The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-07-04
VICKsBURG EDfToRs.
Sawbonesa4 Recollectionsof their
FerOcious VaIor.


To the Editor of the Morristown Gazette:
If your account in last number Of
your paper of the fighting at Vieksbnrg
was to be taken as evidence, at the day
of judgment, it would be rather hard on
some of the boys As l lived at Vicks-
burg at the time of these occur ences
and was personally acquainted with all
the parties, I viii try to set you right.
In the first place you call my old friend
DIR. Hagan, Hogan, and you say he was
from the North. DIR, Hagan was an
Irishman, came to the United States
after he was grown. l owned the build
ing in which his paper was published
for many years. While publishing his
paper at Vieksburg, he made visit to
Ireland. On his return he gave me very
amusing account of his, interview and
dining with DIR Lever, the novelist. He
said Lever was just the kind of man
would expect to see after reading his
writings. Now after your blood and
thunder account of DR.. Hagan, you will
be surprised When I tell you that he never
killed a man. The DR.. did do some
rough and tumble fighting in which there
was some shooting, and he fought two
duels, one was with Flagg the editor of
the opposition paper. 1t was understood
that they were to meet on the street OPP
posite the Court House, armed with
double barreled shot guns, and to blaze
away. My brother loaded Hagan's gun
at HIS request, and as he handed it to
him he said, "Hagan you can't shoot
worth dam, but have put charge in
that gun that will kick you out of range
of the other mans shot" Flagg was
| slightly wounded. His other duel was
with my old friend, Col. McCardle.
Nc. was wounded in the hip. Colonel
McCardle is still living, and has edited
a paper at Yieksburg, except at short
| intervals, since 1888. DR.. Hagan was
killed by Dan. Adams, who was the Gen.
Dam Adams, left for dead at the battle
of Shiloh. He recovered with the loss OF
an eye. After the war was law-partneI
of General Harry Hays at New Orleans.
He then went to New 7 ork, and prac,
ticed law-now dead. Hagan had said
something in his paper about Judge
Adams, DAN S father, who lived at Jack
son, Miss. Dan. went to Vicksburg and
| asked some one to point out Hagan to
him. Hagan was crossing the street
when A. attacked him, both were armed.
They clinched and fell, and while both
were down A. shot him in the head. DIR.
81. had very reckless way of expressing
himself in his paper. 1 have often told
him that I would not insure his life
twenty-four hours for ninetysnine cents
on the dollar. He was a small, quiet
hammered gentleman-was never mar
ried. James Fall fought two duells
with Tom Robbins. In the first fight
neither was hurt. The next time ditch
was dug and they fought in the ditch.
Fall was shot in the knee. Tom Rob
bins married niece of JEFF. Davis. He
died in lunatic asylum at New York.
1 saw Robbins after the fight and asked
why he fought in ditch. He said: You
know cannot shoot on the wing, and
Fall would not stand still. In the spring
of 1867, met Mr.. Fall at the st. Charles,
in New Orleans. I had not seen him
for many years. He told me he had
been in South America. l noticed that
he walked lame, and asked him how he
got hurt. He looked surprised, and
said, don't you remember; this is Tom
Robbins work. James Downs, a law
student of S. S. Prentiss, was wounded
in a duel with Tom Robbins. They
fought with rifles. p. was shot in the
breast, but recovered, Walter Hickey
had a street fight with DR.. McLin.
witnessed ii. McLin was killed. James
ltiap was Killed in a duel by Dick Ham
NETT, (Riap, editor sentk,les, Ham NETT,
editor Whig); they fought with pistols
fred three times-Rian would use a
short eight-inch barrel pistol that he was
used to; he cut Hammett's coat at the
small of his bqsk every fire: At the
third fire Riau was shot through the
heart George Jenkins was killed by
Henry Crabb, young lawyer, son OF
Judge Crabb, of Tenn, with a bowie
knife. CfaEh went to California and
headed a filibustering partyi went TO
Sonora; they were all captured; Crabb' s
head was cut off and stuck on a pole.
1 cannot remember the name of the next
editor. / did not know him. lie was
killed by dry goods clerk on the street.
But while the editors were fighting, the
other boys were amusing themselves in
the same way. could tell you all about
it, but enough. kAWBoNEs.