The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-01
An untoId Incident Of the Late
War.
FATnnoNT. Mareh ~.

Of our otti1en1 had prominent part w
believe, has never been publiahed.
Thomas Reed, Of this place, was q cap.
tain ia the First West Virginia Infantry,
and commanded Company 3. Mary
will remember this as the regiment that
did such effective work In the Valley Of
virginia and other places where hard
fighting was done. The gallant Colonel
ThOburn, Of Wheeling, led the regiment
10 many aferce contest. At the terrible
conflict Of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1884,
whore be fell, he commanded q division,
and Captain Reed was one Of his staff,
acting Provost Marshal Of the Division.
When the noble Colonel was mortally
wounded and lying on the field, Capt.
Reed attended him and remained with
him until his death, and was there detail.
ed to convey the remains to the deceas.
eds friends at Wheeling.
Capt. Reed says. l was with Col
Thoburn q few moments before he was
murdered. l say murdered, for he was.
shot by a rebel in u uniform, while
trying TO rally our scattered forces 10
protect our ambulance and wagon train.
As soon rs we had retaken the field l
found the Col. and remained with him
until his spirit took It's flight. BE was
shot in the morning about o'clock and
breathed his last about IL o'clock that
night.
HEApo,Rs DEP'r Wet VIRGINIA.
NEAR CEDAR CREEK, VA, Oct. 20, "a.
Especial Order No. 1851
EXTRACT.
capta,n Thomas Reed, Sergeant Jacob
Bethel and Private Philip A. Bier, LIST
West Va. Volunteer Infantry, will pro-
coed TO Wheeling, W. Va, for the pur-
pose OF conveying the remains Of Col.
Joseph Thoburn, LIST West Va. Infantry,
late Commanding LIST Infantry Division,
and Captain P. g. Bier, Asst Adiutant
General. TO their friends at that place.
The Quartermaster's Department will
furnish the necessary transportation for
Captain Reed, Sergeant Belrel and Pri-
vate Bier.
Ten days will be allowed for the exc
cution Of this order.
By order Of Brevet Maj. Gen. Crook.
w. N. MoKNLEY, JR,
Captaiaand IA G.
In compliance with the above order,
the parties named proceededto carry out
its provisions. Capt. Reed adds further I:
"on arriving at Winchester l found that
Cant. Bier's remains had been forwarded
to Wheeling by the officers Of his regi-
ment, the 18th w. Va. Infantry, COM
msnded by Col. Curtis. Captain Bier
was Assistant Adjutant General on Gen.
Crooks staff, and never was there q
drawer or more gentlemanly officer. Here,
at Winchester, / had the body OF our be.
loved and lamented Colonel embalmed,
and then proceeded to Martinsburg.
When the party arrived ut Martins
burg they found many conflicting rumors
concerning tho great battle at Cedar
Creek. Some had heard that nearly
every officer prominent in command was
either killed or wounded. Among others
Col, Hayes, Of Cincinnati, was reported
killed. Capt, Reed had been requested
by brother officers to forward messages
to friends, telling OF their safety, and
while sending these and telegraphing Col.
Thoburn's friends, 1t occurred to him
that he should send q message to Mrs.
Hayes. This he did in the short sen
tence, aCol. Hayes Is not killed as re-
ported.n He knew that the report
was incorrect because he had
seen Colonel Hayes that morning
before leaving the front. Captain
Reed thought Of the sorrow and grief
that such news would bring to a wife's
heart, and so was prompted TO send the
better news Of safety.
In the press reports telegraphed
throughout the country the day OF
the battle, Col. Hayes name was
In the list OF officers killed, and Of course
the Cincinnati papers gave this account.
We have been told that there were heavy
head lines in the Cincinnati journals an
nouncing the death Of many noble Ohio.
ans In that bitter struggle.
Sometime afterward,p says Captain
Reed, ~ received q letter from DR..
Webb, brother Of Mrs. Hayes, in
answer to my dispatch, and thank
ing me most kindly for telegraph
Ing. He said, as already stated, that the
news from the front that morning was
that Col. Hayes was killed; he said also
that Mrs. Hayes had left the city that
morning, or the morning before, and, as
he had forwarded the dispatch at once,
she received 1t about the same time the
Cincinnati papers reached her.
Ithprobably not necessary to add that
one Of the persons named in this nara
tive is now President fthe United States
and that another has charge Of 1.-THE White
House.
In q conversation which the visitor
had with Mira. Hayes regarding this in
cident, she states that ahe was at Chilli.
cothe when the telegram reached her,
and that Il contained the best news she
ever received. She said, too, that she
had lost the name OF the kind officer who
sent Il, and that she and her husband had
often wondered who the thoughtful per-
son was, where he lived, and whether
they would ever find him. When the
matter was mentioned she seemed very
much pleased, and inquired for all
the particulars, as far rs known,
to the writer, and gayehim severalitems
contained In this narrative. Her recent
visit TO Chillicothe reminded US Of the
facts as frat related to US by Capt. Reed,
shortly after Mr.. Hayes nomination in
1876:
tits but due to say that Capt. Reed Is
one Of our beat citizens, always mindful
Of the interests Of others, kind.hearted,
and respected by all. N.