Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-10-12
THE LAST CHARGE.

Recent suggestion and requests
from friends in Highland county
wlic~c, perhaps, the last ckorge Of
the greet civil wa occurred (in Vir-
ginia), have impelled me to contrib
ute for the annals Of tic Duug,tc
of the confederacy, 4 b.'.ef account
OF the capture and disb.,idne:.t of
the notorious Swamp D~agoLs. who
while claiming to be union soldiers
prcycd alike on confederate and fed
eral sympathizers in those border
counties of Virginia and West V;r-
ginia now, lying ON the :cadw:.tcrs
OF the James and uppc" Potomac
rivers. 1t was said of this outlaw
company, commanded throughout by
John Snyder, t;:at they lad commit
ed ut least hundred murders, gen
orally by calling men TO their doors
and shifting them down in cold blood.
A month or perhaps two months
| after Lees surrender, after | as Con-
fcderate Provost Marshall had round
cd up the confederate soldiers, and
with them had been parollcd by Gen
| cral Duval at Staunton, | received II
message at my home west Of High
town, that the Swamp Dragons had
| appeared i'll the ncighborhCod, had
killed two men in Crab Bottom on
the head of the Potomac, and Lad
| just taken Il fine horse from NV
wife's cousin, Will Campbell, and were
| going west on a road north of that
on which | was living. | hastily
gathered few boys, three cx-confcd-
crate soldiers and perhaps an older
citizen or two, and being joined by
Will Campbell and another cousin,
we sctn out scouts to locate tie raid
ers, took position commanding both
roads of the retreat, and heard that
they had started on their return with
stolen horses by way of Gaulsown,
situated IN Il mountain gorge. We
soon sighted them drawn up ut the
highest point in the road to Gaul-
town and charged them across Il field
on the Dinwlddic farm NOW owned
by MesSrs. Oscar and Adam Stcph-
cnson, the former of whom witnessed
the capture). As we reared the fence,
behind which they were drawn up, ut
brea knock speed, Snyder gave orders
To ire after calling us to halt sever
al times, but not Il shot was fired as
J III moment we werco vcr or through
the little rail fence, had chem hands
up and had taken their arms leach
had carbinc and one CT two Colts).
had Il struggle to keep the boys,
especially Bevcridge, who had had an
uncle killed by Snyder, and Will
Campbell, who pulled him with no
gentle force from the beautiful horse,
from killing Snyder and his lieutcn-
ant. took all the arms, with a list
OF their names to be sent to the COM
mandant mt Staunton, restored the
stolen horses to thei owners who were
| gathering by this time near the scene
escorted the bandits at their request
TO the county seat at ontercy. Instead
of reprimanding us General Duval re-
GREETED that he had not marched them
to StauntQn to be tried by court
martial, and sent detachment i'm
mediately to Franklin and the sur
rounding neighborhood to round them
up recollection is that none of
them were found and the Swamp
dragons, as body, we've not heard
| OF again.
Snyder told me as / tool. them to
Monterey that the men thought they
were surrounded and cut off ~ Gaui-
| town, or he would not have surrcn-
dcrcd and that his lieutenant so re-
| ported to him, or he would have emp-
| tied every saddle before he reached
the fence.
This story. though household his
tory in Highland, has never been
written so far as know of since the
occurrence. Among the participants
living are DR.. o. j. Campbell. of
Monterey; w. y. Campbell, Of Frank
lin, w: Va; the Stephensons mention
ed before at Highton, Va; Rev. DR..
Fleming, pastor Of the Memorial
Presbyterian church, of Lynchburg,
NOW IN Baltimore), and | think Wal
Ter Campbell, of Roanoke.
(Wm.l HENRY NJ. SMYTHE.
T. 81 sign my full baptismal
name because it was so written on
me army roster, orders, etc, at the
sime of this happening.