The accompanying papers contained the names of Isaac Vandevanter, John Ross, Gen. R. L. Wright and Henry S. Williams, as witnesses against Capt. Webster, whom White had sent to Richmond in December, and against whom two charges had been preferred, one of which was that he had murdered two citizens of Loudoun county, viz: Richard Simpson, formerly a Captain in that gallant command, the 8th Va. Infantry, but at the time of his murder not in any manner connected with the service; and John Jones, of Hillsborough, whom Webster wantonly shot in his own door. The second charge was, that he had broken his parole, given at Waterford, in August, 1862, when he surrendered to White at the Baptist meeting-house.
In following up this subject, we may as well dispose of Webster finally, by remarking that he was found guilty of both charges, and on the second was condemned to be hung, which sentence was shortly afterwards executed in Richmond. Just before his execution, Webster confessed that the charges were correct, and also that he had been married seven times, five of his wives being alive.
Many persons, especially among the ladies, expressed the opinion that he richly merited his doom on the last count, even if neither of the others had been sustained; and many others thought that if the remedy for this case had been applied in all, the Abolition army would have been very nearly broken up, for in the eyes of the civilized world, and by the laws of nations, they were all murderers or worse.
White moved promptly, and without any incident worthy of note, executed General Jackson’s order to the letter.
CHAPTER IX.
The battalion returned to camp, near New Market, about the 20th of February, and for two months there was nothing to mar the monotony of camp life, save the interminable drilling and sabre grinding ordered by Gen. Jones, which was really the most monotonous part of it as well as the most vexatious, for White’s men didn’t like to drill, and they had a small opinion of the sabre as a weapon to fight Yankees with, no matter how sharp it might be, and the regular Saturday grindings were looked upon as perfect nuisances.
Discipline in the command was at a low ebb, in fact it was hard to keep it up to any degree of perfection at all, for several reasons; first of which was, that Col. White himself was naturally much better qualified for the stirring and active life of a partisan, whose parade ground is the enemy’s picket line and wagon camp, than to command the choicest body of troops behind the army lines; and experience gives as a rule, that as the Colonel is, so is the regiment, and it is one that holds good under all the circumstances of the camp, the march and the battle-field.
The carelessness of the Colonel very soon showed itself to a far greater degree in the battalion, and really, as of necessity it must, impaired the efficiency of it, for there is a vast difference between the dashing tactics of the raider, in which numbers are little considered, and all depends upon the suddenness of the attack and surprise of the enemy, and the operations in the face of a prepared enemy, where the success of an army depends upon its different parts performing the proper evolutions at the right moment and best manner, amid the din and roar of battle, where the “flying shot and reeking steel” are performing their bloody work.
Early in 1863, the Colonel had most fortunately secured the services of an excellent Adjutant, in the person of Lieut. R. T. Watts, formerly of the 2d Va. Cavalry, and a native of Bedford county, Va., who had been recommended to him by Col. Munford, of that regiment, and many persons thought that the very existence of the battalion was due to the precision and care with which Lieut. Watts performed his duties, for the company officers, with few exceptions, were as careless as the Colonel.
Lieut. Crown, Co. B, Lieuts. Dowdell and Tom White, Co. C, and Capt. Grabill, Co. E, were disciplinarians, and did their best to make soldiers of their men; but Capt. Myers and Lieut. Conrad, who formed the character of Co. A, Lieut. Sam. Grubb, Co. C, Lieuts. Dorsey and Chiswell, Co. B, and Lieut. Strickler, Co. E, all officers of great influence with their companies, cared as little for drill and discipline as possible. Company F had, for some time, been rendered rather inefficient through the carelessness and indifference of its officers, but it was finally raised to the position of being one of the best in the service, by having two first-rate officers given it in Capt. French and Lieut. James; but previous to that, Capt. Ferneyhough was seldom with it, and Lieut. McVeigh was like the majority, willing to let matters take their course. Lieut. Barrett was unfortunate in being for a long time a prisoner, and Lieut. Marlow was so frequently on detached service in the quartermaster’s department, and elsewhere, that his services were to a great extent lost to his company.