The New York herald., 1922-01-22

memorable council of war in the old hall
OF the Fitzhughs on the eve of the battle.
when nearly all the corps and division
commanders, including Hancock, Meade.
Hooker and w. F. Smith. expressed their
disapproval of Burnsides purpose to at
tack Gen. Robert +. Lees almost inn
pregnable position on Marye's Heights,
just south of the river.
One may imagine the Confederate
commanders emotions on that eventful
winter day as he levelled his field glass
at the old house from his headquarters
on the opposite height. The man who
had built it was his kinsman. Ann Lee
Fitzhugh's brother having been the great
grandfather of Gen. Lee, while the COM
mander's mother, Mary Ann Randolph
Custis. was the granddaughter Of Col.
William Fitzhugh Of Chatham. IT IL
not unlikely, indeed. that the wedding
of Mary Fitzhugh and Gen. Washing.
tons adopted son. G. W. P... Custis, took
place in the hall where the council OF
war was held in 1862.
To add to the historical interest in
Chatham. Abraham Lincoln spent sev-
eral days there when he visited Cen
Hooker and reviewed the army of which
Hooker took command soon after the
battle of Fredericksburg.
Mr. Fitzhugb's Turf Career.
Mr.. Fitzhugh's turf career seems to
have begun in 1870, and it opened as
successfully as 1t closed At Annapolis
in the autumn of that year "a purse OF
ESQ was run for and won by Mr.. Fitz-
hugfi's Regulus. distancting four others,
heats, three miles, as we learn from
Judge Duvaps Racing Memoranda .of
the Olden Time" At Upper Marlboro.
Md, the next spring "a purse Of ESQ was
won with ease by Mr.. Fitzhugh's b. h
Regulus.'' In September. 1771, Regulus
wrested a heat from Nancy Bywell at
four miles in Annapolis but the great
mare won thesrace. with Selim, Apollo
and others competing, and the same
thing happened on the same course the
next year, Regulus throwing his rider
when in a fair way to win the final heat
| At the autumn meeting in 1913 the star
| OF the Fitzhugh stable defeated James
De Lancy's Nettle, Gov. Robert Eden's
| Why Not and Mr.. Nicholsons Pacoiet
| in a memorable race of four heats, TOUR
miles each. These and the other sixteen
mile race at Fredericksburg are tne
| only performances Of Regulus that nave
come to light.
| Judge Duval has described Regulus as
"a bay with some white marks, about
fifteen hands high and well proportioned.
| He was got by the imported horse Fear
1 nouRht. This dam the imported mare
Jenny Dismal Fearnought was got by
Regulus, in England, one Of the best sons
of the Godolphin Arabian. Jenny Dis
NAL was by Dismal, another son
of the Godolphin Arabian. Regulus was
| the sire of Brogden's Chatham. a good
horse at heats of four miles. Regulus
| was never beaten in Maryland In fair
running. but by Col. Lloyds mare Nancy
| Bywell."
| Mr.. Fitzhugh's gray mare Kitty Fisher
won a sweepstakes at Annapolis on Sep
tember 81, 1878, beating two other gray
mares. not named. She was beaten at
| four mile heats by Miss Alsop at the
Fredericksburg fair in May. 1774. These
and her winning race at Fredericksburg
| in the fall of the same year appear to
| he her only races of record. This mare
was probably the Kitty Fisher by Inn
ported Fearnought, out of the Kitty
Fisher, by Cade. imported in 1859 by
! Carter Braxton of Virginia.
! Brilliant was another notable racer
by Fearnought. He defeated Mr.. De
Lancey's Sultana and others at Annap-
4 oils in October, 1772. while Silver Legs
ran in tho Chatham colors the next day
at the same meeting. These and the
performances at Fredericksburg In 1774
are all that we know of Mr.. Fitzhugh's 5
racing operations. He died in 1909.