Life of Turner Ashby

Front matter

Google to make the world's books discoverable online.

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject

to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books

Preface

Of the many distinguished men that fought in the Confederate army there were few who had so short and so brilliant a career as Turner Ashby.

Having entered the service of Virginia on the 19th day of April, 1861, as captain of a company of cavalry, Ashby soon rose by rapid promotion to the rank of brigadier-general, being in command of all the cavalry in the Army of the Valley at the time of his death, June 6, 1862. Thus in a period of less than fourteen months he had reached a post of distinction that has given him a noteworthy place in the history of his State, and has established his fame as one of the heroic characters of the age in which he lived.

At the time of his death few men in either army had attracted more notice in poetry and prose than had Turner Ashby. His manly character and heroic deeds, his knightly bearing and chivalric courage, surrounded his exploits with a halo of romance and aroused an admiration that few men have ever excited. In his spirit and type he represented the heroic age of the Civil War, and in his personal daring and dashing leadership he ex-

8 PREFACE

cmplificd methods of warfare that have always attracted the notice of mankind; and short as was his career, his name will long live among the brilliant and picturesque characters that have surrounded war with its romance and heroism.

In the preparation of this history of the life of Turner Ashby the author has tried to give a correct picture of the man and the soldier. Having drawn his information from different sources, he wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to the various historians of the Civil War who have written of Ashby. In 1867, the Rev. Jas. B. Avirett, — who was the Chaplain of the Seventh Virginia Cavalry, and who was intimately associated with Ashby during his entire military career, — wrote the "Memoirs of General Turner Ashby and his Compeers," a book that has long been out of print. It was at the earnest solicitation of Dr. Avirett that the author was induced to prepare the present "Life of Ashby."

Dr. Avirett was for some years previous to his death in such poor health that he felt unable to revise the first edition of his book, and he repeatedly urged the author to bring out a new "Life of Ashby." The author wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Dr. Avirett, not only for much of the material here used, but for the inspiration

PREFACE 9

that has prompted the preparation of this book.

The author wishes also to acknowledge his indebtedness to the writings of the late John Esten Cooke and to those of the late Clarence Thomas, — who have both written excellent memoirs of Ashby and his men, — as well as to express his indebtedness to the numerous biographers of Stonewall Jackson for valuable information. Having had the privilege of knowing intimately a number of gallant men who were members of the Ashby (Laurel) Brigade during the entire Civil War, and who had served under Ashby and his successors until the surrender at Appomattox Court House, and having had the advantage of knowing many of Ashby's intimate friends and relatives, the author has been able to treat of the personal side of his life.

In placing "The Life of Turner Ashby** before the reader of the present generation, the author hopes he has presented a type of character that will always live in this nation, — a type that will always inspire men to give up their lives in defense of honor and duty.

Baltimore, January 19, 1914.

nB^^n and physical equipment. Destiny is the climax of a man's antecedents, the resultant of his environment; for no man has ever sprung with one leap f r(Mii the primitive to matured development. As some one has said: "The source of genius is often in ancestry, and the blood of descent is sometimes the prophecy of destiny."

The laws of organic life obey established causes. The forces of selection, — ^both natural and sexual, — ^build up or tear down all organic structures. Development is the product of these forces. Status or death are the outworn fabrics of abnormal function. In the study of the life of any man who impresses his character upon the notice of his fellow man the influences that have contributed to his development should be reckoned among the assets that make up his working capital. What has heredity done for the man, and what has environment done? Is he an accident of fortune, an upheaval through some catastrophe of nature? What were the determining influences that brought out the power hitherto unrecognized in him? These questions should interest every student of character and of action in his estimate of the man whose life's work is presented by his biographer. To trace the individual back to his antecedents is the duty of his biographer. He should show whence the man came and by what influences he has reached the position that entitles him to a place in history. Heredity and environment are the keystone of his character and achievements. Without the support of these fundamental elements, no man can rise above the level of ordinary attainment.

Chapter II Origin Of The Family Name

THE origin of his family name should be a most interesting study to every man who values his own character.

The family name itself is simply a mark of identification. Through generations of use it gives title to an established lineage. The older and clearer the title, the greater the pride of ownership. This hereditary title of ownership has been the pride of kings, of rulers, of houses of royal descent.

The people of Israel, of the seed of Abraham, rejoice in the inheritance of the Patriarch's blood. The Caesars, the Guelphs, the Hohenzollerns, and the Romanoffs find just cause for pride in the long line of descent that has handed down these names to the present generation.

