The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1883-04-14
THE DEATH OF MRS. HENRY
AT BULL RUN BATTLE.
TPhiladcIphia Times. |

Phlladelphla IlmcS.l
Oliver c. Cooper, editor of the Ovid,
n. ", Independent, calls attention to
the following paragraph in an article
that appeared in The Weekly Times
of January 81, 1888:
Near the Bull Run ford lived an old
lady, blind and bed-riddcn; she was
deserted by her servants, who fled in
fright from the signal guns Of the Fed
eral army. CATER the battle" her
body was found riddled with shot and
shell, for her house was exposed to the
fire Of the "enemy." The sight en-
ragged the Confederatcs; many cut off a
ltck OF the woman's gray hair, STEPPED
1t in her blood, and wound it in their
soldier caps and vowed vengeance. 1t
was years ago; we tell it and hear it;
the chronicles of war bear many such
records and say it was sad thing, but
who could help it? After the bloody
massacre of Manassas more than one
Confederate was buried with the lock
of gray hair dangling from his cap.
Murderer and avenger had gone to
meet the victim, who was "somc-
bOdy's mother"
Commenting on tho paragraph Mr..
Cooper thus writes to The Weekly
Times
III presume the story above recorded
had its origin in the following facts ::
At the time Of the first battle OF Bull
Run, July 81, 1861, the Henry hill, an
eminence near the intersection of the
. Warrenton turnpike and Sudbury
SnrjnCS rnnf no of n fsor
cest part Of the struggle. At the open
ing of the battle the main part of the
Confederate force rested on this hill,
and in its rear, toward the Bull lsun
stream, including the troops OF Stone
wall Jackson-anu it was here that he
received the soori1uet of niStonewalE"
by which he was aftcrward designated.
On the crest of the hill, overlooking
the valley through which courses
Younk's branch, stood the Henry
house. On the morning of the battle
this was occupied by Mrs. Henry, a
woman more than eighty years of age,
and an attendant-a daughter, l be-
lievc. Mrs. Henry was in very feeble
health and was confined to her bed.
The house stood directly in the line
of the artillery fire of both contending
forces and, as the battle progressed,
was pierced through and through by
shot and shell. A shell finally eNplo-
dcd in the room in which Mrs. Henry
was lying and the conclusion caused
her death, although she was not struck
by any portion of the shot.
81 was Il participant in this battle
and such are the facts OF the tragedy
as l learned them at the time and as
they were also given to me but little
over a year ago on the identical spot
by Il son Of Mrs. Henry. Tho vcncra-
bic woman was buried on the day fol-
lowing the battle, where her remains
still rcposc near the home, and stone
now stands ut the head of her grave,
recording the circumstances of her
death and also the fact that her father
was ono OF the fine surgeons commits
stoned for the United States navy by
President Washington. The Henry
home was almost utterly demolished
during the battle and q new one was
erected on the same site after the war
terminated. During the second battle
Of Ball Run, fought i'll August, 1862,
the Federal limo extended across this
hill and the plateau was again swept
with cannon shot and muskctry.'