The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-01
THE KILLING OF GENERAL NELSON.
General Gilbert Intimates that Governor Nor
ton Incidentally Caused His Death.

About the time these divisions were an
nounced Gen. JEFF G. Davis reported to General
Nelson for duty. He was assigned to duty in
the city OF Louisville instead of with the army
OF kentucky. This seems to have offended
DAVIS But General Nelson did not intend thas
ne should have any place in that army, because
he was supposed to be friend of Governar Nor
ton, whose influence Nelson from the very first
resolved to restrict to the narrowest limits
Morton had made trouble in the army of the
Ohio and Nelson was resolved to be on his guard
against him in the Army of Kentucky For
some insolent language addressed to General
Nelson, General Davis was relieved from duty
at Louisville and sent to Cincinnati to report, in
arrest to General Wright, the department. COM
mander
Returning to the subject in the November
issue of the magazine, General Gilbert gives this
account of the killing of Nelson:
In the meantime, on the Goth of September,
at an early hour in the morning, most deplora-
BILE event had occurred. 1t has been mentioned
previously that General Jefferson c. Davis had
reported to General Nelson for duty soon after
the latter assumed command; that almost imme.
diately ill-feeing arose between them, and that
General Davis was eventually placed in arrest
by General Nelson and sent off to Cincinnati
On the arrival of the Army of the Ohio, with
General Davis's old division, he appears to have
returned to Louisville. One of his first acts
was to seek an interview with General Nelson,
accompanied by Governor Morton, with some Of
the members of his staff. Out of the interview
there grew alteration, in which General Da-
Wis shot and killed General Nelson. Major Cole,
of General Nelson's staff has published
count of the killing of his chief, from which the
following extracts are taken:
"'While the work of organizing the new
troops was going on, Brigadier general Jefferson
G. Davis reported for duty to General Nelson.
General Davis was asked if he would organize
the citizens of Louisville if they would volun-
teer for the defense of the city. To this Davis
assented. The order was issued calling for vol
unteers. and General Davis announced his head
quarters at the courthouse, where he would
organize companies, regiments, and brigades liz
the numbers should warrant Four days after
this order of Davis's was issued, General Nelson
asked me how General Davis was progressing I'm
organizing the citizens. My reply thiss
General Davis must be worse, Che was in feeble
health at that time) for he has been sitting on
the heaters most of the time for the last four
days" General Nelson then ordered me to pre-
sent his respects to General Davis, and request
him to report to him (NelsonJ in person. Upon
making Gen. Nelson's wish known to Davis, he
appeared offended, jumped quickly from the
heater upon which he had been sitting and fol-
lowed me to General Nelson's headquarters He
came to the threshold and stopped General
Nelson approached to the door and addressed
General Davis in these words: General Davis,
how are you getting along in organizing the citi-
zens9"
General Davis replied: II am a regrlas
army officer, and will not disgrace myself by
mixing with rabble of citizens"
'Rebuking General Davis for such Ian guage.
General Nelson directed Major Cole to make an
order placing him In arrest. and requiring him
to report at Cincinnati to General Wright, the
department commander
'In%the excitement of the rapidly moving
events, this affair attracted no great notice aud
soon passed out of mind, and when General Davis
returned to Louisville to meet his old divisisa
1T had been almost forgotten, and the tragedy of
the 18th was as unexpected as it was shocking.
What follows is in Major Coles words.
"'About o'clock in the morning I saw Gen.
Davis. who looked pale and was evidently labor
ing under unusual excitement. | Immediately
went down the hall and notified General Nelson
of General Daviss arrival. He (Nelson) had
just come out of his room for breakfast, and
passed into the dining-room by the ladies' pas-
sage way. While he was at breakfast was i'm
his room making notes of my nights inspection
of picket posts, and when l went out to the Office
! saw Governor Morton and staff standing In
line fronting the Office. General Nelson came
out OF the dining room, and seeing this party.
boldly walked in front of them. When he had
reached the center, General Davis suddenly
stepped around from the left and met Nelson,
and In loud and naughty tones said: General
Nelson, l want to know why you disgraced me-
by placing me N arrestp To this insolent de-
mand General Nelson Numbered out do you
know who you talking to- sir2" Davis re-
piled sneeringly, Eyes, Bill Nelson!' Whereupon
Nelson slapped Davis with thepalm and back of
his hand on either side of his face, and at the
same time applying to him an opprobrious
epithet.
AFTER this, Davis walked back to the left
and as he turned said tc General Nelson "I
will see you again." and then went over to the
door of the bar room and spoke to a gentleman
there, and then turned and went toward the
dning-rooin, and Immediately returned with a
pistol in his hand, examining its action, and
followed General Nelson rapidly, and shot him
In the breast inflicting mortal wound. General
Nelson lived only about thirty minutes, but he
had strength sufficient to go up fight of stairs
and reach General Buelrs room, where he
breathed his last He was not armed at the
time he was shot-his pistols were at the time
lying on the mante piece in his room. and were
there found by his aide-de-camp to have remained
undsturbed. General Davis was immediately
placed in arrest, and the provost guard
was ordered to the hotel to prevent ex-
cited officers and soldiers from acts
of violence, About twenty minutes
after General Nelson's death. Governor Morton,
with his family left the hotel and drove to the
cars. and left for Indianapolis But for quar-
rel which existed between Morton and Nelson,
growing out of the formers autocratic methods
in filling the quotas of Indiana regiments and
interfering in their assignments. there would
have been no disagreement between the two
generals that might not have been readily adj
justedin the usual official course of reference to
common superior of all matters in dispute or
under complaint
''In the death of General Nelson the Union
cause lost an able officer At the time when
all were growing, he grew most rapidly.
When he came to Louisville, late IN
the fall of 1861, his ideas of army
administration were of the very crudest. LIN
the month of May, 1862, when nearing
Corinth, he did not understand that in drawing
up his division in line of battle inequalities OF
the ground must govern the disposition of tho
brigades and their formation. In the month of
August, the same year, when en- route from
Louisville to Richmond, he was in the dark as
to why concentration of all his forces at or
near Danville would cover Louisville and the
railroad. and at the same time protect Cincin-
natl. Yet in every one of these cases it required
only clear presentation to find him grasping
the whole subject with cearness of thought
that argued the born soldier. His perception OF
details and powers of generalization were ex-
ceptional; coupled with these was resolute aud
sef-reliant character that marked him out Tor
the exercise of separate command"