Prosecutor Preston
The Senior Prosecutor
JOHN A. PRESTON.
While his home was always in his native community, and the place he loved best in all the world, Greenbrier County, the late John A. Preston was in every sense a man of commanding importance and influence through West Virginia. He was a, great lawyer, and was the favorite son of his native county. People respected, trusted, admired and loved him because they knew him to be worthy of all and that he was true to his high ideals, ideals that he translated into action and conduct that fully earned him his high place in county and state.
His father was David R. Preston, a native of Southwestern Virginia, a minister of the Presbyterian faith, who completed his theological studies in Princeton University. David R. Preston probably came to Greenbrier County from Kentucky in the decade of the '30s. He had a charge at Union in Monroe County, but for many years his home was near Lewisburg in Greenbrier County. He married Jeanette Creigh, who represented one of the oldest and best known families in Greenbrier County. The Creighs were prominent Confederates during the Civil war. Rev. David R. Preston died when a comparatively young man. He and his wife had six children, the late John A. Preston being next to the youngest.
John A. Preston was born at the old Preston homestead, "Tuscawilla," March 14, 1847. On April 26, 1917, a few weeks past his seventieth birthday, he left home in Lewisburg to go to Clarksburg and perhaps due to the overexertion of getting to the station he died soon after taking his place in the railroad coach and while still in full view of the old farm and home where he was born. Re was reared there and accustomed to the work of the fields when he was a boy. He attended local schools, also the Lewisburg Academy, and in January or February, 1864, before he was eighteen, he enlisted in Company R of the Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry in the Confederate Army. He was in the service until the close of the war the following April. In later years he took a great deal of interest in the history of the Civil war period, and particularly in the survivors of the cause for which he had fought. He was an eloquent orator who was in great demand for memorial and reunion speeches.
Sometime after the war he entered Washington College, where he completed his literary education in 1869, and that institution had Gen. Robert E. Lee as its president and in whose honor it is now Washington and Lee University. Mr. Preston began the study of law with Samuel Price, who was lieutenant governor of Virginia during the Civil war. He read in Governor Price's office at Lewisburg, was admitted to the bar and for several years practiced with the former lieutenant governor and later married his daughter, Sallie Lewis Price. Mr. Preston practiced law in Greenbrier and surrounding counties with a degree of success that few of his contemporaries ever obtained. In 1876 he was elected State's attorney for the county, and by successive elections held that post of duty for sixteen years.
In 1896 he was again elected to the same office for four years. In 1914, only a few years before his death, he was elected to fill out an unexpired term as county prosecutor. In the prosecution of criminals he made a great reputation for his vigor and fearlessness.
In addition to this long term of public service Mr. Preston was elected and served two terms in the House of Delegates, in both regular and special sessions. In 1910 he was elected to the State Senate, holding that office four years. He was on many of the important committees of both Houses. For a number of years he was on the Board of Directors of the State Asylum for the Insane at Weston. He had served for a number of years, until his death, as one of the trustees of Washington and Lee University. He was an ardent democrat, and was a power in maintaining and building up his party and one of the political speakers most in demand by the state and district committees.
Mr. Preston for many years was a faithful member of the Old Stone Presbyterian Church of Lewisburg, a church founded and built in 1796. He served it as deacon and also as ruling elder.
A concise estimate of the life and character of this great Greenbrier lawyer and citizen is in the following editorial quoted from the Charleston Gazette:
"In the death of Hon. John A. Preston, of Greenbrier, the state has suffered a signal loss. He was not only a great lawyer, but also one of those types of honest, upright citizens whose example and influence, counsel and help can little be spared at this time. He was a link between the men like Governor Price, Governor Mathews, Judges Snyder and Holt through to the present. He saw the old Virginia type and lived and worked with the modern West Virginia. His never failing stand for principle and truth was the crowning glory of his honorable, active and useful life. As prosecuting attorney, senator, lawyer and citizen he was always the courtly gentleman, the unswerving Christian, the courageous but kindly man--trusted, respected and loved; a leader in his profession; a power, always for right and justice; a good father and husband and a useful man, he filled the full measure of every requirement of citizenship. The County of Greenbrier has lost one of its most distinguished men, and this state will miss this able, good man. We extend our sympathy to his family and relatives, and join with his hundreds of friends here in sincere regret and sorrow."
June 6, 1877, John A. Preston married Miss Sallie Price, third daughter of Governor and Mrs. Samuel Price. She died August 1, 1882, leaving two sons--Samuel Price and James Montgomery. On February 4, 1892, Mr. Preston married Miss Lillie Davis, of Clarksburg, daughter of Hon. John J. Davis. She survives her husband, and her two sons are John J. D. Preston and Walter C. Preston. The former attended Washington and Lee University, served as a lieutenant in the World war, and is now a practicing lawyer at Charleston. Waiter C. Preston was also a lieutenant in the World war, and is now a student in Johns Hopkins University at Baltimore.
Samuel Price Preston, oldest of the sons of the late John A. Preston, was born July 3, 1879, was educated in local schools, in the Greenbrier Military Academy the Lee Military Academy, Washington and Lee University, and then took his law course, spending two years in the University of Virginia and one year in the University of Michigan. After qualifying for the profession he was a partner with his father until the latter's death, and continues in the practice at Lewisburg. He married Elizabeth Montgomery Mason, daughter of Silas B. and Elizabeth (Montgomery) Mason, of Lewisburg. The five children of their union are: Silas M., John A., Samuel P., Jr., William M. and James Tate.
James Montgomery Preston, second son of John A. Preston, was born August 3, 1881, was educated in Lewisburg, and later in Virginia attended Locust Dale Academy, Pantop's Academy Valley High School, and Washington and Lee University. He completed his business education with a course in Sadler's Business College in Baltimore. His home has always been in Lewisburg, where he is prominent in local affairs. He is a Knight Templar Mason. On June 6, 1906, he married Miss Frances Flournoy, daughter of former State Senator Samuel L. Flournoy and Penny A. (White) Flournoy, of Charleston. The children of their marriage are: James Stuart, Frances Flournoy, Margaret Lynn, James Montgomery, Jr., and Minnie Frazier.
--------, The History of West Virginia, Old and New, Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pp. 616-17.
