Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1903-09-15
INBODEh'S DASH INTO CHARLES TOWN.
( Written for the Baltimore Sunday sun. BIZ
Lieut.. Carter Berkeley.l

from General Lee to proceed t
Berryville, meet General Stua1
there and in conjunction make d
attack OH Harpers Ferry an
Charles Town, and possible, car
lture both.
General Sullivan's (Federal
brigade was at the Ferry, and tn
Ninth Maryland (Federal) Regi
| ment of Infantry and squadron O
Icavalry at Charles Town, which
! eight miles from the Ferry.
| Imboden had to guard all til
gaps in the mountains from Beverl,
to Harpers Ferry, and consequent,
never had his full brigade in cam
together at one time. AT this tim
| he had less than i 900 men with him
| Gen. John d. Imboden raised th,
Staunton Artillery before the war
and it was the first battary that tool
the field in Virginia 1t took
very conspicuous part in the frs
battle of Manassas, and on accoun
of the skillful way his guns wer'
handled that day Imboden wa,
promoted from captain to brigadier
general. Both Johnson and Beau
regard complimented him in theil
official reports Of that battle.
Imboden's brigade at the time o.
the order mentioned above wa.
composed of the Sixty second Vir
ginia Mounted Infantry, comman
ded by that distinguished officer
Col. George w. Smith, a graduate
Of the Virginia Military Institute
the Eighteenth Virginia Cavalry
| by the Generals brother, Col. Geo
w. Imboden, now prominent law
yer in West Virginia; Whites Bat
talon, by Major Robert White, late
Acknowledgement of West Virginia
the Maryland Battalion, by Maj
Sturgis Davis, of Maryland, who
! had won his laurels under Turner
Ashby; Gi1mor's Battalion of Rang
ers, by Harry Gilmor, Of Baltimore
| who was as rough and daring !
rider as ever drew a saber; McNeil's
Rangers, of Hardy and Hampshire
counties West Virginia, command.
ed by Capt. John H. Mcneil
This was the company that later IN
the war, under the immediate com,
mand of Jessie Mcneil, son of Capt
III. H. Mcneil, first lieutenant Of
Company D, rode into Cumberland,
Nd, and brought out two major.
generals, Crook and Kelley, from the
very midst of their commands. Fin
ally, Mcclanahan's Battery, com
manded by Capt. John H. McC1an-
ahan, a Texan, who had served I'm
der Ben Mccullough in Texas unit
it got too peaceable there for him.
So, as may be seen, our Genera
had in his brigade a lot Of choice
spirits, and was well equipped te
make adaring raid into the enemy
lines.
| The writer had the honor te
command a section of McClanahan'
Battery.
Some years ago Yankee major
giving an account of the capture o.
Charles Town, said The John
MES had some pretty darned smarf
officers during the war, and some
Of them that did the most effective
work were the least heard of. I'm
boden was one Of them. He was {
smashing good soldier, had the tru'
instincts of a cavalrynan and wa
as much at home in the saddle 70,
a three days ride to raid all out
post as he would have been playins
bean poker for apple brandy in ;
crossroads grocery III the Shenan
ldoah Mountains. "
Now nothing delighted a Confed
lrate soldiers's heart more than to b
ordered to the lower valley of Viz
| ginia. They used TO speak of it a
| the land where the flowers Away
bloomed and birds the Away
sang They never failed to NEE
warm and cordial welcome Their
| from the noble women who wer
SO devoted to the cause we wer
| fighting for. Every man from tina
section able to carry arms was i
the Confederate Army. Some be
longed to the Stonewall brigade
some to Stuart's Cavalry and som
| to Chew's celebrated Battery G
Horse Artillery. There were tw
companies Of cavalry-the Clark
Cavalry, Company p Sixth Vii
ginia, and Bay1or's Company, Com
pany B. Twelfth Virginia. Mos
of the men in these two companie
were from the. counties of Clark
and Jefferson, SONS of well-to-d
farmers, who from early boyhoo
were accustomed to riding an
handling the fine horses for whic
that section was celebrated. @
one occasion ! heard a distinguishe
III Confederate officer say Of them thu
he did not believe that there wer
lever two finer bodies of mounte
men on earth.
III Our advance arrived in Berry
I.ville late in the evening of the ut
of October and drove a scoutin
party of the enemy out of tow
We did not find Stuart there, as y
expected, our scouts reporting t1s
The could not cross the Shenandoa
riveE on account Of high waite