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Joseph Penrose Ash
Born	July 4, 1839 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	May 8, 1864(1864-05-08) (aged 24) Todd's Tavern, Virginia
Place of burial	Church of St. James the Less Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service / branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1859–1864
Rank	Captain Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry Clay's Washington Guards U.S. 2nd Cavalry U.S. 5th Cavalry
Commands	U.S. 5th Cavalry, Company E U.S. 5th Cavalry, Company A
Battles / wars	American Civil War Peninsula Campaign Maryland Campaign Skirmish near Warrenton, VA  (WIA) Overland Campaign Battle of Todd's Tavern †

Joseph Penrose Ash (July 4, 1839 – May 8, 1864) was a United States Army cavalry officer during the American Civil War. He was promoted multiple times for bravery before he was killed at the Battle of Todd's Tavern.

Early life

Joseph Ash was born on July 4, 1839 to Caleb Lownes Ash and Bella Maria Ash (née Ashmead) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a descendant of the Penrose family of early Philadelphia. His father was a lawyer who took his business to California during the Gold Rush of 1849, where he contracted yellow fever and died in 1850.

On June 6, 1859, at age 19, Ash joined the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry— the oldest mounted unit in the United States Army.

Civil War

Cassius M. Clay's Washington Guards defending the White House, April 1861.

Following the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Ash enlisted as a corporal in Cassius M. Clay's Washington Guards— a volunteer unit dedicated to protecting Washington, D.C. from Confederate attack until the Union Army could muster an adequate defense force. Upon arrival, he volunteered to undertake a dangerous reconnaissance mission across the Potomac River and behind enemy lines: the action was successful, and before the end of the month Ash was promoted by President Abraham Lincoln to the rank of second lieutenant in the Regular Army, attached to the U.S. 2nd Cavalry.

Lieutenant Ash served with the 2nd Cavalry at the First Battle of Bull Run (in the 2nd Division, 1st Brigade under Major Innis Palmer-- see order of battle). On August 3, 1861, he was transferred to the reorganized U.S. 5th Cavalry, Company H.

On January 15, 1862, Ash was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, commanding the 5th Cavalry, Company E.

The 5th Cavalry joined General George McClellan's Peninsula Campaign, where Ash survived the shattered cavalry charge mounted to protect Union artillery at Gaines' Mill in June 1862.

His unit was later engaged at Antietam in September 1862, and aggressively attacked enemy cavalry near Smithfield, Virginia on October 15.

Ash was heavily involved in a cavalry skirmish at Little Washington near Warrenton, Virginia on November 8, 1862, where he was severely wounded, receiving at least three cuts from a Confederate cavalryman's saber and one bullet wound—in total, sustaining as many as six wounds based on varying accounts. He was mentioned for his brave actions in the official report of Cavalry Division commander Brigadier General Alfred Pleasonton, who stated, "Lieutenant Ash showed great daring, but the results of his charge did not compensate for his loss."

Following the action, Ash was brevetted to the rank of major for "conspicuous gallantry". Nevertheless, the severity of his wounds removed him from action for the remainder of 1862 and most of 1863.

Ash served as a mustering officer for the 5th Cavalry in Trenton, New Jersey from June 3 until September 23, 1863, when he was promoted to the rank of captain and assumed command of the 5th Cavalry, Company A.

In March 1864, Captain Ash submitted an article about cavalry equipment which was published in the United States Service Magazine.

Death

In May 1864, the 5th Cavalry joined the Overland Campaign in reserve of the 1st Division, Cavalry Corps.

On May 7, 1864, Union cavalry under Major General Philip Sheridan engaged Confederate cavalry under Major General J.E.B. Stuart at Todd's Tavern near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. The resulting battle continued into the following day and, on the morning of May 8, Ash was killed in action while trying to rally a Union infantry regiment. The commander of his division described Ash as "a heroic, patriotic, intrepid cavalry officer, a noble martyr in his country’s service."

Ash was promoted posthumously to the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel.

Legacy

In the years following his death, his younger sister Annie Lehman Ash wrote many letters regarding her late brother on behalf of their mother, Bella— first, asking General Ulysses S. Grant to facilitate the location and return of Ash's body from its battlefield grave near Todd's Tavern to his hometown of Philadelphia (this was accomplished successfully), and later requesting military pension benefits for her widowed mother from President Andrew Johnson. She received a letter of condolence from President Lincoln shortly after Ash was killed.

In 1866, the 5th Cavalry honored Ash by renaming their Nashville, Tennessee post as "Ash Barracks".

In 1868, a granite cross was erected in Ash's memory in Philadelphia.

Bella Ash died in 1895. Annie Lehman Ash, who spent the rest of her life in mourning and seclusion following her brother's death, died in 1900.

An Endicott Era coast artillery battery at Fort Worden was named after Ash in 1904.

See also

• 5th U.S. Cavalry

References

Citations

Sources

• "Confirmation of Brevets in the Regular Army". Army and Navy Journal, April 4, 1867. In The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces, vol. 4. New York: Government Printing Office, 1867.

• Anonymous. History of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry. Philadelphia, PA: Hallowell & Co., 1875.
• Ash, Joseph. "Letter to the Editor, United States Service Magazine — March 25, 1864". In United States Service Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 1. New York: Charles B. Richardson, 1864.
• Basler, Roy, ed. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, vol. 8. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953. ISBN 978-1-4344-7695-1.
• Bergeron, Paul H., ed. The Papers of Andrew Johnson, vol. 10. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1992. ISBN 978-0-87049-764-3.
• Caughey, Don (2009). "Fiddler's Green: Joseph P. Ash". Crossed Sabers. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
• Coddington, Ronald S. (2012). "Cold Steel and Crossed Sabers at Little Washington". Opinionator - The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-11-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Hamersly, Thomas H.S. Complete Army Register of the United States for One Hundred Years (1779-1879). Washington, D.C.: T.H.S. Hamersly, 1880.
• Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army: From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903.
• Henry, Guy V. Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, vol. 1. New York: Carleton, 1869.
• Lazelle, Henry; Scott, Robert; eds. The War of the Rebellion, vol. 19. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1887.
• Leach, Josiah G.; Penrose, George H. History of the Penrose Family of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Drexel Biddle, 1903.
• Scott, Robert, ed. Military Operations of the Civil War. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1966.
• Simon, John, ed. The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: January 1-May 31, 1864, vol. 10. Southern Illinois University Press, 1982. ISBN 978-0-8093-0980-1.
• Thomas, Lorenzo. "General Order No. 63 - June 10, 1862". In General Orders. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1862
• Townsend, E.D. "Circular on Mustering Service, No. 5". In Index to Circulars, Provost Marshal General's Office, 1863. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1863.
• United States Senate. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, vol. 13. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1887.