Preston’s Civil War Service JOHN A. PRESTON, a prominent lawyer and influential citizen of Lewisburg, W. Va., is one of three Virginian brothers who served with gallantry and devotion in the Confederate cause. He is a native of Greenbrier county born in 1847, and passed there his childhood and youth, until his eighteenth year, he entered the Confederate military service. On January 2, 1865, he became a private in the Fourteenth Virginia cavalry, which was a part of the division of Gen. W. H. F. Lee in the cavalry corps of Fitzhugh Lee. With this command he participated in the cavalry operations of the spring of 1865, fighting in the engagements at Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, Sailor's creek and Appomattox. Before the surrender he escaped with the main body of the cavalry through the Federal lines which were drawn about the remnant of the army of Northern Virginia. After the conclusion of hostilities he returned to his home and attended the Washington college at Lexington, receiving an academic education. He then took up the study of law at Lewisburg, and was admitted to the bar in 1873, beginning a career as a lawyer which has ever since continued and has been marked by honorable success. He served as prosecuting attorney of Greenbrier county from January, 1877, until October, 1896, when he resigned upon request of the national Democratic committee on account of his having received the honor of nomination as a presidential elector. Immediately after the presidential election he again became prosecuting attorney, and yet holds that office. A brother of Mr. Preston, who was in the Confederate service, was Walter C. Preston, who enlisted in June, 1861, with the Virginia university volunteers, with whom he served until their disbandment in the following December. He then entered the Charlottesville artillery, with whose record he was identified until at the "bloody angle," during the battle of May 12, 1864, at Spottsylvania, he was severely wounded, losing his right arm, and was captured by the Federals. He was sent to hospital at Washington, and in the fall of 1864, transferred to the military prison at Elmira, N. Y., the hardships of which he endured until the end of the war. He is now a resident of Orange Court House, Va. The other brother, Thomas C. Preston, enlisted in June, 1861, in the Third regiment of Wise's legion, or the Sixtieth Virginia infantry. He served as orderly-sergeant of Company B until January, 1863, when he was honorably discharged on account of physical disability. In the following September he became orderly-sergeant of Company C of the Fourteenth Virginia cavalry, and was in command of his company when he was killed at the battle of Monocacy, July 9, 1864. BIOGRAPHIES OF WEST VIRGINIA CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS, From Confederate Military History, edited by Gen. Clement A. Evans, 1899.
John A. Preston, son of Rev. David R. and Jeannette Creigh Preston, was born at Tuscawilla, about one mile south of Lewisburg, March 14, 1847. His father was a Presbyterian minister, who, after serving as pastor in churches in Florida and Virginia, was forced by ill health to retire from the ministry. He then bought and lived on the farm which still bears the name he gave it — "Tuscawilla," the Seminole name for "Two Lakes," and here it was John Alfred was born and reared.
On January 2, 1865, at the age of seventeen, he entered the Confederate army as a private in the Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry under General McCausland and saw much of the hard fighting and service in which that command was engaged.
Preston’s Confederate regiment fought at Droop Mountain – The Shue family was from the northern side of Droop Mountain.
http://www23.us.archive.org/stream/historyofgreenbr00cole/historyofgreenbr00cole_djvu.txt
Battle of Droop Mountain
West Virginia Review
October 1928
The Battle of Droop Mountain
By Roy Bird Cook
Near the Virginia border, on. the West Virginia side, runs the beautiful Greenbrier River. For over a hundred miles it hugs the base of the main Alleghany Mountain, on its way to join the New River. In one of the "sinks" in. the lower valley is located the historic town of Lewisburg, county seat of Greenbrier County, an. important point on the nationally known Midland Trail that reaches out from old Virginia on. the east to Ohio and Kentucky on. the west. This also marks the junction point of another well known highway, the Seneca Trail, a highway running north and south. Leaving Lewisburg at an altitude of 2,300 feet, it runs northward, gradually rising to the top of a mountain twenty-four miles away, at 3,100 feet, and then glides down and across the Little Levels into Marlinton, the county seat of Pocahontas County, fourteen miles the other side. This mountain is now and has for many years been known as Droop Mountain. Its history is enshrouded in many interesting phases from the time that an ancient lake bathed its brow down to the stirring days of the "Civil War" as West Virginians call that fratricidal strife.
The battle of Droop Mountain was fought on November 6,1863, by Federal forces led by General William W. Averell and Confederate forces under General John Echols and Colonel (later General) William L. Jackson. It marked the waning of the Confederacy in West Virginia regions. Then, after the close of the war, the scene of conflict was occupied in peace by men who wore the Blue and the Gray. In January, 1927, the Legislature of West Virginia was in session. Among the members were some who saw service in the affairs of sixty-four years before. One member, John D. Sutton, had participated in the battle of Droop Mountain. A resolution was adopted (No. 8 - January 25) reciting the fact that "West Virginia soldiers, both Union and Confederate" had taken part in this battle, and directed that a commission be appointed to mark battle lines, preserve records, and acquire land on the battlefield to be set aside as a State Park, as a memorial to the brave men who participated therein.
The result of the labor of the Commission appointed under this authority was that on July 4, 1928, Honorable Howard M. Gore, Governor of West Virginia, formally accepted 141 acres as a part of the State Park system. A notable gathering was present and among the assemblage mingled Federal and Confederate.
The mention of "both Union and Confederate" in the enabling act of the West Virginia Legislature is something that the "deep South" cannot clearly understand. In the Virginias it is common property and has been discussed for years. It is not possible in the narrow confines of an article of this nature to dwell on all the reasons which culminated in the formation of a new state, and led to such a situation as existed at Droop Mountain, McDowell, Second Manassas and many other fields where the brave met the brave.
The division of Virginia in 1863, and the erection of West Virginia, has no parallel in history. The roots of this episode ran back into long years before the "War." The question of slavery was of minor importance. Indeed in all, forty-seven counties out of present West Virginia only had an average of two slaves to the square mile. But differences over commerce and education, the origin and habits of citizens, and Virginia's policy of internal improvements had caused to arise years before various schemes for division. At each constitutional convention able men from west of the mountains plead for a "fair deal." One governor alone had come from their number.
Nothing that could be written, however, no matter how fair the historian, would exactly suit the proponents of either side. One distinguished historian recounted that Virginia felt a right to secession but objected to secession from secession. Be that as it may, when time tore states asunder, about thirty thousand men from the hills of West Virginia took up arms for the Union, and approximately seventy-five hundred, equally as brave, shouldered their muskets and marched to the South. It is our own chapter of national history. The uncles and brothers from the same families who took opposite sides were our people and we may well be permitted to be a bit proud of both.
Even Margaret Junkin Preston, sister -in-law of "Stonewall" Jackson, a boy from the West Virginia hills, recounted that the most gentlemanly Yankees she met were from West Virginia. A statement we hold to be true, even though few actual "Yankees" carried arms from this "side of the mountains." The result was that out of this background strange things came to pass; men from "Old Virginia" met in conventions and founded a new state in 1863. Wise, Floyd, Jenkins, Imboden, Jones and Witcher, led military expeditions into West Virginia, with many minor excursions, cutting through Federal lines, and yet in the fall of 1863 only occupied the Greenbrier Valley while their Federal neighbors watched over the headwater region with envious eyes.
