Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-11-10

through the grounds. / could also see
squads of men at the terminus of each
street on the outskirts Of the village.
Reporting these facts to the General, ]
urged him to 90 into the house and
there. surrender, ss it was our only
chance, and that growing momentarily
less, as the fire was growing heavy and
at point blank range. He replied.
1t is useless; they have sworn never
to take me prisoner.
Hearing the church being forced open,
we crossed over into the vineyard. 1t
must here be stated that all movements
were effected by almost crawling and
taking advantage Of each bush, as the
enemy were not over twenty yards from
us; and crouching down among the
vines, Mr.. johnson and myself again
urged him TO go up to the house. This
he refused, and told us that we had bet
ter separate, as three together might be
perceived. In leaving the General
shook hands with me and remarked:
"You will never see me again
] had gone but few steps when
heard him call out:
Don't shootl surrender"
Stopping Immediately. i looked around
and upon the outside Of the fence, al
most over the General, who had risen
and was holding up his hands, sat q
Yankee with gun presented, who replied
Surrender and be God damned;
know you" and fired. was so close
that to this day | firmly believe that
can identify the man.
AS soon as the shot was fired and the
General fallen, he commenced shouting,
1--we killed the damned horse-thief,
and began tearing down the fence, in
which he was assisted by large crowd
of his comrades.
| neglected TO mention that while we
were lodging about in the garden some
| iends in the noble guise Of women were
calling to the Yankees from their upper
windows: Yonder he goes, That >
him" That's Morgan etc.
Being soon captured and taken some
distance out Of town, saw nothing OF
the Generals body until when, after re-
peated solicitation, the sergeant who
had me in charge consented to take me
to General Gillem, the commander OF
the Federal forces, and on my way there
| was stopped by a crowd of hall
drunken wretches who made me dis
mount. They wanted to show me
something" That something was the
dead body Of General Morgan, thrown
in a muddy ditch by the roadside, the
features almost undistinguishable from
mud and blood, and the body nude, save
pair Of drawers, the clothing then be-
ing torn into small pieces, as souvenirs
of the " Dead Lion" 5lt
Upon reaching the town, / found Gen.
Gillem at Mrs. Williams house, and
with him was the Mrs. Williams who had
gone out the day before after water
melons " (2) and who had returned,
strange to say, about the same time,
with the Yankees. ] stated to General
Gillem that my object in coming to him
was for permission to get the General $
body as his men were treating it like
dog
"Ay, sir, and it shall lie there ard roi
like dos" was his reply, and then fol
lowed a series of abuse, which would be
scarcely palatable to your readers, OF
pertinent to this statement. Sutliclt, he
rejected every proposition by which
had hoped TO have succeeded in getting
the Generals body to his friends.
Our force having rallied, General Gil
lem was summoned to the front, and one
of his staff, whom | have thought was
Colonel Brownlow, though my memory
may be at fault but who, nevertheless,
seemed gentleman, offered to bring in
the body, which was done, and in a small
back room Capt. James Rogers and my
self, with the assistance of negro man
washed and dressed it. The wound was
full in the breast, and seemed to have
glanced on the breast-bone, passing
through the heart and coming out under
the left arm. The head was much bruised
and the skin broken in several places
upon the face and temples, seeming a
verifcation of the statement that the
body was thrown over horse, with the
head dangling against the stirrups.
Such, Mr.. Editor, is a plain, unvar-
nished statement of facts, so far as my
memory goes. for / have no data upon
which to rely. sent a similar state
ment. to Colonel Reedy, the father ol
Mrs Morgan, Immediately after my es-
cape, and when ! reached Canada ! also
wrote more fully to the General mother,
in Lexington, KY, and to Col. Dick
Morgan, then a prisoner ut Fort Warren.
This is another reason why ! have not
given this statement sooner to the pub
| lic as felt that as the Generals imme-
diate family were in possession of the
facts, they would publish them, il they
Thought best. Now, however, as General
Gillem has deemed it prudent to make a
statement, and as one Of our own stafl
has indorsed it, / cen no longer remain
silent, not only in justice to the holy
cause, but to the sacred memory Of one
with whom it was my honor and privi-
lege TO serve, and than whom there
never breathed a more noble and gallant
spirit, whose name will be fondly cher
ished when those of bis foul murderers
shall have perished in oblivion. 20
Very respectfully,
c. A. WITHERs,
Formerly Adjntant General on the staff
Va II