Louisiana capitolian., 1880-03-13

| luG UtlII't IIVl Sit'tN 'VI''s"s 's'ovv's >"
the right side above the hip. The pnr.
suit Of the flying cavalrymen who had
made no effort to defend their General
was continued, md so hot that my men
penetrated some distance into the col
umn of infantry which had quit the
road to give passage to the horsemcn,
but seeing their danger, they returned
without injury beyond che loss Of sew
eral horses, and brought of some of the
infantrymcn as prisoners, besides maxi
ing our captures In the affair amount to
about sixty men.
CATER the mad excitement of the
chase was over Captain IIambricls re-
moved the wounded General TO tho house
of u Mr.. Crutchcr, nnd showed every
attention to his comfort that his time
and means would ndmt Of Being be-
tween superior forces of the enemy, |
gathered my prisoners and moved oyer
to New Market, somc three or four miles
off, and remained during the night.
While the work of paroling the prison.
crs WINS going on dense volumes of fire and
smoke in tho direction of tho Federal
camp showed that vengeance was being
wroakcd upon tho unoilending citizens
in the vicinity By tho pillago and burn
ing of their homes. Captain Brooke ut
once realized the danger to himself and
fellow prisoners if this work of tcstruc-
ton continued, 'snd proposed to me that
he would go under suitable escort and
have the burning stopped. | thcreupon
sent m officer with him, and they pro-
ccedcd near enolgh for Captain Brooke
to send in nots by small negro boy
to the effect that if any moro houses
were destroyed Tho lives Of himself aud
fellow prisoners would certainly be for
foitcd. This had the desired effect, but
IL came too lato 60 save u number of iino
houses; even the house of Mr.. Crutchcr,
who had received and administered to
the wants of tho dying General, was
sacrificed in tho blind ragc for revenge
by htho soldiers; who constituted tho
material of his brigade. Gcn. McCook
lived long enough to make his will and
receive the sacrament from priest ob.
tanned from DccIcrd, and died the day
following tho reception.
"Ihis Is substantially tho truth in re-
gard to my conduct in an allair which
was grossly misrGprcsentcd at tho time
to my discredit and injury. havescc
70 number of accounts from the other
side, none of whieh Ii showed u disposition
to do me scnnt Justice. Ono account,
published the following in the Louisville
Journal-.-'l camp paper printed ut Win
cllcstcr--statcd the facts to be that
General McCook, while in advance of
| his brigade ut fouf o'clock in the after
noon, for the purpose Of selecting n
camp for the night, was attacked by
'gucrrillas' and captured; that, being
too weak from ll.lcss to keep up ON
| t,,t ,,.l.p H., a., L..
he was shot down in the most brutal and
cownrdly manner. This paper applaud
ed the burning Of Che citzrus' houses as
proper and right, and stiguatizcd my
act ~ 'lssassinaii0n.'
All accounts aglnc in the assertion that
the General was confined to his couch
and too weak to make any resistance.
One statement WIS to the effect that his
carriage got caught against u tree, and
while IN this position | rope up and
fired upon him when could easily have
have taken him prisoner. These state
mcnts so inllamci the minds of the pco-
| pie Mt the North that whom | had tho
misfortune to be captured in the follow
ing year, was ut once put on trial for
my life by u military commission, which
convened ut Nashville, Tenn, and was
sentenced to he banged Tho trial lasted
five or six weeks and y great deal of tcs-
timony was taken. | was ably defended
by Jordan Stokes; Esq, of Tennessee, u
prominent lawyer and Unionst of I'M
questioned loyalty, He rcsortcd to every
device to delay proceedings as long rs
possible, and to good effect. Some of
the evidence was in my favor, and of
such character chat it could not well
be rcbuttcd. Calaain Brooke testified
that Gen. McCook. was not sick ut the
time, but was in command of his brig
age. But tho cry for my blood was too
strong to resist, anl the commission de-
cidcd that should die by banging. A
considerable delay followed in getting
the findings and sentence of the court
duly and regularly approved, and in
this interval % communication came
from Gen. Hartec, then in command of
the Army of Tennessee, at Dalton, Ga,
rcprobating the injustice of the sentence
and threatening retaliation in casc it
was carried out. Later one was received
from Gen. II. T.. Lac, being prompted
and urged with great deal of earnest
ness by Mrs. Senator G. G. Clay. of
Alabama, then at Richmond Va. Gen.
Lees communications was of the same
tenor as Gen. Hardeo's, and those rep
reservations he'd the desired effect. The
first intmation that: had of the lavora-
Bile issue of the efforts in my behalf was
in everhearing remark of my counsel
to member of the court that it would
cost more than it would come to- which
| iniernrctpd tO refer tO NV Cyerut,ou