The Cecil Whig., 1862-04-12

stances also proved that the ghouls had
mistaken the object Of their vengeance,
and that the fate intended for the remains
of Colonel Slocum was received by those
of the heroic and unfor unate Major
Ballou. write this with trembling
hand and burning heart. | would
have spared you the pain of such mar
ration but IL calr,, clear, version Of this
fendish outrage mus: be given, and SEN
sibility laid aside for the moment. The
ashes and bones were gathered wi h
scrupulous care, and, wrapped in the
blanket, we're, with the clothes, laid
carefully in the. coffin. The body of
Colonel Slocum was' discovered to be
unmu Hated. 1t was envclopcd in his
blankc', and had been contained in a
rude box. SO we'll defined were the
distinguished traits that none Of the
party failed to recognize Instantly and
with certainty the identity Of the
remains. With uncovered heads the
body was laid in the burial case, which
in each case was marked with he name
and date of disintermcnt.
For the purpose Of cleaning fur her
intelligence about this horrible affair,
the Governor and Col. Arnold vsi ed
the house from whence the colored girl
had issued, and there converscd with
the occupants, who corroborated every
word the girl had said. Mr.. Coleman
also made inquiries at another house
in the neighborhood, and held long
conversation with white woman on the
premises, who had nurscd our sick and
wounded at Sudlcy church. She assured
him that she herself had witnessed the
whole affair, and had expostulated,
begged and entrea. ed that the dead
should be held sacred but the savagcs
mocked at her; and then, finding all
cndeavors useless, she had saved lock Of
his hair and preserved in for his friends,
who she was confident some day would
appear, and this lock of hair she gave to
Mr.. Coleman. The men who performed
this hellish deed were members of the
Twcnty-first Georgia regiment, and it
will be remembered that it was the
Georgia regiments that the Second
Rhode Island had met and vanquishcd
on the battle field.
On through the woods again across
brooks the horses waded and houndered :
the mire was deep and night had set in ;
but on went the little band, until the
cavalcade emerged on the battle ground
of Rull run. The iired horses; shi;ering
and trembling, were picketed to the
fences, and by the haring candlcs--for
no lanterns were to be obtained-thc
search was commenced for Captain Tower
at eight o'clock in the evening. Mr..
Clark, by looking from window in the
house where he lay wounded on the day
of ba tie, and now occupied by Mr..
Mathews, pointed out the spot where the
Cap ain was inferred. The ground was
wet and marshy, and as of en- as a spade
full of. ear h was thrown from the grave
he water would tricklc in. The work
was therefore reluctantly deferred until
the morrow, and the party, tired and
mournful, clustered in the little white
hospital building in which our wounded
men were carried on the 2lst of July
All wrapped themselves IN their blankets
and, with saddles for pillows, sought
rcpose on the hard floor.
On the morning of Sa urday the water
stood in pools on the surface of the
ground-tor it had raincd heavily in the
night, and ditch was dug around the
graves to facili ate digging, and the
bodies were again uncovered. The
dead were all found buried with their
faces downward as mark of foul indig-
nifty, and thus lay in ''onc red burial
blent." Poor fellows the tears gushcd
from the eyes of the troopers as they
revcrcntly gazcd upon their dead COM
rades in arms.
The body of Captain Tower was iden-
tilted by Colonel Arnold, who stood by
the side of the grave, and who was ono
of the most earnest among all of the
saddened group in his cndcavors to
recognise his remains. e 1t is a mat ell
of congratulation that, guided by the
direc ions of Messrs. Richardson and
Clark, the precise locality of each OF
the remains recovered was satisfactorily
determined; and it is to be regretted
that the party who, as | am informed
left Rhode Island for the purpose Of
iden flying the remains of Lieutenant
Prescott, failed, for some reason, tc
join this expedition, and consequently
no guide was at hand to aid in finding
his remains.