Among the less exalted, as among the families

of royal birth, pride of inheritance is a badge of

honor, — a token that ennobles its possessor when

worn with distinction. It confers little advantage

upon a weak character and a useless life, nor can

it kindle enthusiasm in a mind which views the duties of life ivom a low and narrow point of view; but it arouses a brave and loyal spirit in one who aims to excel.

Of all the motives that go to the development of character probably the highest is to hold a good name among men, and to hand down this name to posterity. To confer this name upon the geographical map of the world, upon its most benevolent institutions, or upon the pages of history has aroused the inspiration, the heroism, and the untiring labor of many of the world's most renowned characters.

With Turner Ashby, the subject of this book, pride of name and of inheritance were determining influences in the development of his character and in the noble bent of his mind. The spirit of chivalry and fire of heroism were bom in him, just as the love of military adventure and his devotion to his native State were hereditary gifts. He was no more responsible for these characteristics than for his dark complexion and the raven color of his hair. Four generations of his ancestors in Virginia had held military commissions, — in the Colonial Wars, the Revolutionary Wars, and in the War of 1812. The military services of his people, their heroic deeds, and his environment from birth all fostered in him a deep love of adventure and a profound patriotism. His antecedents directed his spirit and purpose. Only the opportunity was wanted to bring out the fervor and fire latent in his heroic nature.

The ancestors of Turner Ashby came to Virginia during the Cromwellian period; for, being adherents of the Crown, they had left Ejigland after the execution of Charles I. Family traditioi^ and numerous facts trace the Virginia Ashbys back to the old English branch, which assumed the name of Ashby soon after the Norman conquest. The ancient Norman family of La Zouche settled in Ejigland near the town of Ashby, Leicestershire, and gave to the town the name of Ashby de la Zouche. The word Ashby is a combination of the Saxon "Ash" and the Danish "Bye," meaning "town," which, when translated into modem English, becomes either Ashby or Ashtown.

The place origin of the name is somewhat con* tradicted by the older records, which mention the fact that the ancient castle of Ashby in Leicestershire, — ^now standing in modem reconstruction, — ^is referred to first as Assebi in the time of Edward the Confessor. At the time of the Domesday survey, this castle was held under the Countess Judith, to whom it was presented by her uncle William the Conqueror. Various lords succeeded

Hugh as lord of the manor of Asscbi, or E^scbi, but no regular order of succession can be traced until the reign of Henry III, when David of Assebi became lord of the manor.

In the century after David's rule these lands came into the hands of the Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield, and took the name of Castle Ashby, but the name of Ashby David continued to be used for many years.

The present English family traces its origin to Richard de Ashby, who in 1296 was lord of the manors of Quenby and South Croxton in Leicestershire. For over 600 years the Ashby family in England has had many distinguished members who attained positions of honor and distinction in English literature, politics, and military and naval service.

American branches of the Ashby family were to be found in Virginia as early as 1635, in Maryland in 1650, and in Massachusetts in 1640. Turner Ashby is the fifth in line of descent from Capt. Thomas Ashby, who located near Paris, Fauquier County, Va., between 1700 and 1710. Captain Ashby was engaged in the Colonial service of Virginia, defending the early settlers against Indian raids and depredations ; and when not fighting the red man was busy accumulating lands and other property. In his will, admitted to record in Winchester, Va., in 1752, he divided a large estate among the following sons and daughters: (1) John, (2) Robert, (3) Stephen, (4) Thomas, (5) Henry, (6) Benjamin, (7) Elizabeth, — who married Hardin, — (8) Sarah, (9) Rose, and (10) Ann.

John Ashby, the oldest son of Capt. Thomas Ashby, was bom in 1 707 in what is now Fauquier County, Va. His early life and manhood were spent on his father's farm, which was at that time on the borderland of civilized life in Virginia.

We have reason to believe that Capt. Thomas Ashby was attracted to this new and then wild country by the fertility of the soil, the natural beauty of the location, and by his love of adventure and pioneer life. His English ancestry had developed in his character that strong passion for outdoor life and hardy pursuits, — tastes that have made the English race the great pioneers and colonizers of the world, and the foremost people in the development of Anglo-Saxon civilization. Ever pushing to the frontier, they have laid the foundation of the Nation's growth in the primeval forest, and have paved the way for the onward march of civilized life.

