Capture of Generals Crook and Kelly - Part 2
by Capt. Jesse C. McNeill, Seymour, Il.
This is Part 2 of a reprint from the Confederate Veteran Magazine, Vol. XIV, page 410-413
In the meantime Joe Vandiver with five men, reaching the entrance to the Revere House, was challenged with "Halt, advance one, and give the countersign." Springing forward, he seized the sentinel's gun and placed him under guard. Under the guidance of a small darky they were shown to General Crook's room. A rap on the door by Vandiver brought an invitation to come in from the General. Entering with a light in one hand and a pistol in the other, he said: "General Crook, I presume." "I am, sir," responded the General. "I am General Rosser. You are in my power, and you have two minutes in which to dress. There are your clothes; either put them on or go without," responded Vandiver. The General, like all good soldiers, obeyed orders and dressed quickly. Sitting on my horse in the heart of a city of ten thousand inhabitants, surrounded by from seven to ten thousand hostile troops, when seconds seemed hours, do you wonder I felt my hat rise on my head when I heard Kuykendall, a man of the coolest courage and calmest demeaner, cry out from the rear: "Where is Lieutenant McNeill ?" Thinking something had gone wrong, I answered him. "Come on," said he, "I have General Kelly." Seeing the mistake we had made, I directed Sam Tucker to dismount and run upstairs and tell Vandiver to come on with or without Crook, that we must be getting out.
It was a relief when he opened the door to see Vandiver with General Crook, who was hastened to the rear and mounted behind Kuykendall. General Kelly was mounted on John Cunningham's horse with Cunningham behind him, and Major Melvin, his adjutant, who was also captured, was placed behind some one, but whom I do not now recall. I then gave the command, "By fours right about. Foward march," which order placed Welton in front and myself in the rear. Marching down Baltimore Street, the same route we came, we reached the bridge over Wills Creek and, turning to the left, went down to the towpath of the canal, which was covered with snow and ice. At this point Arnold and Cunningham joined us, having secured two fine horses belonging to General Kelly, one of them Philippi, a gift of the citizens of Wheeling, W. Va., and named in honor of the General's first battle at the town of Philippi, W. Va., in which battle he was wounded.
From the information I had I was led to believe that all we would have to encounter on the road chosen for our exit was three lone infantry pickets, and I directed Corporal Judy to take five or six men and go in advance and clear the road. I neglected to give him the countersign, and a few miles below Cumberland he was halted by a large picket force stationed on the approach to the bridge which spanned the canal and under which bridge we had to go and the countersign demanded, to which he replied that the captain had failed to give it to him. By this time the column had approached so near that Vandiver, hearing the confusion, rode forward rapidly, and in commanding tones demanded, "Why do you stop my men when the Johnnies are about?" and, giving the countersign, we passed under the bridge in the full glare of their camp fire and, turning to the right, crossed the Potomac at Wylie's Ford into Virginia.
Here we turned loose the three cavalry pickets captured west of Cumberland and mounted our other prisoners on their horses, and, taking the old Furnace Road, we recrossed Patterson's Creek and made our way on to Romney. After passing this place a few miles, we were overtaken by a small force of cavalry which had followed us from Cumberland, and in a skirmish that followed John Poling, of Rosser's Brigade, was wounded and captured, as was also his friend, Joseph Sherrard, of the same command, who made an effort to rescue him.
Thinking this force was sent to harass and detain us until a larger force could reach Moorefield and intercept us and rescue the prisoners, I ordered Lieutenant Welton to take command of the rear guard and prevent the enemy from rushing on us, while I pressed forward with the prisoners. To this Welton replied, "I will do it, or they will ride over my dead body;" and, knowing him as I did, I felt confident he would make good his pledge. After this they followed us at a respectful and safe distance in the rear. When we reached the home of David VanMeter, in the lower end of the Old Fields, we were joined by John T. Pierce and Captain Woodson with his Missouri company which had been operating with us for some time. They were drawn up on the top of Zedrick's Hill to receive us, and, looking from this point across the intervening bottoms to the opposite side of the South Branch, about a mile or more to the Moorefield and New Creek Pike, we saw about two hundred Yankee cavalry riding their horses at full speed, with the evident intention of reaching Moorefield in advance and cutting off our retreat. I at once sent a dispatch to Lieutenant Boggs at Moorefield, who had been apprised of our coming, to form his men below town and bluff them as long as possible, and if compelled to retreat to fall back through the town and then up the South Branch; while we would take to the ridges, flank the town to the left, and come out about two miles above on the South Fork. Boggs met them as directed, and after a hot skirmish fell back, and thus succeeded in leading them off on the wrong road, baffling their purpose and enabling us to make our circuit in safety.
