Turner Ashby

Turner Ashby Turner Ashby, Jr. (October 23, 1828 – June 6, 1862) not prepared to make a proper and satisfactory apology at was a Confederate cavalry commander in the American once, both to my guest and to me, you must fight Turner Civil War. He had achieved prominence as Thomas J. Ashby and the time and place agreed upon will answer as “Stonewall” Jackson's cavalry commander, with the rank well as any other. What do you say, sir?" Now fighting of colonel, in the Shenandoah Valley before he was killed a duel with a young man wholly unacquainted with the in the Battle of Good’s Farm. Although he is sometimes use of firearms and dueling was one thing; fighting a duel referred to as a general and his name often appears in lists with Turner Ashby in a rage was very well understood to of Confederate generals, his appointment as brigadier be quite another, and a much more serious thing, and his general was never confirmed by the Confederate Senate. realization of this difference brought a complete change He died two weeks after his appointment and the Con- to the challenger’s mind...and he signed the pair of written federate Senate did not act to confirm the appointment apologies.”[3] during that time. An accomplished horseman at an early age, Ashby in his 20s organized a cavalry company of his friends known as the Mountain Rangers. The Mountain Rangers were ab- 1 Early years sorbed into the Virginia Militia in 1859 following John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry; they performed guard Turner Ashby, Jr. was born at Rose Bank Plantation in duty at Charles Town during Brown’s trial and execu- Fauquier County, Virginia, to Turner Sr. and Dorothea tion. Ashby made the statement that the Civil War re- Green Ashby.[1] As a child he often played in the waters ally began with John Brown’s insurrection. Ashby was an of nearby Goose Creek. His father died when he was avid follower of politics and ran for the state legislature, young, and Turner was raised by his mother. In later but was a Whig (the minority party in Fauquier County) years, he bought a residence near his childhood home and follower of Henry Clay, and was not elected. Af- and named it Wolfe’s Crag. His father had fought as ter the start of the Civil War, though he'd disapproved of a colonel in the War of 1812, and his grandfather Jack secession, when it became obvious that Virginia would Ashby served as a captain during the American Revolu- secede, Ashby persuaded Governor John Letcher to or- tionary War.[2] der the militia to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. When secession was approved, Ashby made his Ashby was privately educated. Prior to military service move, but U.S. forces burned most of the arsenal build- he was engaged in business and farming, enjoying modest ings and 15,000 small arms before he could arrive. success at both.[1] He was also known throughout the Shenandoah Valley for his strict adherence to a Code of Chivalry. Once a 2 Civil War young male guest at a party given by Ashby was insulted and goaded into a duel with a rejected rival for a young lady’s attention. Though totally unskilled in firearms, the At Harpers Ferry, Ashby was assigned to the Virginia youth accepted the challenge and the duel was set to be Militia command of Colonel Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jack- immediately fought with pistols at a nearby grove. When son. He was responsible for guarding fords across the word of the altercation reached Ashby in the next room, Potomac River and bridges from Harpers Ferry to Point he barged through the door and approached the more ex- of Rocks, Maryland. His command assisted Maryland perienced challenger. In his low, gentle voice he asked men with Confederate sympathies to pass into Virginia, “What is the time fixed for our meeting?" The prospec- and they disrupted railroad traffic on the Baltimore and tive duelist responded, “I am to fight [him] immediately". Ohio Railroad and interfered with the passage of boats Ashby replied, "I beg your pardon, but he has nothing on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Ashby suffered a to do with this affair. He came to my house tonight as personal loss when his brother Richard was killed during my guest. When I invited him to come the invitation was an engagement with a Union patrol along the Potomac Turner Ashby’s word of honor that he should be treated in June 1861. Ashby, convinced of the rumors that his here as a gentleman. I am sorry to have to explain these brother had been bayoneted while trying to surrender af- points of good breeding to you, but you have shown your ter he had a chance to examine