Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-07-28
The Death of Gen. Mcpherson.

The following letter from trustwor
thy witness gives probably the most
satisfactory and reliable account of the
death Of one of the best generals of this
country that has yet been published.
tits taken from the Indianapolis Journal:
To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL:
see in yesterdays Journal an account of
the killing of Gen. Mcpherson, taken
from rebel sources, which is incorrect
in some particulars; and as I was nearer
to him than anyone else at the time lie
received his death shot, I will give you
brief account of the occurrence as I
saw it.
On the Dist of July, 1864, Gen. Sher-
man made an advance in his own line
in front of Atlanta, driving the enemy
from an outer line of Notifications,
which he held that night, the 18th corps
being on the left with it's extreme flank
returning, like the point of fish hook,
the Fifteenth corps coming next, and
Sixteenth being partly in reserve. On
the morning of the 22d Lieut.. Stickney,
of the signal corps, and others on the
skirmish line, reported heavy bodies of
enemy moving to our left, when Gen.
Mcpherson took the Sixteenth corps to
the left, getting them in line just in
time to meet the first rebel charge,
ACROSS an open field, which was hand
somely repulsed; this occurred soon
after IL o'clock. just after this rode
into the woods to the right of the
Sixteenth corps, in which the left flank
of the Seventeenth terminated, where I
found the skirmishers being
driven back through this gap
between the two corps, which fact I
at once reported to. Gen. Mcpherson,
who was just riding up, accompanied by
an orderly, his staff having been sent to
different parts of the field. He at once
turned his horse and started at brisk
canter In a narrow road, cut through
the bushy wood, in the direction of h
rear OF the Seventeenth corps. I and
his orderly following as close as our
horses could n owe, and a portion of his
body guard an members of the signal
corps at distance of twenty or thirty
yards. We had gone perhaps hun
dred yards when we rode upon body
of rebels, of whom we could see about
dozen within ten yards of us, who COM
manded "Halt! stop therel halt!'
Without moments hesitation, the
general turned his horse to the
right, away from them, and I fol-
lowed his example. At this instant the
rebels fred volley at us, one ball
striking the general, passing through
his lungs near his heart. His horse
carried him short distance, when he
fell heavily to the ground. A moment
afterward two infantry skirmishers,
one of whom was wounded, coming by
stayed with him. They reported his
only words were: My hat; where's
my hat ?" and call for "water," which
they furnished. After about twenty
minutes he expired. In the meantime
two Or three rebels came to where he
was lying and, inquiring who he was,
took his pocket book and some papers
from his reast-pocket, his watch, hat,
ed that morning.
Near where the general fell the horse
dashed me against tree, knocking me
to the ground insensible. AS soon as
had recovered strength, I escaped to the
edge of the woods and reported what
had happened to some members of his
staff, who were looking for him, who
went in, and after brief skirmish, bore
his body out and took it to the rear of
he ambulance.
The signal-glass which was taken
from the General was that evening
found on the body of dead rebel, with
bullet hole through. the strap, and is
now III the possession of Col. Howard,
to whom it belonged. My watch, which
was crushed in my contact with the
tree, was stopped at two minutes past
2 o'clock. Yours truly.
VIM. 81. Sherry,
Late Signal Officer of Fifth
Army Corps.
GREENcAsT1E, Ind, July s.