National Republican., 1883-04-06
THE DEATH OF LIEUT.. MEles.
Private I'm the Black Horse Cavalry
Describes the Hnnd-to-Iand Encounter
I'm Which lie Was Killed.

Describes the Hond-io-HIand Encounter
I'm Which He Was Killed.
TO hc Editor.
WASHINGTON, d. c., April An your
yesterdays issue you have card anent the
killing of Lieut.. Meigs, signed James L.
Taylor, special artist for Frank Leslie's
magazine. The whole piece is erroneous.
The rebels never claimed Shaeffer killed
him. Nor was Lieut.. Meigs bushwhacked;
he was killed in fair open combat, in which,
If there was any ruse dc qucrro used, he prac-
ticed it. The facts of Lieut.. Meigs's death are
simple these:
When in the valley in October 1864, Gen.
Wickham, now vice president of the Chosa-
peakc and Ohio railway, sent two scouts,
Campbell and Josh Martin, of the Black Horse
cavalry, to seek information within the
enemies lines. When they reached the pike
they saw three horsemen approaching. 1t
was rainy, drizzly day, and both tho Black
Horsemen had their rubber oilcloths over
them, thus concealing their gray jackets.
When within q hundred yards or so Camp
bell, who was the elder of the two, in u hur.
ried whisper gave directions how to act. You
take the one on tho right, and | will attend
to the two on the left. On they came, Lieut..
Moigs riding on the right side of the
road and slightly in tho advance, all un-
conscious that tho two horsemen were
In few seconds the parties approached each
other and Martin kept leisurely along until
he was passing Meigs, when, with n sudden
jerk at the reins he caused his horse to halt,
and, leveling his pistol full at Lieut.. Meigss
head ordered him to surrender. Campbell did
the same with the two ordorlics, who, at once
surprised, bewildered, and panic stricken,
threw up their hands. Not so with Lieut..
Meigs. He was made of sterner stuff, and,
though he was taken unawapcs and Off of his
guard he never for an instant lost his pres
enco of mind, and with flash of intuition he
took in the situation ut glance, and as quick
as q thought can shape itself into an action
he practiced manpuvre very common among
the scouts of both armies: Don't shoot" he
said " surrender"
"Unbuckle your arms" said Martin.
Now, Lieut.. Meigs wore large and hand
some officers military overcoat, with u cape
over the shoulders that swept down to the
saddle thus conccaling his arms and hands
from view. Drawing his pistol he aimed by
perception and Judgment at the body of his
antagonist, who was but u couple or possibly
three feet away, and fired through his cape
The bullet sped true TO its mission and struck
Martin q little under the left breast and
passed through his body, ranging downward
in its course. Tho shock was fearful, and the
wound almost to certainty fatal one. 1t
paralyzed for q moment tho Black Horseman.
Tho sky and earth whrled around in his
vision, and he swayed in the saddle, but only
for short time He rallied, and with that
unyielding spirit that causes warrior
to gather his last expiring strength
to deal mortal blow to his foe
he raised his pistol and fired. Tho shot was
mortal one, and Lieut.. Meigs fell at once
from his horse into the road, while Martin
clutching his saddle with both hands tried to
keep himself from tumbling from his horse
As soon as the lieutenant fell, one of the or
derlies broke into run, and upon Campbell
ordering him TO halt he only drove the spurs
into his horses sides. Campbell fired at him
when about ten feet away and struck him in
the arm, but did not check his flight. Then
seeing Martins condition he sprang to his
side just as he was falling inscnsble from his
horse. With the aid of the captured orderly,
Campbell shifted Martin from his own to
Lieut.. Meigs's horse, splendid bay mare, and
then the party struck for the interior, and
Campbell did not stop until he had gone seven
miles to q friends house, that lived in u re-
tired and secluded place. Here the wounded
scout was left and doctor procured, who
gave tho man up as dead, but Martin rallied
and in three months was in the saddle again.
have heard him repeat the tale of his en-
counter that in our prosaic age, sounded like
the conflict Of the Saracen with the Knight Of
the Desert. Campbell was q mossmate and
comrade, and l but narrate the facts well
known to every member of the Black Horse
cavalry, in which l was n private.
As'foI Josh Martin, / saw him last Friday
in Warrenton, Va. He Is n typical Virginia
farmer. So you see it was Il fair, free tourna-
ment, when two as gallant men as ever swung
themselves into saddle, met and tried the
arbitrament of battle. Fortune, chance,
fate, destiny, or what you will, decided against
Lieut.. Meigs-a decreed death for the one
and life for the other-and yet he died as q
soldier loves to die, with his weapon in his
hand and tho gnnptnpln Ol zi Of
his foeman reeling in his seat and dying with
him.
As that gallant soldier, Gen. Logan, said in
his last address before IL post in the q. A. r.,
that we must look TO the private soldiers of
the late war to get at the truth of history,
contribute my mite, which is literally true in
every particular. ALEX, HUNTER.