his manner was thrown aside in such sports, and his black eyes a dark face were lighted up with the zeal of competition or the excitement of danger,

The gravity so perceptible at times in Ashby's manner was not the sign either of a melancholy or blank mind. He was too practical for reveries; he was rather a man of deep feelings. While he scorned the vulgar and shallow ambition that seeks før notoriety, he probably had that ideal and aspiration which silent men often have, and which,.if called "ambition" at all, is to be characterized as the noble and spiritual ambition that wins the honours of history, while others contend for the baubles of the populace.

“He was," writes a lady of his neighbourhood, "a person of very deep "feelings, which would not have been apparent to strangers, from his natu“ral reserve of manner; but there was no act of friendship or kindness he "would have shrunk to perform, if called on. While he was not a professor "of religion, there was always a peculiar regard for the precepts of the Bible "which showed itself in his irreproachable walk in life. Often have I known "him to open the Sabbath school at the request of his lady friends, in a little "church near his home, by reading a prayer and chapter in the Bible. Turner "Ashby seldom left his native neighbourhood, so strong were his local attach"ments, and would not have done so, save at his country's call.”

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That call was sounded sooner than Ashby expected. At the first prelude to the bloody drama of the war-the John Brown raid-he had been conspicuous, and his company of horse, then called "The Mountain Rangers, did service on that occasion. He appeared to have felt and known the con-, sequences which were to ensue from this frightful crusade. Thenceforward his physical and intellectual powers we directed to the coming struggle. On the occasion of the irruption of John Brown and his felon band at Harper's Ferry, he remarked to Mr. Boteler, the member of Congress from that district, that a crisis was approaching, and that the South would be continually subject to such inroads and insults, unless some prevention was quickly effected. He continued, however, a strong Union man until the election of Lincoln; he was anxious, that` harmony should be effected between the States, and the legacies of the past should be preserved in a constitutional and fraternal Union; but this hope was instantly dispelled by the result of the election; and as soon as it was announced, he went quietly and energetically to work, drilling his men, promoting their efficiency, and preparing for that great trial of arms which he saw rapidly approaching.

The next time that Mr. Boteler met Ashby at Harper's Ferry, was on the night of the 17th of April, 1861. Mr. Boteler took him aside, and said to him, "What flag are we going to fight under-the Palmetto or what' Ashby lifted his hat, and within it was laid a Virginia flag. He had had it painted at midnight, before he left Richmond. "Here," said he, "is the flag I intend to fight under." That night the flag was run up by the light of the burning buildings fired by the Yankees, and the next morning the glorious emblem of the Old Dominion was seen floating from the Federal flagstaff-the first ensign of liberty raised by Virginia in this war.

It was not long after the arrival of Captain Ashby at Harper's Ferry with his cavalry, that he was placed in command at Point of Rocks by General

Johnston, supported by Captain R. Welby Carters company of cavalry and Captain John Q. Winfield's infantry corps of "Brock's Gap Riflemen."

About the same time Colonel Angus W. McDonald, senior, of Winchester, Virginia, was commissioned to raise a Legion of mounted men for border service, the Lieutenant Colonelcy of which was at once tendered to Captain Ashby. Without final acceptance of this position, he, with his commend, entered the Legion, the organization of which was soon accomplished.

The original Captains were Ashby, Winfield, S. W. Myers, Mason, Shands, Jordan, Miller, Harper and Sheetz.

This force was assembled at Romney, Hampshire county, very soon after the evacuation of Harper's Ferry by General Johnston.

The difficulty which existed as to Captain Ashby's acceptance of the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Legion, consisted in the fact that he felt under especial obligations to his company, who were unwilling to dispense with his personal command. The arrival of his brother Richard Ashby, from Texas, who joined the company as independent volunteer, appeared to open the was of relieving this difficulty, as the company was prepared to accept in him a Captain, in order to secure the promotion of their beloved leader.

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But a melancholy providence was to occur at this time, which was to colour the life of Turner Ashby, and affect it more deeply than anything he had yet experienced. The county of Hampshire had already been invaded by the enemy, and Colonel, now Major General, A. P. Hill had already visitęd the county with several regiments of infantry, in order to repel the invader. This county was also chosen for the labour of the Mounted Legion.