In October, 1863, General B. F. Kelley, commanding the department of West Virginia, looked over his maps and decided that seventy miles of straggling Confederates along the Greenbrier did not look well. He issued orders to Averell at Beverly and General Scammon at Charleston to start out two expeditions, effect a junction at Lewisburg, and drive the Confederates out, or better still, capture them.
Scammon sent an expedition under General A N. Duffie to march 110 miles to Lewisburg. At the same time (November 1st) Averell moved out of Beverly with his command, consisting of the 28th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Colonel A. Moor; 10th West Virginia Infantry, Colonel T. M. Harris; 2nd West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel A. Scott; 3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel F. W. Thompson; 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Colonel J. H. Oley; 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Colonel J. N. Schoonmaker; Gibson's Battalion and Batteries B. & G., First West Virginia Light Artillery, Captain J. V. Keeper and C. T. Ewing.
Jackson's command at this time was scattered along the Greenbrier, a company at Glade Hill in upper Pocahontas County; 20th Virginia Cavalry, Colonel W. W. Arnett, at the site of Marlinton; and Jackson with the main part of the 19th Virginia Cavalry and Lurty's Battery was at Mill Point. Colonel W. P. Thompson with a detachment of the 19th was absent on the road leading over Cold Knob into the Gauley River regions. General John Echols with the main body of troops was at Lewisburg.
By Thursday, the 5th, Jackson had concentrated his forces at Mill Point, and had sent word to Echols who prepared to move to his relief from Lewisburg. Jackson made a stand at Mill Point, forming along Stamping Creek for a mile or more with Lurty's Battery on the hill south of Mill Point. Here a skirmish of some note took place, and Jackson soon fell back to the summit of Droop Mountain, followed by Colonel Thompson and his detachment, aided by Lurty's Battery. That night with about 750 men the Confederates looked down on the camp fire of the Federals in the "levels" below.
On Friday, the 6th, about 9 A. M., the command under Echols arrived on the mountain, having made twenty-eight miles from Lewisburg in twenty-four hours. Echols, as senior officer, assumed general command, and placed the First Brigade under command of Colonel G. S Patton, including the 22nd Virginia Major R. A. Bailey; 23rd Virginia Battalion, Major Wm. Blessing; 20th Virginia Cavalry, Colonel W. W. Arnett; 16th Virginia (Jenkin's) Cavalry, Colonel Milton J. Ferguson; and the batteries of Chapman and Jackson; Derrick's Battalion; Edgar's Battalion; and the 14th Virginia Cavalry, Colonel J. M. Cochrane.
Averell at once threw out a skirmish line and cleared the way to the foot of the mountain on the Federal side. Shortly after nine, the 10th West Virginia Infantry (largely composed of men who were neighbors of the men in the 19th Virginia Cavalry); one company of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry; and two pieces of Ewing's Battery and 28th Ohio Infantry, under Colonel A. Moor, were sent around on a back road about six miles. Here they formed and advanced up the mountain side to attack the Confederate left. This detachment embraced 1,175 men, and was opposed by the 22nd Virginia, 23rd Virginia Battalion, Derrick's Battalion, Kessler's Battalion, and 125 dismounted cavalry under Captain J. W. Marshall.
The mountain is divided into an almost straight line by a ridge, and into the dense brush and forest first went Marshall's men in a vain attempt to stem the oncoming Federals. Then came Colonel Thompson and more of the same regiment. The 23rd Battalion entered the woods to support Thompson's left. The Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry soon followed, supported in turn by a detachment of the 22nd Virginia Infantry, under the gallant Captain John K. Thompson, who actually held the line for a short time. But the woods were so thick that no troop movements could be guided, and the Federals drove the Confederate forces back into a cleared section, where in a space of one acre thirteen were killed and forty-seven wounded.
About 1:45 Averell decided from the disturbance at the Confederate front, that Moor had flanked the left. The Second, Third, and Eighth West Virginia, dismounted, were moved in line obliquely to the right, up the face of the mountains, until their right joined Moor's left. The fire of Ewing's Battery was added to that of Keeper's, and the 19th Virginia Cavalry and the 22nd and 23rd Virginia Battalions were driven back on the remaining Confederate forces. Arnett and Cochrane at the center gallantly defended their positions but when it was seen that the left had been turned the whole force fell back under a severe shelling and enfilading fire.
In the meantime a courier had arrived reporting that Duffie with two regiments and a battery had arrived at Big Sewell en route from Charleston to Lewisburg. Echols and Jackson then ordered a retreat in an effort to get to Lewisburg and gain the James River and Kanawha Pike first. By 4:00 o'clock the road from Droop Mountain to Lewisburg was choked with inarching men, cavalry, artillery, and wagon trains.
While twelve Confederate units, regiments and battalions were opposed to nine Federal units, regiments, and battalions, the number of men engaged was almost even. The Federal loss was 119 and the Confederates lost 275 killed, wounded and missing. Among the Confederate dead was Major R. A. Bailey, a brave officer of the 22nd Infantry.
Averell was slow to follow up his gain and the Confederate troops escaped by a narrow margin. Echols and Jackson passed through Lewisburg seven hours before the Federal re-enforcements from Charleston arrived. On the 7th the two Federal wings were united at that place, but the Confederates had long before passed over the divide and down into "old" Virginia.
And so, gentle reader, comes to a close an epitome of the battle of Droop Mountain, "a battle in the clouds." Space does not permit a discussion of the human interest stories emerging from this conflict, or the careers of the many able men who participated. Of how the young wife of a Confederate officer spent the night searching among the wounded in the Federal hospitals for her husband who lived to fight many more battles in war and politics. Or the story of Frank Dye, of Wood County, West Virginia, who marched up the mountain on the right with the Federals, while his brother, Harrison Dye, with the gallant 22nd Virginia repulsed Federal onslaughts on the Confederate left.
Two years later found the survivors, mostly West Virginians, back at the old home. By 1872 all citizenship restrictions had been removed, and the former wearers of the Gray mingled with the men in Blue in occupying important places in the councils of the State. And in the writer's generation the men of that time, with hair turning silvery gray, gathered in groups and passed much good-natured "chaff." They recalled "swapping the Wheeling sheet (Intelligencer) for tobacco," and when. "John carried a letter for me back to my folks in Jackson County," while another put in, "Averell, yes, I saw him. Why, when he led his men through Romney my aunt went to him and he put guards around the house to keep stragglers from bothering my folks - and us in the Southern army." Such was the spirit of the men of the two Virginias, and it was in a large measure the spirit of American soldiers.
So, visit Droop Mountain Park. One may yet see traces of crude embankments, the house used as a hospital in which Major Bailey died, and the spot where he bravely attempted to rally his Virginians. A wonderful view down Locust Creek is to be seen and far below to the northeast spreads the Little Levels of Pocahontas County with the village of Hillsboro in the distance. Here may be seen the old Beard home used as a hospital by the Federals and near it Averell's headquarters. In the summer and early fall the mountain is often bathed in one of the famous "cloud seas" of the Alleghenies, and those who love the mountains, a sight of flowing rivers, and a bit of the plains, may travel far and wide and not find a more lovely spot.
