Confederacy’s Captain George Grandstaff Turns the Tables on the Jessie Scouts at Edinburg, Virginia
The North had its Mosby in the person of Major Henry H. Young, leader of a band of scouts who operated behind the Southern lines dressed in Confederate uniforms. An officer of quick wit, audacity and extreme personal courage, he entered the war as a lieutenant of Co. B, 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, at the age of 22. in 1863 he was detached from his company to act as assistant inspector-general of the brigade, and soon showed a decided talent for the life of a scout. His adventures brought him to the attention of Sheridan in November, 1864, just when he had determined to organize his scouts into a regular military unit recruited by volunteers from his own troops. He had been relying upon Confederate deserters and doubtful citizens of the area, with results that were never satisfactory and were often disastrous. He seldom knew what the Rebels were up to in his front, and his read was plagued by the resolute and ably led partisans of Mosby, McNeill and Gilmor. To remedy this weakness, Sheridan appointed Major Young to his staff as aide-de-camp and as unofficial chief of scouts of the Middle Military Division. Hardly had his partisan career been launched before it almost ended at Edinburg on Jan. 22, 1865, in a drama staged in several acts from Edinburg to Fishers Hill. It was heralded by Gen. Lee as “that handsome affair in the Valley and included by Dr. Wayland in his list of notable events in the military history of Shenandoah County.
General Philip Sheridan
Sheridan left Winchester for a tour of his West Virginia sector, but was kept informed of Valley affairs by his Chief of Staff, James Forsyth, who reported on Jan. 19th: “Scouts in this morning from Woodstock. Nothing new; no changes in Rebel pickets. Started party up the Valley last night. Supplied them with the necessary money. They are to go to the place you mentioned to me before you left. All quiet here.” Two days later his report read: “It has been raining, snowing and sleeting here all day. Quite cold. Scouts did not succeed in getting into Woodstock that night on account of a party of Rebs laying for them at that place. Major Young starts out with about 17 scouts and fifty picked men from the Fifth New York Cavalry. I think that he will clear Woodstock.”
But Forsyth and Young were reckoning without Captain George J. Grandstaff, a member of a prominent Valley family. His company of the 12th Va. Cavalry was on picket duty at Edinburg along the narrow banks of Stony Creek, a strategic point picketed often by the opposing armies during the war. Major Young, with a squad of men, rode up to the creek where the Pike bridge now crosses, bearing the body of a young soldier who had been killed in battle. His home was near New Market and the Federals wanted to take his body there — so they said. Capt. Grandstaff, being suspicious, took charge of the corpse, sending some of his own men up the Pike with it. He then escorted Young towards the north end of town to the Ritter House, (later known as the Resthaven Inn), entertained him at dinner, and sent him and his party back down the Pike. That night a snow fell and the next morning was inclement, but at daybreak Maj. Young and his men dashed into town, captured the pickets at the bridge, then crossed the fields and surprised the remainder of the squad in their icy camp in Humston’s woods. With 15 prisoners, including a lieutenant, Young started down the Valley, so confident of his easy success that he stopped at Woodstock for breakfast. Rowand, one of his favorite scouts, had wandered out into the street but soon dashed back to warn Young that a Union man had informed him 300 Confederate cavalry were coming. The Major cheerfully refused to move until he had finished his breakfast.
Henry H. Young, Sheridan’s Chief Scout
Rowand, in his Confederate Uniform
Meanwhile, Lieut. Joseph Miley, who happened to be in Edinburg at the time of the raid, had dodged the Federals and galloped off to Capt. Grandstaff’s home. While Oace Grandstaff, a boy too young for service, ran up the creek to the Grandstaff sawmill and notified the pickets there, Capt. Grandstaff mounted his horse and started off with Miley after the Federals. Those of his men who had not been on picket duty were scattered about the neighborhood at their homes. These he gathered up as he proceeded, so that by the time Young’s digestion was in proper order and he was ready to mount his horse at Woodstock, a considerable band of Confederates was sweeping down the street upon him. The 50 “picked men” from the Fifth New York immediately abandoned their prisoners and fled, but the 17 scouts withdrew more slowly. While Rowand was sent in a vain attempt to rally the fleeing cavalry, Young suffered the indignity of having his horse shot from under him and was facing the Confederates on foot. Two of his scouts charged to divert the Rebels, then one of them swung Young up behind him and dashed off with the rest of the retreating Federals. Down the Pike for some ten miles Grandstaff pursued the enemy, hanging upon them like a pack of wolves. By the time Maurertown was reached, five Yankees had been captured and were sent back to Edinburg in charge of M. L. Grove and Bob Windle, both mere boys. Before reaching Strasburg, Grandstaff had rescued all his own men and had captured 17 of the enemy and 20 horses.
By so narrow an escape was Major Young spared for the greatest escapade of his military service a few weeks later — the daring capture of Major Harry Gilmor deep inside the Confederate lines.[1]
Later, when Young and the scouts were capturing Brigadier General Rufus Barringer following the Battle of Five Forks, they used Grandstaff’s name as an alias, pretending to be Captain George Grandstaff of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, knowing one of Barringer’s staff would escape in confusion and report that Grandstaff was responsible for the capture by ruse.
Rufus Barringer
[1] Hale, Virginia Laura, The Valiant Years in the Lower Shenandoah Valley, 1861–1865, Shenandoah Publishing House, Virginia: Strasburg; 1968, pg. 488.