At the time of John Ashby's birth this section of Virginia was sparsely settled. The Indian had not been banished from the soil but still disputed its settlement with the paleface. Churches, schools, and civil government were scarcely organized except in remote places. The early settler was deprived of those advantages which only follow in the path of established settlements. The young men of that period enjoyed the most limited advantages of education and of social intercourse; but they were trained in the school of endurance and adventure. They were early taught to ride, to shoot, to speak the truth, and to respect woman. Those habits of life that developed courage, independence, manliness, and character were groimded into them from early youth ; and it is to this Spartan-like training of the youth of that period that we owe. the growth of this nation in civic virtue, in patriotism, and in religious toleration. While natural talent was deprived of intellectual training, it was strengthened in sound judgment and practical wisdom. The men of that period were men of ideas rather than of scholastic education; and in the morals and virtues that ennoble human nature they deserve to rank among the best men of their generation. John Ashby grew up in this frontier settlement of Virginia, and he had not reached his majority before he was called upon to defend his native home against numerous Indian raids, which were made into that section of Piedmont, Virginia.

He first comes into notice when, as a mere youth, he gave his name to Ashby's Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, through which the early settlers crossed over from the Piedmont section into the Shenandoah Valley. He has the credit of being the first white man to have piloted a wagon through this gap, and an accident that happened to him on this trip, because of his failure to lock the wheel of his wagon, is said to have given his name to the gap.

The story goes that it was the custom in those days in going down a steep incline to cut down a tree and attach it to the wagon to hold it in check, for the wagon chain was not then in general use. John Ashby failed to take this precaution, and when the wagon in its descent ran over the horses and spilled the load on the ground, making a bad mix-up, he was asked why he had not locked the wheels, his reply was: "Damn a pair of horses that can't outrun a wagon.*' Whether because of this circumstance or from s(Miie other cause this gap has borne the name of Ashby for more than 175 years; and there are few mountain passes in Vir-

LIFE OF TURNER ASHBY 2i

ginia, or anywhere else in this country, more widely known or more noted in history.

John Ashby was one of the first settlers to move his residence over into the Valley, then inhabited by Indians. His home was on the west bank of the Shenandoah River where the first ferry, bearing his name, was kept for the conveyance of travelers across the river. This ferry, — ^in more recent years known as Berry's Ferry, — ^is on the direct route from the Shenandoah Valley to Piedmont, Virginia, through Ashby's Gap. Greorge Washington in his diary, "A Journey Across the Mountains," mentions the fact that he had spent a night at the home of John Ashby at the time that at the early age of nineteen he went over into the Valley to survey the lands for Lord Fairfax.

Once settled in the Shenandoah Valley, John Ashby became one of the noted men of that section. As the population increased, — ^because of the number of people who came down into the Valley from Maryland and Pennsylvania and who crossed over the Blue Ridge from eastern Virginia, — this region soon became one of the most prosperous and progressive sections of the State.

By inheritance Lord Thomas Fairfax, Baron of Cameron (of the Scottish nobility), became the proprietary owner of all the lands between the headwaters of the Potomac River and the Rappahannock. He was an eccentric old bachelor, and about 1749 took up his residence at Greenway Court, in what is now Clarke County. Here he maintained a baronial estate; and in order to encourage a settlement of his lands by many of the oldest and best of the Colonial families of eastern Virginia, he deeded for nominal sums, or leased in perpetuity, large tracts of land to all who would become his neighbors. The fertility of the soil and the beauty of the landscape led to an early settlement and rapid development.

Soon after Lord Fairfax took up his residence in the Valley the people became greatly distressed by Indian raids and massacres. Great Britain and France were at that time at war, and the French settlements in Canada and in the Northwest had aroused the Indians against the English colonies. It was at this period that John Ashby came into public notice. He was selected by his neighbors as captain of a company, known as the Second Virginia Rangers, — a company that from 1752 to 1754 was located at Fort Ashby, the present site of Frankfort, at the confluence of Patterson Creek and the Potomac River. During his stay at this fort Capt. John Ashby became an experienced and noted Indian fighter, and by tradition his many daring exploits and narrow escapes have been handed down to the present generation.

During the Braddock campaign his company was made the advance-guard of the expedition; and it is stated that he had warned General Braddock against his methods of advance and attack, which warnings were disregarded by the general, who undertook to fight English regulars according to Continental methods, with the result that his forces were ambushed and destroyed by the Indians and the French troops. Captain Ashby was selected by Washington to convey the intelligence of Braddock's defeat to the governor at Williamsburg. He made the journey to Williamsburg and back with such amazing rapidity that the feat was considered a remarkable evidence of endurance, courage, and horsemanship. His services in the Indian wars were so conspicuous that it has been claimed that he did for the people of the Valley a service as notable as that that Cresap did in what is now West Virginia, or that Daniel Boone did in Kentucky. His energy, activity, and daring courage were in his day the talk of the fireside. He is said to have had the eye of the eagle, the courage of the lion, the agility of the panther, and that he knew neither the sense of fear nor the sensation of pain.