The Fourteenth Virginia also fought in the Gettysburg Campaign.
JENKINS' BRIGADE IN THE GETTYSBURG
CAMPAIGN.
Extracts from the Diary of Lieutenant Hermann Schuricht,
of the Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry.
Idlewild (near) Cobham, Va., April 1, 1896.
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
I see from various articles in the Richmond papers that the management of the cavalry in the Gettysburg campaign is being criticized; and, having participated in this campaign as an officer in General Jenkins' Cavalry Brigade, and being in possession of a "diary," in the German language, kept by me during those memorable days, I may be able to give some additional evidence assisting to establish the historical truth. To this end I take the liberty of sending you a translation from my "Diary," pertaining to the movements of the cavalry from June 15, 1863 (the day we crossed the Potomac into Maryland and Pennsylvania), to July 14th (the day we recrossed the river to the Virginia side).
Hermann Schuricht,
First Lieutenant of Company D, 14th Virginia Cavalry.
________________
From Lieutenant Schuricht's Diary.
June 15, 1863.--Fatigued, but hopeful, and encouraged by the results of our glorious battle of yesterday, at Martinsburg, Virginia, we were called by the sound of the bugle to mount horses. As early as 2 o'clock in the morning we advanced towards the Potomac. We reconnoitered first to "Dam No. 5," and, returning to the road to Williamsport, Maryland, we rapidly moved to the river. Fording the Potomac, we took possession of Williamsport, and were received very kindly by the inhabitants. Tables, with plenty of milk, bread, and meat, had been spread in the street, and we took a hasty breakfast. Soon after this we rode towards Hagerstown, Maryland, where we arrived at noon, and were enthusiastically welcomed by the ladies. They made us presents of flowers, and the children shouted, "Hurrah for Jeff. Davis!" The ladies entreated us not to advance into Pennsylvania, where we would be attacked by superior forces. However, we sped on, and when we came in sight of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, General Jenkins divided his brigade in two forces. My company belonged to the troops forming the right wing, and pistols and muskets in hand, traversing ditches and fences, we charged and took the town. The Federal cavalry escaped, and only one lieutenant was captured. After destroying the railroad depot, and cutting the telegraph wires, the brigade took up its advance to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. No other Confederate cavalry force seems to co-operate with our brigade, numbering about 3,200 officers and men. Our vanguard had several skirmishes with the retreating enemy. On the road we found several partly burned wagons, which they had destroyed; and at 11 o'clock at night, we entered the city of Chambersburg, and on its eastern outskirts we went into camp.
June 16th.--Early in the morning our pickets were attacked by the Federals, but the enemy was repulsed, and we made some prisoners. A railroad bridge and telegraph connections were destroyed by our men. General Jenkins ordered the storekeepers to open their establishments, and we purchased what we needed, paying in Confederate money. The inhabitants had to provide rations for the troops and we fared very well, but their feelings toward us were very adverse. However, a number of them, belonging to the peace-party, treated us kindly, especially were the Germans in favor of peace. Many inhabitants had fled in haste from the city, but owing to the suddenness of our approach, clothes and household utensils were left scattered in the streets. I was ordered, with part of my company, to move this unprotected property safely into the houses of its probable owners. At 9 o'clock at night General Jenkins had his brigade alarmed, to see how soon the troops would be in readiness for action, and was much pleased with the results.
June 17th.--Early in the morning the citizens were ordered by the general to give up all weapons, and we received about 500 guns of all sorts, sabres, pistols, etc. The useful arms were loaded on wagons and the others were destroyed. About 11 o'clock news reached headquarters of the advance of a strong Yankee force, and consequently we evacuated the city and fell back upon Hagerstown, Md.
June 18th.--My company on picket, and I am officer of the day. Nothing of the enemy.
June 19th.--The company was ordered to Waynesborough, Pa., to capture horses and cattle in the neighborhood for our army. A powerful thunder-storm surprised us at night, and we took refuge on a large farm. The proprietor was obliged to furnish us with rations for ourselves and our horses.
June 20th.--We succeeded in capturing a number of horses and some cattle. At noon we came to the farm of an old Pennsylvania German. He was scared to death at catching sight of us, and shouted "O mein Gott, die rebels!" I soon reassured him, telling him that no harm should result to him if he furnished us with a dinner and rations for our horses, and we were well cared for. A Federal cavalry regiment passed in sight of the place, fortunately not discovering our presence, and I concluded to march with my company to Lesterburg, Md., where the citizens furnished us with supper. We camped for the night in an open field, midway between Lesterburg and Hagerstown.
A DANGEROUS SECTION.
June 21st and 22nd.--The 14th Virginia Cavalry Regiment readvanced towards Chambersburg, Pa., but Co. D, in charge of Captain Moorman and Major Bryan, of Rodes' Division, was detailed to proceed to the South Mountain to capture horses, of which about 2,000 had been taken there by farmers and industrial establishments to hiding places. We again passed through Lesterburg and then entered the mountain region. It proved to be a very dangerous section for cavalry movements. At 11 o'clock at night we came to Use's Iron-Works. Mr. Use, upon demand, furnished provisions, but as we discovered on the following days, secretly informed the farmers and troops of our approach.
June 23d.--At dawn we moved on by roads to Caledonia Iron Works, catching only twenty-six horses and twenty-two mules, the great bulk having been moved on upon Mr. Use's messages of warning. We obliged the overseer of the place to provide us with rations, and about 2 o'clock in the afternoon we advanced with forty of our men in pursuit of the Yankee guard and the horses in the direction of Gettysburg. About two miles beyond Caledonia Iron Works we discovered the road to be blockaded, just where it entered into dense woods. Major Bryan called the officers together for consultation, and an attack was resolved upon. I was ordered with nine men to approach the blockaded place and to clear it. I directed four men to approach the barricade to the right of the road, where they were protected by bushes, while I took the open field to the left with the others. There were about twenty-five men awaiting us, lying in ambush, but they disappeared in a hurry as we drew near. We quickly removed the obstructions, and as soon as the road was clear Captain Moorman charged, with twenty-five men, in pursuit of the Yankees. I followed him with my squad as soon as our horses were brought up. The Federal infantry took refuge behind a company of Union cavalry hiding in the woods, and the troopers turned their horses' heads when we rushed upon them. We were frequently fired upon in our pursuit, and one private, Amick, was mortally wounded. Major Bryan, recognizing the dangers of further advance, ordered us to break off the pursuit, and we slowly returned to the Caledonia Iron Works. Having passed the buildings we were again fired upon from ambush. This section of Pennsylvania seems to be full of "bushwhackers." At Greenwood we met our rear-guard, in charge of the captured horses, and required the citizens to feed men and animals. During the night we marched by way of Funkstown to Greencastle. Twice we came very close to strong cavalry detachments of the enemy, but escaped their attention.
