The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1880-06-10
AwAa "REMINISCENCES.
FATE OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM PARKER
uluprTITNG STORY

In an article entitled "Through the
Lines" from the pen of late colonel
in the Confederate service, the follow
ing is related During the fall and
summer of 1864, Confederate partisan
soldiers had almost undisputed contrAl
of the mountain colnties Of East Ten
nessee. There were several commandS
and among the foremost was that OF
Captain William Parker. Captain
Parker was a fine specimen of noun
tain manhood, @ feet inches tall, and
weighing in the neighborhood of 1896
pounds. His many acts of daring and
his great personal courage had earned
for him from the Federals and Confed-
crates the merited sobriquet "Brave
Bill Parker"
Captain Parker had about seventy
five men, and he held undsputed sway
over johnson county, Tenn. Dan Ell
lis determined to drive the command
away, and, if possible, to capture the
leader. With this view he organized
a company of rangers and proceeded
to johnson county. When the fede-
rails under Ellis arrived in the section
of the country where Captain Parker
lived, they proceeded to waylay the
road along which he usually travelled
for five days and nights before they
could get to see him. AT length ON
the fifth day, just before 10 o'clock, a
small company of confederate soldiers
passed along, and some distance be-
hind the rode brave Bill Parker,
Unconsc GUS of danger, the little troop
rode boldly forward to where the am
pushed enemy lay. When they were
nearly opposite the federals yolley
was poured into their midst from both
sides of the road, quickly succeeded
by another, which laid many a brave
trooper low and totally disorganized
the command. At the first volley Par
ker was seen to reel in his saddle and
his horse wheeled quickly and dashed
down the road, maddened by bullet
wound IN the brain. The horse bore
Parker on for several hundred yards,
when all at once the animal fell down
in the road, and when Ellis men went
up to him he was dead, but Parker
was gone. They searched thicket
near by and found his coat, which had
several bullet holes in it, but could
find no trace of Parker. They could
not hunt for him long, for his men got
achievements and came hurrying
back. When they reached the scene
of the struggle they began to beat the
thicket for their missing leader. His
followers continued to search for him
for several days, but their efforts to
find him proved entirely fruitless.
A period of two months elapsed be-
fore L is fate was fully known and
then it was disclosed in the following
manner: The skeleton of a man was
found about three miles from the
place where Ellis men made the at
tack upon him. When he was found
he was lying with his face on the
ground and IL most of his clothes
were still entirely whole. A note
book was picked up near The spot, in
which the brave partisan soldier had
scratched few feeble lines-a diary
of dark despair. The pants pockets
being searched the skeleton was found
to be Parker's without any further
doubt. A quantity of chewed bark
and great wads of partly digested grass
were found upon the ground where his
stomach had lain and rotted. The
knees of the pants were entirely worn
through, plainly indica, ing that he bad
crawled upon his knees for consider
able distance. The entries in his note
book told the story of this terrible
struggle with death. The fire ofElis'
men had wounded him in several
places, and when his horse stumbled
and fell he was pitched from the sad
die into the thick underground which
lined both sides of the road. He fell
on the right side of the road and lay
for some Time unconscious. When hu
partly recovered his mind he dragged
his bruised and wounded body deeper
into the thicket. He thought he was
on the left hand side of the road where
as he was on the right. His wounds
were dangerous and painful, and he
determined to crawl to the roadside
and wait for some Good Samaritan to
pick him up. Painfully he dragged
his way through the tangled copse,
and every minute saw him going furth-
Ell and further from the road. He was
consumed with terrible thirst, and
w ouChCd OiC
ture from the leaves and grass.
1t was not until the third day that
he realized his situation, and the last
entry in his book, scratched so feebly
as to be almost illegible, were these
terrible words: "God help me l am
lost ~ The reader can imagine the
rest. Capt. Parker was man of
wonderfully strong constitution, and
he must have lived several days. 1t
is probable that his last hours found
him bereft of reason. Dying of hun
ger and thirst, wounded and weak, he
dragged his mangled body slowly
along, chat ell 'ng, singing, shouting,
praying, as maniacs do, until at last
death stiffened his limbs, and the buz-
yards, wheeling above the tret tops,
patiently awaiting bis dissolution,
slowly descended, and, with beak and
talon, tore great mouthfuls of white
flesh from his bones, plucking out as
dainty tit-bits the sightless eyes,
which had never quailed in the face of
6auUar