The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-22
A Story of the War.
Especial Cor. of the BALTIC. Americana


weeks AGO a correspondent writing
from this city to the Pittsburgh Dts-
patch. after an interview with Gener-
al B. F. Kelly, corrected an error IN
regard to statement that had been
made about General Kelly being
wounded by one OF his own men III
the memorable first battle of the war,
which was fought at Phillippi, West
Virginia, on the morning of June .,
1861. General Kelly was wounded
by an ounce ball, which, evidently,
had been fred from an old fiint.lock
musket, with which most of the Con-
| Generates we're armed, and was not
shot by one of his own men, as has
been enormously stated. The follow
ing incident was related to me to day
by General Kelly (who is now sta
toned in Cumberland as a special
pension agent), known to but few
persons outside of that portion of the
army commanded by General Kelly,
which will be read with some inter-
est in this locality, where the Gener-
al is so we'll known and where he
W as married, in 1865, the same year
in which he was captured, along with
General George Crook, the famous
Indian fighter.
During the summer of 1861 a man
by the name of Rolf owned and work.
ed ferry across the Potomac river
at Harper's Ferry, Va. It was charg-
ed that Rolf was in the daily habit of
conveying across the river slaves who
were making their way into Penn.
sylvania and to freedom; also refu-
gees from the South, who were fee
to the North to escape being pressed
into the Confederate army. General
Stonewall Jackson, then in command
of the Confederate forces at Winches-
ter, Va, being anxious to stop these
proceedings, ordered Colonel R. w.
Baylor. of Jefferson county, w. Va,
then commanding company of cav
airy, to take detachment of his COM
pany and proceed to Harper's Ferry,
capture the ferryman and bring him
to headquarters. The ferryman re-
sided on the Maryland side, which
was then held by the Federal forces.
Colonel Baylor ordered his detach-
ment to secrete themselves near the
Terry landing, one man only showing
himself. The latter waved hand
kerchief on a pole, indicating to the
ferryman that he wished to be ferried
over. Rolf at once crossed over to
the Virginia shore. AS soon as his
boat struck the soldiers jumped from
their cover and ordered him to sur
render as prisoner of war. The fer
ryman, with more pluck than discre-
ton, at once pushed his boat out into
the stream. took up his gun and fired
on his assailants. The fire was re-.
turned by the Confederates, and Rolf
was killed.
In the summer of 1862 Col. Baylor
was captured by Gen. Kelly's troops
and sent to Fort McHenry as pris-
oner of war. When the friends of the
deceased ferryman heard Col. Baylor
had been captured and was then a
prisoner, they made an application
to Secretary Stanton to have Col.
Baylor tried by court martial for VIC.
lation of flag of truce and murder
Accepting this statement TO be cor
rect, the Secretary ordered Gen. Kel-
ly to convene court-martial at Har-
per's Ferry and ordered Col. Baylor
to he brought back to that place and
| tried. The court was convened, and
after session of several days Col.
Baylor was found guilty on both
charges and specifications by unan-
imous vote of the court and sentenc-
to be hung. When the proceedings
and findings of the court came up to
Gen. Kelly, as commander of the de-
partment, for his approval, he after
a careful and impartial review of the
testimony, and believing that the
displaying of the handkerchief was
simply decoy, as there could be
no such thing as a flag of truce be-
tween regular constituted military
force, and private citizen, and that
the killing ofthe ferryman (much as it
was to be regrettedl was war and not
murder, therefore disapproved the
findings and sentence of the court,
and sent the papers to the War De.
partment, with his disapproval. Sec
retary Stanton was very much sur
prised and incensed at Gen. Kelly's
action in disappearing the finding
and sentence of the unanimous ver-
Wet of the court-martial of Union
officers for the trial of Confederate
officer for grave offences. The Secre-
tary at once referred the papers to
General Hitchcock, the reviewing
officer Of courts martial. who endors-
4 Il