Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-24
M0SBY'S COM MAN
It's Annual Reunion to Be Held Next
Month.
PROGRAM But PARTIALLY ARRANGED
Story Of the Capture Of General
Edwin H. Stoughton.
AN INCIDENT OF CIVIL WAR

AN INCIDENT OF CIVIL WAR
The annual reunion Of the 9th Virginia
Cavalry, Mosby's men, will take place this
year at Fairfax Court House, Va, Septem-
Der II and IL. This will be the first time
the survivors Of this command have met at
Fairfax Court House since the close of the
war In which they took prominent a
part, and the reunion Is expected to be
more than usually interesting Among those
who have been invited and are expected to
attend are Gen. Edwin H. Stoughton, who
was captured while asleep In bed by Col.
John 9. Mosby and a squad of his men In
| the month Of March, 1863. Many Of those
engaged in his capture still living. The
members of the command in Washington
and vicinity who have sgnified their inten-
ton to be present are Robert NJ. Narrower,
w. S. Flynn, George w. Gunnell. Durand
Shackleford, E. F. Thomson, A. w. Fair
fax. Andrew T. Biedler, A. NJ. Newell, T.
r. Baker Americas Davis, p. NJ. Darden.
Willie 8. Flynn, A. ]. Hobson, M. NJ. Mar
maduke, David G. Mohler, A. B. Mitchell,
r. Mackall, ]. H. Nelson, James Polknalls,
John b. Bout. Boyd Amies, William r.
Stone, Alfred Wrenn, II. T. Waters, Charles
A. Huntington, T. Banks. ]. w. Wrenn, 8.
b. Wilson, s. Waggaman, Marshall Over
field, ]. L. Laur and Montague Richardson.
The program for the first day of the re-
union is the only one yet arranged. The
address Of welcome will be delivered by Mr..
r. w. Moore. There will also be addresses
by Gov. Tyler. Lieutenant Governor Ed
ward Echols, A. J. Montague, attorney gen.
eral Of Virginia; United States Senators
Daniel and Martin, Gen. Eppa Hunton, Gen.
William "a. Payne, P. J; otey, representa-
tive In Congress from the Lynchburg dis
trict. and perhaps others. Judge ]. NJ. Love
Will act as master Of ceremonies.
Place of Assembly.
Previous to the delivery Of the addresses
the veterans will assemble opposite the
Methodist Episcopal Church South and will
be formed in line by the marshals, Capt.
j. o. Berry and Capt. Joseph E. Willard,
and their aids. The line of march is to be
taken up at about II am, and the process
sion will move to Confederate monument
In the following order: Band, detachment
OF Camr Mari, commanded by Capt. JOS
Cooper; Mosby's Men, 9th Virginia Cav
airy; Camp MARI, visiting confederate vet
Grams, confederate soldiers of Fairfax
county, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Com
pany Of the Spanish war, supervisors and
committees of civilians and civilians gen.
orally.
1t Is the intention of the veterans and the
people of Fairfax generally to accord to
Gen. Stoughton, If he is present a recep-
ton which will be in marked contrast to the
feelings they entertained for him when he
was at Fairfax Court House in command
of brigade of federal soldiers. The Incl
dents connected with Gen. Stoughton's cap
ture were never repeated during the entire
four years of the strife between the states
and the following account Of the affair was
written by Col. Mosby for Belford's Maya
zine and was published about eight years
ago:
Story Of the Capture.
After reciting events of the campaign dur
ing a number Of weeks preceding the cap
ture, Col Mosby says:
Il did not communicate my purpose OF
making a raid on the headquarters of the
commanding general at Fairfax Court
House to any one except a man named
Ames, who had deserted from the federal
army and supplied me with much informa
ton about the status of affairs within the
Union lines. and not to him until we start
ed. had with me Twenty-Five picked men.
The latter thought we were simply going
down to make an attack on q picket post.
1t was late in the afternoon when We left
Aide. There was a melting snow on the
ground with q drizzling rain. ALI this
favored my plan.
1.-The darkness concealed u.s." continued
Col. Mosby, land the horses treading on
the soft snow made very little noise. We
started down the Little River turnpike,
which runs by Fairfax Court House to
Alexandria. From Fairfax Court House
another turnpike runs easterly by Centre
Vile, seven miles distant to Warrenton
At Centreville there was federal brigade
of infantry. with artillery and cavalry.
This was the extreme outpost. From Cen
treville there was a chain of outposts ex-
tending in one direction by Frying Pan
to the Potomac, and to Union Mills and
Fairfax Station in the other.
Near the junction of the two turnpikes,
mile east of Fairfax Court House, there
was a brigade of cavalry in camp; the
railroad from Union Mills to Alexandria
was strongly guarded. At Chantilly, on
strong cavalry outpost. When we got to
within three miles of Chantilly we turned
off to the right from the turnpike and
passed unobserved through the picket
line. We also passed unobserved through
the picket line about half way between
Centreville and Fairfax Court House. I
was riding by the side of one of my men,
named Hunter, and at this point I told
him where we were going. He realized as
l did the difficulties and dangers that sur
rounded US, and l told him that our safety
was in the audacity of the enterprise.
Inside Enemy's Lines.
1--WE were then four miles inside the fed
eral lines and within a mile or two Of the
cavalry companies. We could no doubt
have marched straight into them or chal-
lenged and brought off a lot Of men and
bigger game, and / knew that Gen. Slough
ton did not sleep at the cavalry camp, but
at Fairfax Court House, mile beyond"
Proceeding a short distance on the pike
toward the court house, according to the
narrative, the squad turned off to the right
lanked the corps directly in front Of and
came into the town unmolested at o'clock
in the morning. With the exception of
few drowsy sentinels all the federal troops
in the town were asleep. Nothing Of the
kind had ever been attempted before dur
ing the war, and no preparations had been
made to guard against 1t. 1t is only prac-
ticable, Col. Mosby says, to guard against
what Is probable, and In war, as every
thing else, great deal must be left to
chance.
Once inside the enemys lines everything.
the cavalry leader discovered, was as easy
as falling off log There was not the slight
est show Of resistance. As the night was
pitch dark it was impossible to tell from
the appearance of the invaders to which
side they belonged although all OF them
were dressed in confederate gray. The
names OF all the cavalry regiments sta
toned there were familiar to them, SO
whenever sentinel halted them, the an
swer was. 18th New York Cavalry" and it
fl