Capt. W. D. Farley - Stevensburg VA - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

At the outbreak of the Civil War, William Downs Farley joined the 1st South Carolina Infantry Regiment following SC's secession from the nation. He was soon promoted to an officer and fought at the First Battle of Manassas in Virginia in 1861. Shortly after, he was captured and held as a POW in Washington, D.C. He was released through a prisoner exchange under the stipulation he would not serve as a Confederate officer again. When he returned, he continued to fight as a civilian without pay and became a scout and close friend of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate cavalry leader.

In June 1863, the Confederate army was taken by surprise at Brandy Station, VA when Union troops crossed the Rappahannock River. Stuart asked Farley to take part of the cavalry to Stevensburg where Col. William Butler and part of the 2nd SC had gone after receiving reports of Union soldiers in the area. Butler clashed with Union Col. Alfred Duffie's cavalry at Hansborough Ridge and was forced back to Mountain Run, a stream the Confederates used as a defensive line which the Union horses could not cross. While Farley and Butler were sitting on their horses, a Union cannon ball ricocheted through the bellies of their horses and took off Butler's leg at the ankle and Farley's leg at the knee. Farley died a short time later.

A white stone monument stands where Farley was mortally wounded on Stevensburg Rd. near Brandy Station in Culpeper County. A brass plaque on the base of the obelisk reads:

Capt. W.D. Farley
June 9, 1863

Farley was buried in Culpeper's Fairview Cemetery until 2002 when he was finally moved back to Laurens, SC to be buried with his mother which was one of his last wishes. Although he was technically a civilian when he died, he received full military honors.

References:

• Captain William Downs Farley, CSA: History
• On-site information

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/07/2012 Fab__Five visited it