Native Sons Art

Native Sons: The Black Horse Cavalry
by
Don Prechtel
Image Size: 24 1/4" x 18 1/4".
1985

Biographical Sketches
Of
Members of The Black Horse Cavalry Used as Models For The Painting
"Native Sons: The Black Horse Cavalry"
Artist: Don Prechtel

By
Lynn Hopewell

(First from left) Robert Edward Martin, First Sergeant. Bob Martin was awarded a rifle as the bravest man in the Confederate Army. How it happened was told by John Scott, the first Captain of the Black Horse. "The regiment to which the Black Horse was attached was now, for a time, camped near Hanover Court-House, and while here an interesting incident took place. An English officer, who warmly sympathized with the Southern cause, presented, at Nassau, to a captain in the Confederate navy a rifle of beautiful workmanship, which he desired him, on his return to Richmond, 'to present to the bravest man in the Confederate army.'

"The naval officer, embarrassed by the scope of his commission and not knowing, to be sure, where he should find the bravest soldier in the Southern army, thought he could best fulfill his commission by giving the rifle to Captain Robert Randolph, to be by him presented to the bravest man in the Black Horse Cavalry. But Captain Randolph was as much embarrassed in the execution of this commission as the naval captain had been, for how was it possible for any one to say in that command who was the bravest man?

"Robert Martin was the first sergeant, and in that capacity had displayed the highest qualities of a soldier, and had, in consequence, won the esteem and respect of his men and officers. Robert Martin, too, was foremost in every fight. He appeared to court danger for itself, and it seemed there was nothing he so little valued as life. To him, by general consent, therefore, the rifle was awarded as `the bravest of the brave.'" Bob Martin was the son of "Honest John" Martin. The Martin home was often used as a rendezvous for the company. Bob Martin's two brothers, George W. "Josh" Martin, and J. Richard Martin also served with him in the Black Horse.

(Second from left.) Nimrod Milton Green, Private.

“B. near Paris, Fauquier Co., July 31, 1827; His parents were John and Elizabeth Hitt Green who died in his early childhood. [“Both died by May 1835 ... Elizabeth’s father was Peter Hitt who m. Lucy Rosser. He was raised by his mother’s brother, Dr. [Nimrod M.] Hitt, in Augusta Co. at “Mountain View,” near Greenville. After he grew up, he returned to Fauquier where for some years he was a law officer, then called a constable. He was an original member of the BH, joining in 1858. He was taken prisoner in Warrenton in 1862 and later paroled. Captured again on April 2, 1865 at Petersburg and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Md. Released June 13, 1865. He survived the war without any wounds, by sheer luck, as he had holes shot through his hat and clothes.

“..one of the best soldiers in the Co. & was most highly esteemed by the officers & members not only by the Co. but by the regiment...but, if they [his comrades] all were living, they would join in my testimonial that your father, Nimrod Green, or Nim, as we loved to call him, was one of the best soldiers in the command.."

“After the war, he married Amanda Virginia Wheatley (b. September 25, 1835; d. December 16, 1907,) of “Laural Hill” in Culpeper Co. near Rixeyville, and fathered five children. He spent his last years as a farmer and took an active part in promoting public schools in Augusta Co. He was also a member of the school board, an appraiser and tax collector. His ancestors remember him as a man who loved dancing and hunting. D. February 21, 1882. Bur. Hitt family burying ground near Greenville, Augusta Co., Va.

(Third from left, hatless) George W. "Josh" Martin, Private. Born February 2, 1844, died February 24, 1894. Josh was Bob Martin's brother. The Black Horse served with Early in his Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1864. Josh Martin killed Lieutenant John Meigs, son of Union General Montgomery Meigs. Lieutenant Meigs served on the staff of General Sheridan. From the records of the Southern Historical Society, the incident was reported as follows:

“During this campaign [Early’s Valley campaign, August, 1864]...George W. Martin and [F.M.] Campbell, of the Black Horse, with a member of the First Virginia Regiment, were returning from a scout late in the evening. It was raining, and the soldiers had their oilcloths thrown over their shoulders, which in a great measure, concealed their uniform. On looking back, they saw three mounted men coming up behind them, whom they inferred were Union soldier, as they were in the rear of Sheridan’s forces. Drawing and cocking their pistols, they rode slowly, that they might be overtaken. The Federals ‑for such the party were ‑ had had their suspicions aroused, and also prepared for the fight. As soon as they came alongside of them, the scouts wheeled and demanded a surrender, when they were fired upon by their opponents. They proved to be Lieutenant Meigs, of Sheridan’s staff and two orderlies. Lieutenant Meigs’ shot passed through Martin’s body, but he braced himself, returned the fire, and killed Meigs. The other two scouts captured on of the orderlies. The other made his escape, and reported to Sheridan that his party had been bushwhacked, who, in retaliation, ordered the burning of every house in a radius of five miles. Joshua Martin was carried to the house of a farmer, where he was tenderly nursed until sufficiently recovered to return to his home in Fauquier. After the war closed, General Meigs, believing that his son had been assassinated, sought to have Martin arrested and tried by a court‑martial for murder; but when the facts, as above stated, were certified to him by Captain A. D. Payne, the matter was dropped, for Lieutenant Meigs had been slain in open and legitimate war. George W. Martin is now at home, a prosperous agriculturist, and one of the most respected citizens in the community in which he resides.

