Maj. General William Wells CDV from collection of Francis Guber b. December 14, 1837 m. January 18, 1866, to Miss Arahanna Richardson d. April 29, 1892 William Wells, from Waterbury, Vermont, enlisted in the First Vermont Cavalry at the outset of the war. Through his bravery and leadership, he was promoted through the ranks and eventually became a brigadier general. At the time of his key entanglements with Mosby's Command in the late winter and spring of 1863, he was a major, one of the senior staff officers of the First Vermont under Col. Sawyer. He was captured by Mosby during the March 17, 1863 Raid on Herndon Station, when visiting Company L of the command with two junior officers, reportedly to investigate complaints from that the soldiers were pilfering from the local citizenry. When Mosby's men attacked the cavalry outpost, Major Wells was having lunch at the home of Union sympathizer Nat Hanna across from the railroad station, along with the two other visiting officers and with Lt. Watson of Company L. Mosby's men noticed their horses tied up outside and came to capture them. Wells and Capt. Schofield hid in the attic and might have escaped capture, but for an accident of fate -- the lathe of the ceiling that he was standing on collapsed, dropping him into the midst of the raiders! Such an undignified and humourous capture might have been a career-ender for a lesser individual, but Wells' valor and leadership capabilities saw him through. He won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the third day of fighting at Gettysburg, in leading the main battalion in Farnsworth's Charge on Round Top and was promoted continually thereafter, culiminating in his appointment as Major General toward the end of the War. LINKS: On this site: First Vermont Cavalry The Herndon Raid Officers and Men Captured at Herndon On Main MosbysRangers.com Site: The Fight at Aldie Mill On other sites: Congressional Medal of Honor Citation Biography of William Wells Dedication of statute of Maj. Gen. Wells, Burlington, VA, 1914 (VermontCivilWar.org) Monument to William Wells at Gettysburg (from Buford's Boys website) Gen. Wells' House in Burlington (now a fraternity house at the University of Vermont)

Visit MosbysRangers.com For information on the event, contact: Richard Downer: mosbysraid@HRIAssociates.com (general information, logistics, civic involvement) Kathryn Coombs: MosbyWeb@aol.com (reenactors, living history program, website)