Mosby's Men in Southern Maryland

[Lindsey]

I bought "Come Retribution" a year or so ago, started reading it, then realized I need to wait until I don't have as many distractions. But as I've been told--I'm not the only one having a tough time getting started with it! But does it say anywhere in it that Mosby and his men were supposed to escort the kidnap posse down to Richmond seeing as so much of VA was in Union hands at that point? I ask bc it's yet another case of "I know I heard that somewhere..."

[Rick Smith]

(07-29-2012 06:24 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I need some help with further investigating something that Gen Tidwell mentioned in Come Retribution and April '65. On April 15, 1865, the day after the assassination, there was a minor skirmish in St. Mary's County, Maryland, between a troop of Mosby's men and a small Union force. The skirmish occurred near a plantation known as The Plains, which had been turned into a "government farm" during the war after being confiscated from the family of John H. Sothoron.

Col. Sothoron made Northern newspapers in October of 1863, when Union recruiters sailed up the Patuxent River to his plantation and began herding his slaves out of the fields towards the ship. Col. Sothoron and his son, Webster, confronted the recruiters (two of them were black soldiers), and a Lt. Eben White fired at Webster. Fortunately, the gunpowder did not ignite. However, Lt. White then charged at Webster with his bayonet. Col. Sothoron fired and killed the lieutenant.

As a result, both the Colonel and his son had to flee to Virginia and later Canada. Mrs. Sothoron and her children were placed under house arrest and allowed to starve. They were finally sent to live with relatives, and the house and farm were confiscated to serve as a government farm - meaning that contraband from Virginia were brought there to be housed and to work the farm for food and tobacco to serve the Union. During that period, much of the house was ransacked and farm implements broken.

Sothoron returned in 1866 to face trial for the murder of Lt. White, and was immediately declared "not guilty." He then set about trying to recover his losses - a fight that would last into the 1870s and 1880s without success.

This has always fascinated me because the Sothoron family is part of my maternal grandfather's clan -- yes, friends, more of my family stories.

Back to the original reason for posting, however. I would like to know more about how and why some of Mosby's men were in St. Mary's County, Maryland, at the time of the assassination - several hundred miles from their normal base of operations. It certainly seems to be one more factor to suggest that the Confederate command knew of the assassination before it happened. BUT, it also makes me believe that Mosby's forces were sent to another route of escape for Booth -- one that might lead him out into the Patuxent or the Wicomico Rivers and then into the Potomac. About 15-20 miles from The Plains was the small village of Chaptico that had been a blockade runners' port during the war. The Wicomico also flows into the Potomac at Allen's Fresh - an area that Rick Smith believes Booth and Herold frequented during their stay in the pine thicket.

Was it possible that both Charles and St. Mary's Counties in Maryland were prepared to assist the assassin? When Thomas Jones got the opportunity to get the fugitives across the Potomac, it was because word was out that two men (Harbin and Baden likely) had been seen on the river in St. Mary's County. This sent the troops out of town long enough to get the real fugitives on the river.

What I'm getting at is: Was Booth's base of support in the lower counties of Southern Maryland more widespread than we thought? Was Davey Herold in that area for a few days before the assassination getting the word spread to be on the ready? Were Mosby's men stationed near a point of exit via St. Mary's County to assist while civilian personnel in the Secret Line from Prince George's to Charles Counties were assigned to assist at that exit route?

Sorry for turning this into a lengthy "chapter" in the never-ending quest for more knowledge, but I would really like to know what brought Mosby's men to my section of Maryland at a very critical moment.

Laurie,

There is no question in my mind as regards exactly what elements of Mosby's command were doing in So. Md.

We know that Wat Bowie and his company had crossed into Charles County earlier; looking into the feasibility of capturing the Governor of Md. Mosby was king of clandestine operations and employed his command outside of the Valley on several occasions.

I am convinced that Lt. Garland Smith and Co. G of Mosby's command were in So. Md. for the purpose of finding Booth & getting him out.

