Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-07
RISEN FROM THE DEAD.
A Well Known st. Louis Oficia1 Hears
from a Man he saw Killed Twenty
Years Ago.
81. - ~ Democrat.

St. Louis Glo5s- Democrat.
just twenty years ago to-day the Thirty
seventh Virginia Regiment under Col.
Bob Claiborne. now Prosecuting Attorney
of the st. Louis Court Of Criminal Cor
rectiOn, sailed forth from MOrehead. Va.
to meet that holy terror of all COnfeder-
ates, the celebrated ''StOneman Brigade
Gen. Stoneman was on his famous raid.
the object Of which was to assail Lees
army in the rear, while the Army Of the
Potomac attacked him in 'front.' He had
already met and whipped half a dozen
bands OF COnfederates. and Col. Clai-
bOTne's regiment was the most formidable
antagonist he had yet encountered. The
engagement was not an important
one, and Purvis' ''RecOrd of the Rebellion
is the only history of the war which
mentions it. But it was remarkable for
the daring bravery of two men, who
proved themselves to be the only true sol
diers out Of whole company. In the
early part Of the day Col. ClaIbOrne's
regiment was, with the exception Of one
company. bearing the whole brunt Of
St0neman's terrific Onslaughts. BY
O'Clock in the afternoon the fine body OF
men which that morning formed the
Ihirty-seventh regiment had been reduced
to a mere handful. They had been deci-
mated again and again. one more at
tack and not a soul would have been left.
With the best Of their men either
killed or wounded, and the balance
ready to succumb with fatigue
and wounds, there seemed no possibility
Of escape for any one. But suddenly the
missing company appeared on the field,
and though, even with the reinforce
ments the fight was hopeless, a shout Of
relief went up from the wearied and
bleeding survivors. There was only one
chance for them, and their commander
was quick to see it. In a flash he had
leaped from his horse, and, calling on the
new arrivals, he shouted: Every man
dismount and follow metz
But at that moment the blue coats of
StOneman's brigade appeared over the
crest of the hill in front, and the cheers of
the Union soldiers were ringing in the
ears OF the COnfederates. In vain did
their Colonel try to rally them and urge
them on. The solid line of steel in front
was too appalling, and almost to a man
they broke and fed. A second later and
Col. Claiborne found himsef deserted by
all his men but one. That man was q
rough backwOOdsman from North Caro-
lima, whom he had, but a short time be-
fore, taken from the ranks and promoted
to a Captaincy for brave and daring con-
duct on the battlefield. HE name was
Roberts, and as ne pressed close beside
his commanding officer he shouted: "I'll
stay by you, Colonel, if / lose every drop
Of blood in my body" The words We're
hardly out of his mouth before he fell full
length on the ground with a rifie-ball
through his chest.
The next moment Col. Claiborne was
surrounded by the boys in blue and cap
tured. lie afterward reported to the
Confederate Government the death of
Capt. Roberts, and from that day until
Yesterday, exactly twenty years, he has
heard nothing OF the man who aided him
in his charge on StOBeman's Brigade.
Yesterday morning Col. Claiborne,
while looking over his letters, came to one
with the pOstmark ''Raleigh, y. c." adj
dressed in lead pencil to Maj. G.. r. Clai-
borne, st. Louis. On opening it the first
thing he saw was the name Capt. T. B.
Roberts. Jumping to his feet he ex-
claimed to a bystander: "My God, Ihave
got a letter from the dead. l saw this
man shot and killed with my own eyes at
the battle Of MOrehead, Decembe 81, 1868,
and here he is writing to me-"
The letter, however, explained how
Capt. Roberts escaped, and as all the cir
cumstances are so remarkable, it is pro-
duced here verbatim:
RALEIGH, y. c., Dec. 26.-.Naj. Claiborne:
have been trying to find out your address
ever since the war; have asked hundreds of
people about 1t, and have only just succeeded
/ believe | would rather see and talk to YOU
than any other man on God Almighty's earth
Do you remember when you rode up to me
and made me a Captain at the battle Of
Orange Court House? l was only a
Tarheel soldier before that, but when
You done what you did l would have
died for you. Then do you remem-
Der the fight at Morehead, when you and
! started alone to charge StOneman's brigade?
/ tell you that fellow StOneman was the worst
Cuss In the whole Yankee army for us fellows
to tackle. But that d. company OF NINE
Want they the meanest, most cowardly -
Off you ever saw? / tell you they were the
worst God Almighty ever had hand in
making. No decent man would have run of
and left you in the lurch the way they did.
If they had felt like me they would have died,
every d-n mothers son of them. first.
GOu thought ] was dead. didn't you? Well,
I'm the healthiest dead man in North Caro-
lima. ] got an ugly wound in that scrimmage
turned out, but long after you had all gone I
came to and found a boss there and managed
to get on to him and ride until | found some
friends who took care of me and brought me
out o. X.
Now, Major, l want you to write me a long
letter, and tell me all about yourself and what
you are doing. Your true friend.
CAPT. 7. b. ROBERTS,
Overseer at the State Prison, Raleigh, n c.
Capt. Roberts speaks of Col. Claiborne
as Major because he first knew him be-
fore he was made a Colonel. The latter
said to a Globe Democrat reporter yester-
day that he should spend most of his time
to-day writing to his old cOmrade.