Port Royal standard and commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-01-13
AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR.

AN INCIDENT OF THE WAB. !
A Remarkable Daer Between the Com.
manders!ef 2 Federal and Southern
Scout.
!, A surgeon of the army writes the fol.
lowing letter On the twelfth day OF
June, 1868, I witnessed duel between,
a Capt. Jones, commanding Federal
scout, and Capt. Fry. commanding q
Southern scout, in Greene county, East
Tennessee. These two men had been
fighting each other for six months, with
the fortunes Of battle in the favor OF one
and then the other. Their commands
were camped on either side OF Lick
creek, large and sluggish stream too
deep to ford and too shallow for ferry
boat but there "a bridge spanned the
stream for the, convenience OF the travel
ing public. Each, of them guarded TINS
bridge, that communication should go
neither north or south, as the railroad
track had been broken up months be-
fore. After fighting each other for sew
eral months, and contesting the point as
to which should hold the bridge, they
agreed to fight duel, the conqueror TO
hold the bridge undisputed for the time
being. Jones gave the challenges and
Fry accepted. The terms were that they
should fight with navy pistols at twenty
yards apart, deliberately walking toward
each other, and firing until the last
chamber of their pistols was discharged, /,
unless one or the other fell before all the
discharges were made. They chose their
seconds, and agreed upon Southern
surgeon (as he was the only one in either
command) to attend to, them J, in case OF
danger. ......,,,,, Il
Jones was certainly fne-looking
fellow, with light hair and blue eyes, five
feet ten inches in height, looking every
inch the military chieftain. He was 9
man that soldiers would admire and
ladies regarded with admiration. I never
saw a man more cool, determined and
heroic under such circumstances
Fry was q man full six feet high,
slender, with long, wavy, curling hair,
jet black eyes, wearing Q slouch bat and
gray suit, and looking rather the demon
than the man. There was nothing fero-
cieus about him; but he had that self
sufficient nonchalance. that said: II
will kill you" Without doubt, he
was brave, cool and, collected, and, 81
though suffering from terrible flesh
wound in his left arm, received Q sWeek
before, he manifested no symptoms OF
distress, but seemed raedy for the fight.
The ground was stepped of Dy the
seconds, pistols loaded aud exchanged,
and the principals brought face TO face.
1 shall never forget thatrneetings Jones,
in his military, boyish mood, as they
shook hands, remarked that - - : ~ :,
A soldier braves death for . fsneiful wreath,
When in glory's romantic career. ,,s ls b
FRY caught up. the rest ;of the sen.
tenee, and answered by saying ;'s' d!
Yet he bends Ger the foe when in bsstle e l1id
And bsshes every wound with tear. Ss'Os
They turned around and walked back
to the point designated Jones second
had the word Fire" and, IS, he sloF,
ly said /" One --two-three-fre T. they
simultaneously turned at the word
"One,p and Instantly fred Neither
was hurt. Is They cooked their pistols,
and deliberately walked toward each
other, firing as they went. ;VAt the fifth
shot, Jones threw up his right 'hanH,
and, firing his pistol in the air, sank
down. Fry was N the act OF firing bps
last shot; but, seeing Jones fail, silently
lowered his pistol, dropped IL to tie
ground, and sprang to Jones side, tak'
ing his head in his lap as he sat down,
and asked him If he was. hurt. 80
I discovered that Jones was shot
through the region of the stomach, the
bullet glancing around that organ, ano
coming out to the left of the spinal col
umn besides, he had received three
other frightful flesh wounds IN .othel
portions of his body. I dressed ms
wounds, and gave him such stimulants
as I had. He. afterwsrd got we'll
FRY received three wounds-one break
ing his Left arm, one in the left, and tee
other in the right sidei After months
of suffering he gotowelld Neither p
them asked for discharge, but 'bott
resumed their commands when they got
well, and fought the war out to the bit
ter end, and to-day are partners IN,
wholesale grocery business down South
doing q good business, and verifying
the sentiment Of Byron that I" A soldier
braves DEATH" etc. a.. - -. ..,tf |