Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-09-16
The Murdered Men of COuShatta.

10 COCK ana pull the IT, gSer.
The Murdered Men of COushatta.
These and many questions of a kindred
nature arise in the mind of every northern
man, and especially do they come home to
every Vermonter. for the press has herald
eel the f,ct that three of the victims of the
fatal tragedy We're sons of Vermont. 1t is
of these three that we propose to speak.
having known them from childhood to the
dly Of their tragic death. To make their
story complete we must first present the
readers with II short sketch of Capt. Mar
shall Twtchell. the present state Senator
OF Louisiana. He was reared Il farmers
son in Tovnshend, W.T. and if our memory
serves Us right. he first enlisted us Il pri
vate soldier in the 4th VT. regiment, and
was severely wounded in the head at the
battle of Antetam. After his recovery.
and upon the organization of the colored
regiments, he received Il Captain scomms-
sion in one of these regiments and WIS
stationed in Louisiana. Here he not only
fought and conquered rebels in the field
but crossed that last ditch, the threshold
anu tirc>ide of the eN-planter and wooed
and Won the heart and hand of Il southern
l;tdv. The close of the War found him es
ttbi~hc'l us Il citizen of Louisiana, with all
his Yankee ambition and intuition. wide
awake and ready to embark IN the first
lardable money-making business enter
prise that might present itself The Oppor
tuntv was at hand, and he established
himself on a Red river plantation near Cou-
shattl. This enterprise proved to be a de-
cded financial SUCCESS, and by way of
proving his title to Yankee blood he erect
ed !, steam saw mill and took hold Of busi-
ness ~ he had Of war, to make things
move He entered into the political rtor
rmiZ ttion Of the state with the same encr-
" and determination to win establishing
and editing for 4 time a republican journal
1t Cou>h,tta Midst all this business and
political warfare, he has been the object of
deep rebel hatred. Many times has his life
be II tn t;,tencd, and bat narrowly has he
escaped in a number Of instances. lie
doubtl,S, owes his life today, to the fact
hat he WAS in New Orleans when his fun
ally butcherv occurred. Thus much We
have felt it necessary to say OF the llviny
to make complete the story of the dead.
Monroe c. Willis and Clark Holland
were both farmers boys. born and reared
in Ncwf:lnc. Windham County. VT. both
uratlu,ted at the same district school; both
were worthy sons of the old Green Noun
tan state In the early party of the re
belion Willi>S oldest and only brother en-
listed II 4 sharp shooter. and was killed
during Gen Pup-'> disastrous campaign
in Nir1inil. When the call came for nine
month, men. young Will, WAS ready to 90
and avrngr hi~ brothers death. He en-
listed in the 10th Vermont regiment. and
was ALWAYS found at his post. He WAS in
his plrcc on that forced march to Gettv>
burg AMI nohly did his part on that field
Of carnage. ~ night WAS closing in on
the ,.v of the final rebel rout. he WAS
wounded hV Il stray shot in the wrist and
forearm and only saved hI> hand from the
surgeon tmpu,ating kniir 10y dint of Yam
kcr pluch taking care of the wound him.
self after IL first dressing. He came home
with hi> regiment. received his honorable
di>chal re. and then took up the Labor OF
the farm With his aged father, who Is to-
dIv past three score Years and ten. Some
where h..twrtn the wears ls6. and 90.
Young Willis. KIM and IIoll md, married
the three TWitchcll sisters, Ellen. Bell
and Katie, and the widow Twitchell re-
moved from Tuwn~hrnd with her son
Homer and took up her residence with
WILLS in \cwftne. In 1870 Capt. Twitch-
ellis business in Louisiana had become 50
extensive thIt he found himself in >itua-
ton 10 otf'.r his brothers and brother~-in-
law good business po~itionS-induccme
which they saw fit to accept. We think
: that Homer went to Louisiana in the
f spring and Mrs. Twitchrll, with her daugh-
. tiers and their husbands. i'll the fall of $50
+. since which time they have been engaged
= in bus ~nr>>. and two of them, rs We have
: seen. have become office holders. Las
| year Capt. Twitchell came north to visit
+ hi~ friends. and employed Henry Scott ant
family Of Town>hcnd, who went on th'xs
. early this wear Homer Twitchcll las
) winter married Charlotte. d,uyhtrr o
Samuel T. Miller of Fayetteville. and join
e td the new colony. In :, word, Cou>hatt;
| has been 4 growing community. not @
4 rowing. shiftlr>S men, but of thrifty, enter
+ pri~inr northern families, Mr.. Willis Wis
; itci his friends here last May. and gave
Il them Il graphic description of southern
: life and society. the sum total of which
1 showed that the southern rebel still hate
V the northern. and looks upon the lankr
If rs Il mud~ll. treating him and his ftmil,
# with contempt. Southern life to him ht'
i proved such in Il social point of view tina
q he had made up his mind to remove nort'
y with his family next wear He returne'
i south about the first of July. taking JOIN
e Miller (>on of :. =. Millrr) of Favcttevill
n with him.
: We close without comment on this terri
J. Bile ending of family history, for ever
le parents hc:,rt will do It's own comment
= ing BraHlehO PhOtnir.