Turner Ashby, Jr.
October 23, 1828 – June 6, 1862
Nickname	"Black Knight of the Confederacy"
Place of birth	Fauquier County, Virginia
Place of death	Harrisonburg, Virginia
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Years of service	1861–62
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	American Civil War - Valley Campaign - Battle of Kernstown I

Turner Ashby, Junior (October 23, 1828 – June 6, 1862) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - The year 1828 ( MDCCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Fauquier (fɔˈkiːɹ is a county located in the United States commonwealth/state of Virginia. Harrisonburg is an Independent city in Rockingham County Virginia. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Background In the spring of 1862 "Southern morale. was at its nadir" and "prospects for the Confederacy's survival seemed bleak Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - The year 1828 ( MDCCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South He achieved prominence as Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's cavalry commander in the Shenandoah Valley and might have been one of the most famous cavalry commanders of the war had he not been killed in battle in 1862. Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21 1824 &ndash May 10 1863 was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and probably the The Shenandoah Valley region of western Virginia and West Virginia is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian

Early years

Ashby was born in "Rose Bank", Fauquier County, Virginia, to Turner Sr. Fauquier (fɔˈkiːɹ is a county located in the United States commonwealth/state of Virginia. and Dorothea Green Asbhy, often playing as a child in the waters of nearby Goose Creek. His father died when he was young and he was raised by his mother. In later years, he bought a residence near his childhood home and named it Wolfe’s Crag. His father, also named Turner Ashby, had fought as a colonel in the War of 1812, and his grandfather Jack Ashby served as a captain during the American Revolutionary War. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" He was known for his chivalry: when a young male guest at a party he threw was insulted and called out to a duel, Ashby insisted that since he was the host, he would duel and not the guest, who being young and inexperienced with guns was unlikely to walk away alive.

An accomplished horseman at an early age, Ashby in his twenties organized a vigilante cavalry company of his friends known as the Mountain Rangers. The Mountain Rangers were absorbed into the Virginia Militia in 1859 following John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry; they performed guard duty at Charles Town during Brown's trial and execution. John Brown (May 9 1800 December 2 1859 was an American Abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed Insurrection as a means to end all Slavery Harpers Ferry redirects here For other uses see Harpers Ferry (disambiguation. Not to be confused with the state capital Charleston West Virginia. Ashby made the statement that the Civil War really began with John Brown's insurrection. Ashby was an avid follower of politics and ran for the State legislature, but was a Whig (the minority party in Fauquier County) and follower of Henry Clay and was not elected. The Whig Party was a Political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Henry Clay Sr ( April 12, 1777 &ndash June 29, 1852) was a nineteenth-century American statesman and Orator who After the start of the Civil War, though he'd disapproved of secession, when it became obvious that Virginia would secede Ashby persuaded Governor John Letcher to order the militia to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. John Letcher ( March 29, 1813 January 26, 1884) was an American Lawyer, Journalist, and Politician. When secession was approved, Ashby made his move, but U. S. forces burned most of the arsenal buildings and 15,000 small arms before he could arrive.

Civil War

At Harpers Ferry, Ashby was assigned to the command of Colonel Stonewall Jackson and was responsible for guarding fords across the Potomac River and bridges from Harpers Ferry to Point of Rocks, Maryland. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21 1824 &ndash May 10 1863 was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and probably the The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid- Atlantic coast of the United States. Point of Rocks is a community in Frederick County Maryland. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoctin Mountain, which were formed by the His command assisted Maryland men with Confederate sympathies to pass into Virginia and they disrupted railroad traffic on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the passage of boats on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ( B&O) was one of the Oldest railroads in the United States and the first Common carrier railroad The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the " Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1836 until 1924 parallel Ashby suffered a personal loss when his brother, Richard, was killed during engagement with a Union patrol along the Potomac in June 1861. Ashby, convinced his brother had been bayonetted while trying to surrender once he had a chance to examine his corpse, came to hate Northerners and wanted revenge.

On July 23, 1861, Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston appointed Ashby lieutenant colonel of the 7th Virginia Cavalry. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3 1807 &ndash March 21 1891 was a career U Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Due to the illness of the regimental commander, Ashby had effective control of half of the regiment, which he operated separately, and when the commander retired in February 1862, Ashby assumed command of the regiment on March 12. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Ashby organized the first Confederate horse artillery, named Chew's Battery, as part of his regiment. His Regiment did not participate directly in the first battle of Bull Run, but he assisted the Confederate cause by screening the movement of Major General Joseph E. Johnston to the Manassas area. Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3 1807 &ndash March 21 1891 was a career U The Union had hoped that Johnston's forces would be pinned down by Major General Robert Patterson, but Ashby's screen allowed Johnston to move freely without Patterson's interference. Robert Patterson ( January 12, 1792 &ndash August 7, 1881) was a United States major general during the Mexican-American War and

