Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-03

the population of the city.
On Thursday, the 25th of September,
1862, Gen. Davis called at Nelson's
headquarters to confer with him upon
the general subject of the citizen sol
diery under his command, and especial
ly about their arms. The previous in
terviews of the two generals had been
marked by the abrupt and dictatorial
manner, which unhappily distinguished
Gen. Nelson on the one hand, and the
chagrin of the proud and fiery Indianian
on the other. But in the meeting of the
men on Thursday night, Davis seemed
to have forgotten any incivilties of his
superior officer, and entered Nelson's of
| fee smiling, and greeted his commander
warmly. In the course of the CONVEX
sation about arms for his men, Nelson
asked Davis how many guns he wanted.
Davis began to reply, and had gone so
far as to say, about twenty-five
hun" when the imperious and violent
| temper of Nelson manifested itself, and
! he sprang TO his feet and, glaring upon
! Davis, eXclaiming:
About? Cd d-n your abouts
What do | want with your abouts
Don't you know how many men you
| have in your command ?"
Davis replied, eXcusing his indefinite
ness by referring to the facts which have
| been already set out in this article, and
! stated that it was impossible to tell the
! exact number of his men, that he only
wanted to know where to get arms, and
would tell him the exact number when
! he made requistion for them, and again
began to say that he now had ''about"
so many.
The rage of the general officer, warmed
! by Davis explanation or defence of him
| self, here broke over all control, and he
| fiercely answered:
'You are HI of a general, and
! tell me about how many men you have.
| You are not fit to command men. Get
out of my sight, Cd d-n you. | will
! Get out of my sight, or, Cd d-n you,
I'll arrest you and send you to Cincinnati
under guard, you Cd d-n puppy"
Davis, stung to the quick, but accus-
toned to that control of himself which
his military education had taught him,
retired from the presence of his COM
mander, and our remembrance IS that
he went to Cincinnati and reported to
Gen. Wright.
LAST INTERVIEW AND THE SHOOTING.
The following Monday morning being
the Goth of September, very early in the
morning sGen. Davis, with Oliver Z.
| Morton, at that time Governor of Indi-
ana, Captain T. Ware Gibson, and an
other gentleman whose name we do not
now recall, encountered General Nelson
in the main hall of the old hotel imme-
diately in front of the office counter,
When Gen. Davissaid:
Good morning, General Nelson.
have called to see if we cannot settle the
matter which Is between us.
Davis had not finished what he had to
saw. but as he was beginning another
sentence Nelson broke in on him angri-
w and cOntemptuOusly:
''What the Cd d-n are you doing
here? Get out of my sight, you con
temptible, Cd d-n puppy" at the
same time striking Davis in the face
with the back of his hand. and turning
fercely on Morton. he SAID, "And you
| come here to witness this insult, did
YOU? Cd d-n you"
Nelson turned on his heel and walked
/ out of the Office into the hall, and thence
on back to his rooms.
Gen. Davis at once approached Capt.
Gibson. and borrowed from him a revOl-
yer, which he put in his pocket. He
then advanced toward the door out of
which Gen. Nelson had just passed. In
a little while Nelson came from his Of
fetal rooms. walking back towards the
office, down the long hall leading TO it.
Davis in the meantime was in the main
office. Gen. Nelson walked with his
right hand behind him, and his left arm
across has breast, with the left hand in
the right breast pocket of his coat. 1t
is to be remembered, however, that it
was a habit of Gen Nelson's to walk
with his hand thrust in his bosom. OF
this habit, however, it is reasonable to
suppose that Gen Davis was ignorant.
As Davis saw Nelson approaching, he
stepped into the opening between the
hall and the office, which opening was
made by wide, double glass doors, and,
drawing his pistol, hailed Nelson
stop, General Nelson, and defend
yourself"
Nelson, however, came on without
changing the position of his arms. Just
as he reached the end of the stair balus-
ter, Gen. Davis fired. The ball from
the pistol entered Nelson's breast imme-
diately above the point where his arm
crossed it, When Nelson received the
shot, he grasped the rail of the stair
case and, staggering for an instant, fell
on the lower step.
... SCENE AFTER THE SHOT
Davis was at once surrounded by his
friends, and the most intense excitement
pervaded the crowd, who rushed to the
spot. The bitterest enmity had for q
long time subsisted between Gen. Nelson
and Gov Morton, and, by some inexpi-
I cable process, the personal differences
4 of these men bad come to take the char
acter of quarrel between tie States,
Of which these gentlemen were respee-
lively citizens. The Indianians gather
cd about Davis ready to defend him to
the death, with a confused idea that
Davis was the leader OF the Indiana OPP
position 10 the Nelson men. Here the
! commonly received version of this affair
does Injustice to both Davis and Nelson.
Davis had nothing to do with the Nelson
Morton feud-and Nelson's antipathy
was not against Indianians in general,
but against Governor Morton, personal
" and politically. The faYorite troops
| in command of Gen. Nelson were Indi-
| anians. He called an. Indianian surgeon
TO dress his mortal wound, Dr. Ben.
/ Newland, of Bedford, and he called an
! Indiana clergyman to administer to him
/ the last Office OF religion.
IN THE DEATH CHAMBER.
| Gen. Nelson was at once removed to
his room on the second floor Of the ho-
! tel. and realizing the mortal character
of his wound, called for the Rev. Mr..
Talbot, q Clergyman of the Episcopal
church, who by strange providence
was the guest of Gen. Nelson in the ho-
tel at the time. DR.. Newiand, a distin-
guished division surgeon in the army,
examined the wound in the breast of
Nelson, and at once pronounced it fatal
The clergyman was just leaving his room
on the third floor for breakfast, when
an officer in great excitement rushed up
the stairway, shouting for DIR. Talbot.
The officer, meeting him, informed that
Nelson had been shot and wanted him
to come to his room Immediately. The
clergyman hurried to the room of the
wounded man and found him suffering
dreadfully When Mr.. Talbot, who