The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-11-27
THE HIDDEN BRIGADlER.
A Confederate Generals Life as n Rec,use,
and His Discovery by His Relatives.

| A Confederate Generals Life as n ReciuSe,
and His Discovery by His Relatives.
A Confederate General has been dis.
covered living isolated in a little stone
house, and by himself, about mile and
a half from Montgomery, between that
village and Bennington, near the Mariet-
ia Railroad.
The name of this singular individual
is Gen. w. w. Metcalfe, who served
honorably in the Confederate service
during the late war, and lost all his prop
erty, which was located in the South, dur
ing the war. He was quite wealthy, but
the war swept away what property he
had, and he was left at the age of 3S
without q son. All that he had left was
his honor and his family. His wife died
shortly after the close of the war, and he
had two daughters left him, who are now
married and live in Virginia in good Cir
cumstances.
About four years ago General Metcalfe
came to Cincinnati to be cured Of dia-
betes, complaint that had troubled him
since his retirement from the army serv-
ice. He found DR.. w. w. Dawson, and
intrusted his case to him. The Doctor
expressed surprise at meeting him in an
impecunious condition, as he had known
him several years previous. The Gener-
al said he would like to get away from
all of his associates. He had lost every
thing during the war, and he wanted to
settle down somewhere as recluse and
be forgotten for the time by all who
knew him. The Doctor owned a farm
near Montgomery, and told him he could
60 out and live on the farm and cultivate
it for him. This was in 1875. The Gen.
eral accepted both the treatment for his
disease and the proposition to cultivate
the Doctors farm. Here he lived for
some time as common farm hand, un-
der an assumed name, the Doctor never
letting out the secret. General Metcalfe
made friends by his unostentatious and
urbane manners among the neighbors,
and labored early and late. After sever
al months he went to work for another
farmer in the neighborhood named Kel.
ler and managed to conceal his indentity
all that time. He then went into the
employ OF w. II. Willis, near by, in the
cultivation and management of his farm.
He occupied little stone hut away off
in field by himself. Here he cooked
and ate his meals and was unknown to
almost every one around him. The
house he now occupies was formerly used
as milk house. 1t is only about twelve
feet high from the ground, and has only
one room with a garret above, with the
roof projecting in front at the gable end,
and which is in a very dilapidated con-
dition. The farm house connected with
it was burned to the ground some time
ago.
His identity was discovered about
three weeks ago in singular manner.
From what can be learned from the peo-
pie who have conversed with him since
his identity was made known, it appears
that the General was born in Bardstown,
KY, and was educated at Danville, KY.
He claims that he graduated in mathe-
matics at Lexington, Va, under Stone
wall Jackson. About a month ago a
professor in the Danville College went to
Montgomery to visit Rev. Mr.. Cortelyou,
the Presbyterian minister at that place,
and while there received the information
that Gen. Matcalfe, a graduate of Dan
vile, was living as recluse on farm
near the village. Upon his return to
Danville the professor informed Gen.
Metcalfe's brother, who is a merchant in
Danville, that he had discovered the
whereabouts of his brother, and gave
him the name of Montgomery, Hamilton
County, Ohio, near which place the Gen
eral resided.
Accordingly, not long afterward, let
ter was received by the Greneral from his
brother, whom he had not seen for sever
al years, and soon thereafter the General
was hunted up by one of his married
daughters, who lives in Virginia. Since
then he has showed no disposition to
conceal himself, and he visits Montgom-
cry almost every day and converses with
friends connected with the Mason
ic order. He is a member of the
Knights Templar, and has unbosomed
himself freely to Mr.. Foster Todd, gro
Ger and dry goods merchant of Mont
gomery. He has expressed a desire to
tell him about his past life. Thus far
Mr.. Todd has not availed himself of the
privilege of visiting the General at his
hermit-like retreat on the Willis farm, sew
eral miles from nowhere; but he says the
General is gentleman of intelligence,
and converses fuently upon all the cur
rent topics OF the day. He has evident
ly kept himself we'll posted upon the
political topics of the day, and he shows
by his conversation that he is not behind
the times. One of his neighbors is Mr..
Hampton, the agricultural implement
dealer in this city, who lives about three
fourths of a mile away. On Sunday the
General made short call upon Mr..
Hampton as he was passing by, and
expressed a desire to have him call
over and see him. Mr.. Hamp-
ton told the General that he must
call and see him first and let him know
where he lived. The General replied
that he would come over and see him
and have a long talk with him. He
wanted to tell him what big rebel he
was, and give him the story of his ad-
ventures before, during and since the
war. He said he was the biggest rebel
that ever lived, and he expressed desire
to sit down and tell all he knew. Mr..
Hampton has not yet had the opportuni-
ty to call on the military hermit, late of
the Confederate Army, Q. S. A.
A representative of the Commercial
drove out yesterday'to find this singular
man and have conversation with him.
After much research aud driving over
twenty miles of roads he found where the
recluse lived, all by himself 1t was
about 7.30 when the reporter drove up to
the little lonely house, away off in the
fields, potato patches and few scattered
apple trees, by itself. a small light,
emitted by n little coal oil lamp, was
seen dimly through diminutive un-
washed window. The name of the Gen
eral was called, but nobody responded.
The premises were thoroughly secured
and the straw barn ransacked, but no one
was found. Nothing in the vicinity in