It was shortly after the organiz ion of the command, and its active duty entered upon, that Captain Ashby led a detachment to Green Spring Station, on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, for the purpose of observation. He had with him eleven men, and his brother Richard led another small band of six. The latter was proceeding along the railroad westward, in the direction of Cumberland—some ten miles away--when he was ambuscaded at the mouth of a ravine just beside the railroad there, running just between the river bank and the steep mountain side. The enemy's force consisted of about eighteen men, commanded by Corporal Hays, of the Indiana Zouave regiment, which was stationed at Cumberland. His men, at length compelled to fall back before superior numbers, hastened down the railroad to rejoin Richard Ashby. Covering their retreat himself, he hastened to the rescue of one of his men severely wounded in the face by a sabre stroke, and in a hand to hand fight with Corporal Hays, severely wounded him in the head with his gabre. Following immediately his retreating companions, the horse which he rode proved false, and fell into a cattle-stop of the railroad with his unfortunate rider. He was overtaken, beaten, bruised, wounded and left for dead. He was removed many hours afterwards, and lived for several days, enjoying every kind attention, but his wounds proved mortal. He was buried in the beautiful Indian Mound Cemetery at Romney on the 4th of July, 1861.

During the engagement of his brother, Turner Ashby started up the railroad to his rescue; but in passing along the river's brink, his, force was fired upon from Kelly's Island, on the north branch of the Potomac, about twelve

miles east of Cumberland. The island lies some sixty feet from the Virginia bank, which is precipitous, and directly laid with the railroad track. On the other side of the island, which was reached through water to the saddle girth, there is a gently rising beach some thirty yards to the interiour, which is thickly wooded, and contains a dense undergrowth. Here in ambush lay, as was afterwards reported, about forty of the Indiana troops, and nearly sixty of Merley's branch riflemen-Maryland Union men of the vicinity-woodmen skilled with the rifle, and many of them desperate characters. After receiving the enemy's fire, Turner Ashby and his eleven at once charged, and after a sharp engagement, routed and dispersed their forces. It has been declared that not less than forty shots were fired at Ashby on that occasion, but not he nor his horse were harmed, and at least five of the enemy were probably slain by his hand.

From the date of his brother's death, a change passed over the life of Turner Ashby. He always wore a sad smile after that unhappy day, and his life became more solemn and earnest to the end of his own evanescent and splendid career. Ashby," said a lady friend, speaking of him after this period, "is now a devoted man." His behaviour at his brother's grave, as it is described by one of the mourners at the same spot, was most touching. He stood.over the grave, took his brother's sword, broke it and threw it into the opening; clasped his hands and looked upward as if in resignation; and then pressing his lips, as if in the bitterness of grief, while a tear rolled down his cheek, he turned without a word, mounted his horse and rode away. Thengeforth his name was a terrour to the enemy.

Shortly after the death of his brother, his company consented to yield him up in order that he might accept the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Legion, and elected First Lieutenant William Turner (his cousin) captain in his stead. The Legion, numbering at that time nearly nine hundred effective men tolerably equipped and mounted, continued on duty in Hampshire until the 16th of July, 1861, when it started fór Manassas, but did not arrive until after the battle. The command was immediately afterwards ordered to Staunton to join General Lee's forces-subsequently to Hollingsworth, one mile south of Winchester. In the meantime, Colonel Ashby, with several companies, was sent on detached duty to Jefferson, into which county the enemy was making frequent incursions from Harper's Ferry and Maryland.

In Jefferson, Ashby had command of four companies of cavalry and about eight hundred militia. Yankee raids were kept from the doors of the inhab itants, and the enemy made but little appearance in this portion of Virginia, until Banks crossed the Potomac in February, 1862.

It was about this time that Ashby's cavalry acquired its great renown. The Lincoln soldiers dreaded nothing so much as they did these hated troopers. Go where they would, out of sight of their encampments, they were almost sure to meet some of Ashby's cavalry, who seemed to possess the power of ubiquity. And, in truth, they had good cause both to hate and to fear Ashby's cavalry; for many a Federal horseman dropped from his saddle, and many a Federal soldier on foot dropped in his tracks, at the crack of Confederate rifles in the hands of Ashby's fearless sharpshooters.

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During the time of the encampment at Flowing Springs, Colonel Ashby rarely ever came into town, which was about a mile and a half distant. Nothing could seduce him from his duties; no admiration, no dinner parties or collations, could move him to leave his camp. He always slept with his men. No matter what hour of the night he was aroused, he was always wakeful, self-possessed and ready to do battle. He was idolized by his men, whom he treated as companions and indulged without reference to rules of military discipline. He had great contempt for the military arts, was probably incapable of drilling a regiment, and preserved among his men scarcely anything more than the rude discipline of camp hunters. But though not a stickler for military rules, he would have no coward or eye-soldier in his command. If a man was dissatisfied, he at once started him off home. He allowed his men many liberties. A gentleman asked him one day where his men were. “Well,” said he, "the boys fought very well yesterday, and there are not more than thirty of them here to-day."

