Trivia 12-15-16 Splendid Horseman

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The horseman was Turner Ashby, who was usually just referred to as "Ashby." His war horse was named "Tom Telegraph."

On April 17, 1862, a Union cavalry charge against Ashby and a small number of his men led to hand-to-hand fighting. In the midst of the skirmish Tom was shot in the flanks but still managed, while bleeding profusely, to jump two fences before falling to the ground. Ashby paused briefly to pet the horse's mane. "Thus," an eyewitness wrote, "the most splendid horseman I ever knew lost the most beautiful war horse I ever saw."

Edit - There may have been some or even many people who referred to Ashby simply by his last name, but I wouldn't consider that to be a nickname. He had at least two nicknames.

Hoosier
 
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The quote comes from Henry Kyd Douglas

Turner Ashby's nickname was "The Knight of the Valley"
The name of that splendid horse was "Tom Telegraph"

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/media_player?mets_filename=evm00001631mets.xml

upload_2016-12-15_14-22-47.png

http://www.angelfire.com/va3/valleywar/people/ashby.html
 
Turner Ashby is the solider and in the linked article his nickname is “Knight of the Valley” perhaps due to his death in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862 however in some articles I read he is listed as “The Black Knight of the Confederacy” but since the former also gives his horse the name: “Tom Telegraph” that’s my answer.

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/media_player?mets_filename=evm00001631mets.xml
 
Turner Ashby's nickname was "Knight of the Valley" as referenced in the source below.

Ashby was also nicknamed "Black Knight of the Confederacy" and I have found references using both nicknames describing the loss of his beloved horse.

His horse name was "Tom Telegraph".


I was unfamiliar about this story, however I have always thought that Ashby's post-mortem photo is one of the most haunting photo's of the Civil War.

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/media_player?mets_filename=evm00001631mets.xml
 
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