There is no question that Thomas Harney was to be put into place by Mosby men; things just did not go well during this operation.

That Ruggles, Bainbridge & Jett just happened to be at Port Conway was no coincidence.

Rick

[Laurie Verge]

Thanks for posting Rick because I do think that the Mosby angle needs to be more fully explored in relation to the plots against Lincoln and the escape of Booth. In addition to Ruggles, Bainbridge, and Jett being part of the Mosby ties, there is another name that needs to be checked out. Another Confederate, Enoch Mason, was on that same ferry that took those three Confederates, Booth, and Herold across the Rappahannock.

We have discussed this personally before, but I would like to follow up on something that James O. Hall had me digging for years ago. He and Gen. Tidwell had run across reference to there being three letters of introduction for Booth to make ties in Southern Maryland -- one to Dr. William Queen, one to Dr. Samuel Mudd; and another to a Dr. Garland (who we believe was in St. Mary's County, Maryland).

I could not make a connection with Garland and St. Mary's County, but I did find a Dr. Garland who left Maryland and went to Virginia - and became a physician for President Jefferson Davis.

However, I am now making a big speculation and wondering if the letter of introduction was sent to Mosby's man, Lt. Garland Smith, who was using an alias of Dr. Garland. This would have put Booth in touch with three men (two in Charles County and one in St. Mary's County) who could assist in the escape plans for the kidnap plot or the assassination.

Any history detectives out there?

[Gene C]

I have always wondered in regard to the kidnap plot...How quickly could union forces go after the fleeing felons, and in what size of force. Were there enough confederate forces nearby to slow the pursing union forces and aid the kidnappers in getting away with the president. Seems to me, over the years, anyone involved in helping Booth escape (Mosby's forces?) would have said something. Enough of the others in southern MD told their tales years later. Maybe Sec. Stanton was right after all!

Looks like I have another book (Come Retribution and April 65 by William Tidwell) I have to go back and read again.

[L Verge]

The initial problem was communication for the Union forces. A main line into Southern Maryland was to Chapel Point on the Port Tobacco River, which flowed into the Potomac. However, I believe that line had been taken out of commission by the Union shortly before this. There were other Union troops in various spots in the area, but not in as heavy force as there had been prior to the dawn of 1865 when it was obvious that the Confederate threat was dwindling.

The attacks on Lincoln and Seward also had the element of surprise, so it took a few hours before any kind of assessment could be made and orders sent out. As part of the kidnap plot, a long length of rope had been left with the carbines and other supplies at Surratt's Tavern. The rope was to be used to stretch across the road from tree to tree to cause the first line of cavalry to stumble and create a pile-up. The rope was left behind the night of the assassination because Booth and Herold could not risk the time to put anything in place and because of the leg problem. They also knew that they had time on their side for the first 3-4 hours.

Once the fugitives reached Dr. Mudd's, they were in the hands of men who had tricked the Union for four years by using clever deception. The Southern Maryland civilians were very good at what they did, and if Mosby's men were there also, even better.

As far as Mosby's men ever spilling the beans in later years, my personal opinion is that they just weren't built that way -- once a black ops man, always a black ops man. I think I'm correct in saying that Harbin and Jones were the only ones who allowed their stories to be put in print?

BTW, refresh my memory - did Mosby ever surrender his troops? If not, maybe they considered themselves on "active duty" to their dying day - lips zipped????

Personally, I think Stanton was 100% correct in assuming that the Confederate command was behind the Great Conspiracy. Were you ever told that, when taking a multiple choice test, your first answer is usually the correct one? I bet Stanton was a whiz at multiple choice answers -- and I also bet that Judah Benjamin and George Sanders were whizzes at putting together covert actions.

[Rick Smith]

(08-09-2012 07:06 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The initial problem was communication for the Union forces. A main line into Southern Maryland was to Chapel Point on the Port Tobacco River, which flowed into the Potomac. However, I believe that line had been taken out of commission by the Union shortly before this. There were other Union troops in various spots in the area, but not in as heavy force as there had been prior to the dawn of 1865 when it was obvious that the Confederate threat was dwindling.

