Tin
i/ed in 1859, just two years before the war lirokc out, and first fig- ured at Harper's Ferry in the John Brown raid.
Colonel John Scott, of Warrcnton, Virginia, was its hr-t captain, and ijavr the troop its name. Colonel Scott, who has retired from active life, was for many ye.ii^ ,i conspicuous figure in that section of the State a> Commonwealth's Attorney, and is well known as the author of " The Lost 1'rinciplc." a " Life of Mushy," and other lite- rary works. Its next commander was the gallant Hob Randolph, of the distinguished family of that name, and who was afterwards pro- moted to Colonel.
On the 1 8th of May, 1861, the following officers of the Black Horse were sworne in: William H. Payne, captain; Robert Ran- dolph, C. H. (iordon, A. D. Payne, lieutenants; Willian Smith, James H. Childs, Robert Mitchell, Richard Lewis, sergeants; Wil- lington Millon, Madison C. Tyler, George N. Shumate, N. A. Clop- ton, corporals; William Johnson, bugler, and William E. Gaskins, quartermaster. They were subsequently incorporated into the Fourth Virginia Regiment, and permission was given to recruit it for a bat- talion. The first sustained march of the Black Horse was to Har- per's Ferry. It afterwards advanced to Manassas and Fairfax Court- house; its work at the battle of Bull Run was so graphically reported by the Union troops that further comment is unnecessary. The company numbered over one hundred men, and its fine appearance had begun to attract the attention of the great cavalry leaders under Lee, and it was appointed to serve as a body guard to General Jos- eph E. Johnston.
DEEDS OF DARING.
The families of Fauquier and adjoining counties, from each of which two or more members of the Black Horse had been recruited, were the Carters, Childses, Colberts, Downmans, Diggses, Edmonds, Fants. ( ireens, Gordons, Gaskinses, Georges, Helmns, Huntons, Hamiltons, Keiths, Lewises, Lees, Lomaxes, Lathams, Martins, Paynes. Rectors, Scotts, Smiths, Striblings, Talliaferros, and Vapes. Other families were represented by Lawrence Ashton, William Bowen, |. E. Barbour, William Ficklin, R. A. Grey, Alexander Hunter, Robert Hart, George L. Holland, Strother Jones, T. N. Pitcher, John Robinson, James Rector, W. A. Smoot, William Spilman, W. B. Skinker, William H. Triplett, Madison Tyler, Johnsie Longue, J. W. Towson, W. N. Thorn, Melville Withers, and others.
