Turner Ashby Cavalry general of the Southern army Date of Birth: 12.10.1828 Country: USA

Biography of Turner Ashby

Turner Ashby, a cavalry general of the Confederate Army, was born on October 12, 1828, in Virginia. He came from a distinguished family, with his great-grandfather having served alongside George Washington and his father holding the rank of colonel in the American Army during the War of 1812.

After his father's death in 1834, Turner began receiving an excellent home education from private tutors hired by his mother, Elizabeth. Like other young southern gentlemen, Ashby grew up accustomed to riding horses and hunting, preferring long rides with society ladies and high society salons.

In 1855, he formed a volunteer cavalry unit commissioned by the state authorities, which conducted police supervision of workers building the Manassas Railroad. Four years later, during the abolitionist John Brown's uprising and seizure of the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Ashby and his unit were among the first to arrive on the scene, providing assistance to the incoming naval infantry led by Robert E. Lee. During Brown's trial and execution, Ashby's unit was assigned to guard duty in the town and its surroundings.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Ashby was promoted to captain, and his volunteer cavalry unit was officially named 'Ashby's Rangers' and incorporated into the 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment. The war became personal for Ashby after federal soldiers bayoneted his brother Richard, making him an uncompromising enemy of the Union. One of Ashby's greatest strengths was his talent as a scout. He frequently infiltrated the federal lines disguised as an elderly veterinarian or a half-witted laborer.

Ashby commanded the cavalry under the legendary "Stonewall" Jackson, but his debut in this role was unsuccessful. The Battle of Kernstown in March 1862, the only tactical defeat Jackson suffered in his famous "Valley Campaign," was due to poor and careless reconnaissance, as well as the absence of more than half of the 7th Virginia Cavalry in the fight. Ashby mistakenly believed the battle would take place a day later and personally sent his cavalrymen home for a short break. Although the Battle of Kernstown ultimately turned into a strategic victory for Jackson, it convinced him of Ashby's lack of command abilities and discipline.

Jackson decided to remove Ashby from his position as commander of the 7th Virginia Cavalry and split the regiment into two parts, which were then placed under the command of two infantry officers. Jackson explained this decision by stating, "I hope this step will lead to the cavalry becoming organized, uniformed, and disciplined." The soldiers of the regiment idolized Turner Ashby and, in response to Jackson's decision, began plotting a mutiny. Ashby initially challenged Jackson to a duel and then threatened to resign from the army. Only the intervention of senior Confederate military officials reconciled the two Virginia gentlemen and prevented a revolt within Jackson's army. Ashby was reinstated, and the 7th Virginia Cavalry became one of the most exemplary regiments in the Confederate forces for a couple of weeks.

For the next two months, Jackson's army of 16,000 men continuously tormented, surprised, attacked, and destroyed federal forces of 60,000 in the Shenandoah Valley. They achieved two strategic objectives: driving the Union out of the valley and creating a direct threat to Washington, DC, the Union capital. Lincoln was repeatedly forced to demand reinforcements for the garrison in the capital, diverting soldiers from McClellan's army, which was crucially needed by the Union on the Virginia Peninsula. Thus, Jackson managed to weaken two federal armies and thwart the eastward offensive of the Union's eastern forces on Richmond.

Ashby's cavalry performed exceptionally well throughout the campaign, although Jackson occasionally turned a blind eye to the antics of the rowdy troopers from the 7th Virginia. One Northern officer said, "Ashby is nimble, active, and experienced. He pesters us like a gadfly pesters a bull, gradually driving him insane." Ashby's equestrian talent was particularly evident in the battles of Strasburg, Fort Royal, and Winchester. In recognition of his merits, he was promoted to brigadier general on May 23, 1862. Jackson melancholically remarked on this occasion, "It seems that now you will command a brigade; perhaps the country will have fewer opportunities to admire the exaggeration of your personal characteristics."

On the evening of June 6, 1862, Ashby led his cavalry in a counterattack on federal positions in Harrisonburg, diverting the enemy's main forces and attempting to give General Richard Ewell's infantry time to prepare a defense. Ashby's horse was killed under him, but he tried to continue the attack on foot, pulling out his revolver and shouting, "Charge, boys, for God's sake, charge!" After taking only a few steps, he was shot in the heart by a bullet fired from a federal musket.

Turner Ashby, the unpredictable, undisciplined, and daring cavalryman, became a legend of the South. After his death, Stonewall Jackson said, "I did not know a better partisan officer. His bravery became a proverb, his steadfastness was incredible, his character was colored with heroism, and his sharpness of mind allowed him to intuitively sense all the steps and even the possible desires of the enemy."