The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-01-25
The Baro,. Dekalb.

The Baron DcKalb.
We all know the story of Sir Walter
Raleigh, when he was writing his his
tory Of the world In the Tower, and
we all see, every day, the truth of
the moral it inculcates. It is the
hardest thing in the world to find any
two witnesses Of the most simple
transaction who will agree in report
ingit.
We were struck with the force of
this truth. not long since, upon read
ing, in Wheeler's History of North
Carolina, q narrative of the circum-
stances attending the death of the
Baron DeKalb by an eyewitness.
The narrator was an officer of high
rank-a North Carolinian-who was
taken prisoner i'll the battle of Cam
den-the battle in whic!. DeKalb fell.
We forget lis name, but he was sub
sequently man of mark in the State,
and of character entirely unim-
peachable.
The common account OF the aff;lir,
published in all the histories, is that
DeKalb fell fighting at the head of
his troops that the enemy pressed
upon him, and were on the point Of
despatching him with their bayonets
when one of his aids stood above him,
and, stretching out his arms, cried,
t'Save the Baron DeKalb'e the
enemy then ceased to advance on
him, and that he was removed, and
shortly after died of his wounds
The eyewitness says, having sur
rendered, he was standing within tho
cnemy's, lines, when he saw the
Baron, in full uniform, ride down the
remnant OF his own line; that he met
one of tho enemy on horseback, and
offered him his sword in token of
surrender, asking him in French if
he was an officer; that tho man, not
understanding the language, ordered
him, with an oath, to surrender; that
the Baron, scorning to surrender to
any one who was not all officer, and
not having ascertnined whether his
opponent was such, rode Oh in search
of an officer; that he-the narrator
heard q number of British soldiers
say, ''That is rebel General; shoot
him. that they all fired, and brought
him to the ground; that he arose and
scuffled to the tail of a cart, upon
which he took hold with both hands
and leaned, with his body bent and
his head hanging down, and his eyes
fixed on the ground; that, while in
this attitude, CORVALLIS came up I'm
full gallop in pursuit of the flying
rebels; that he halted when he saw
DeKalb; that when he found he was
desperately wounded, he expressed
his sorrow, ordered him to be re-
moved and taken care of, and gal
loped on.
We have not Wheelcr's book at
hand, but we believe we have given
the substance of the statement with
tolerable accuracy. tits sfurthcrstated,
we think, that he received seven mus
ket balls. We wish we could recollcct
the name of the man who gives the
account. but it has escaped our me-
mOry, although he WAS man of ma
tional reputation. The only thing
that seems to throw any doubt upon
the accuracy of the account is that
part of it which represents DcKalb rs
speaking French upon such an occa-
sion, when it is well-known that he
had English enough Mt command for
the purpose indicated. But, here, it
must be recollectcd, that the witness
was standing some distance off, and
probably did not hear the words HIM
self, but received the account from
some Englishman. The manner of
DeKalb's death is surely subject
worthy of investigation, and we won
der this statement has never received
more attention since the publication
of General Wheclcr's book. All the
actors In the scene, we presume, are
dead. and it is probably, therefore,
too late to begin such an inquiry
But still, something might be found,
we should think, among the unpub-
lished private papers of actors in the
revolntion.-R1cAmond Dispatch.
TITLES TO LAND UNDER GENERAL.
SHERMAN's ORDER. observe, in
the proceedings of the Senate ON