The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1865-09-14
me Assault Upon Gen. Wheeler.

I W Htcieiy II sOl NIl6 ldto SN(Ollt6uSTdl02 AT
my, iii regard to the unprovolie5 and
eutrageols assault trecently made upon
him in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Aug. 23d, d,365,
Fs MAJ. GEN. G. III. THoMAs:
General In obedience to. your
instructions L have the honor to make
the following statement
An order from the War De eJartment
of the United States, releasing me from
confinement as prisoner of war; direct.
ed that | should be paroled IN accordance
with the terms agreed upon between
Major General Sherman and Gen. John.
ston. i have not carried about my per.
son or baggage any weapons since May
lst, 1855.
/ About 4 o'clock, p. M, on the 2lst,
while | was lying on my bed in nv
room, at the City Hotel, no other per.
son being in the room, some one knock.
ed at my door,, After partially dressing
myself ! unlocked my door, when two
officers partially dressed in United States
uniform entered. One of whom stated
that he at one time had been prisoner
in my hands and that he had come to
thank me for kindness received at the
time. The other said he knew me and
had called to make his personal respects.
alter few moments of polite conversa.
ton they rose and badetme goodbye re.
marking that, as they discovered, / was
unwell, they would not remain any long
er. About five minutes after their de.
parture, / heard another knock at my
door, which ] again unbolted as soon as
possible, when two other officers dressed
in United States uniform, neither Of
whom had ever seen before, entered
One of them advanced and extended
his hand, which / took while hi the act
of shaking hands, lie remarked, ''is this
Gen. Wheeler p and upon my answer,
ing in the Affirmative stated that he was
Col. Blackburn the other officer inme.
diately seized me by both arms, when
Col. Blackburn, having given no pre-.
vious intimation whatever of his hostile
purpose, struck me violently twice upon
my head with club of considerable
dimensions,
| struggled away from the man who
held ME, and as / left the room both
the assailants followed me, the other
officer holding pistol IN threatening
manner. / am confiden. / only prevent.
cd him from shooting me by keeping
Col Blackburn between him and my.
sell. Col. Blackburn continued his at.
tempts to strike me, but I succeed
ed i'll warding off his blows with my
arms. -
Finally, n gentleman caught hold of
the other officer, when Colonel Black.
BURN hastily ran back and ran down
stairs. 81
] am satisfied that the attempt was.
one upon my life, and that the pistol
would have been fred at me but from
the fact of Col. Blackburn being be.
tween myself and the officer holding
it. vi
i would here state that L never is.
sued any order whatever to the preiu.
dice Of Colonel Blackburn or any of his
men, and that all his men who fell into
my hands were kindly treated, and al.
lowed to return to their command in
bodies in.order that they might not be
molested byany one.
! would further state, that while
passing through tho country, / do not
recollect that any complaint was made
BY any of Col, Blackburn's family, or
that anything whatever was taken from
them. ai
lam, General, very respectfully,
Yoar obedicnt servant,
J. WHEELER,
Late C. s., a.
The foregoing is addressed to You
in the form of an official commu-
nlcation, but I.now desire to swear tile
facts are true as set forth,
|htf .t Es&$5a ). WHEELER,
b LatoiC.S. Army,
,nti --t-Fr----s ., ,, 4 yN
PosT Ofr1oE AFFAIRs,-- Washing.