Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1867-03-15
A Strange Letter.
A STORY THAT THE LATE MAJOR CHAs.
BUXTON Is ALIVE.

from the Adjutant and Inspector Gene
rails office at Montpelier, which has become
of general interest and we copy nearly
all Of il as follows
DEAR SIR A letter has been received
at this Office signed G. Buxton in which
he says he held commission in the llth
Vermont and had lately learned he had
been reported dead, in Vermont He also
says be has very strange story to tell,
&c.; and trusts in God he will be able to
find his wife whom he has not seen for a
long time. Says he was wounded and left
on the field for dead, must have become
insane as the next thing he remembers he
was in Springfield, H., without money or
friends, subsequently enlisted as private
in the llth U. S. Regulars, was discharg-
ed for disability and is now awaiting trans
portation home. His letter was under
date of Feb. Goth. Judging from the ten
or of it | should say the man was par
TALLY insane. l am informed by some
that Maj. Buxton's remains were brought
home and inferred, by others that they
Were not. If so it is possible that this
person may be Maj. Chas. Buxton alive
but deranged.
Please inform this Office if his remains
were brought home, and any other infor-
nation you may obtain about him. The
only information this office possesses is
Killed in action at Winchester, Va,
Sept. 10, 1904"
After receiving the above we wrote a
request to have the original letter signed
&C. Buxton" sent to this place that it
might be compared with his hand writing,
and on Tuesday moroing received the fol-
lowing by telegraph;
MONTPELIER, Mar. IL, 1867.
To A. n. SWAIN - Letter sent by
nights mail-am confident it is from Capt
Buxton. HENRY B. BRADLEY.
Asst Adj. & ms. Gen.
AT noon Of the above date the original
letter came to hand, and was handed
to his wife who is in this place, and also
to his friends, none of whom that we are
aware of think or recognize it as the hand
writing of the late Maj. Buxton, of whose
death on the 18th of Sept, 1864, there
does not seem 10 be particle of doubt as
several Of his comrades testify to having
seen him killed instantly, having been
shot through the head as he rose up at
time when his regiment were lying ON the
ground. Taey also saw him after he was
dead and his company sent home his re-
mains. There is something strange about
the letter. which we do not publish as
its substance is stated above, but we cannot
believe it is genuine. The particulars of
he death of Maj. Buxton were as I'M
questionable at the time, as those of any
one who fell ia the war for the Union. The
etter is dated at" Lynchburg, Va, Feb.
70, 1867" as read by nearly all, but
he last figure to us looks like 4, and
Gen. Bradley thinks the writing has some
to letters on file ia the Office and
received from Maj. Buxton in 1862, when
ne was recruiting his company. Gen.
Bradley also writes that " a copy of his
has been sent to Col. o. b.
Wilcox, with request for him to inform
ne at once as to the particulars of the
Ease" The answer TO this will doubtless
settle the question as to Maj. Buxton, if
here is any question TO be settled but may
not as to the mystery Of the letter. There
IS of course much and various speculation
IN this place over this event which has
created quite sensation, and which it
seems to US must in the end prove to be
some kind of cruel imposition.
2. S. Since writing the above we have
seen letter from Gen. Washburn who
seems to think the strange letter is genu-
me. We have also had an Interview with
Gen. Bradley, this Thursday morning,
who is in town making inquiries. His
explanation as to the similarity of the
hand writing with his letter known to be
genuine, we confess has made some i'm
preston on our mind, and still we find it
almost Impossible TO believe in the opinion
which is evidently gaining ground. We
are glad to learn that if there is even less
than an even chance that Maj. Buxton is
alive, Gov. Dillingham; will have the mat
ter Investigated.
WEsTMoRELAND.-Th old democratic
town in N. H., stands by her union faith,
anJ .otaJ Horriman 1SQ Gincla;r ny