Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-24
ALETTER FROM MOsBY.
One Of the Pleasant Incidents OF 'he
Civil War.
San Francisco. September, 1899

Mr.. NJ. c. CARRIER. Madison. Ind:
Dear sir.-I have to thank you for
vour kind letter and also for a copy of
| the Madison Courier, with Dr. Wiley's
letter referring to a conversation we had
| at lunch few weeks ago at the Palace
| Hotel.
The adventure referred 10 was on NO
vember %. 1863. in the fork Of the Kappa
! hammock and Rapidan rivers in Culpeper
| county. Va, when Meade crossed the
Rapidan to attack General Lee, but ma
ing Ice i'm lines OF battle on Mine Run ne
marched back and went into winter quar-
! ters. As DR.. Wiley IS from Indiana 1 re-
| lated 1t TO him. as have done to others
| with the hope Of getting a clue 10 the
| two rrivates OF the Third Indiana Cavalry
who came on the stage that evening. IL
Is true there was nothing theatrical about
the affair but it now appears, through
the mists Of the past, clothed with all
the colors of romance. like rainbow
| after q storm. I have been I'm quest Of
these men about as long as Japhet was in
| search Of father. Two days before the
affair we had burned Meade's supply
train that was loaded at Brandy sta
| ton. ne had sent a cavalry division 70
| the rear to prevent us from burning MIN
UP. OF course. that diminished his ofen-
sive power The Third Indiana and
Eighth Illinois were part of this dlVi-
sion: they were considered the two best
cavalry regiments i'm the Army OF
the Potomac. It looks as though
Meade thought there was danger
behind as well as I'm front of
him. had left my command ten miles
back and with Frank Strinsfellow-a
courier at Stuarts headquarters NOW an
Episcopal minister)-had ridden on in adj
vance 10 reconnoitre the fords of the
Rapdan TO find another assailable point.
When passing through a dense wood we
ran suddenly against two Of the Third
Indiana, who had been out foraging and
were returning TO camp. Each was car
rying large bundle Of fodder before him.
This made it difficult for them to
use their weapons. and we drew on them
first As they had TO die or surrender
they submitted TO the fate Of war They
had sabres pistols. and carbines; those
were too big load for me ana String
fellow TO carry. and as such things
were scarce IN the COnfederacy we didn't
want to throw them away. So they were
permitted to keep their arms on their
parole OF honor. 1t was then near sun
down: Stringfellow stayed 10 do some
more scouting: l took charge of the
prisoners and went off with them to Join
my men. We got to Brandy. cold and
hungry. after dark. AS we logged along
we had talked a great deal and become
we'll acquainted. I told them who l was.
When we got to the Barbour house. as
they had rations in their haversacks,
proposed that we go I'm and have some
coffee made. They were very willing.
We warmed by the fire while the coffee
was boiling; when it was ready we sat
down at the table together
"Where immortal spirits reign.
There we three shall meet again"
We drank the hot coffee, ate bareback,
talked about our battles as pleasantly as
if we had all belonged TO the same resi-
ment-and forgot that we were foemen.
| was on as familiar terms with my pris-
oners as / was with my own men. There
Is a feeling of fellowship and mutual re-
spect among soldiers, even when in hos
tile ranks. When the meal was finished
we mounted and rode on to the rem
devious where my men were waiting for
me 10 lead them again to the perils of
war.
This may suggest scene in Sherwood
forest in the time of King John, in which
Robin Hood, Little John, and Friar Tuck
were the heroes and dramaus persOnae.
There were several F'rar Tucks with me.
l found my men very happy-they had
plenty Of coffee and bareback. too. While
was gone Lieutenant Tom Turner, hear
ing that there was a picket post just
over the Rappahannock, crossed and cap
tured twelve of the First Rhode Island
| Cavalry. They had abundance Of rations.
Napoleon called this making war support
war; my critics call it robbery. Perhaps
some cynic will say that the rations the
prisoners supplied made US more kind 10
| them-iust as the cruel Caliph in the
1 fn1 he
| tales his Sultana told him that he
| changed his mind and didn't cut her head
off. May he SOL won't deny IL.
We spent the night together; in the
| morning the prisoners were sent TO
| Orange Courthouse. one Of the guards
| was Johnnie Edmunds, who was then
| but boy. He was colonel Of a Texas
regiment in the war with Spain. Yester-
day l received a letter from Thomas G..
| Day, of Correct, Ind, with copy of the
| Madison Courier, containing the text Of a
letter Of his, giving an account Of his
| capture by me- II is clear that he is one
Of the two men of the Third Indiana who
ran up against me and Stringfellow, and
with whom l had that ten-mlle night
| ride, drank coffee, and ate bareback on
| November 90 1863 He speaks of having
| been captured b. me I'm person on that
| day, of a man named Stringfellow being
| present, of his being sent TO Orange with
| some of the First Rhode Island, and re-
members that one of the guard was
named Edmdnds. AS i captured only
| two prisoners that day, he must be one
of two. / would like 10 know something
| of the other You are wrong. however
| in supposing that this treatment by me
| was an exception TO that which all pris-
| oners received who were captured by my
men, and that ii was due to some pro-
lection which 1t is said he had given a
| Virginia family at Stevensburg. l have
| no recollection of ever having heard of il
| before, but as Mr.. Day says he did pro-
| tect some women and children 1 have no
| doubt it is true. l was never at Stevens
| burg, and knew no one there; the cap
| ture was at least ten miles from that
| place, and instead of my taking him TO
the home OF the family he had rescued
| from ruflians there, we went In the oppo-
site direction. If he told me about this
occurrence, IL made very little impression;
most any prisoner would tell the same
story II be thought he could get better
treatment by It. Mr.. Day certainly had
no witnesses 10 prove it TO me. If l had
.aA t.,s oil h tl,o,,