Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-04-19
For SHENANDOAH HERALD.
Fifty Years Ago-April1, 1862.
The First Sight of the
Yankees, At Wood
stock. Va.

OLONHg sus
April l, 1862; how strong the re
mambrance of the Gay 1t was bright
and lovely as it is today april l.,
1922 in the place where these words
are written.
I The great civil war had been in
progress for almost year. Already
many precious lives had been lost and
much treasure spent on both sides
Memory swiftly flying calls up faces
and forms of men and boys of Wood
stock who were in the service of the
Confederate army. Some families of
the town and county had already lost
dear ones on the field of battle and in
hospitals.
1t was later during the war that the
cry, The Yankees are coming, was
often heard, when from April 1862 10
April 1865 our part of the beautiful
Valley of Virginia was marched and
fought over aud wasted by scouting
parties and the contending armies
Now, for the first time, "our men"
were retreating south beyond the town
and the yankees" were coming, and
all the town and country around was
filled with the most intense excitement.
Many were the rumo.s that preceded
the enemy and probably not a few
persons believed, as some declared,
that the "Yankees" would appear
showing natural growth of horns.
1t was just at early noon, and many
families were at dinner, when the rear
guard of four men, passed slowly
through the town. They were under
command of Col. Turner Ashby. Most
of the boys of the town knew him we'll
by sight. He was short in stature
and on that day was mounted on a
big bright bay horse, his feet in the
stirrups coming but a little below the
middle of the horses sides. Two boys
darted from their home, ran out into
the pike, up close to his side and
said, "Colonel, is it true that the
Yankees are coming 2" Ee replied
Eyes, boys, they are coming and will
soon be here, and you better run into
the house, quick, and stay there, or
you may be shot,. The boys did
not heed his warning but ran to the
side of the pike and laid down on
their bellies and looked toward the
town-hill at the north and tried to
see the Yankees advancing, when
suddenly there appeared, only few
hundred yards from them, coming
upon the pike from the east on what
is now called Cours street a body of
about fifty horsemen. Some of them
rode up to the trough at the court
house we'll, watered their horses, and
then they all faced south riding
forward with pistols and guns held
ready for instant use; and then the
boys skedaddled into the house.
The Union army first to enter the
town was the Fifth Corps under COM
maud of Ger. Nathaniel P. Banks and |
the advance brigade was headed by |
Col. George H. Gordon. Both of
these officers were volunteers and from |
Massachusetts.
AT 500 O'Clock in the afternoon, |
April !, Gen. Banks sent from eden |
burg" to the War Department at |
Washicgto this dispatch:
ave have driven the enemy today |
from Strasburg to oodstcck, dis |
tance of twelve miles, and then to |
Edenhurg, seven miles beyond. He !
contested the march most of the way,
and at a strong position, in which |,
he contemplated making stand. as |
at Edenbdrg, quite sharp contest |
He burned the bridges in |
his flight except at Narrow Passage.
which we were enabled to reach in |
time to extinguish the flames. We
lost but one man and had but one
wounded. The enemy suffered more, |
but ] cannot state the extent. Col
Ashby received a shot through his
cap, which he exhibited with some
satisfaction to the people of Wood
stock. Others suffered more severely.
The men behaved admirably.
Doubtless Col. Ashby was complete
ly satisfied that he received the shot
through his cap rather than through
his head.
Col. Gordon, in his report to Gen.
Banks, called the distance from
Strasburg to Edenburg about fifteen
miles and said:
'Our march was contested during
its entire route by the enemy's skir-
mishers, and at times, when the posi-
ton was favorable, by battery of
three lo-pounder and one 24-pounder
riff I'd gun, which opened on my ad-
vance on three different occasions ::
First; as began the descent of the
I'LL luIO tUS Town OF w OOQStOck,
second, as my column was moving
through the narrow passage where
the turnpike runs between the North
Branch of the Shenandoah on one
side and high hills on the other;
third, from the hills on the south of
the town of Edinburg, while my
column was moving into that place. -
Just as the boys retreated from the
pike or street and ran into their
houses several cannon shots we're
fired over the town. The boys took
refuge in the kitchen and poked their
heads out of a window and tried to
catch glimpse of the shells from
the cannon as they passed through
the air overhead. Later they learned
that on such occasions a safer place
was in the cellar.
VI. ~ -