Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1922-07-25
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN
JEFFERSON COUNTY.

\Trom DOCK uoISne0 oy Ine JeI-t
ferson County Camp Of Confederate
Veterans, extracts from which we
will give from time to time.)
Jefferson Guards, which when the
Second Regiment Of Virginia Infan-
try came into existence becoming
Company "A", was organized by
electing officers on the LIST day of
May 1853 when John w. Rowan was
elected Captain, Henry b. Daven-
port, 1st Lieut., Chas. w. Stewart,
End Lieut., James A. Hurst, Bird
Lieut., Edwin II. Campbell, 1st
Sergt., Edward R. Harrell, End
Sergt., E. S. Harrell, 3rd Sergt., |
John H. Hurst, 4th Sergt., and Ben
jamin F. Beall, Ensign, was a well
drilled company, equipped for SER
vice when the emergency for the use
of soldiers arose on the occasion of
the John Brown Raid at Harper's
Ferry on the 18th day of October,
1859; that morning the Company
was assembled in front Of the Court
House in Charles Town and march
ed to Harpers Ferry and sometime
during that Monday undertook to
dislodge Brown and his party from
the Engine House by charge down
the street to the iron fence which
separated it from the street, but in
consequence of the gate being lock-
ed and eight or ten feet high, which
prevented them getting into the
armory yard, their effort was in vain
and accomplished nothing, and was
forced to retire to shelter from the
murderous fire from the Sharp's
Rifles of the Brown party. In this
movement of the Company Mr..
Samuel Young, Sr., who was not a
member of the Company, but had
periodically attached himself to it
for the occasion was badly wounded
in the shoulder by shot from one
of the Brown party, and permanent
ly disabled him.
| After the capture of Browns
party by Col. Robert E. Lee latter
wards the immortal General Robert
E. Lee of the army of Northern
| Virginia) and his Company of
United States Marines, they were
brought to the Jail in Charles Town
and the Jefferson Guards assigned
Market House building then occupy
ing the ground upon which Charles
Washington Hall now stands and
opposite to the Jail, and remained
there as regular soldiers until about
April LIST, 1860, when it was dis
charged from the service of the
State. During that summer it was
re-organized, John w. Rowan, Cap
tain; Henry B. Davenport, 1st Lieut.. !;
David H. Cockrell, End Lieut.. Edwin
R. Harrell, 3rd Lieut.; M. S. B.
Robertson, 1st Sergt.; Henry D.
Rust, End Sergt.; Geo. A. S. Davis,
3rd Sergt.; Thos. B. Mcintyre, 4th
Sergt.; and uniformed at che ex-
lpense of the State of Virginia, when
it assisted in organizing the Second
Regiment of Virginia Infantry, of
which William Allen was made
Colonel.
On the 18th day of April, 1861,
between l and O'Clock p. M, jeff
erson Guards (Co. "A") was order
ed to fall in by Captain Rowan and
the "a men having been previously
notified to assemble at the Market
House, promptly obeyed the Cap
tain's order. the right of the Com
pany resting about where the street
crossing now is from Washington
Hall to the Jail corner; as soon as
the company was formed the march
for Harper's Ferry was begun and
reached a little after midnight amid
the smouldering ruins of the Gov
eminent Buildings which had been
set fire to by the Company of
United States Regulars there be-
fore they retreated across the Po-
tomac bridge, as We entered the
town, company ga" being in the ad-
vance.
The first week in May 1861 COM
pany ga" was detached from the
Regiment and ordered to take up
position on Maryland Heights, the
location of which was about 800
yards from the top where Col. Ban
ton Duncan had been previously
placed in position with his First
Kentucky Regiment of Infantry, and
was reached by road through the
barn yard of Mr.. Colin Unseld, the
company was kept in its position for
a week or ten days without tents
or cooking utensils and rations were
carried for more than a mile up the
mountain side from the low land
barn yard of Mr.. Unseld, the meat
cooked on fiat rocks and the dough
baked by wrapping around the
ram rods of the guns and holding it
over the fires, when the company was
relieved and ordered to report to the
regiment.
In the latter part Of June, 1861,
Harpers Ferry was evacuated by
the army marching to Winchester,
Va, and from there on the 18th day
of July, 1861, started for Manassas,
which we reached on the evening of
the 18th in time to participate in the
battle of the 21st where our loss
(the company's) was two mortally
wounded and six others seriously,
among them our Captain who was
permanently disabled, though con-
tinuing in the service until the
close of the War.
The next engagement was at
Kernstown, Va, on the 23rd day of
March, 1862, where Ephriam B.
Crist and James w. Campbell were
killed and ten of the men captured
and made prisOuers of war hv tho