The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-12-24
MOSBYS MEN.
The .Bcrryvillc Raid-Burning aud
Hanging.

| ana AuUlTtiS anu tthtiH.
| San Francisco. Dec. 16 1899.
| MIR. John r. Russell, Berryviile, Va,
Dear john have mailed you set Of
| photographs OF the Berryviie raid that
| made sheridan retreat fifty miles down
the Valley TO the place where he started
from In 1867 Captain McAleer, of Balu-
more, visited the scene, made sketches'
| and procured photographs OF many OF our
! men. He then went to Paris ana had the
pictures painted by two distinguished
artists The paintings were also photo-
| eraDhed I'm Paris; those ] send you are
| copies made here. Ben Palmer Oh Rlch-
mond owns the original painting. NO J
represents the battalion just as we
reached the east bank of the shenandoah
.tbe daughter of The stars You are
| near me- listening intcnty to an order i
| am giving you-to cross over thc river
| and find out what was in front. You re-
| turned after dark, when / was asleep
| enjoying soldiers dream, "and the
| sentinel stars had set their watch in the
| sky" and told me that long tram
| heavily guarded. was passing on the PIKE.
| In few minutes all were mounted ana
| moving to the attack.
M represents the Rerryville fight ana
stampede Of the train-guard. l am win
sam Chapman's company that was kept
I'm reserve with the howitzer That is hrlhg
while Richards squadron charged at one
poiut on the line and William Chapman
and Glassc0ck with their companies
charge at another Stockton Terry, OF
Ivncbburg is near me with the battalion
c0iors. \ body of the enemy formed be-
hind a stone fence and MADE some resist
ance. Here Lewis Adie. of Glasscock con-
pany was killed ] remember very wen
when Guy Broadwater rode mp and report
"a il TO me I'm the midst of the fight All
T said was. Il cant help it, He was
fine boy Some Of his family now 1--we III
california DO YOU remember how the
yellow Jackets routed Us. and were near
s,oiling all my plans that day. The now
itzer came up at a gallop and was unlim-
rercd on a knoll that commanded the
nike The gun was put in position Hsht
over a nest Of yellow jackets. 1hey were
hone-rulers. like the Beers. and instantly
| ii swarm few out TO rcpel the invasion OF
their territory. My men had stood VOL
leg from a body Of infantry ON the Pike
but the sting Of the yellow-Jackeis was 100
much for their courage. The horses rear
ed and plunged. the men ran away from
| the gun Whether the scene was sublime
or ridiculous depends upon ones point Oh
| view at he time My horse was frantic
and / felt a good deal like Hercules did
when he put on the shirt of the Centaur
and couldn't pull il off We were on the
verge Of a panic-a few minutes delay
would give the enemy time 10 recover
from their surprise. A shot from the
bowitZer was 10 be the signal for the
sruadrons TO charge. They were waiting.
But lust then one Of the men-Babcock l
think il was-rushed forward. TecaDtured
the hOwitzer and dragged 1t on. Inc
yellow Jackets returned in triumph 10
their hole I'm the ground In minute
shell burst among the wagons. 40 knocked
off the head Of a mule, the guard stamped
ed, while the braying of the mules could
he heard above the roar of the gun. The
mules we captured supplied General Lee $
army with transportation, and the drove
Of fine beeves was sent as "a present and
furnished beefstcaks for his soldiers. You
viii observe in the picture representing
our return a figure on horseback playing
a fiddle IT Is Bob Ridley (tastham)- lie
got IT from a headquarter wagon. Bob is
playing a tune to which he had danced
''MalbroOk has gone 10 the Wars. Our
object was to impede Sheridan's march.
was sorry i could not be with you at
the unwilling of the monument to our
men at Front Royal, and / dissent from
some historical statements in Major Rich
that our men were hung in compliance
with General Grants orders to Sheridan.
They were not hung in obedience to the
orders of a superior, but from revenge.
A man who acts from revenge simply
obeys his own impulses. Major Richards
saws the orders were "a deed letter after
{ retaliatcd, which implies that they had
not been before. I see no evidence TO
support such conclusion. In has letter
in The Times Major Richards says that
Sherdan's dispatches about hanging our
men were visionary" 1. e., he never hung
any ii so, the order had always been "a
dead letter" No one ever heard of his
hangiugs until his dispatches were publish
ed a few years ago Sheridan was then
dead. but his posthumous memoirs say
nothing about hanging, although two
pages are devoted to an account of the
killing Of Meigs and Clusters burning
dwelling houses in Rockingham county In
revenge. Meigs was not killed by my men;
we never went that far up the Valley.
Sheridan's dispatches in the War
Records about the men he hung were not
even a revelation 10 me. for they revealed
nothing. They were simply specters OF
imagination. like the dagger in the air
that Macbeth saw. II Sheridan had com
municated Grants dispatch Of August 18th
10 any one TO be executed II would nave
been 10 Blazer who commanded a picked
corps that was specially detailed TO look
after us. In his report Blazer speaks OF
capturing some Of my men. he never
mentions hanging any. Those he captured
were certainly not hung, for saw them
when they came home after the close OF
the war The following dispatches record
the rise and fall Of Blazer
'Char.est own. August 20. lAi
sheridan 10 Augur. Washington.
Il have 100 men who will take the con-
tract to clean out Mosbys gang. l want
100 Spencer rifles for them. Send them
10 me II they can be found In Washington.
Up. II. SHERIDAN,
"Major-General Commanding.
QndorsemenO:
Approved; BY order Of the Secretary
c. A. DANA.
Asst Secretary"
'Harper's Ferry, Nov, -, lS6i
Stevenson TO Sheridan.
'.rwo OF Captain Blazers men came in
this Observation-Disclosures Harris and John
son They report that Mosby with 800
men attacked Blazer near Kabletown yes
terday about II o'clock. They say that
The entire COMMAND with the exception
~ themselves. was captured or killed. l
have ordered Major Congdon with 800
twelfth Pennsylvania Cavalry TO kable-
town 10 bury dead and take care OF wound
"a If any. and report all facts he can
learn. / shall Immediately furnish report
as soon rs reed
JNxit Placer