At death he was hailed as “the most famous” of the Blackhorsemen. With his brother Bob dead, and his brother Dick living in Missouri, Josh became the symbol in Fauquier of the achievements and fame of the three Martin brothers. A partial obituary reads as follows:

“I have seen him in the advance dismounted, his eyes blazing with the flame of battle, and his voice rising above the rattling fire of carbines, cheering his comrades on; and I have seen him stop, and with a pitying tenderness give his canteen to a wounded enemy lying in his path; and this much can be said, that among the many prisoners he has captured on his scouting expeditions, he never ill-treated one by word or deed.

“But better than this, I have witnessed his home life; and that after all is the true test of a man’s character. It is only people that possess firmness who can possess true gentleness; and Josh Martin was essentially gentle, kind and lovable. He was unselfish, and he possessed in a marked degree that first attribute of a gentleman `a conscientious consideration for others.’

“He loved the Black Horsemen, and if every little act of kindness he has done us could have been marked by a stone and that stone cast on this spot, there would be a mound so massive, so broad and so high, that would rise toward Heaven like the pinnacled crag of the Blue Ridge. We returned his affection and so we gather here today to perform the last rites, and standing by his grave declare that nature never fashioned a braver, gentler, manlier man."

The women of Warrenton collected funds for a marker for Josh Martin’s grave. It reads:

The most famous of the Black Horsemen
The lamb of the household
The lion in battle
He looked the foe in the face
The Martin boys the pride of old Fauquier.”

Buried. Martin Family Cemetery, Fauquier County, Virginia.

(Fourth from left) Alexander Dixon Payne, Lieutenant, later Captain. Born at "Clifton" in Fauquier County, Virginia, September 30, 1837, and died there March 8, 1893. Son of Richards Payne and Alice Fitzhugh Dixon of "Granville." First in his class at William and Mary, 1856. A founding member of the company. Served the greater part of the war, until the surrender, as Captain of the troop, succeeding Robert Randolph. Commended by General Stonewall Jackson for his services when the Black Horse acted as Jackson's escort during the battles of Second Manassas and Sharpsburg. Married in 1868, Ann Morson Scott. A distinguished member of the Warrenton Bar. Served as a Delegate to the Virginia General Assembly and was three times Mayor of Warrenton. Buried in Warrenton Cemetery.

(Fifth from left, on horse) Robert Randolph, Captain. Born at the "Grove," in Fauquier County, November 18, 1835. Killed at Meadow Bridge outside Richmond, May 12, 1864 while leading his regiment as Lieutenant General of the 4th Virginia Cavalry. Son of Captain Charles Carter Randolph and Mary Anne Fauntleroy Mortimer. His father was General Robert E. Lee's first cousin. A lawyer, he was founding member of the Black Horse, promoted Captain in September 1861. Buried at "Eastern View" in Fauquier County.

(Sixth from left) Erasmus Helm, Jr., Private. Killed in the battle of Second Manassas while company was serving as personal escort of General Stonewall Jackson. Sons of Erasmus Helm (b. in Kentucky. D. Warrenton, Aug. 2, 1876, aged 73 years.) and Virginia Laura Aisquith, (b. July 13, 1814, d. Jan. 19, 1852,) who had 10 children. Erasmus Helm’s father was Capt. William Helm (son of Thomas Helm, d. 1778, Frederick Co., Ky, and Margaret Neill); his mother was Agatha Pickett (d. in Warrenton in 1825, dau. of Capt. William Picket and his wife Lucy.)

(Seventh from left) James Keith, Private. Born September 7, 1839, died January 2, 1918. Son of Isham Keith and Juliet Chilton of "Woodbourne," Fauquier County. A lawyer, served with the Black Horse until promoted adjutant, 4th Virginia Cavalry. Cousin to James Keith Boswell, a member of Jackson's staff, who was killed in the volley that mortally wounded Jackson. James Keith became Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court.