June 24th.--We rejoined the regiment at Chambersburg.
June 25th.--Captain Moorman reported sick, I took command of the company, and was ordered to Shippensburg. We camped several miles beyond this place, in the direction of Carlisle. We had several encounters with the enemy.
June 27th.--The entire brigade moved on to Carlisle, and after some skirmishing with Pennsylvania militia on horse we passed the obstructions and fortifications, and occupied the city at 10 o'clock. About 3 o'clock General Ewell's Corps arrived. We advanced towards Mechanicsburg, Pa., and camped during the night about five miles distant from the town. Our pickets were attacked several times.
June 28th.--After some skirmishing with the Federal cavalry we occupied Mechanicsburg, and upon requisition were treated by the citizens to a delicious dinner. Probably the frightened people gave up to us the meals prepared for their own table. Thus, greatly gratified and reinvigorated, we advanced towards the Susquehanna river, and about four miles from Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, we took position on a dominating hill. Jackson's Battery, belonging to our brigade, came up, and the artillery fire with the enemy ensued, lasting until nightfall. General Jenkins took position on Silver Springs turnpike, a road parallel to the Carlisle-Harrisburg turnpike, and I was ordered with my company to select a place of concealment east of Mechanicsburg, in order to protect our connection with Carlisle.
June 29th.--In the morning I received orders to meet General Jenkins and to act as his escort. We reconnoitered to the right of the Harrisburg turnpike, charged on the enemy's outposts, and viewed the city of Harrisburg and its defences. This was the farthest advance made by any Confederate troops during the campaign. During the following night I again received orders to be in ambush, although I and my command were nearly exhausted by constant and exciting service.
TO HOLD THE TOWN.
June 30th.--Early in the morning I was ordered to report with my company at headquarters, and General Jenkins directed me to proceed at once with my company and one cannon of Jackson's Battery to Mechanicsburg, to hold this town until ordered otherwise, and to destroy the railroad track as far as possible. I could learn nothing definite concerning the army and General Lee's plans. General Rhodes, I was told, occupied Carlisle, and General Early, York --with the latter was White's Cavalry--while General Imboden's Brigade protected our line of communication with Virginia. Greatly flattered to be entrusted with an expedition, properly belonging to an officer of higher rank, I started my command to Mechanicsburg, and when we came in sight of the town I dispatched a patrol to reconnoitre. A small company of Federal cavalry had just occupied the place, but retreated upon our approach. Without delay I marched into town and posted my pickets. The place appeared to be evacuated by the inhabitants; they all kept indoors. I posted my command on an elevation east of the town, overlooking both the railroad and the turnpike, and ordered my men to demolish the railroad track. We were repeatedly interrupted in this work by the reappearance of Yankees, and had to keep up a lively skirmish all day. We also observed many and demonstrative people in the woods, some distance to our right, and I ordered Lieutenant Jackson to warn them off by some shots. At sunset a courier was sent from headquarters ordering me to leave Mechanicsburg after dark and fall back to Carlisle. There we met Jenkins' Brigade, and Captain Moorman rejoined his company and took charge of it. The entire command continued then to march to Petersburg, Pa., where we arrived about 2 o'clock in the morning. We encamped there, but expecting an attack, our horses were held saddled and our arms ready to hand.
July 1st.--At daybreak we were again in the saddle and on the road to Gettysburg. During the forenoon we heard heavy cannonading from that direction, and soon we learned that the two hostile armies had met unexpectedly. The Federal troops were finally defeated, but the loss on both sides was heavy, and that of the Union army the most severe. General Reynolds, the commanding general, was among the dead, and thousands of prisoners were taken by our victorious troops.
July 2d.--In the morning we advanced into the valley between Seminary Ridge and the mountain range held by the Union army. Jenkins' Brigade was posted in a piece of woodland, part of yesterday's battlefield, in sight of the seminary and the city of Gettysburg. Both armies had been reinforced and concentrated during the night. General Stuart, with the main force of our cavalry, was not at hand, and for want of cavalry the defeated Federals had not been pressed, and still held and fortified the eminence, above Gettysburg, controlling the valley. Our forces were in possession of the town. We were wondering at the silence prevalent, only in long intervals the report of a gun was heard. General Jenkins resolved to reconoitre, and I was of his companions. Arriving on top of a hill our party attracted the enemy's attention, and we were fired upon. A shell exploded among us, wounding the General and his horse. The hours dragged on wearily, until in the afternoon twenty-seven Confederate batteries opened fire on the enemy's lines. The Federal artillery replied at once, and soon the rattling noise of the fire of small arms joined in the terrible accord of battle. Several infantry regiments en route for the bloody field passed by our position, and I was struck by the composure and determination the men displayed. The contest lasted until 9 in the evening, but scanty reports came to us respecting the course of the battle. At 9 o'clock our brigade was ordered back some miles towards Petersburg. Hungry and fatigued, I slept while in the saddle, but suddenly awoke, hearing my name called by the adjutant of the regiment. The brigade had just met General Stuart, who, with his cavalry corps had, after severe engagements with the Federal cavalry at Hanover, brought with him 200 wagons, and 1,200 horses and mules, captured in the vicinity of Washington city, and, after having repulsed the enemy's attack, he now wanted an officer to inform Generals Gordon, Heth, and Early that he did no longer require any of the reinforcements he had asked for. I was selected to carry these messages, and all the directions regarding the headquarters of said generals, General Stuart could give, was: "You will find them somewhere on the left wing of our army; numerous men wounded in to-day's battle will cross your way, and they can tell you." I galloped off, and soon met many suffering victims of the bloody struggle. Finally emerging from a dark forest, a wide field, brilliant in the moonshine, was before me, and I observed a very slender line of soldiers in a hollow, within 200 yards of the enemy's sharpshooters. "Where will I find General Gordon's division?" I enquired from an officer, who came to meet me. Pointing to a line of soldiers stretched on the ground, and holding their muskets in their arms, he replied in a most mournful voice: "This is what is left of it." A few minutes later, General Gordon approached us, returning from an inspection of his scattered command, and I delivered to him General Stuart's message. "It is lucky for General Stuart," he answered, "that he does not require the regiments asked for. I have none to spare." Under similar discouraging circumstances I was received at Gettysburg by Generals Heth and Ewell, and several times on my way thither, the sharp whistle of a bullet sent after me by some Yankee outpost, touched my ear. Gettysburg impressed one like an enormous hospital--and a Yankee surgeon told me that there were about ten thousand of their wounded within our lines. After half past 1 in the morning I arrived at the camping place of my regiment.