Ashby's influence over his men was. principally due to the brilliant and amazing examples of personal courage which he always gave them in front of the battle. His men could never find him idle. In battle his eye kindled up most gloriously. He wore a grey coat and. pants, with boots and sash; he always looked like work, was frequently covered with mud, and appeared to be never fatigued or dejected. He would come and go like a dream. He would be heard of at one time in one part of the country, and then, when least expected, would come dashing by on the famous white horse, which was his pride.

When the fight occurred at Boteler's Mill, the militia were for the first time under fire. The enemy had encamped on the other side of the Potomac, opposite the mill. Qur troops quietly crept upon them, and planted two pieces of cannon within range, and let drive at them with terrible effect, whereupon they fled. They afterwards returned in force, and ranged themselves on the other side with long range guns. Ashby, to encourage the militia, who were raw, advanced to the bank of the river, and rode his white horse up and down within point blank range of the enemy's fire. When the balls were hurtling thickest, he would rein in his horse and stand perfectly still, the very picture of daring and chivalry.

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At Bolivar heights, when the enemy were firing upon our men and had shot down the gunners at the cannon, he sprang from his horse and seized the rammer himself. He was conspicuous in action at every point. His friends used to implore him not to ride his white horse-for he had also a black onebut he was deaf to every caution that respected the safety of his person.

The key to Ashby's character was his passion for danger. He craved the excitement of battle, and was never happier than when riding his noble steed in the thickest of the storm of battle. There are some minds which find a sweet intoxication in danger, and Macaulay has named a remarkable instance in William III., the silent and ascetic King of England, who was transformed into gaiety by the excitement of personal peril. › “Danger,” aays the historian, "acted upon him like wine;" it made him full of animation and speech. Ashby's delight.in danger was a royal one. It came from

no brutal hardihood or animal spirits; and the Virginia cavalier is this far superiour to other famous partisans in this war, that he united with the adventures of courage the courtesies of a gentleman and Christian, and the refinements of a pure and gentle soul. He was never rude; he was insensible to the humours of the vulgar; and he never even threw into the face of his enemy a coarse taunt or a specimen of that wit common in the army.

Turner Ashby was doubtless as perfect a specimen of modern chivalry as the South even has ever produced. His brilliant daring, his extreme courtesy to woman, his devotion to the horse, his open-hearted manner and his scorn of mean actions, are qualities as admirable now as in the days of Froissart's Chronicles. After the battle of Winchester, the Yankee women and families of officers sometimes came to Ashby to get passes. They were surprised to find with what readiness permits were granted. They would say, "Colonel Ashby, you may search our baggage. We assure you we are carrying away nothing which we are not at liberty to do." His reply was, “I have no right to look into ladies' baggage, or to examine their trunks. Southern gentlemen do no such thing." They said, “Colonel, you may search our persons, and see if we carry away anything contraband." The reply was, "Virginia gentlemen do not search the persons of ladies."

Few young men of Ashby's age could have resisted the intoxication of of praise heaped upon him from every quarter. The fact was, no aged and stern devotee to duty was ever more insensible, in the performance of his task, to the currents of popular favour than the young Paladin of the South. The following copy of a letter, written at the height of his reputation to an elderly gentlemen of Stafford county, 'illustrates the modesty which adorned the life of Turner Ashby, and the sense of duty which insured its mest brilliant successes:

"MY DEAR SIR: I have just received your exceedingly kind and most flattering letter. Let me assure you that it gives me no little pleasure to know "that my course, while doing my duty to my country, meets your approval, "whose age and experience make it more to be estimated. That I have not "sought self-aggrandizement, or regarded anything save what I believed to "be my duty, to my country in this war, I hope it is needless to assure you. "When my course meets with the approval of the old patriots, I feel doubly "satisfied that I have not mistaken what I believe to be my duty. What you "are pleased to say of my brother (who fell as I, too, expect to fall, if my "country needs it) is but too true, Had he been spared longer, he would "doubtless have been of great value to our country. His fall, however, has "not been without its lesson to the enemy, teaching them that Virginians "know how to die as well as fight for their liberty. He died without a re"gret, feeling that his life was due to his country's cause. Please present “me most kindly to all my friends in Stafford, and accept my highest respects “for yourself.