By the spring of 1862, the 7th Virginia 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 stripping 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 continued to resist Ashby's promotion to brigadier general due to his lack of discipline and formal military training. Nevertheless, his promotion came through on May 23, 1862, although it was not permanently confirmed by the Confederate government before he died in June. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday

Ashby cut a striking figure, called by many the "Black Knight of the Confederacy". He generally rode horses that were pure white or pure black. A civilian in the Valley named Thomas A. Ashby (no relation) wrote about an encounter with the Black Knight:

He was just entering upon a career that soon made him an heroic character in the history of the Civil War. Dressed now in Confederate gray, with gilt lace on his sleeves and collar, wearing high top-boots with spurs and a broad-brimmed black felt hat with a long black feather streaming behind, his appearance was striking and attractive. He stood about five feet eight inches in height and probably weighed from 150 to 160 pounds (68 to 73 kg). He was muscular and wiry, rather thin than robust or rugged. His hair and beard were as black as a raven's wing; his eyes were soft and mahogany brown; a long, sweeping mustache concealed his mouth, and a heavy and long beard completely covered his breast. His complexion was dark in keeping with his other colorings. Altogether, he resembled the pictures I have seen of the early Crusaders, — a type unusual among the many men in the army, a type so distinctive that, once observed, it cannot soon be forgotten.

Ashby's vigorous reconnaissance and screening were strong factors in the success of Jackson's legendary Valley Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. Background In the spring of 1862 "Southern morale. was at its nadir" and "prospects for the Confederacy's survival seemed bleak However, there were instances in which Ashby let Jackson down. At the First Battle of Kernstown, Jackson attacked a retreating Union column that Ashby had estimated to be four regiments of infantry, about the size of Jackson's force. The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It turned out to be an entire division of 9,000 men and Jackson was forced to retreat. At the First Battle of Winchester, as Union forces under Nathaniel P. Banks were retreating, Ashby failed to cut off their retreat because his troopers were plundering captured wagons. The First Battle of Winchester, fought on May 25, 1862, in and around Frederick County Virginia, and Winchester Virginia, was a major Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss Banks ( January 30, 1816 September 1, 1894) was an American Politician and Soldier It is possible that the Union forces could have been substantially destroyed if it were not for this oversight or lack of discipline.

As Jackson's army withdrew from the pressure of John C. Frémont's superior forces, moving from Harrisonburg toward Port Republic, Ashby commanded the rear guard. John Charles Frémont ( January 21, 1813 July 13, 1890) was an American military officer, explorer, the Harrisonburg is an Independent city in Rockingham County Virginia. On June 6, 1862, near Harrisonburg, the 1st New Jersey Cavalry attacked Ashby's position at Good's Farm. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Although Ashby defeated the cavalry attack, a subsequent infantry engagement resulted in his horse being shot and Ashby charging ahead on foot. Within a few steps, he was shot through the heart, which killed him instantly. (The origin of the fatal shot has been lost to history. Soldiers of the 13th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, the "Bucktails", claimed credit, but some accounts blame friendly fire. Friendly fire or non-hostile fire, a term originally adopted by the United States military, refers to fire from one's own side or allied forces as ) His last words were "Forward my brave men!" He had been promoted to brigadier general just ten days before his death. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.

Legacy

Turner Ashby, post-mortem photograph as he lay in state

Stonewall Jackson's report of the engagement sums up the man:

As a partisan officer I never knew his superior; his daring was proverbial; his powers of endurance almost incredible; his tone of character heroic, and his sagacity almost intuitive in divining the purposes and movements of the enemy.

Ashby was buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery, but in October, 1866, his body was reinterred at the Stonewall Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia next to the body of his younger brother Richard Ashby, who had died at Harpers Ferry in a skirmish with Union soldiers in 1861. The University of Virginia (also called UVa, UVA, Mr Jefferson's University, or The University) is a highly selective public research Winchester is an independent city located in the state of Virginia.

Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Virginia, is named in Ashby's honor. Turner Ashby High School is located in Bridgewater Virginia in the Rockingham County public school district. Bridgewater is an Incorporated town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States.

There is a tie to the naming of prominent Page County, Virginia businessman Major Ashby Roudabush (b. Page County is a county located in the US state &mdash officially " Commonwealth " &mdash of Virginia. Raudenbusch is a Surname of German origin Its variants in the United States include Roudabush, Roudebush, and Ruebush AUG. 22, 1861 d. FEB. 16, 1916). It seems that early in the war, then Lieutenant Colonel, Turner Ashby was riding with his regiment near one of the family's mills. Ashby saw the new child and asked if the boy had yet been named. When he learned that it had not – he pronounced that the boy be named "Major Ashby," for the boy could not outrank him.

References

• Ashby, Thomas A. : Life of Turner Ashby, Morningside House, 1988
• Eicher, John H. , & Eicher, David J. : Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
• Online biography
• Excerpt from The Valley Campaigns: Being the Reminiscences of a Non-Combatant While Between the Lines in the Shenandoah Valley During the War of the States By Thomas A. Ashby
• Turner Ashby on Find-A-Grave