The National tribune., 1883-09-27
MePHERsoN,s pEATH.
Who we're with Him when Ee was shot-The Bot
tOm Facts.


tOn Facts.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
My article in THE TRIBUNE Of August 30,
seems to have caused quite eOmnotion, judg-
ing by the number of replies it has ELECTED.
Mr.. II. T. Wade, signal corps, il seems also
claims TO have been one Of a party with Gem
eral Mcpherson on that day, and as he makes
use of the name OF Thompson as one Of
the parties with the general ] presame he
means Sergeant A. ]. Thompson Of Captain
Fosters Fourth independent company Of Ohio
cavalry, who is the one man everybody says
was actually present, as he was MePnersOns
orderly. In letter written by Thompson to
General BelkDap, dated Georgetown, Brown
county, Ohio, October 25, 1878, he SAYS:
General Mcpherson was killed on the 22d
day OF July, 1864, between II and I o'clock.
We were going TO the front, and had gotten
about half way, when the general sent three OF
his staff to stop some teams from stampeding.
This left the general and 1 alone. We went
out on the top of the ridge near the woods,
halted, and sat there on our horses about i've
minutes, when Captain Raymond, of General
Leggetts staff came up and said: General
Legg5tt sent me to yOu to know what he should
do, as the enemy were pressing him back
Mcpherson replied: Go back and tell Leggsts
to stTaighten his lines parallel to this road
I This was the read which ran to the right OF US.
Captain Raymond started down into the woods,
and, when about fifty yards distant, General
Mcpherson started after him. We had gone
/ about $50 yards in the woods when / saw Cap
/ tain RaymOndS horse fall. he falling on the
/ left of his horse. At that moment ! saw the
rebels coming through the underbrush. and I
| think there was about 100 of them, who cana
/ out into the road in front of as, and called
| upon Us to halt, in both front and rear Of Us.
/ The general checked bis horse, raised MS hat,
4 turned his horse to the right to run from them,
1
| them raise their guns, when lodged down to
| the side of my horses neck. I saw the general
/ fall, and at the same time my head struck a
tree, knocking me off my horse and stunning
me badly. When / recovered from the blow
the general was lying on his right side with
his LETT hand on his left leg. spoke TO him,
and asked him if he was hurt. He replied !:
'Oh, Orderly, / AMI / stopped over to raise
him, when one Of the rebels caught hold of my
saber belt and jerked me back, saying: Go 70
the rear, you Yankee -p They drove
me to the rear, and az / was leaving tho
general, he turned over on his face, straighten-
ed out his feet, and srembled all over. / was
captured and sent to AndersOnyille, where re-
manned nine months"
The above is Orderly Thompson's account.
have also seen letters from Captain Raymond,
| who is the deiegate-elect IN Congress from Da-
k0ta, corroborating the above. As viii be seen,
Captain Raymond Joined them after they had
passed the spring where / was filing the can
teens. This thing Of claiming to be present
on that occasion has been going on for the last
fifteen years, and the generals staff officers,
General Clark, General Strong, and General
Hickenlooper, as, also, General Belknap, have
been investigating this matter thoroughly, and
they have all come TO the conclusion that Cap
tain Raymond and Orderly Thompson were the
only persons present on that sad occasion, no
matter how many may assert TO the contrary
: I did not see Captain Raymond, and he must
have joined them from different direction
from that "a which / saw them going. / think
the foregoing viii prove eonelusively that saw
the general and his orderly. alone, about five
or ten minutes before he was killed, Comrsds
81. 3. Wade to the contrary notwithstanding.
]. S. BOswORTH,
Co. Z, 18th Iowa Inf