The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-03-11
THE LATE COL. G. {. TEW.
rIIE FIRST COM hI>SIONED OIFI-
ORR FROM '. &. IN THE W AR.
Doubt Made "a Certainty After Twcn-
t-Ihrcc Year, of Waiting and Auk-

Fasg Confederate OfHccrS 1cIl during tht
war whose Death or subsequent fate, was
s. :, matter OF such agonzng uncertainty aa
d that Of the gallant and lanented Col.
Charles Courteney Tew, Of the Second
North Carolina Regiment.
tul lew, althO' Il native of the Palmetto
State had made his home IN HlllaDoro,
NorJH Carolina, for several years prtpr -
The breaking out of the war, and lmmedI-
.lclE upon the secession of the State. hc
1 lrcd his sword to Gov. Ellis, ana WAS
+. DcleNcJ the first officer commissioned by
,urth Carolina. He was stationed Tor Il
cane Al Fort Macon and then asking Tor
Held -ervIce-(a cat least that is my recOliec-
ton of it, was given the command Of the
coud North Carolina Regiment and sent
tD EIrgInla. AT the battle Of SharpSburg
~,pt. 1862 Col, Tew was reported among
he .Iiled, but as his body was not rccov-
erred. and none of our men saw nina die,
ut once AROSE tissue Of conflicting stories,
which were kept alive III an unaccOunt-
able manner, until the fact of his death
was a matter impossible to establish, and
inc,s,ant rumors Of his being alive were
started from time to time to the agony Of
his family, who were kept vibrating be
tween hope and despair. One of the most
U cruel results of this uncertainty was
8 brought about by "a wretch calling himself
8 Wallace, who came here in the spring Of
8 So. ana visited Mrs. Tew, who, with her
u three little children resided near town.
Wallace (Who wts Yankee as ii after
81 wards proved represented himself an
d escaped Confederate prisoner from Dey
u lortugaS, where he had made the acqualnt-
q auce OF Col. Tew, who was serving HE
8 sentence on the Island, and was employed
81 in the AK factory
The Scoundlel had been in Columbia, ;.
8 c., Col. Tew's former home while Com
& mandant of the Arsenal, and had fully
d posted himself about the Colonels history
q and antecedentS
He told his tale 50 smoothly and pleas
antly, that hope Sprang up once more alive
# and eager He Swore to his statement be-
g fore magistrate, entered into details,
g gave dates, Names references, and receiv
q ing purse Of something over one hundred
81 dollars for his own necessities from sym
s. pdthIzing pubic, left to pursue his lnfa
81 nous ghoul-like traffic in other Southern
# cities.
81 The friends of Mrs Tew put themselves
g to infinite trouble and expense in going to
g all the points mentioned by Wallace in
81 search of the evidence Of his story.
While Col. TeW's father an old man i'm
81 poyerished and broken by the war, tray
81 elcd to Washington, obtained official per
mission to visit the prison at Dey Tortugas
and search for his son. He Went and
searched with all fathers SCI clutiniZing
care and diligence.
Not one single item in "Wallace' sworn
Statement was true, not even to the eXls-
tence Of the AK factory in which he said
the Colonel was employed!
Poor old man the blow broke his heart
and he lovely gentle wife, what OF her
sutferngs What of the agony of uncer-
tainty which were now laid to rest again
nm = h4 fai fp1 hpart sod n heat
the year of 1870.
and now nearly a quarter of a century
after the battle was fought III which the
gallant and fearless spirit passed away, at
last the long doubt is settled by the fol-
loViug letter which was written to one of
Col Iews daughters by a Union soldier
who is employed in the War Department
III Washington, and which will be read
with especial interest by all the survivors
of the gallant Second North Carolina Reg
ziment.
Nv AsHlNGToN, ID. c., Dec. 10, 1885.
"MADAME:-In a conversation with Mr..
Grandv | mentioned the fact that | would
b. pleased to have the address OF the late
Col. c. G. Tew, of South Carolina. This
he kindly furnished me some weeks ago.
have made many inquiries on former oc-
casions, and met with no success.
The purpose for which this lnforma-
mon " dS sought W DIS " Stdtc tllC Id1lS VI
his wounds and death; for in the position
where your fathers regiment was engaged
they were all either killed or mortally
Wounded.
This position lies on the north side of
Andetam Greek, at the angle of the road,
and III front of the corn field. 1t is termed
Bloody Lane, and the distance is about
20O yards from the farm house and barn,
which was used as the second Corps
II no Il, e, 4
to was where your father was mortally
Wounded the bullet striking him on the
left temple, passing through the head, and
@coming out at the right temple, dislodg
ing the eyes from their sockets. He was
Sitting up with his back against the en-
bankment, Gas this was a deep cut road
Or ane). | think that he was unconscious
OF what was going on around hlm, anC
know that it was impossible for him tC
live more than an hour or SO at most. H(
vas sensible enough to hold tight grasI
upon his sword, which we We're very anx
ious to secure, and which was taken from
him by my company, as also his waist bel
and scabDard i"
IF my memory serves me right The
bcabbard bears the following incription
- Presented to Capt. c. c. Tew by the
arsenal Cadets of South Carolina.
1t is now % years since | have seen it
y SilpuItl Ilht IL IL NtlC III NY power " IL
turn it to you. 1t is now in the possession
of the company, or the few left Of them
intend to visit my home at our next an
nual re union and will request its return
tO YOU And at the same time will com
nuncate with my comrades in relation t.
the subject | have thought this matte
Over many times, and felt it my duty t
acquaint his family of his wounds ant
death. Very respectfully, JOHN FINN.
This statement agrees substantially Will
tfat made by another yankee, name'
Loehe, some years ago; and 1t IS to b
hoped in the apparent era of good feelln!
and frIendllnesS that seems to obtain be
tween the late combatants that the swort
of this gallant gentleman will be returned
20 his children
Speaking of Col Tew, Gen. (now Judge
ershaw, of South Carolina said: ''Tha
Young man had true military genius.
PAD been thrown very little with him, bu
kneW him favorably as the Colonel of th
Second Regt. n. c. Volunteers. We wer
associated only once ON the field. 1t wa
81 the Malvern Hill fight There had beel
some confusion in planning that attack
end while was standing with my brigade
Faitlng for orders, an Adjutant Genera
kode up, and sweeping his sword arount
4bout one-thlrd of the horizon. said mus
go IN there" | fixed on about the mid
4. /