Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-12-20
RENoS FATE.
The General Killed hy one III His own
Men.--An Account Of the Tragedy Re.
lated by m Eve Witness.

Muamic ohio, Democrat
Major General Jessie L. Keno wus
killed nj South Mountain, Maryland, on
the lith Of September, 1862. He was
IN temporary command of the Ninth
Corps, Army OF the Potomac, in the ah-
sencc of Gen. A, T.. Burnside. The trng.
ic manner of his death, though kept
from the public ear ut the time, was
the theme of the campfire convcrsa-
ton for mmuy night after Within
the past two or three months somebody
with londness for relating reminiscent
ces Of army life, hns revived the story
Of Con. Rrno's death, and it hna got
into the newspapers III several forms.
a late issue .of tho Chicago TfiblntG
contained Il letter from Gen =. y. Stur.
gis, u the regular army, IN which he
says Gen Reno was accidentally killed
by Il yolley from u Massachusetts, regi-
ment.
| WAS nm eyewitness to Reno's death,
and am positive that he was killed
neither by accident nor u Mnssnchu-
sets regiment. Tho shut that closed
his life cumo from the Twcnty.third
Ohio Volunteers, Col. Il. Is. Hayes
command, and wns not fired Mt ram
dom. | was member Of the Eleventh
Ohio, knnnwha Division, which was
composed of the Eleventh, Twelfth,
rwenty.third, Twcnty-cighth, Thirty
sixth aud Forty-scyenth Ohio Infantry,
and commanded by Maj Gen. j. D.
Cox. Before the engagement AZ South
Mountain became general, my rcgi-
ment and Tile Twcnty-third were or
drred 10 the skirmish line. Shortly
after we arrived there Gen. Reno mud
| his stall came out and rode along in
front OF us. There was but little firing
going ON Mt the time and that was very
irreRumrly. The Twenty-third was on
our right, and when he was shot Gen
Reno was Immediately in front Of
llayes regiment, riding forward. and
with his back to them. Hero IL was
that he WAS shot through tho body, the
ball coming out in front. He threw up
his arms and exclaimed, Pm shot by my
own men" lie was not more than rs
or 100 rods away, and tho enemy was
ut ,east II mile away. Previous to our
regiment and the Twcnty.third being
ordered % the skirmish limo, and while
our brigade was lying along the foot of
tic hill, Glen. Reno passed along by us,
and seemed 10 be IN Il terrible rage
nbon, something, and remarked in il
voice loud enough to be heard by NJ
most the entire brigade, "The Kanawha
division are id Western So OF BIS,
and can't fight" heard these words
~ plainly rs ever heard any in my
| life, and there are hundreds Of the boys
who served in our brigade who will re-
member them. ] have learned since
that Gen. Reno was very abusive To the
23d the night before, because they used
some wheat straw for bedding purposes.
on this, however, can not speak from
personal knowledge. Of the others ]
can and do. After the battle Of South
| Mountain was over, II was the common
talk III our camp that soldier in the
twentv-third had killed Reno. The
matter was kept quiet officially for
many reasons, but MS To the facts as |
have narrated, think there can be no
reasonable doubt. ] mean that the
killing wits purposely done. All the NJ.
tending circumstances sustained this
statement.
Gen. Reno was not popular officer
with volunteers. He was An old regu-
lar army man, naughty aad tyrranical
in disposition. lie was good officer
speaking in military sense, but his
death did not occasion much regret
among the men. II, rs Gen. Sturgiz
says, his last words were: II can be
40 longer with ny men; let them know
| will riill be with them III spirit ]
think liz expressed sentiment not gen.
erally shared hy the kanawna division
iii iilat time. q. M. b.
PIquA, q. Dec .. 1873.