“Try to meet me in Heaven”

On May 22, 1865, former Confederate Captain George W. Summers, Sgt. Isaac Newton Koontz, Pvt. Jacob Daniel Koontz, and Pvt. Andrew Jackson Kite (all from the 7th Virginia Cavalry) set out from their Page County homes to obtain their paroles. Near Narrow Passage, they encountered a small party of Union cavalrymen. In the ensuing altercation, the four men drew revolvers and seized the Federals' horses and other property. Immediately remorseful, and at Summers' father's insistence, they returned the horses and other items to the 192nd Ohio Infantry camp here at Rude's Hill. The commander, Col. Francis Butterfield, promised them no harm.

Almost a month later, on June 26, Lt. Col. Cyrus Hussey, commanding the Ohio regiment in Butterfield's absence, ordered their arrest and execution despite the promise. Hussey may have acted on accusations against them by local Unionist William Tharp. Kite and Jacob Koontz evaded arrest, but Summers and Isaac Koontz were shot here, at 7:30 P.M. on June 27. Before being shot, 22-year-old Summers wrote his parents, "Very much to my surprise, we must soon leave this world." Koontz, who was 20 years old, wrote his fiancée, Emma Shuler, "Oh, Emma, dearest in the world to me, how can I leave you. ...Try to meet me in heaven where I hope to go."

It is not clear whether the men were executed
for their actions on May 22, or whether they were victims of rumors Tharp spread in retaliation for his mistreatment as a Southern Unionist.

(sidebar)
The marble monument commemorating Summers and Koontz was erected here in 1893 to replace a wooden post that marked the execution site.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  New Market, VA  |  Shenandoah County  |  22844  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

Post-Appomattox Tragedy
DuPont at Rude's Hill
Rude's Hill Action
Rude's Hill
Rude's Hill
Cavalry Engagement
Rude's Hill
Meem's Bottom Covered Bridge
Meem's Bottom Covered Bridge
The Bloody Cedars

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.