The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-07-10
Fay AND ZOLLICOPFER.
sc a. Frye Account of the u Hing or the
Confederate General.

&c a. Fry,s Account of the RiIlioE or the
Confederate Gcueral.
The DanviIle Advocate called Gen.
Fry's attention to the article in the
Lexington Press which asserted that
Fry did not kill Zollicofier, and the Ad
vocate ssys:
Ii is proper to say that Gen. Fry
makes no boast of the affair, and is
rather reluctant to talk about Vt; bat
the truth of history should be establish.
ed, and therefore we deem it proper to
give this statement from Gen. Fry's
own lips, which can be relied upon as
accurate in every important particular:
After the firing had ceased, immedi-
ately in front OF Col. Fry's regiment, he
was standing near the fence on the north
Logan's field, and finding the enemy
had retired from his front, he turned
and rode toward the road which ran
parallel with and few yards from the
fence. As he neared the road, he saw
an officer on horseback riding down the
road toward the right OF his (Cnl. Frye
regiment. This officer and Col. Fry
met in the road and sat side by side
their knees touching. The officer ad-
dressed Col Fry in the following Ian
guage: "We must not shoot our
own menp' "Of course l would
not do such thing Intentionally"
replied Col. Fry. The officer then said
(pointing to his Lefty, "Tnese are our
men" Col. Fry then rode off to the
right OF his regiment some twenty or
twenty-five PAGES, leaving the officer
standing in the road just where he had
met him. When reaching the right of
his regiment Col. Fry turned to ascer-
tain what Was going on behind him, and
the first thing that attracted his stten-
ton was the appearance of another
officer, who rode out from behind large
tree very near the officer whom CD. Fey
had first met. This last officer had his
pistol drawn, and fred at Col. Fry, miss
ing hi N but striking his morse inst above
the left hip bone. Col. Fry, finding
he was not struck, Immediately drew his
pistol, intending TO fire upon his assail-
ant. In this he was prevented, how>
ever, by the officer taking shelter behind
the same tree from which he had
emerged. This occurrence at once led
Col. Fry to believe that the officer he
had met with was Confederate. Gust
here it is proper to say that up to that
moment Col. Fry lsbored under the i'm
preston that the officer he had met was
a federal, as about that time several
federal regiments had arrived upon the
field, the officers of which were entire
strangers to him. Another thing, too,
which prevented Col. Fry from recog-
nizing the officer as confederate
was the fact that his uniform was
entirely concealed by white gum over
coat. Believing as he did that an at
tempt had been made to- either capture |
or kill him, and that this officer had
originated the scheme, Co, Fry at once |
to aim his shot st him. He |
did so, fred, and he fell. The surgeon |
who examined the wounds upon Gen. |
Zollicofer's body after it was removed |
to the rear, informed Col. Fry that |
there was wound in the lett breast |
made by minute bail shot from a pis> |
toll, penetrating the top of the heart,
which was tho immediate cause OF his |
death. We are authorized in saying
that, in the conversation between Gen. |
LJlllCOHcI anu Soi' Iiyl wi, O-ahSOA /
name was not once mentioned; nor did |
Col. Fry ever use the expression: " Yes,
they are our own men and SO are yeu."
We are also assured that Col. Fry did |
not fire his pistol until after he had
been fired upon by the officer who rode
,ut from behind the tree close to the
tide of Gen. Zollicofer. Gen. ZIlli-
,ofer fell Just where he was when Col.
Fry met him, and looked anything but a
plain countryman. He was well dressed, i
calm, courteous aud dignifeeda nor was
here any sixteen or eighteen men SINH,
arly dressed advancing to the right.
After Col. Fry had ridden off to the
right of his regiment, some forty or fifty, |
Dr. perhaps many more, confederate SOL !
1iers were discovered in the woods some
distance to the left of Gen. ZJllicoffer.
They seemed to have gotten there by |
and as soon as they were dis
covered Col Fry's regiment was ordered |
to charge and capture them, but they |
fed and made their escape. |
1t is proper to state that Col. Fry was |
dressed 10 full uniform, without over
coat or anything that could conceal it.