The attacks on Lincoln and Seward also had the element of surprise, so it took a few hours before any kind of assessment could be made and orders sent out. As part of the kidnap plot, a long length of rope had been left with the carbines and other supplies at Surratt's Tavern. The rope was to be used to stretch across the road from tree to tree to cause the first line of cavalry to stumble and create a pile-up. The rope was left behind the night of the assassination because Booth and Herold could not risk the time to put anything in place and because of the leg problem. They also knew that they had time on their side for the first 3-4 hours.

Once the fugitives reached Dr. Mudd's, they were in the hands of men who had tricked the Union for four years by using clever deception. The Southern Maryland civilians were very good at what they did, and if Mosby's men were there also, even better.

As far as Mosby's men ever spilling the beans in later years, my personal opinion is that they just weren't built that way -- once a black ops man, always a black ops man. I think I'm correct in saying that Harbin and Jones were the only ones who allowed their stories to be put in print?

BTW, refresh my memory - did Mosby ever surrender his troops? If not, maybe they considered themselves on "active duty" to their dying day - lips zipped????

Personally, I think Stanton was 100% correct in assuming that the Confederate command was behind the Great Conspiracy. Were you ever told that, when taking a multiple choice test, your first answer is usually the correct one? I bet Stanton was a whiz at multiple choice answers -- and I also bet that Judah Benjamin and George Sanders were whizzes at putting together covert actions.

Laurie,

Mosby refused to formally surrender, but disbanded his command at Salem, Virginia the last week of April 1865.

He had a price of $5,000 on his head for some time after this.

Rick

[Rsmyth]

Jim Garrett, Dave Taylor and I went on a field trip last week and stopped at the King George Historical Society/Museum. President Elizabeth Lee would be spending the day with us as we toured some great sites and relics. A two minute walk from the museum is the Saint Johns Episcopal Church cemetery in which are the remains of Enoch Wellford Mason. Thought you might be interested.

[L Verge]

Did you learn of any connections that Mason may have had with Booth and Herold other than being on the ferry with him crossing the Rappahannock?

[Rsmyth]

None. His involvement, if there is any is a mystery.

[L Verge]

Were you able to find out if Enoch Mason was a descendant of Thomas Jefferson through Jefferson's granddaughter, who married a Mason and lived on a plantation a short distance from Dr. Richard Stuart at Cleydael? I believe the Mason plantation was called Alta.

[Rsmyth]

Laurie, sorry, I did not enquire about that although I certainly can as I have Ms. Lee's email. I will see if she knows anything about him.

[Bill Richter]

I refer you all to Kate Mason, "A True Story of the Capture and Death of John Wilkes Booth," Northern Neck Historical Magazine, 13 (Dec., 1963), 1237-39 (yeah, I know she is a relative, but she wrote a bang-up article).

I know this rest is self serving, but you all ought to read my Last Confederate Heroes (Copy in the JOH Library) which has this Welford Mason incident and answers to several other questions that have come up in this forum (and others).

I realize that many disparage the idea of an historical novel, but this one is very good history to boot, if I may say so myself. I reference several bibliographic items that rarely appear in more noted and popularized works to explain many puzzling things in Booth's ideas, plots, and his shooting of Lincoln and especially in the escape, about which my colleague and friend Rick Smith and I have several other notions that are not "usual."

[Rsmyth]

Laurie, I just received an email from Elizabeth who stated the following:
Enoch was the nephew of Charles Mason who married the granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson. He was born and lived closer to King George proper. His mother was a Smith.

[L Verge]

Thanks for checking, Rich. I know that John Stanton and Mrs. Elizabeth Lee have been working on a project together also.

Bill - Can you give us a hint as to what Kate Mason wrote as well as your thoughts on the Northern Neck history of Booth's sojourn there?

[RJNorton]

I came across this article which mentions Mosby.

http://www.coastalpoint.com/content/civi...08_10_2017