The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-06-08

mand to Mosby; Grant Gave Mosby
Position.
Col. W. H. Chapman, aged II, of
Richmond, Virginia, but now an Off
cial of the revenue service and as
signed to the district of which Mon
tana is part, arrived in Helena the
other day, to confer with Revenue
Collector Whaley, and every Yankee
millionaire in the town Immediately
realized that he must pay the govern
ment all the income tax that was
coming to it.
Fifty years ago Col. Chapman was
a rebel. He was even more than an
ordinary rebel. He was second in
command to the famous guerilla
chieftain, Col. John Singleton Mosby,
rebel raider of the civil war, whom
federal generals threatened to hang
when they caught him. He lived
through the war because he was not
captured.
S. Ashby of Helena, former Confed
crate officer, Colonel Chapman,
whose command operated near Ash
by's in the war, talked over interest
ing phases of what heretofore has
been the greatest war in which the
United States was engaged. The Plac-
err hotel lobby was temporarily made
the scene of encounters of the sixties.
In Favor With Grant.
Although Mosby's command har-
raised Grant during the war and
were his enemies, after the great gen
eral became president he called Mos
by as consul at Hong Kong, intro
duced reforms in the consular serv-
ice, and remained there until Cleve-
lands administration, when he was
removed.
In 1873 Colonel Chapman was Civ
en- position in the railway mail serv-
ice, and in 1878 entered the revenue
since. Mosby died last December.
Not a Real Guerilla.
"Mosby was not really guerilla
of the bad type" states Mr.. Chap
man. His command was sanctioned
by the Confederate government, the
horses and cattle and arms, captured
on his raids were turned over to the
Confederates, and he operated only
against the union soldiers.
His treatment of prisoners was
good. Major Meyers, whom he cap
tured in the war, now employs two of
his grandsons in his business in New
York.
Mosby's men, when captured, were
generally hung, but this ceased, Col
onel Chapman states, when orders
were sent to the union officers that
Mosby would hang his captives if
the practice continued. The manner
in which Mosby operated made it pos
sible to capture about sixty men to
the capture of one of Mosby's men by
the union troops.
Was in Command.
Colonel Chapman, SO veterans of
the war and history state, was Mos
by's right-hand man, and led many
of the raids himself He was in COM
mand of all of Mosby's troops when
the colonel went to Richmond during
the war.
Chapman was a student at the
University of Virginia, preparing for
medicine, when the war broke out.
He was in volunteer company of
students. whom the Confederacy re-
fused to accept as a body, but sent
them to their homes to recruit COM
panies. Before entering Mosby's
command he was in charge of bat
terry of artillery, and fought in the
early battles.
Side by Side With Baron.
For time Baron Robert Won Mas
SOW, a member of the Prussian no.
bility, fought side by side with Chap
man. He was wounded on George
Washington birthday, February %,
1864, three days before Colonel
Chapman's war romance reached the
happy elimination of marriage.
Since that time the baron has re-
turned to his home land and fought
in the Austro-Prussian war and the
Franco-Prussian war, but no word
has been heard of him since Febru
airy 25, 1915, when he cabled con-
CALCULATIONS to Mr.. and Mrs. Chap
man on their golden wedding ami
versary.
Mosby's command in the civil war
was unique one, being composed of
daredevil young men of all the states
of the union, operating on their own
accord and constantly harassing the
rear of the federal troops. Colonel
Chapman tells fascinating tales of
the war days. He has returned to
his quarters in Salt Lake City.