The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-02
AFFAIR STORY BY one
WHO KNEW Of WAR.
Colonel John S. Mosby Writes
a Letter That Is Of In
tense Interest.
MosBY's8 MEN sQUEALED NOT
Some Errors Corrected and a
Volume Of Truth Added
to History.

Volume Of Truth Added
to History.
The following letter, copy Of which
has been furnished the times . D,spa.on
for Our Confederate Column, fully eS-a
plains itself. and will be read throughout
4 the South with widespread interest:
Washington. D. c.. March lS. 1905 4
j Judge Edward Campbell,
Uniontown, Pa:
My Dear Sir.-I received your letter
with newspaper clippings containing the
texts of three letters from members OF
the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry N
answer TO my published letter addressed
3 TO Mr. Frank Moss, of Boston. Mr.. MOSS
Captain Barton. OF Brookline, Mass. and
a number of Others had been captured by
my command; sent you TO read some
letters ! had received from thenl. a.
4 Mr. Moss s re1uest5I was invited to the
s. r. banquet in Faneuil Hall last
summer My invita- ton to the 6. q. r.
a,arlaIct and my letter 10 Mr.. Moss.
VINO was once my prisoner. ELECTED
these unfrendy criticisms. You also
sent me a newspaper with a letter
from a man who seems to have
been an ott,ficer in the First Penn
5sylyania Cavalry. He complains of our
KILLING pickets-which he calls murder.
r.ever undsrs. God that picket Is
.ls,., -cornbatant and EXEMPT from the ordi-
nary dangers OF war. When a soldier is
spn picket duty lie is armed for attack
and defense. Mcmhs<s of the Red Cross
Society do not carry arms. or go on the
picker line, except TO care for the
wounded. 7g5S
shall! not crafty this man by putting
his name in print He evidently has the
same ambition as the aspiring youth
who fired the Ephesian dome--he longs
for immortality, and is not scrupulous
about the way to get IL. He says that he
dreaded Mosby's command more than
any other and that our picket posts
and picket lines were never free from Ills
raids am glad TO hear that. II is
what we were there for. Ny operations
received the commentator ofsGeneral'
Lee and General Stuart. l was not much
4 concerned about the opinions OF Penn
sylvana people at that time. If they
were afraid OF me. all the better. He
says we would shoot n picket before we
would capture him; take his horse and
equipments, and leave his body to be
cared for by his comrades. ! reckon
that is al bout the truth. Having done our
duty. we left 1t to the pickets comrades
to do theirs. AS long as there is war.
such things will happen Men go TO war
to kill and get killed. During the first
& year OF the var. was a private in the
First Virginia Cavalry. and did a good
deal Of picketing, Many shots were fred
at me when L was n Vidette on the out
post ] didn't cry, but returned the fire..
When a man on our side was killed, we
did not call It murder, because We were
soldiers. / carry a bullet In mo and have
several scars on my body, but am not a
baby to whine about them. II ever /
speak of them. it is In no spirit Of la
mentatlon or complaint, hut with q feel
Ing of "pride in the perilous hour" when
got them. These attacks We're made TO
compel the enemy 10 consume their
strength in doing what this man says we
made thcm do. 1t was not my custom 10
give notice when we were coming. So
thet had TO guard many points while we
attacked one, was only carrying out a
Napoleonic maxim.
The poem, THE Picket Guard" by Mrs.
Elizabeth Beers which first appeared in
lIarpers weekly in November, 1861 Ut
was frandulently appropriated by a
Southernerl, is Il pathetic account of the
killing of n pickett
"All quiet along The Potomac Tonight
No sound save the rush OF the river
While soft falls the dew on the face of
tho dead,
The pickets or duty forever
A Dangerous Expedition.
This member Of the First Pennsylvania
Cavalry tells about picket having beer
~ shot near WarlentoD, Va, by one 10,
Edwards, and how lie went on darl
night with Il squad Of fifty men a fea
miles from camp and captured Joe asleep
He calls this Il dangerous expedition
No doubt he thought SO; | would hav,
taken ono man 10 do II. But II jos dit
murder the picket, why did he not han,
Joe when he had him? frequently say
him after the war in Warrentor. Jo
MAS a lawful conbatant; lie did not go II
disguise; but he did not belong to an,
command JIe VAS his own commander
~ General Crouch. at Harrisburg. IN hi
Gettysburg campaign, issued II ploclaina
ton urging the citizens to go TO bush
wiiackins. IL there was any organza
tion In the South To which the epithet j.
busiwhacker did NOT apply II Was minf
The bushwiiacknr fires from ambush
with a long range gun. My mcn ont
carried pistols and always attacked IN
mounted charge, The Fourteenth Penn
sylyania Cavalry know this fact, for the
have felt the momentum OF their charge
5f AS q general rule, have paid no nor
attention 10 fables published about III
by scrlbblers than CULVER did to I'll
Lilliputians' arrows. | write you iii
ietter In answer 10 yours becaus
you are seeking the truth. On
Of these men Of the Fourteenth Penn
syiyania Cavalry says he was capture
n by my men and treated pretty respec
#5ably.'t but was sent off on IAN empt
III st0mach.H which Is probably true, smpt
Stomachs We're common in The ShcnuI
d1ali Valley after Sheridan burned j
~ Another SaSs that Mosby MAS a tcrrt
To- sle Union army. President S!ci<ne
@ told ine tic same thing He was "A 80
died In the Shenandoah Yalley w
being . terror 70 my enemies isSan hont