardless boy,
the whiplash end OF his c0mpany-long-
WASTED. short-necked and chubby-legged.
He is not of that measurement now. lie
is large. jolly. bright. quick witteG-clear
up with the times. what they call thor
oughbread-a man to tie 10.
why not, kellner? Could you have
beaten him IA one Of those old Dominion
campaigns they We're having ten years
ago2' asked one OF his rogimental com
rades. "Would you have run against and
defeated him If you had thought Of It
soon enOuFh?'
III | hadn't been mlsled I would have
run an ounce of lead through him.
who misied you, and when2"
"Fitz. Lee-he was a colonel then, or
lieuterant-colonel. it was at Catletts
Station, on the Alexandria and Virginia
railroad, six or seven miles from the Rap
pahannock. Colonel Lee was one of Jeb
Stuert's boidcst and most trusted raiders
az the time. I'll tell you all about It. Our
raids from Fredericksburg late IN July
and early in August and the forced march
TO help Banks after Cedar Mountain used
me up. / didn't want 10 go to the hos
pital-I never did-the name always gave
me the shivers. / begged 10 be allowed
to so with the wagon train OF the bril-
gade. one OF the drivers being a friend.
I knew he would carry my knapsack and
gun and let me ride IN case / became so
played out 7 couldn't walk
when Pope's army went tumbling back
from Culpeper Courthouse TO and across
the Rappahaunock with Lees army close
upon his heels the brigade train joined
others and was parked at Catlett's Sta
ton. one night. ] think II was August
2ith. when 10 was rainy and dark regi-
ment Of Virginia cavalry swo0ped down
upon our train. guarded by few ---i
men and a couple OF dozen Of invalids like
myself. Fortunately for us another at
tack, half mile away, had been made,
taking in POpes headquarters and bag
gage wagons That put MS on our guard
We knew by the yelling and popping there
was a raid. The Lieutenant in charge Of
the train formed us for action. When the
Johnny horsemen. the daredevil raiders.
dashed over the railroad embankment q
few rods from us, We let a strapping big
v0lley into them. u staggered them, but
they quickly reformed and came at us
again.
Il wish / could describe the scene i'm
that wagon train. parked for the night
without "A thought Of danger. Mules broke
their fastening, thrashed about and
brayed so that soldiers were In as much
danger from being trampied 70 death as
: they were of dying from sabre cuts or
carbine shots. Colored cooks plunged into
or under wagons. and come Of the men
not many of them-buried themselves un-
der sacks OF oats. II was rafting fight;
every man his own captain: each one
fighting i'm his own way. A Confederate
officers horse was killed and fell on HIS
master so as to hold him prisoner. In
the heat Of the contest a man rode up
TO a couple OF us who We're loading and
firing mt our best gait and said: Don't
shoot I'm that direction. soldiers. A regi-
ment of our men is coming up TO REIN
force us lie was on a fine white horse
After speaking he dashed off i'm the di-
rection from which he had just said re-
endorsements were coming
"rhe battle was over.
owe went to the assistance Of the Off
GER whose dead horse held him captive
=
bv the fan. After we had put him in
comfortable place he looked at me in
funny way ard asked: Dill you know
who II was that asked You not 20 fire I'm
the direction Doe went when he lett yOuY
" Was that reb?'
" The colonel of my regiment-Fitz-
hugh Lee
" Was that reb2'
That's what be- was
" Somebody ought TO shoot me. Why,
n 7 hadn't supposed he was one Of our
men 1 could have lifted him out OF the
saddle with my bayonet
" Too smart for You, Yank Look out
FOR some more surprises. Stonewal Jack
son and his foot cavalry will Doe after you
next
Now you see don't you. that II I
hadn't been fooled by Fitzhugh Lee a ia
nous Confederate cavalryman would
have gone out Of business az my hands In
1852 As it was, he lived to make our
army n heap of trouble and become gov
ern0r OF Virginia. He got 10 he a major
general and held my own-served nearly
four years as Il private. Probably II /
had killed Colonel Lee they would have
given me a pair OF shoulder-straps. But
I'm glad he fooled me, now. For ten
years. however / couldn't think how ne
I'm going 10 Richmond 10 see him some
Of these times and tell him how gene
rOusly / gave his life that dark. rainy
night I'm August tS62. AT Catletts Station.
~ thought of what the wounded officer
said about stonewali Jackson q few days
later. when word came 10 as that his
CORPS of prime marchers and hghters-his
foot cavalry" as they called themselves
had gone clear around pope's army, cut
of Ms supplies. torn up railroads, burned
bridges and slaughtered telegraph wires.
That was about as blue a time as ] had
during ny four years. 7 was weak. home
sick and expected any minute TO be picked
no and sent 90 Libby Prison. II was the
last campaign when 7 was away from the
company. except when ! was prisoner
ar Belle Isle"
II was IN the Catletts Station raid, as
stated. that General John Pope's head
quarters train was captured. The john
mics got baskets of papers, including co.
pies Of his famous headquarters in the
saddle order, a lot Of silverware. bedding
and a fine new maiOr-generaHs uniform
The uniform was Worn for a day or two
by one of Lees corpOrals Stuart sent
word 10 General Pone that he had his
uniform; that II he would call at HIS head
quarters. prove property and pay charges
he could have it that the color spoiled
II for his uses. Pope never called. THO
coat was worn by one Of Stuart's colored
servants later. and al last accounts was
a Richmond relic.
was telling the story Of Genarl Ponss
CAPTURED uniform 20 a number OF bright
young people, among whom was a school
teacher. who had but recently made
careful study Of the Pope campaign which
ended with that most dshoartening defeat