About four o'clock we reached the Howard Lick road at a point where it leaves the South Fork to cross the mountain. It was a blessed spot, a haven of rest and safety, where we had rested so many times before when we had been hotly pursued by the enemy. Here we rested for the first time since leaving Vanse Herriott's the night before, having ridden our horses seventy-five miles without food or rest. Lieutenant Boggs came up and reported that the enemy had fallen back below the town.
After a rest of an hour or more, Lieutenant Welton proceeded with the jaded prisoners and men to Sees, about five or six miles farther up the south Fork, where they went into camp without commissary or quartermaster's supplies, the men making their meal from the stale bread and fat bacon they had carried in their saddle pockets for two days and the horses being fed from the hay and grain gathered by these tired and worn-out men from adjoining fields and cribs. To the Federal generals it was a revelation of the devotion and heroism of the men enlisted in the cause, and they were loud in their praise of the self-sacrificing spirit and love for the cause of such men.
In company with Vandiver, Kuykendall, R. C. Davis, and George Harness, I went to the home of the latter, which was close by. I was so fatigued and worn out with the pain from my injured limb that I had to be assisted from my horse and into the house, where we remained all night. My suffering was intense, and but little sleep visited my eyes that night.
Lieutenant Boggs, with his men, who were fresh, picketed the road between the camp and town, and about twelve o'clock reported to me that the enemy of the evening before had returned to Moorefield, and that a larger force had come in on the Winchester Pike. I sent word to Welton of this fact, and suggested that he have his horses saddled up, as it looked very much as if they were after us. In an hour or so Boggs reported that the enemy had evacuated the town, each returning in the direction from which they came, and we were disturbed no more that night.
Early the next morning, in company with my companions of the night, we rode to the camp, where we found them sitting around good, warm camp fires. Lieutenant Welton expressed a desire to take the prisoners to Richmond, and I directed him to take a detachment of men to guard the prisoners and proceed by way of Dry River Gap and report to General Early at his headquarters in Staunton. I was afraid to send him by way of Lost River, lest the Federal troops who had left Moorefield on the Winchester Pike should go up Lost River and intercept him at Brock's Gap. I requested General Early, as a special favor, to permit Lieutenant Welton and his men to accompany the prisoners to Richmond, which request he readily granted. At this time some of my men were in prison at Fort McHenry, and were treated as guerrillas and not as prisoners of war, being confined in a dungeon, and Lieutenant Welton requested the War Department to hold Kelly and Crook as hostages for them. This they said they could not do, but that they would see that my men received such treatment as was accorded to prisoners of war, which was done, and they were removed to better quarters and treated as were the other prisoners confined there.
In this connection I would do injustice to Lieutenant Augustus T. Boggs and the men under him not to mention their invaluable services in picketing and guarding the roads in our rear in the absence of the rest of the command, and I make special mention of Corporal David M. Parsons, who rendered Lieutenant Boggs conspicuous service in scouting the country and keeping him posted as to the approach of the enemy and his active participation in the skirmish with the enemy below Moorefield.
In conclusion, I will say that to Lieutenant Welton and the brave men who accompanied me I ascribe all honor, and I cherish it as a pleasant memory that I was called to the command of such a brave, heroic band of men, and I shall carry with me to my grave the kindest and warmest feelings for all whom I had the honor to command. [Confederate Veteran vol 14, p.410-413]
