The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-02-26
Whn Killed A. p. HILL

To THE EDITOR: In your valuable paper of
Dec. IL, 1884, notice an article by Corp. Cyrus
Spore Co. E, 5th Wis The Corporal. in giving
an account of the operations OF his command
First Division, Sixth Corps-at Petersburg, Va,
April 2, 1865. and in telling about the fighting
at and near Confederate Fort Gregg, SAYS: IAN
incident here is worthy of note. Gen. A. Z.
Hill, fresh from Gen. Lee, had ridden down to
this fort with his staff, and given orders to hold
out to the last moment. Just at this juncture
Hill received fatal shot from one of our sharp
shooters" Now, | was witness of the fighting
at this fort, and my recolectons are, that the
fort was taken by Gen. Gibbons Division late
on the evening of the I'd, and that Gen. Hill
was killed early in the afternoon of that day,
and one or two miles farther to the right (our
left of the line
Harper's History of the Great Rebellion. page
1862, Vol. IL, gives the manner of Hills death,
as follows: Lee with Hill and Malone was
within the city, listening to the noise of battle
on every side. and endeavorng from it to Judge
how the fight was going, and to decide upon
what remained to be done. The reports grew
momentarily nearer and nearer. How is this
General - exclaimed Lee to Hill; your men
are giving wayn Hill, buttOning around him
a rough citizens coat, upon the shoulders of
which were only the stars of Colonel, and, ac-
companied by single Orderly, rode out to re-
connoter In wooded ravine he came upon
half dozen soldiers in blue Federal uniforms.
They had penetrated in advance of their COM
rades Hill ordered them to surrender. For
an instant they were COMPOUNDED by the very
audacity of the demand. The next moment
their answer was given from their rifles, and
Hill fell dead from his horse"
l have one Confederate authority which
says: "Gen. Hill was killed by sharpshooters
belonging to Gen. Ord's command Another
Confederate officer gives substantially the same
account OF the affair as given below in Gen j.
w. Keifer's official report. The only difference
being, the Confederate officer says there were
four soldiers in the party, and that two of them
did surrender, while the other two fired and
killed Hill.
Gen. j. Warren Keifer on that day COM
manded the Second Brigade Third Division
Sixth Corps; the brigade being made up as
follows: 9th and I35th Pa; 10th, 122d and
10th Ohio; 9th Md. and 9th n. Y. III. A, then
acting as infantry. Iquote from Gen. keifer's
official report of the BATTLE :" A portion of the
I22d Ohio and 133th Pa, after crossing the
enemy's Notifications, continued directly for
ward across the Boydt0n plank road to camp
of the enemy some distance in the rear of the
Notifications, where they captured large num-
Der of prisoners. Some of the troops continued
as far to the northward as the Southside
Railroad, and destroyed the telegraph and
tore up the rails on the railroad. Upon
their return Corp John W. Monk and Private
Ddnlel NOlIOEu, Oh 20. L, 10CIn Ia, became
separated from the other troops. Two mounted
men, with pistols in their hands, rode up On
them and demanded their surrender, which
was refused. The mounted men told them that
other troops were coming upon them. The
Corporal and private deliberately fired upon
them, the Corporal killing one and the other
escaping. The Corporal and his comraie. fear
ing that others of the enemy were at hand,
retreated to the main body of troops. From
the manner in which it is known that Lieut..
Gen. A. Z. Hill was killed, there can be no
doubt that the Corporal killed him. One of
Gen. Hills staff officers, who was near him
when he was killed, and locates the place of
his death where the Corporal related he had
shot an officer, before the death of Gen Hill
was known to him.
From the foregoing facts. / think it is certain
that Gen. Hill was not killed by sharpshootcrs,
but by soldiers of the line; Also that he was
killed early in the morning. and not at the
time of the fighting at the little FORTS" as de-
scribed by Comrade Spore. l think the fort
described by the Corporal as holding out
tenaciously" was not garrisoned by South
Carolnians but by mixed command of many
regiments from the extremes OF the Confeder-
acy, commanded by Capt Chew of Maryland.
If Corp Monk or Comrade N'olford, or either
of them, are living, will they not come to the
front and tell us what they know?-R. B. Nc
COLLUf, First SeFg't, Co. G, 10th Ohio, South
Charleston Ohio