In the Braddock campaign Daniel Morgan, the hero of Cowpens, was a teamster in the company of John Ashby. For some breach of orders Morgan was tried and condemned to be whipped by the British officer in command, the sentence being that he should receive five himdred lashes. When he had received four hundred and ninety-nine John Ashby heard of the punishment and interfered, stating that it was a crime to humiliate such a man as Morgan. Morgan escaped with the four himdred and ninety-nine lashes, and subsequently boasted that he cheated the British out of one lash, but that during the War of the Revolution he had got even with them.

In 1774, John Ashby, with three companions, went to Kentucky to locate lands that had been granted by the Colony of Virginia for services in the Indian wars. He spent two years going over the country and locating these lands, during which time he was with Daniel Boone in some of his warfare with the Indians. Ashby located large sections in the blue-grass region and along the Ohio River, and these sections are said to have been the best land in Kentucky. The author has in his possession a copy of a deed for a grant of two thousand acres, located on the Lexington and Versailles Pike, twelve miles west of Lexington, — which recites that in consideration of military services rendered the Colony of Virginia by John Ashby in the Indian wars that took place, jprior to the treaty of peace between Great Britain and France in 1764, there "is granted two thousand acres in the County of Kentucky, State of Virginia."

The boundaries of the land are then given and the deed is signed by Thomas Jefferson, Grovemor of Virginia, "in the fourth year of the Commonwealth/' This land, — which is said to-day to be the best body of land in the State, — was held by John Ashby's descendants imtil within recent years. John Ashby also located a large tract of land in the Green River section, — a tract that was handed down to his heirs through four generations. The father of the writer, being a greatgrandson of John Ashby, inherited a portion of this land, which he sold in 1867; and the writer enjoys the distinction of having been educated largely on the proceeds of the sale of land which was earned by his great-great-grandfather in the Colonial wars of Virginia.

After spending two years in Kentucky John Ashby was forced to return home by the way of the Ohio River and the Mississippi. He and two companions floated down the rivers in dugouts as far as New Orleans, having numerous experiences and undergoing many dangers along the route. One of the companions died on journey down the Mississippi, and was buried in the river opposite what is now the city of Memphis. The second companion died at Savannah. John Ashby returned by sailboat from Savannah to Fredericksburg, from which point he reached home after an absence of over two years. He was at that time sixty-nine years old and still in vigorous health. He died in 1797 at the age of ninety years.

The writer has given these details of the life of John Ashby because he believes they had a large influence over the development of the military spirit of Turner Ashby, who was fully acquainted with his ancestor's life and exploits. Indeed, Turner more closely resembled the old Indian fighter in his physical and mental make-up than did any member of his family, and had more of his characteristics, — ^his energy, daring, love of adventure, and military spirit.

John Ashby II, the grandfather of Turner Ashby, held a commission as captain in the Third Virginia Regiment, commanded by Col. Thomas Marshall, the father of Chief Justice John Marshall, and served with honor during the War of the Revolution. He married Mary Turner, and became the father of a large family. His son, Col. Turner Ashby, — the father of Gen. Turner Ashby, — who held a commission in the War of 1812, was a man of high character and distinction in the locality in which he lived. Col. Turner Ashby married Dorothea Green, of Culpeper County, a lady of strong intelligence and firm character. She had the dark complexion of the Greenes, and her son Turner inherited his dark complexion and raven black hair from his mother. Col. Turner Ashby died when his son Turner was only six years of age, leaving a family of three sons and three daughters, — all of tender age. Turner was the third child and second son.

The death of his father was a great blow to his mother, who was left with a family of six children, the oldest, Elizabeth, being not twelve years of age, and the youngest, Dorothea F., an infant.

