Turner Ashby
Turner Ashby (born October 23, 1828 in Rose Bank , Virginia , † June 6, 1862 in Harrisonburg , Virginia) was Colonel in the Confederate Army in the Civil War and commander of the cavalry Major General "Stonewall" Jackson in the Shenandoah campaign . His nickname was the Black Knight because he loved to ride a black cavalry horse.
He is often referred to as a general. The promotion to brigadier general took place 14 days before his death but was not approved by the Confederate Senate.
Life
Turner Ashby was the son of Colonel Turner Ashby, who fought in the British-American War in 1812, and a grandson of Captain Jack Ashby, who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Ashby went to private school and then became a plantation owner and businessman. In 1857 he set up a cavalry company known as the Mountain Rangers . With this unit he secured the trial and execution of John Brown after his attack on the Harpers Ferry arsenal .
Civil war
When the Civil War broke out, he was promoted to captain and his cavalry company became part of the 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment. In June 1861 Ashby was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was given command of 10 companies due to the commander's serious illness. Ashby set up the first mounted artillery battery , called Chew's Battery , as part of the regiment. In October 1861, he attacked the Union arsenal at Harpers Ferry, but was repulsed by US forces under Colonel John White Geary .
On March 12, 1862 he was appointed commander of the regiment. In the summer of 1862, the 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment had 27 infantry and cavalry companies; it was extremely large for a regiment during the Civil War. Major General Jackson intended to subordinate the cavalry components to two brigades. Ashby protested and threatened to resign. Jackson accepted this protest but refused to propose him for promotion.
Death during the Shenandoah campaign
After the first battle of the first battle of Winchester , Jackson's troops evaded the superior strength of Major General John C. Frémont to the area south of the Massanutten Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley . Ashby commanded the rearguard and made sure to evade.
On June 6, 1862, the 1st New Jersey Cavalry Regiment attacked Ashby's positions at Good's Farm . During the battle, his horse was shot and he led the counterattack on foot. A bullet hit him fatally after just a few meters. His last words are said to have been: Attack men! For God's sake. Attack!
Honors
Ashby was buried in the University of Virginia cemetery. In October 1866 his body was exhumed and buried in Stonewall Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia, next to the grave of his younger brother Richard Ashby, who died in a skirmish with Union forces near Harpers Ferry in 1861 .
The Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater , Virginia, was named after him.
Ashby was a member of the Freemasons Association ( Lodge : Equality Lodge No. 44 in Martinsburg ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chestnut Ridge Marker . In: Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org) . Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ Denslow, William R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons. Columbia, Missouri, USA: Missouri Lodge of Research.
Web links
- Turner Ashby in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ashby, Turner |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | General of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 23, 1828 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rose Bank , Virginia , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 6, 1862 |
| Place of death | Harrisonburg , Virginia , United States |