THE THIRD DAY.
July 3d.--At 4 o'clock in the morning we mounted horses and, through fields and on by-roads, advanced to our extreme left, attempting to flank the enemy's army, and to cut off its way of retreat. Our sudden attack on their rear was a success, nearly fifteen minutes passed before they replied to the discharge of our artillery. For nearly an hour, the air was alive with shells-- we lost men and horses, and finally we changed position and dismounted to charge the enemy on foot. General Fitzhugh Lee commanded our left wing, Generals Hampton and William H. F. Lee, our centre, and Jenkins' Brigade formed the right wing. My company was ordered to the extreme right on the slope of a hill. Our opponents poured a rain of bullets and shells on us, but were forced slowly to fall back. We lost heavily--Lieutenant Allan, of our regiment was killed at my side. In the evening, General Hampton charged upon the Union cavalry, they could not withstand his attack, their line broke, and they fell back. It was a day of triumph for the Confederate cavalry, but unfortunate for the main force of our army, ended this third day of the battle. The roar of cannon, and the rattling volleys of infantry fire had told us that desperate fighting was carried on along the entire line. The results and details of the struggle were not, however, positively known to us when we moved back towards Hunterstown and encamped on fields and meadows.
July 4th.--At daybreak I was ordered to take charge of all members of the regiment, whose horses were not in marching condition and needed shoeing. There were about forty men to follow me and we started to find the field forges, but in vain. We were sent from place to place, and at last I was told that they had been ordered to join the wagon train on the Chambersburg road, and moved to the rear. This was the first information I received of the retrograde movement of our army. I resolved then to try Gettysburg, and passing the house where our wounded general was quartered, I enquired about his health, and also if Gettysburg was still in our hands. The general's adjutant laughed at my doubt, and we rode on. We repassed the first day's battlefield and ascended the road to the city, we suddenly saw a large column of Blue-Coats before us. We were only about 100 yards apart, and I commanded to halt. Observing another large body of Federal infantry coming down hill on our left, I ordered my men to turn back. Coming to the foot of the hill, I met Adjutant Fitzhugh on his way to Gettysburg. He doubted our observation and I offered him our escort. When we came to the brow of the road--from where the lines of the Federals could be plainly seen--we halted. They had not advanced, evidently not knowing what to make of our approach, but a gun was fired on us from the top of the hill above the city, and we all turned again. The adjutant hastened to remove our general to some place of safety. Following the road to Petersburg, we met General Stuart and his staff. He enquired where we came from, and if the Yankees were moving on, and upon my report, he turned off towards Cashtown. There was no escort to protect him, but he declined to have ours, seeing the condition of our lame horses. I took the same road and in the village we discovered a blacksmith shop. We helped ourselves and had the horses quickly shod. Fortunately we were not molested by the enemy. At night, stormy weather set in and we took refuge in a large barn.
AT CASHTOWN.
July 5th.--In the morning we rode to Cashtown, where I met General Fitzhugh Lee, and then we marched by way of Summits, then place of our engagement of June 23d, to Greencastle. The enemy attacked General Lee, but was repulsed with heavy loss. At 12 o'clock at night we met General Imboden's brigade, in charge of the wagon-train. The road was a sorry condition, on account of the rain, and cut up by the wagons, some of which had to be left behind. At Greenwood and Greencastle the train was attacked by Federal cavalry, but they were repulsed without being able to do much harm. All our men discussed our serious defeat at Gettysburg, its causes and probable consequences, and all seemed to agree that the disadvantage arising from our extended line was the cause of the disaster. Our army surrounded the Union army in the shape of a horseshoe, and, therefore, reinforcements could not, in case of need, be promptly rendered by one part to the other. The enemy, on the other hand, had the advantage of a concentrated, hilly position, which we were unable to take, after the success of the first day's battle had failed to follow up, thus allowing the defeated army time to fortify and be reinforced. All regret the loss of the brave soldiers, estimated at from 15,000 to 20,000.
July 6th.--In search of Jenkins' Brigade, I marched to Hagerstown, Md. I was enjoying a delicious dinner at the Washington Hotel when one of my troop informed me that the enemy was in town. I called my men together; we heard the shooting between some cavalry of the Wise Legion and the Yankees in the streets, and we hastened to assist the small Confederate force. We came too late. Colonel Davis, commanding, had his horse killed, and was taken prisoner, and his men were falling back. Fortunately, a regiment of Confederate infantry entered the city at this critical moment, and we proceeded to drive the Yankees out of the city. They were in strong force, and skirmishing was kept up until half-past 5 o'clock, when Jenkins' Brigade came to our succor. The Union cavalry retreated, but surprised our wagon-train at Williamsport, and destroyed a number of wagons. We encamped near Hagerstown.
July 7th.--Captain Moorman reported sick, I took command of Co. D, 14th Virginia Cavalry. We marched towards Sharpsburg, and had some skirmishes with the enemy, who left several dead, wounded and prisoners in our hands. It was a reconnoitering movement. In our advance we passed an interesting group--Generals Robert E. Lee, Longstreet and others. About three miles from Sharpsburg our course of march was changed, and we advanced towards Boonsborough. About five miles from this village, we encamped. The rain poured down and the creeks and the Potomac began to rise.
July 8th.--Early in the morning I received orders to report with my company at General Robert E. Lee's headquarters. The General was already waiting, and instructed me to leave half the company with him, and to take the van with the other half. He also directed me to attack the enemy's outposts whenever I should meet them, and to send a messenger to him in such an event. We had not advanced far when we saw a Federal vidette, and charged upon it. We surprised the whole outpost, killing two. I sent word at once to General lee, and waited further instructions. About 9 o'clock heavy cannonading was heard in the direction of Boonesborough, and soon after I received order to advance to the field of action. The enemy made up a very strong force of cavalry, artillery and infantry. General Fitzhugh Lee attacked the left wing of the Federals, General Jones their centre, and Jenkins' Brigade was to fight the right flank. At 10 o'clock, and about two miles from Boonesborough, we came under the enemy's fire. We dismounted, and the whole brigade charged on the enemy's position behind stone fences and in the woods, yelling almost like Indians. We drove them back about a mile, and held our ground, in spite of a terrible carnage of bullets and shells. At 7 o'clock I received order to slowly fall back, when the enemy made desperate efforts to cut us off in a defile near Antietam bridge, but got out of the scrape unhurt. The field of action was the historical ground known as the battlefield of Sharpsburg, or, as the Federals term it, Antietam. On our side several officers and men had been killed. I lost three men, and my uniform jacket showed a bullet-hole. When we fell back we had only two cartridges left per man. The aim of this engagement was to ascertain the position and strength of the Federal forces which are reported to concentrate at Frederick City. Another great battle seems to be imminent.
