Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-03-19

away from their colors either before or
after the first gun gave as an excuse that
the Black Horse cavalry swooped down
and Slang Uttered all but pitiful few left
to tell the tale. These stories Travelled
north and west, and armies of men were
kept from enlisting by the Black Horse
cavalry scare. The thought of grim and
devilish riders upon black war steeds, cut
ting right and left with CORY sabers, be-
came specter that haunted many, many
minds all through the war and is now
found among oral traditions Of the conflict
Two years to a day before that first en-
counter of the blue and the gray on the
banks Of Bull run q militia company of
cavalry was organized at Waterloo, on the
Rappahannock, in Fauquier county, Va
The day was the anniversary Of Napoleon's
overthrow at Waterloo. So early as that
southern chivalry was getting ready for
the Impending conflict" The company
was made up of F. F. VS.. Captain John
Scott was an educated planter, and one Of
the lieutenants was a Randolph, whose
profession was the law. The other neuten-
ant was planter named Gordon. In the
ranks there were planters and the sons Of
planters bearing strong Virginia names,
and the most of them rose to rank in the
Confederate army afterward. Whatever
names they bore, they were of the stock Of
the Lees, the Madisons, the Tylers, the
Randolphs.
Naturally, the attraction for these scions
Of aristocracy was social one, as it gener-
ally is with members of crack troops Of
citizen soldiery, but when the time came
to buckle on the sword in earnest they
were ready for the stern work of war.
The first duty Of the company was to pro-
tect the officers of the Law in the execution
Of John Brown, for it was expected that q
formidable attempt might be made at the
last moment to rescue the ''liberator."
When the uprising came in Virginia,
which was after Sumter's fall, the Black
Randolph, rushed to arms and marched
with another local company to Harper's
Ferry, ready to carry out the plan Of seiz-
ure Of government arms at the arsenals.
That trip, which was looked upon as q
holiday affair, was the beginning Of four
years service In the saddle, for the border
was soon ablaze with the fires Of war; and
the cavaliers Of Virginia were not tho men
to shirk the ordeal From Harper's Ferry
the command rode to Manassas and was
Virginia, which had it's beginning upon
those historic plains. Under Captain W.
81. Payne the company skirmished with
McDowellS advance guard and was en-.
gagged In outpost service the day Of the
great battle Of July 81.
No doubt the reason why the Black
Horse cavalry was heard from In so many
places ON that field was that 1t was widely
deployed on outpost duty and at the hou:
Of Federal rout and retreat closed in upon
tho belated fellows, or the runaways and
stragglers of on the outskirts of the fight,
and in that way ono Black Horse man ap.
peared In all his Gerceness before the eyea
Of 100 retreating and thoroughly scared
men, who made the most of the episode
when called on to account for their last
moments on the field. But the famous
company dropped from public view and
recognition, although JEFF Davis publicly
praised their pursuit Of the flying enemy.
Soon after the battle Of Bull Run, Cap
tain Payne's Black Horse troopers were
incorporated with the Fourth Virginia
cavalry. Payne became major and Lieu.
tenant Randolph assumed command. The
company fought in the line in all of the
heavy battles of tn regiment and fire..
quently had an opportunity of going in
alone. It was favor1te body of, men at
army headquarters and served as the body.
guard of Lee and jackson during some OF
their hazardous movements in the enemy
lines. When Jackson penetrated the Fed
eral lines at Manassas and placed himself
between two fires, the Black Horse was
his personal escort. At Bull Run bridge