The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-01-11
The Baron DE Ealb.


RALEIGH, when he was writing his history of
the world III the Tower, and we all see, every
day, the truth of the moral it inculcates. Itis
the hardest thing i'll the world to find any two
witnesses of the most simple transaction who
will agree in reporting it.
We We're struck with the force of this truth,
not long since, upon reading, in WHEELER's
History of North Carolina, a narrative of the
circumstances attending the death of the
Baron De KALB by IN eyewitness. The mar
rator was an officer OF high rank--a North
Carolinian-who was taken prisoner in the
battle OF Camdcn-the battle in which De
KALB fell We forget his name, but he was
subsequently a man OF mark il the State, and
of character entirely unimpeachable.
The common account of the affair, published
in all the histories, is, that Dr. kAIB fell fight
ing at the head of his troops-that the enemy
pressed upon him, and We're on the point Of
dispatching him with their bayonets when one
of his aids stood above him, and, stretching ont
his arms cried, a. Save the Baron DE kALB -
that the enemy then ceased 10 advance on him,
and that he was removed, and shortly after
died OF his wounds.
The eyewitness says, having surrendered,
he was standing within the enemy's lines,
when he saw the Baron, i'll full uniform, ride
down the remnant of his own line; that he
met one of the enemy on horseback, and offered
him his sword in token OF surrender, asking
him in French if he was IN officer; that the
man. not understanding the language, ordered
him, with an oath, 10 surrender; that the
Baron, scorning to surrender TO any one who
was not an officer, and not having ascertained
whether his opponent was such, rode on III
search of an officer that he-the narrator
heard q number OF British soldiers say, THAT
ais n rebel General, shoot him that they
all fired and brought him 10 the ground; that
he arose and scuffied 10 the tail OF cart, upon
which he took hold with both hands and
leaned, with his body bent and his head hang
ing down, and his eyes fixed on the ground :;
that while in this attitude, CoRSwALLIs came
up in full gallop in pursuit Of the flying rebels ;
that he halted when he saw De kALB: that
when he found he was desperately wounded
he expressed his sorrow, ordered him TO be re-
moved and taken care of, and galloped on
We have not WHEELER's book at hand, but
we believe we have given the substance OF the
statement with tolerable accuracy. Ii is
! further stated, we think, that he received
| seven musket balls. We wish we could recol-
| lect the name of the man who gives the ac.
count, but it has escaped our memory, al
! though he was man of national reputation.
4 The only thing that seems TO throw any doubt
! upon the accuracy of the account Is that part
! of il which represents DE KALB as speak
/ ing French upon such an occasion, when IL is
well known that he had English enough at com :
mand for the purpose indicated. But here II
must be recollected that the witness was
standing some distance off, and probably did
not hear the words himself, but received the
account from some Englishman. The manner
| of DE KALB's death is surely subject worthy
of investigation, and we wonder this state
ment has never received more attention since
the publication of General WHEELER oook'
All the actors i'll the scene, we presume, are
dead, and it is probably, therefore, TOO late 10
begin such an inquiry. But still something
might be found, we should think, among the
unpublished private papers Of actors In the
revolution.