July 9th.--At 7 o'clock in the morning our cavalry force again advanced towards Antietam, and lively skirmishing ensued. We fell back, fighting constantly. At 5 o'clock in the evening we were reinforced by a regiment of infantry, and our assailants were repelled. These bloody engagements, surely, are but preludes of battle. A report is current that Major-General D. H. Hill is bringing on two divisions from Virginia. Captain Moorman reported for duty, and took command of our company. During night we camped near the day's position.
July 11th.--At daybreak we again advanced about half a mile, to protect the infantry, throwing up a long line of zigzag rifle ditches and abattis. At noon we fell back to the rear of the infantry, and were ordered to the right flank of our line of battle, which, I am told, is to be commanded by General Longstreet. Passing the double row of rifle-ditches, we saw several batteries of artillery bringing up their guns. The right flank of our army occupies a range of hilly woodland, and I think it is a strong position. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon Jenkins' Brigade is drawn up in line of parade, and first an order of General Robert E. Lee was read, complimenting us on our good services before and during the battle of Gettysburg, and expressing his confidence that we will render similar good service in the impending battle. This was followed by the reading of a circular of General Stuart, stating that the cavalry, after having successfully checked the advance of the enemy, would be posted at the flanks of the army to take very active action in the coming battle. Any task entrusted to his men they are expected to fulfil, and officers and men must impress upon their minds that no wavering or giving way can possibly take place during the coming struggle. These very serious communications were received by the men with that firmness and cheerfulness characteristic of Southern soldiers. All of us were aware of the dangers surrounding us--the Potomac swelled by the heavy rains of the last few days, impeding our retreat, and the enemy's forces much larger than our decimated and almost exhausted regiments. During the afternoon silence prevailed along the entire line, but about 7 o'clock in the evening the enemy advanced to reconnoitre our position. Our artillery kept strictly silent.
FULL OF ALARM.
July 12th.--The day was full of alarm and excitement. The news of the surrender of Vicksburg had reached us, and a report was circulated that a strong Federal army was concentrating at Winchester, Virginia, to cut off our retreat. It was also stated that the Federal cavalry had destroyed the pontoons, brought up from Richmond for bridging the Potomac, and that our supplies of provisions and ammunition were giving out. At three o'clock in the afternoon, our brigade received orders from General Fitzhugh Lee, to proceed to our left wing, between Hagerstown and Williamsport, and there we remained for the rest of the day and the following night, ready for action.
July 13th.--At daybreak we marched to the centre of our line of fortifications, reaching on the right to the Potomac, and on the left to the hills about one mile from Antietam. We were ordered to dismount, leaving every fourth man in charge of the other's horses, and we took the places of the infantry in the rifle ditches. The retreat of the army to Virginia had begun, the enemy hesitating to give battle.
July 14th.--At 3 o'clock in the morning, Captain Moorman instructed me to call in at about 5 o'clock, our outposts, but to keep up the camp fires and quietly withdraw to Williamsport, where I was to ford the Potomac. Everything was carefully done according to orders, but without my knowing then that I was in command of the last Confederate troops leaving Maryland. General Fitzhugh Lee was awaiting us on the bluffs on the Virginia side with his division, and Federal cavalry and artillery appearing on the Maryland side after I had safely crossed the river, we marched on towards Martinsburg.
__________________
A War Letter.
As bearing directly upon the contents of the above, the republication of the following letter is timely:
(Correspondence of Richmond Enquirer.)
General Jenkins' Brigade, Near Harrisburg, Pa., June 30, 1863.
Messrs. Editors--Our last communication was dated Carlisle, Pa., June 27th. That day General Rhodes' command came up, and General Jenkins' Brigade passed three miles beyond and encamped for the night.
The next morning we entered and occupied Mechanicsburg, seven miles distant from Harrisburg. In the evening we advanced and harassed their pickets a few hours, and then fell back a mile or two and encamped. Next morning we advanced again, and kept up lively picket skirmishing all day.
The Baltimore battery played upon the enemy's outposts occasionally on two roads. In the afternoon Jackson's Battery--which belongs to General Jenkins' Brigade--came up, and was placed in position on the left. It worked admirably, and, covered by it, Lieutenant-Colonel Witcher, with his brave men, charged and took the enemy's outpost. At the same time, General Jenkins, with Captain Moorman's company, under command of Lieutenant Schuricht, acting as his escort, made a reconnaissance on the right, and obtained a pretty fair view of the enemy's position, fortifications and probable strength, and again fell back and encamped on the same ground of the previous night.
This must be regarded as very daring for such a small force to hold in check a large army, sent for the defense of their capital, so long.
The contemplated move of the present day is not known to the writer. The boys are faring sumptuously every day. This is a land of plenty, and the citizens express a willingness for them to avail themselves of their hospitalities for self-protection. More anon.
W. K.
(Source: Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. 24, pages 339-351)
The Fourteenth Virginia was at Appomattox when the war ended.
The Civil War was in its last hours and yet Generals Lee and Sheridan would send their two armies to meet on the battlefield at Appomattox, Virginia. The Confederates hoped to break the impending encirclement and reach their supply depot at Lynchburg. At dawn their cavalry attacked with some success. They drove the Union forces back until it was apparent that two corps of infantry awaited them. With the avenue of retreat closing on the Confederates, General Lee offered his surrender at 8:00 a.m. The Army of Northern Virginia formally surrendered the following day.
Col Young remembered the meeting of the 4th Pennsylvania and 14th Virginia Cavalries in his report of April 14, 1865.
The enemy, taking advantage, charged one regiment of cavalry through the interval, and came up on my rear, and that instant the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry, who had been ordered to a new position, met and charged them in column, effectually routing them, killing the color-bearer and capturing the co1ors of Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry.
S. B. M. YOUNG,
Colonel, 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Commanding Brigade
Reference Materials related to the 14th Virginia Cavalry with sample soldiers from Lewisburg.
Record of Events for the regiment information of the Company from some of their bi-monthly muster rolls.
Charles P. Bright, Private, Company A, 14th Regiment Virginia Cavalry,* enlisted October 20, 1862 at Lewisburg by Capt. Eakle for the war, recorded on the Sept. & Oct., 1864 muster roll as absent on a detail to get a horse, present on December 31, 1864, paroled at Charleston, WV June 15, 1865, Company K, description: age 20, 5' 10", light complexion, blue eyes, light hair, no whiskers
* This company was successively designated as Captain Eakle's Company Virginia Cavalry; Company A and Company K, 14th Regiment Virginia Cavalry.
M324: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Virginia
.......................................................................................................
Charles P. Bright
Residence Academy, Pocahontas County WV; 19 years old.
Enlisted on 10/20/1862 at Lewisburg, WV as a Private.
