The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-16
RISEN FROM THE DEAD
A WCJt Know St. Louis OHicial
Hears From a Ian he Saw
Killed Twenty Years Aso.


Killed Twenty Years hGo.
Inst twenty Years ago to-day ;lr
Thirty seventh Virginia Ec.imcut, uEdc
al Bob Claiborne. uow Pto-c-utiu.
Attorney OF the 81 LOUIS Count 81 trlm
nal Correction, saiiiej iyria rom Nor
head. Va. to meet t.iat holy terror o
al Confedcratc-, the ce "bralCi stone
nam Brigade Gcu S,ou man VS. on
I- famous raid, the object o. which was
-4 assaiI Lee army in the rear. WINE
the Army of the Potoma. attacked htm
ia trent. H had already aact aud whip
ned halt-a-dozen bands 81 rebels, aud
Col. Claiborne regiment WIS the most
formidable antagonist he tai yet en-
c1untered. The en- ageuca. Ms MT an
Important one. AMI i'ursl- record OF
The Rebellion. j. I'll. only LI>tgry 81 the
war which mentions ~ But II was re-
markaLlc for the during bravery OF two
men. VIII, proved theirseiEe~ the only
truc soldiers out ri a whole company. In
the early part oi tae day Col Claiborne ;
resIucnr VIZ. with the exception OF one
bearing t1c whole brunt OF
~t5eemau's %terrif, on,lau1h,s By =
O'Clock in the afJcrno5 81 the fac body Of
men which that morning formed he
Thtty-sevcnth regiment had bccn re
.i.,i TO a mere handful They had
been deeIm1tcd again and again One
narc attack and not a slua woa.d havc
hraa left. With the best oi their men
either Killed or wounded. and the balance
To succumb with fatigue aud
wounds, there seemed no o>>iOIlity OF
.e~.4pe Tor any une. But suddenly the
missing company appeared on the field,
AND though. even with the enforce
.mentS. the fisht was hopeless, a shout Of
De- lief went up from the wearied aud
bleeding survivors. There was only one
chance f5r them, aul their commander
was quick t. see 1t Ina a flash he had
Icarc.i from his horse, and, calling or
the new arrivals, he shouted Every
ii>mount add follow me y
But at that moment the blue coats OF
Sgaucmans bi2aie appeared oye the
crest of the hill III front, aud the cheers
ufthe Union soldiers were ringing in the
car az the Coufcderates. In vain did
their C4LoneI try To rally them and urge
them IN. The solid line Of steel in front
was too appalling, and almost to 4 man
they broke and fled. 4 second later and
COL Claiborne found himself deserted
by all his men but one. That man was a
rough backwoodsman from North Caro-
iua, whom he had, but a short time be
.pre, taking from the ranks and promo
led to a Captaincy for brave and daring
on the battlefield. His name
was Roberts, and as he pressed close be-
side his commanding officer he shouted:
Phi stay by you, Colonel, if [ lose every
lrop Of blood in my BODY The words
hardly out OF his mouth before he
tell full length on the ground with a
-tie-ball through his chest
The next momen Col. Claiborne was
,Irrounded by the boys ia blue and cap
.urei. He aiterward reported to the
Confederate Government the death of
apt, R5berts, and from that day until
yesterday, exactly twenty years, he has
IeIrl nothing Of the man who aided him
% ils charge on Stoneman's brigade.
Yesterday morning Col. Claiborne,
While looking over his letters, came to
with the postmark. "lsaleish, \.
y addressed in lead pencil to Maj. G.
/. Claiborne, st. Louis. Ga opening it
/ E first thing he saw was the name Capt.
y Il. Roberts. Jumping to his feet he
X,lained to a bystanGer: My God, |
ave got a letter from the dead. | saw
his man shot and killed with nv own
YES at the battle of Murehead, Dec. 81,
SIS, AMI here he is writing t me
The letter, however, explained how
apt. Roberts escaped, and as ali the
.lcuIn. taIces ale SO remarkable, 1t Is
reduced here verbatim
Rttigh. \. c., Dee. 26.-Moj. CIgi
'1r": have been trying to tind cut
our a idrass ever since the war; have
skel hundreds of people about t, and
ave ouly Just succeeded. | believe |
would rather see you and talk to you
haH "a other man on God Almlghty'S
.4rjf. Doyou remember when yourode
Up to M and made me a Captain at the
'att'e OF Orange Courthouse? | was
MY a tarheeI soldier before that, but
when you done what you did | would
lave died for you. Then do you remem-
'cr the fight at Morehead, when you and
started alone to charge Stoneman's
| tell you that fellow Stone
IAN was the worst cuss 10 the whole
alkee army for Us fellows TO tackle.
that d-company Of mine.
the meanest, most cowardly-
ever saw? | tell you they
7eTe the worst God Almighty ever had
hand in making. No decent man
'ould have run off and left you in the
Irch the way they did If they had
.lt like me they would have died, every
- mother son OF them, first.
lou thought | was dead, didn't you?
ell, I'm the healthiest dead man in
.Orth Carolina | got an ugly wound in
rat scrimmage at Morebead, and never
know how II all turned out. bat long
ter you had all gone | came to and
)und Il hoSs there aud managed to get
n To him and ride uatil | found some
lends who took care 81 me and brought
lie out O. *.
Now, Major, | want you to write me a
Dng letter, and tell me all about your
elf and what you are doing. Your true
end,
CAPT T. &. ROBERTS,
l~yerseer al State Prison, Raleigh, y. c.
Capt. Roberts speaks of Col. Claiborne
5 Major, because he first knew him be
re he was made a Colonel. The latter
nj that he should spend most of his
today writing to his old comrade-
t. L5uis GioJe.
Miss Mary Kerr, who lives with her
r. c. Kerr. Esq. assistant
Ipt. OF New Orleans Cotton Exchange.
hey were elected from the city durln.
le Reign of Terror there,) on seeing
le above article wrote Capt. r. a letter
Expressing her warm sympathy and
God wishes. She has lived in n. o.
II erhaps 81 years, but is a genuine
OF the Old North State. and
st year presented five large volumes
War Clippings to Davidson College.
he had previously gwen three large