Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-18
THE MEMORY OF THE DEAD.
The True Story of Gen. John III. Nor
gan's Historic Mtsrepresen-
tatiOns Corrected.

Inc AEuc StOEy VI OC1As SOAAAA - -.hOAN
gan's Death-H Historic .Misrepresen-
tatiOns Corrected.
From the New Orleans herald, May 13.
A newspaper article entitled "Gen. (Mo
doc) Giuem," now travelling through the
Northern rapers, and on Sunday last copied
into the Herald, while very severe upon
Gillem, gives version of the death OF the
gallant Gen. Morgan, not in accordance
with the true facts. - @
A gentleman, long the loved and trusted
comrade OF Gen. Morgan, and who was in
this city yesterday made after the death
of his commander thorough investigation
of every incident Connected herewith, and
is naturally anxious not only for the vindl-
cation of history, but as sn act Of simple
Justice 10 dead officer whose dee 8 have
been more misrepresented by the Northern
press than those of any other prominent
actor in the late war, that the facts OF the
case should be properly understood.
The version, as rela,ed in the newspaper
article referred to, contains many false and
glsring inaccuracies.
Gen. Morgan was not killed in the day
time, but at night; not sat d house where
he had stopped to get dinner" tut at one
in the li.tle town of Greeneville, Tennes-
see. The men who killed him were not
a ''squad of foragers," but party OF over
one hundred of the Thirteenth Tennessee
Regiment, the advance guard of Gillem's
entire command. "Tbe boys" came With
no purpose "to scare Morgan" Gen. Nor
gan was not easily scared, as is thorough
" illustrated by the many successes be
| had fairly won over better troops than those
he was opposed to on this final and faia
| occasion.
They came-furnished with positive in
| formation of bis situation, knowing exactly
| where he was to be found, and that he was
attended with a slender escort-to kill him.
He Quilted the house when the shots fired
upon the small guard of five or six men no
! titled him that the enemy were upon him,
I and entered small vineyard which Is just
behind it. He was neither running away
| nor irving to ''crawl" through fence when
he was shot. On the contrary, despairiDg
| of making his way successfully through
the Federal force which surrounded hlm,
| he was seeking to conceal hlmself untll
| such of his own forces as were encamped
nearest the town could come to bis rescue
He was unfortunately discovered and lmme-
diately killed. Whether hesurrendered or
not we nave never huOWus
1t has been positively asserted by men
who claim to have witnessed his death,
that he had surrendered; that Campbell,
the man who was proT oted for the act, ex,
claimed with an oath, "That's played out,
and Immediately fred upon him, Gen. Nor
gan receiving the death wound without the
utterance of a word or the movement OF
muscle. Another party as emphaticaly
asserted that be heard Gen. MORGAN refuse
TO surrender, and saw him fire upon bis as
sailaDts.
The former version is doubtless the true
one. Those of his staff VITO saw him jus
previously TO bis leaving the house concul
in declaring that bis pistols had been re
moyed-by whom no one kneW-aud tha
he was compelled to leave the house un
armed. 1t is notorious, too, that the Tbir
teenth Tennessee had sworn to refus'
him quarter, should he ever fall into thei
hands. ET rr
It is not a matter of indifference to th'
friends of the deceased Kentucky her
that any unmerited stigma should be al
lowed to rest upon his memory. The peo
ple of his own state and the people OF th'
South. IN whose cause, having first glVeI
all that he held dear N life, he finally CAV
that life also, would prefer to know tha
be was killed, standing erect, with his fac
to bis foe. taking the death shot in iron
and in the heart that to the last beat daunt
lessly.. r-l
wi b those who know so well the ten
derness in which the friends OF such mel
hold their honored memories, it needs u
excuse for laying these details before tn
pubIic. and in doing so it is With the assur
ance of discharging a solemn duty snd
( registering a simple act of justice to on
7 whose name and fame are part OF ou
sacred past.
We notice the Tresence of Gen. Bas
w Duke reported in New Orleans, and he
i nrobably the gentleman upon whose anthorii
these facts are stated---ED. UNION AND AMER