Mrs. Ashby, a woman of strong sense and cultivated mind, possessed those qualities of heart and character which eminently fitted her for the duties and responsibilities of motherhood. With a family of six small children, deprived of the care and protection of a father she was both mother and father to her boys and girls, and surrounded them with the refinements and comforts of a country hocnt that was located in one of the most picturesque sections of Virginia. This home of the Ashby family, Rose Bank, was a large colonial house situated on a hill which commanded a wide view of the surrounding mountains. Goose Creek flowed in front of the yard, which was filled with native oaks and evergreen, while flowers and running vines added to the attractiveness of the lawn. Mrs. Ashby was a lover of music and song, of books and flowers, of social life and hospitality. She surrounded her little family with all the advantages of the day, employing the best of tutors in her home, and looking after the education of the children with devotion and intelligent care. Her children grew up in this atmosphere of refinement and moral discipline, and early acquired those lessons that fitted them for the best duties of citizenship and useful life. There was a strong devotion between the mother and children, and few families lived more happily than Mrs. Ashby and her orphans. Her boys grew to be manly men, and her daughters married into the best families of the State. Mrs. Ashby lived to see her three boys distinguished in the service of Virginia, and to see two give up their young lives in battle. Her oldest son, James, was a captain of a company that was raised in Stafford County just before the beginning of the war. He died in February,

1861, from pulmonary disease. Turner, her second son, — the subject of this sketch, — and Richard, her youngest boy, were killed in battle after they had placed their names on the pages of the history of their State.*

There were few families in the South that have contributed so much to the glory of their State as the family of this noble woman, who, with the virtue of the Spartan mother, taught her boys to love the truth, to fear God, and to serve their fellow man. This family, brought up by a mother's gentle influence, developed exceptional traits of lofty character and of heroic spirit. The boys were manly fellows, and were raised to view life from the standpoint of the highest citizenship. Thfy were amiable, gentle, and unselfish in disposition, yet were fearless and daring in spirit, and »

^Col. Henry Marshall Ashby, an own cousin of Turner Ashby, was bom in Fauquier County, Va., in 1840. At the age of twenty-one he moved to Knoxville, Tenn., where he was engaged in business at the outbreak of the war. He was elected captain of a company of Cavalry and entered the Western army; where he was soon promoted to the rank of Colonel of the Second Tennessee Cavalry, and by gallant service rose to the command of a brigade of cavalry. At the close of the Civil War he was in command of a division and surrendered with General Johnston in North Carolina. He was only twenty-five years of age at the time of the surrender and had gone through the four years of war with only one wound. He was as well known in the Western army as was his cousin Turner in Virginia. Like Turner, he was. a distinguished rider and romantic character. He was killed in Knoxville in 1868.

devoted to the sports and pleasures of rural life. They were fond of the horse and of the dog, of the gun and of the chase, and excelled in those bodily exercises that make the strong and vigorous man.

CHAPTER III BIRTH AND EDyCATION

TURNER ASHBY,— the second son of Colonel Turner and Dorothea Green Ashby, — was bom at Rose Bank on the 23d of October, 1828. He was brought up and educated in the old family home and spent his entire life, — ^until he entered the Confederate amiy, — ^in the locality where he was born. His first instruction from books was given by private tutors in his own home, and he was later educated in a school taught by a Mr. Ambler, a neighbor. His education was such as was usually received by the boys of his locality ; for at that time few young men in that section of Virginia received a collegiate education. He was taught the fundamental branches of knowledge, and knew how to read, write, spell, and do the necessary problems in arithmetic. He did not possess high scholarship, but learned the more practical things, — things that made for intelligent thought and manly character, for habits of industry and honorable dealing with his fellow man.

What Turner Ashby lacked in scholastic training he more than made up for in hard sense, sound judgment, and intelligent ideas. He was by nature reticent, modest, gentle, and unassuming ; yet, with these qualities of mind, he was a natural leader, and as a mere boy led his companions in all the sports of the chase and in the social life of the neighborhood. For when aroused to action there was that spirit of life and fire in his disposition that led others to follow where he dared to lead.

As a boy he was small of stature for his age and somewhat delicate in his health, but as he grew to manhood, he overcame these defects by his outdoor life and training, by his love of horseback riding, and by the exercises of the rural life by which he was surrounded. As a small boy he became an expert rider and trainer of young horses, and was known as the most daring and graceful horseman of his section. After reaching adult life he engaged in mercantile business near his home, but continued his interest in the farm and in the outdoor sports of the community, which was noted for its gay social life and generous hospitality.

The influences that determine the habits and character of the man can be traced to different sources, but perhaps none has so much to do with the making of the individual as has environment. In this respect Turner Ashby's surroimdings were most favorable for the development of his strong hereditary characteristics. The section of Virginia m which he was bom and raised was noted for great natural beauty, for richness of soil, for purity of water and healthfulness of climate. The foot-hills of the Blue Ridge surrounded his home on every side and were broken by picturesque valleys, which made the landscape one of mountain and vale, of open field and native forest, inhabited by a strong and hearty race of cultured and refined people, — a people who followed the simple life of agriculture in the most independent way.