Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1922-09-19
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN
JEFFERSON COUNTY.

will give from time to time
MARKER NUMBER FOURTEEN.
Repulse Of Federals by Imboden al
Rirpon-The Retreat.
On the 18th of October, 1868
General Imboden after capturing
Charles Town, retreated along the
Berryville pike. He was holly pur-
sued by a large force of the enemy,
and at Rippon was compelled to
form line of battle to protect his
captures.
He had with him as prisoners the
Ninth Maryland Infantry, eight OF
nine hundred.
The enemy advanced and COM
menced a serious attack They were
after sharp engagement, repulsed
by General lmboden and his COM
mand, and retreated toward Charles
| Town. There were a number of
killed and wounded on each side in
| this action.
Imboden then continued his re-
treat and made good his escape with
his captures.
MARKER NUMBER FIFTEEN
Slaughter and Capture of Blazers
Men at Myerstown.
Richards started on November II,
1864, with 100 Rangers to look for
Blazer. Most of his men were
especially anxious to set eyes on the
Northerner. They were not picked
men, however, but just plain, ordi-
nary, everyday guerillas.
When Richards reached Castle
mans Ferry he heard that Blazer
was on raid looking for Mosby,
having fully made up his mind to
finish the contract about which
Sheridan had wired Augur nearly
three months before. We located
him in camp near Kabletown, in
jefferson County, West Virginia.
Richards prefering a daylight fight,
camped near him. In the morning
our men were so anxious for set
Element with Blazers command that
they did not wait for breakfast, but
at sunrise galloped into Kabletown,
only to find that Blazer had left but
a few moments before, looking for
them"
1t didn't take very long to find
the blue column, which presently
appeared across a field. Richards
turned his men from the road to
draw Blazer on, but Blazer was
busy taking down a fence and dis
mounting his cavalry, so as to use
his Spencers at long range. Richards
instantly divided his command and
started with half his men, as though
retreating. Blazer bit and oraered
a charge. When his men got clear
of the woods and into the open,
where there was no furniture in the
way of our little game of tag, Rich
ards turned on him and our two
divisions charged simultaneously.
Blazers men used their Spencers
until we got close up to them, when
they dropped their rifles and drew
revolvers. Richards attack was very
much in the nature of a dynamite
explosion at close range, and while
there is no doubt that Blazer count
ed on fight and really wanted one,
he had made no preparations for
massacre. His picked 100 men"
broke before our onslaught, defying
all their commanders efforts to rally
them, and the fight became a panic
and rout.
Captain Blazer was overtaken by
sgd Furguson, who rode one of
the best mares in our command.
Blazer was knocked from his horse
with the butt of pistol and picked
up blind and bleeding from the
ground. He came to the scratch
cheerfully even in defeat, and took
his medicine like a man. His loss
was more than 20 men killed, many
more wounded, most of them mortal
ly, and about 80 of his command
were taken prisoners General
Stevenson dispatched on November
10, 1.-TWO of Captain Blazers men
came in this morning-Privates
Harris and Johnson. They report
that Mosby attacked Blazer near
Kabletown yesterday about IL
o'clock. They say the entire com
mand, with the exception of them
selves, was either captured or kill
ed"