Evening star., 1898-10-26
MOSBY SENT HIS REGRETS
Unable to Attend the Banquet at the Re
union of His Veterans.
a Monument to BE Erected to the
Memory of the Six Comrades Hang
ed ms GuerriiIas.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

and Rev. ]. T. Williams of Alexandria chap
| lain of the organization
| During the afternoon Mrs. r. r. Camp
| bell of WarreHton, daughter of Col. John S.
| MOsby. conveyed to those present the re-
| gretS of her father that he wss unable to
| attend. and Mrs. Campbell and her sister
| Miss Ada Moshy. presented a picture of
| Col Mosby to the association. Every ref
crence to the name of Mosby was greeted
| with loud applause.
| The principal business transacted, other
| than that already stated was the making
| Of arrangements for the erection OF Il mon
| umcat to the memory of the six members
| Of the command who were executed as
| eucrrlaS at Front Royal. Va. in lSG by
| Gen. Custer. The monument will cost in
| tie nCighborhood of 81 900. and it is hoped
1 to have it ready for uTveiling at the re-
| unioi Of next year.
| The ladies in charge of the banquet were
| Miss Johnson, Mrs. johnson. Mrs. Wolfe
Mrs Herriil and Miss Hisson. They were
assisted by nearly every young lady in
| Manassas.
| Air. John A. Alexander of Leesburs acted
| as POSTMASTER for the occasion. and ad-
| dresses were made by Judge Z. Z. Mere
dith. Lieut.. William Chapman. Capt. Rob
| ert 5. Walker, Capt. William Foster. Dr.
| Henry c. Clarkson and others.
| All the speeches aboUnded in patriotic
| sentiments and of loyalty to the reunited
| nation.
| They Don't Blame AlEer.
| During the recital of incidents connected
| with the civil war, the subject of red tape
| came up, and it the consensus of opin-
! ion that Secretary Alger should not be
Elamed for the mistakes If any We're made
| by the War Department during the Spanish
| American war. The veterans said it was
! because of much red tape that men suf-
! fered and lives were needlessly sacrificed.
| Said enc veteran.
Il had on more than one occasion lost
many months in cOnSummating what COM
mon sense. without red tape, could have ac-
compllshed in a few hours. He who has
passed through the circumlocution offices
| OF the medical Quartermaster cumrnissary
departments of an army will never forget
ms dsappointments and his acute disgust
Tor f offeial authority. engendered b., a uni
1ect with the most lavish expenditure
AT the time to which l refer General Lee
was with his staff occupying house on the
| Plank road. several miles west of Peters
| burg Ten minutes ride brought Col. Mos
| by ana myself to the great confederate
/ chiel. lis careworn features, stern. earn
| est. manly and sad expression. for the first
time IN three cventful years of war weak
/ efcd ny hopes in the final success of our
| cause. As We entered he arose with ma
| JeStIc mien. advanced and cordially grasped
| our hands. With few but earnest words
| Moshy detailed the startling achievements
| OF ms command in northern Virginia. Mos
| by. at that period of the war with his 500
rangers. commanded all of northern Vir-
| ginia not occupied by the federaIs. / had
never known until this interview between
| the rough rider and his commander how
| important was the little band known as the
I'D Battalion of Virginia Cavalry to the
general welfare of the confederate cause
What Mosby Wanted
| The idol of the army thanked Mosby and
| told MIN That the army was under obliga-
| uons TO hm for signal and efficient work in
| holding AT bay large bodies of the enemy.
| and for the & IJo
| essential to our suffering troops Mosby in
| his usual curt and snappish manner. said:
| General. want my friend assigned to nv
command l have only an assistant sur
| geon; am entitled to surgeon. He is an
OLD friend, and l want him with me- 1t
VIII give me pleasure to assist you in any
| way, replied General Lee. but l have no
| control over this matter more than to re-
| quest the medical director. DR.. Guild to
gran, grant y, your wish. If possible With this
"A short gallop carried us to the Apo
| Inattox river; We crossed on pontoon
| bridge to the headquarters of the medical di-
rector of the Army of Northern Virginia
Ne dlsmounted and entered the tent of DR.
| Lafayette Guild. The distinguished head
OF the medical department of the field was
last asleep Whether the Soporific condi-
ton OF the medical director could be as
cribed to brain exhaustion. fatigue or the
| proverbiai effect of the atmosphere of the
| county OF Chesterfield l know not but it
was with some difficulty that | aroused
| him. and introduced Colonel Mosby The
partisan chief: being a man of few words
and remarkable quickness of thought and
! action, promptly, positively and bluntly
| stated the object of his visit, and asked
! that his friend be assigned to duty with his
battalion 1 am sorry to disappoint you
| said the sleepy medical director but | can
| not make any change n0win the m ed;cal de-
| partment OF the army. At this abrupt and
unexpected refusal the colonel made as gal
liant charge upon the great head of the
medical department Of the Army of North
| ern virginia as he had ever made upon the
federais- He seemed to lose all control of
| his temper and dashed into the sleepy rep
fesentatlVe OF martial physic. The doctor
was roCsed and wide awake in less TIM
than II takes me to tell the story.
mis- is infamous red tape said the
lrate colonel This is the devils work in
all military matters This red tape is the
! halter of stupidity and Incidence that has
StranS!ed General Lee and starved the
| armies of the south l shall not submit to
| it. You shall at once grant what l ask or
| l VIII sc: an order from the Secretary of
| War this very night and have il delivered
| in the morning The sudden snappish and
! gaIvanic manner in which the words were
| discharged aroused the doctor to as wake
| fu! condition as his nhlegmatic nature
would admit. Turning to me- he asked:
| Doctor, what Colonel Mosby is this. any
| how? On being informed that he was in
| the presence of the renowned PARTISAN lead-
| er of northern Virginia with an air of sur-
prise he reached out his hand to Mosby,
! apoiogized for not recognizing him before
| pleasure IN making his lC-
quaintance- He hurriediy assured him that
| his wish should be Immediately complied
with. The colonel grinned CHASTITY grin.
| told him the proper method of dislaitching
| important business and gailoped OFF with
| the promise that l should surely hear from
| him next morning.
Mosby's Courage.
| well-known farmer living within ten
| miles of Washington, who took part in the
| raid he spoke of, said: Il doubt that either
| ancient or modern warfare has produced
! leader that combined the rare strategy and
extraordinary courage requisite to plan
! and execute such an enterprise as Mosby
| consummated in the capture of General
Stoughton at Fairfax Court House. Mosby
| selected twelve men and advanced eau
| uously through the darkness Of stormy
| night upon the eremy's first line Of pickets
| He captured them without difficulty and
| carried Them with him. He then made
prisoners Of the second and third lines Of
| pickets- They were now more than he
could guar1 He then proceeded alone to
the house where the general slept. The
| guard at the door was captured and dis
| armed and ordered to act as guide IN Cen.