Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-07-23
Gen. McPherson's Death.
THE STORY OF AN Ex-coNFDERATE CAP
TAIN.

|
TAIN.
Capt. Richard Beard. formerly of the
rebel army, writes the following interest
ing letter to the Nashville, Tenn,
Union:
notice in your paper, and also in the
Banner, of the Oath, letter from a
correspondent at Shelbyville, connecting
my name and that of my company with
the killing of Maj. Gen Mcpherson of
the United States army in the battle on
the 22d of July, 1864, before Atlanta.
Both letters are substantially correct,
with the exception of one important
particular. The impression is made by
your correspondent that we were de-
tached at the time, and in ambuscade,
which is erroneous, for we were in line
of battle with our regiment fifth
confederate and with Cleburne's di-
vision, to which we belonged. After my
return from prison at the close of the
war. heard that it had been charged
by the Northern press that Gen. Nc
Pherson had been murdered, and have
been frequently requested to write let
ter of vindication, and to give an exact
statement of the facts connected with
his death, but owing to my ignorance of
localities and the general arrangements
of the battle of the 22d of July, have
failed to do so up to this time. The
simple, unvarnished facts of the case,
however, are these:
For day or two previous to the bat
tie | had been in command of brigade
line of skirmishers, and early in the
morning of that day was ordered to join
my regiment and division, which were
moving out from Atlanta, on the Deca-
tur road, in order to strike the left flank
of General Sherman's army, under the
command of General Mcpherson, which
stretched across the Augusta railroad
While halting upon the road we were
furnished with sixty additional rounds
of ammunition, and were told that there
was hard days work before us. We
were placed in line of battle about II
or l o'clock in the day, and the last or
der given by Gen, Pat Cleburne to us,
was to move forward, turn neither to
the right hand nor to the left, until we
were within the enemy's breastworks.
Shortly afterward heavy and rapid
cannonading commenced from what we
supposed to be General Bates's division,
which announced too clearly that the
ball was about to open in good earnest.
Under the excitement aroused by it, we
commenced a doublequick through a
forest covered with dense underbrush.
Here we ran through a line of skir-
mishers, and took them in, without the
firing of gun, and suddenly came up
to the edge of little wagon road run
ming parallel with our line of march,
and down which General Mcpherson
came laundering at the head of his staff,
and, according to my best recollection,
his body guard. He had evidently just
left the last conference that he ever had
, with General Sherman, near the How
ard house, and was on his way to see
what the rapid and sudden firing upon
, his left all meant.
Gen. Sherman is certainly mistaken
iu his memoirs when he says that he wa:
almost, if not entirely alone, for | esti
: mated his rank entirely by the size ot
his retinue, and in that estimate i fixed
his rank at nothing less than corps
: commander. He had considerable
staff with him, and according to my
J best recollection, body followed him
| He was certainly surprised to find him
self suddenly face to face with the rebel
line. My own company and possibly
others of the regiment had reached the
verge of the road, when he discovered
for the first time that he was within q
few feet of where we stood. | threw uI
my sword to him as a signal to surren
der. Not word was spoken. He check
ed his horse slightly, raised his hat as
politely as if he was saluting a lady
wheeled his horses head directly to the
right and dashed off to the rear in q
full gallop. Young Corporal Coleman
who was standing near me, was ordered
to fire upon him. He did so, and it was
his ball that brought Gen. Mcpherson
down. He was shot passing under the
thick branches of tree, and as he was
bending over his horses neck, either to
: avoid coming in contact with the limbs
or, more probably, to escape the death
dealing bullet of the enemy that he
/ knew was sure to follow him. He was
shot in the back, and, as Sherman says
in his Memoirs, the ball ranged up.
ward across the body and passed near
! the heart" A number of shots were
also fired into his retreating staff.