Thursday, August 4, 2016

Turner Ashby


Turner Ashby was a Confederate Cavalry commander during the Civil War. He was also involved in the Great Train Raid of 1861. He served under Stonewall Jackson for most of his career. Under Jackson's command, he was responsible for guarding fords on the Potomac River. Ashby was responsible for leading the attack on Harper's Ferry, but was defeated. Ashby spent most of his career lobbying Stonewall Jackson for a promotion, to brigadier general, but he was unsuccessful. Jackson responded to this by stripping Ashby of his cavalry force. He eventually received his promotion in 1862. Ashby was known as the "Black Knight of the Confederacy." He was known to only ride horses that were pure white or pure black. A few historians believe that Ashby was somewhat of a liability to Jackson during his Valley Campaign. At the First Battle of Kernstown, Ashby told Jackson that there were four regiments of Union infantry, the same size as Jackson's. In reality, there was only around 9,000 men. This caused Jackson to retreat. At the First Battle of Winchester, Ashby and his men, according to historians, spent to much time in the rear of the line raiding Union supply wagons. Many historians believe that if Ashby and his men had been engaged in the battle, the Union force could have been significantly destroyed. Ashby was killed while charging on foot at Harrisonburg. His horse had been shot out from under him, which resulted in him becoming a "sitting duck." He only made it a few steps on foot until he was fatally shot through the heart and killed instantly. One of the Confederacy's most elite commanders was dead.

Turner Ashby in action.

After his death, Turner Ashby was laid to rest in Winchester, Virginia.



Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond.

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