his corpse, came to hate ignorance of them by insulting my guest. The insult is mine, Northerners and became obsessed with revenge. not his, to resent. He is here under my protection. If you are On July 23, 1861, Brigadier General Joseph E. John- 1 2 2 CIVIL WAR ston appointed Ashby lieutenant colonel of the 7th Vir- the many men in the army, a type so distinctive ginia Cavalry. Due to the illness of the regimental com- that, once observed, it cannot soon be forgot- mander, Ashby had effective control of half of the regi- ten. ment, which he operated separately. When the commander retired in February 1862, Ashby assumed command of the entire regiment on March 12. Ashby organized 2.1 Valley Campaign and death the first Confederate horse artillery, named Chew’s Bat- tery, as part of this regiment. The 7th did not partici- pate directly in the First Battle of Manassas, but Ashby aided the Confederate cause by screening the movement of Johnston’s army to the Manassas area. The Union had hoped that Johnston’s forces would be pinned down by Major General Robert Patterson, but Ashby’s screen al- lowed Johnston to move freely without Patterson’s inter- ference. In October 1861 he led an attack on Harpers Ferry, a Union armory, but was defeated by Union colonel John W. Geary in what became known as the "Battle of Bolivar Heights". By the spring of 1862, the 7th Virginia Cavalry had reached the enormous size of 27 infantry and cavalry companies, much larger than a typical Civil War regiment. Stonewall Jackson, in overall command of the Shenandoah Valley, tried to correct the situation by strip- ping Ashby of his cavalry forces, ordering them to be assigned to two infantry brigades. Ashby threatened to resign in protest and Jackson backed down. Jackson con- tinued to resist Ashby’s promotion to brigadier general, due to his informal military training and consequent lack of discipline.[4] Nevertheless, Ashby’s promotion came through on May 23, 1862, and he received his promotion and general’s star in a ceremony at the Taylor Hotel in Winchester, Virginia.[5] Turner Ashby, post-mortem photograph as he lay in state Ashby cut a striking figure, called by many the “Black Ashby’s vigorous reconnaissance and screening were fac- Knight of the Confederacy”. He generally rode horses tors in the success of Jackson’s legendary Valley Cam- that were pure white or pure black. A civilian in the Val- paign in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. However, there ley named Thomas A. Ashby (no relation) wrote about an were instances in which Ashby failed Jackson. At the encounter with him: First Battle of Kernstown, Jackson attacked a retreating Union column that Ashby had estimated to be four reg- He was just entering upon a career that iments of infantry, about the size of Jackson’s force. It soon made him an heroic character in the his- turned out to be an entire division of 9,000 men, and tory of the Civil War. Dressed now in Con- Jackson was forced to retreat. At the First Battle of federate gray, with gilt lace on his sleeves and Winchester, as Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel collar, wearing high top-boots with spurs and a P. Banks were retreating, Ashby failed to cut off their re- broad-brimmed black felt hat with a long black treat because his troopers were plundering captured wag- feather streaming behind, his appearance was ons. It is possible that the Union forces could have been striking and attractive. He stood about five feet substantially destroyed if it were not for this lack of dis- eight inches in height and probably weighed cipline. from 150 to 160 pounds (68 to 73 kg). He was As Jackson’s army withdrew from the pressure of Maj. muscular and wiry, rather thin than robust or Gen. John C. Frémont's superior forces, moving from rugged. His hair and beard were as black as a Harrisonburg toward Port Republic, Ashby commanded raven’s wing; his eyes were soft and mahogany the rear guard. On June 6, 1862, near Harrisonburg, brown; a long, sweeping mustache concealed the 1st New Jersey Cavalry attacked Ashby’s position at his mouth, and a heavy and long beard com- Good’s Farm. Although Ashby defeated the cavalry at- pletely covered his breast. His complexion was tack, a subsequent infantry engagement resulted in his dark in keeping with his other colorings. Al- horse being shot and Ashby charging ahead on foot.[6] together, he resembled the pictures I have seen Within a few steps, he was shot through the heart, killing of the early Crusaders,—a type unusual among him instantly.[7] (The origin of the fatal shot has been lost 3 to history.

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