Feb. 5, 1865 - Union Cavalry gets "Stump's Battery" - and also Harry Gilmor

Feb. 5, 1865

Union Cavalry gets "Stump's Battery"

Romney, WV

Lt. Col. Edward W. Whitaker
vs.
Capt. George W. Stump

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=174941

Captain George W. Stump
"Stump's Battery"

This is Hickory Grove, the home of Adam and Mary Stump and their son Capt. George W. Stump, who led a company of the 18th Virginia Cavalry during the war. Capt. Stump was always heavily armed with a carbine and numerous revolvers; his men called him “Stump’s Battery.” Besides cooperating with McNeill’s Partisan Rangers, Stump also served under Gen. John D. Imboden. The general had such confidence in Stump that he employed him in October 1863 as a confidential messenger to Gen. Robert E. Lee. In December 1863, Imboden recommended Stump to Gen. Jubal A. Early: “If in pursuit of supplies you have to go to Hampshire County,…permit me to recommend to you, … Capt. George W. Stump, {who}…can give you more valuable information than any man in my command in regard to supplies in Hampshire and Hardy. He knows where every lot of cattle in those counties can be obtained.”

In February 1865, Stump met his end when Union Lt. Col. Edward W. Whitaker led a cavalry detachment from Winchester to Moorefield to capture Confederate cavalry raider Maj. Harry Gilmor. After catching Gilmor in bed on February 5 and fighting off his troopers, the expedition rode north to Romney. Maj. Henry H. Young, Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s chief of scouts, led a few cavalrymen in advance of the column. En route, he captured a dozen Confederates at several houses and turned them over to Whitaker. Stump was here visiting his parents when he heard Young and his men approach and tried to flee. According to local tradition, Stump was either shot dead or wounded, captured, and executed.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The American Civil War Chronologically - Introduction

Image
Welcome, please allow me to explain what's going on here.  I started off trying to visit each Civil War battlefield in the Eastern Theatre in the order they occurred. That quickly spiraled out of control. Now, I'm just visiting every Civil War-related site I can, with an emphasis on the East (and especially my home state of Maryland), and then assembling my observations in chronological order. I try to minimize editorializing, and tend to just copypasta information directly from the sources I encounter- and credit. Sometimes though, I can't help it. My acute interest is compounded by the fact that I and my neighbors still live on sacred ground soaked with the blood of the American Revolution and Civil War. These events literally created the nation we have today. It's fascinating to see a fast-food place where a hero died - and so few care. I also agree with Grant who said the cause of the Confederacy was "one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for...
Read more

Nov. 28, 1864 - Capture of New Creek

Image
Nov. 28, 1864 Capture of New Creek New Creek aka Keyser, WV Col. George R. Latham @ Fort Fuller  vs Confederates under Gen. Thomas Rosser "On November 28, 1864, Confederates under Gen. Thomas Rosser rode to New Creek, where a sizeable Union force commanded by Col. George R. Latham occupied Fort Fuller . With several of the Confederates wearing enemy uniforms, the attack was a complete surprise. More than 700 Union soldiers were captured, along with horses and artillery. A vast amount of supplies was destroyed." https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=152788 " Keyser.  Between 1861–1865, Keyser, then New Creek, was sought by the North and South. It changed hands fourteen times. Fort Fuller, where Potomac State Collect stands, was supported by a series of forts girding the town. Averell’s Raid. Here in 1863 General W. W. Averell started the Federal cavalry raid to Salem, Virginia, and then back into this State. This is among the great exploits of the War. Many of his troopers were fr...
Read more

April 14 - 26, 1865 - Chasing Lincoln's Assasin and Accomplices

Image
April 14 - 26, 1865  Chasing Lincoln's Assassin and Accomplices Washington, D.C. > Southern Maryland > Virginia  * No obscure skirmish here! Most will have heard this story, read the book, or seen the movie/miniseries, so the ~15 stops of this glorious driving tour are presented  with minimal commentary  to speak for themselves. Oh, how I wish all my daytrips could be represented by timelines grafted onto maps. This was a fun day, from top to bottom (Feb. 2025)! Only that cottage defied detection. First, witness the still-preserved Presidential box at Fords Theatre, where I happened to catch a great performance of Scott Bakula as Lincoln (Winter 2024)!  Outside Fords Theatre  And the house directly across the street, where Lincoln actually died.  After he shot Lincoln, jumped onto the stage (breaking his leg), and ran,  the chase was on...Booth's first stop was just outside D.C., in Maryland.  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=154461 Surrat...
Read more