The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-10-18

alone. Of all the independent force5
connected with the Army of Northern
Virginia, were exempted from the
operations of this act, and so remained
until the final collapse of the southern
confederacy.
Mr. John B Fay has prepared the
following sketch of this famous troop.
whose exploits during the civil war
eliclted especial praise from jefferson
Davis and Robert =. Lee ON more than
one occasion.
John Hanson McNeill q native OF
Hardy county Va. raised the com
pany aud was its first commander
Being resident of Missouri. during
the early part OF the war. as captain
OF mounted rihemen. he performed gal.
liant service IN that state under Gen.
Price. and was prominent in the cap.
ture of Mullgan at Springfield lie
was soon after taken prison himself
and confined in St Louis. but es.
capped thence and safely reached the
confederate lines In Virginia There
he secured authority To enlist com.
pany for independent service iu con
uection with the brigade of Gen. Ina.
oodcn. then In course of formation.
and his earlier exploits were per
formed while nommally under com.
mand of that officer.
When uuboden's command was
afterward mustered into regular scrv
ice portion of McNeills men elected
to 20 with 90 and formed new com
pany, which under Capt a. S. Scott
became "a part of the Eighteenth Vir
ginia cavalry The parent company
then reorganized with McNeil captain
and his SON Jesse c. Mcneil Isaac S
Welton, and Bernard y. Dolan first
second. and junior second lieutenauts
respectively The ranks of the new
company. because of it's active and
daring achievements were ramdly
| filled and Mcneil was som, at Che
head OF as gallant a body of men as
| ever drew blades in fight The com
I pany rarely mustered more than "a
| men for duty at any one time. but il
had during its two years eNistenc,
nearly if not quite. 200 names upor
( IFS roster. The troop inflicted an i'm
| mense amount of damage on the enc
my during its brilliant career and KEEP
| alarge army on the qui vive to defenC
/ the long line of the Baltimore & Obi,
/ railroad and the upper Potomac Dor
| der from it's daring incursions. II i,
/ a question whether Mosby. with fy,
times the number of mcn caused az
J much damage 10 the common foe al
was inflicted by this single troop.
THAT Mcneil managed to keep his
/ opponents along the border i'm a con
stant state of anxiety and alarm il
evidenced by the fact that Gen. Kelly
the union commander iu his front
| made incessaut endeavors to crusl
him, and in giving orders TO subordi
4 nate officers invariably repeated hi
injunctions to XIII capture, or driv
/ Mcneil ont of the country. adding il
one of his dispatches. We must d.
this before We can expect quiet o
safety along the line of road
Mcneil was born partisan lead
er and like Mosby, could accomplish
more with a handful of men tha
many officers could with a regimen
Always on the alert, perfectly famuia
with the country In which ne opel
ated. ever taking his foe unaware.
striking swift and stunning blow
when and where least expected. y,
sourcelul in the face of greatest dan
ger and never caught anapping. No
Neill was a veritable wizard Of IN
saddle, and well deserved the title q
the Marion of the South Brdnch Va
ley the fairest land beneath the su
and his favorite rendezvous