On 10/20/1862 he mustered into "K" Co. VA 14th Cavalry
(date and method of discharge not given)
He was listed as:
* Absent, on leave 11/15/1862 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* Absent, sick 1/15/1863 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* On rolls 3/15/1863 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* Detailed 9/15/1864 (place not stated) (Estimated day. On horse detail)
* On rolls 11/15/1864 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* Paroled 6/15/1865 Charleston, WV
He was described at enlistment as:
5' 10.0", light complexion, blue eyes, light hair
Other Information:
born 8/7/1843
died 5/22/1923 in Renick, Greenbrier County, WV
(Postwar: farmer, Renick, Greenbrier County, WV)
.......
James K. Bright
Residence Pocahontas County WV;
Enlisted on 5/23/1861 at Lewisburg, WV as a 3rd Corpl.
On 5/23/1861 he mustered into "A(1st)" Co. VA 14th Cavalry
He was discharged on 11/22/1861
(Company disbanded)
On 2/22/1863 he mustered into "K" Co. VA 14th Cavalry
(date and method of discharge not given)
He was listed as:
* On rolls 4/30/1863 (place not stated) (On rolls through this date)
* Detailed 4/1/1864 (place not stated) (QM, Echol's Brigade 12/31/64)
* Paroled 4/25/1865 Lewisburg, WV
He was described at enlistment as:
5' 10.0", fair complexion, blue eyes, dark hair
Other Information:
born in 1839
died 8/11/1918 in Academy, Pocahontas County, VA
.......
Jesse C. Bright
Residence was not listed; 20 years old.
Enlisted on 5/23/1861 at Lewisburg, WV as a Private.
On 5/23/1861 he mustered into "A(1st)" Co. VA 14th Cavalry
He was discharged on 11/22/1861
(Company disbanded)
On 3/9/1862 he mustered into "K" Co. VA 14th Cavalry
(date and method of discharge not given)
He was listed as:
* Detailed 3/15/1862 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* On rolls 5/15/1862 (place not stated) (Estimated day. On rolls through 08/62)
* Absent, on leave 9/15/1862 (place not stated)
* On rolls 11/15/1862 (place not stated) (Estimated day. On rolls through 04/63)
* Detailed 9/15/1864 (place not stated) (Forage Master, McCausland's Brig)
* On rolls 11/15/1864 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* Paroled 4/25/1865 Lewisburg, WV
He was described at enlistment as:
5' 11", fair complexion, blue eyes, dark hair
Other Information:
born in 1841
died in Greenbrier County, WV
Buried: Alderson, Greenbrier County, WV
(Postwar: farmer, deputy surveyor and merchant in Greenbrier
County, WV. Died before 06/06.)
Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:
- The Virginia Regimental Histories Series
....................................................................
14th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry
14th Cavalry Regiment was organized in September, 1862, with nine companies, some of which had previously served in Jackson's Squadron Virginia Cavalry. The tenth company was made up of surplus men of the other companies. The unit was attached to Jenkins', Echols', and McCausland's Brigade. It skirmished in western Virginia, then saw action at Droop Mountain and Lewisburg. During January, 1864, it had 29 officers and 424 men present for duty. The 14th continued the fight in Western Virginia, took part in the operations in the Shenandoah Valley, and disbanded in April, 1865. The field officers were Colonels James Cochran and Charles E. Thorburn, Lieutenant Colonels Robert A. Bailey and John A. Gibson, and Majors B. Frank Eakle and George Jackson.
http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/regiments.cfm
See also:
http://www.14thvirginiacavalry.org/regiment_history.htm
14th Virginia Cavalry, by Robert J. Driver, Jr., 1988, 206 pages, photos, maps, roster, cost $ 25.00, H. E. Howard.
The following are documents held by the U. S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pa. in their unit bibliography
USAMHI
RefBranch
laf Dec 90
14th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
Bouldin, Edwin E. "Charlotte Cavalry, A Brief History of the Gallant Command...with Roll Added." Southern Hist Soc Papers 28 (1900): pp. 71 81 (6 photocopied pages). E483.7S766v28. (Co B).
_____. "The Last Charge at Appomattox: The Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry." Southern Hist Soc Papers
28 (1900): pp. 250 54 (3 photocopied pages). E483.7S76v28.
Confederate Military History, Extended Edition. Vol. 4: Virginia. Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot, 1987.
1295 p. E484C65.1987v4.
Contains numerous, scattered references to Virginia units.
Crute, Joseph H., Jr. Units of the Confederate States Army. Midlothian, VA: Derwent, 1987. Ref.
See p. 365 (1 photocopied page) for a concise summary of the regiment's service.
Driver, Robert J., Jr. 14th Virginia Cavalry. Lynchburg, VA: Howard, 1988. 206 p. E581.6.14th.D74.
McChesney, James Z. "'On to Chambersburg...'" CW Times Illus (Nov 1971): pp. 10 13
(4 photocopied pages). Per.
Moffett, W. L. "The Last Charge of the 14th Virginia Cavalry at Appomattox C. H., Va., April 9, l865."
Southern Hist Soc Papers 36 (1908): pp. 13 16 (3 photocopied pages). E483.7S76v36.
Moore, J. Scott. "Rockbridge Second Dragoons, a Short History of the Company, Its Roll." Southern
Hist Soc Papers 25 (1897): pp. 177 80 (3 photocopied pages). E483.7S76v25. (Co H).
_____. "Unwritten History: A Southern Account of the Burning of Chambersburg..." Southern Hist Soc
Papers 26 (1898): pp. 315 32 (5 photocopied pages). E483.7S76v26.
"Roster of the Churchville Cavalry." Southern Hist Soc Papers 36 (1908): pp. 218 219 (l photocopied
page). E483.7S76v38. (Co I).
Schuricht, Hermann. "Jenkins' Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign: Extracts from the Diary of
Lieutenant Hermann Schuricht of the Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry." Southern Hist Soc Papers 24 (1896): pp. 339 51 (7 photocopied pages). E483.7.S76v24.
Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia. NY: Facts on File, 1992.
pp. 123 27 (3 photocopied pages). E581S53. (Unit organizational history).
14th Virginia Cavalry (p. 2)
"Veterans' Reunion, the Meeting of the Rockbridge Dragoons at Lexington, List of Survivors..."
Southern Hist Soc Papers 22 (1894): pp. 73 75 (2 photocopied pages). E483.7S76v22. (Co H).
Wallace, Lee A., Jr. A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations, 1861 1865. Lynchburg, VA: Howard,
1986. pp. 55 56 (2 photocopied pages). E581.4W35. (Brief unit history).
The following pertinent personal papers are in the Institute's Manuscript Archive:
Company I Roster BrakeColl
Beall, T. B. (Reminiscence) BrakeColl
Spender, H.S. HCWRTColl SteljesColl
Woolwine (Letters, l864 65) CWMiscColl
