Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-06-21
KILLED DURING A TRUCE
The Wars Last Victims in the Army
of the Potomac.
Two Ohio Cavalry Men Who Challeng-
ed Death ON the Morning of the
Surrender at Appomatox.

Surrender at App0matox.
! Lee was at Appomatox! The grand
Armies of the Potomac and Northern
virginia that for four and half years
mad borne the brunt of the battles of the
great rebellion were for the last time
lace to face. The one with banners fly
ing, bands playing and soldiers cheering.
The other with flags furled, silent drums
ana quiet and moody heroes, but all with
their cannon loaded, bayonets fixed and
cartridge boxes filed, lying on their arms
awaiting orders. Was it to be peace or
war; Life, love, hope and home or an
other season of glory and the graves
These, and Kindred questions, were the
thoughts that agitated eacn soldiers
hesrt.
Only those who served in Que of these
two grand armies Can understand the
intense anxiety % the hour. Each army
was composed of men who had learned
how to face death, but not how to be
conquered. From Gettysburg to Five
Forks, 1ncloslng Washington and Rich
mond In one vast graveyard, they had
met face to face and given blow for blow,
each In Its turn worsted and driven reel
ing and staggering back, but neither
ever defeated. Now, like two painting
gladiators, they stood in the midst of
the arena, with a world for an audience,
awaiting an order which each knew must
be final.
The Army of Northern Virginia, on the
morning of that ever memorable 9th of
April, had Lee given the command, would
have again given blow for blow, and
closed its history with humiliation rather
than surrender. If the one was to lay
down its arms in submission each man
would feel soldiers pride in duty well
performed, and the conquerors could
| only view the scene with a sigh of regret
that
RIGHT AND JUSTICE
made such an ending necessary.
On this historical morning the extreme
left of the Army of the Potomac was
covered by the First Brigade, Third
(Custer's) Cavalry Division. From the
morning it marched from Camp Russell,
near Winchester, Va, then nearly two
months, until that hour, it had been con-
tlnuously In the saddle. This brigade
was composed of the oldest veteran
cavalry regiments in the department., viz,
the Second New YORK, Second Connecti-
cut, Third New Jersey, Second Ohio and
First Vermont-all organizations of the
early days of 1861. The troopers had
served In the campaigns of Mcclellan,
Hooker, Burnside, Pope, Meade and
Grant on the Potomac, and curing the
last campaign had ridden with Sheridan
on the fields of Wincnester, Fishers Hill,
Cedar Greek, Five Forks and Sailors
Creek, and only the preceding night had
charged and captured the Gepots and
military stores at Appomattox. Now
they were once more mounted and in line
awaiting orders for the closing action of
their military record. What would the
command be? How would the negotia-
tions they knew to be in progress in the
little hamlet of Appomattox terminate?
To the southwark, and at a distance of
but few hundred yards, the Confederate
troops were in line, while in front of the
evergreens, which hid their number from
view, hoatcd
THE WHITE FLAG OF PEACE,
telling in its mute gatherings to the breeze
the story of a possible submission to the
inevitable.
At this hour, when the hearts Of most
of the men In each command were filled
with SO many conflicting emotions, two
men in the Second Ohio Cavalry were
preparing to pour out their blood as the
last libation of the Army of the Potomac
in the great war of the rebellion. These
men were Orderly Sergeant Benjamin
Weary, of Company A, and private in
his command Sergeant Weary was one
of the original members of his company,
had served in eleven of the seeded States
and seventy odd engageme nts. He was
the model of perfect soldier, as brave
as lion and as warm hearted and affeo-
tionate as child. Every man in his
regiment knew him, and all admired him.
He was the last man in the command who
would be suspected of an unworthy ac-
tiOn or deemed capable of insulting a
fallen foe. His conduct up to the hour of
his death had stood unbroken the test of
the severest discl pllne, but now he was
about to mar and tlast il all. During the
night private in his company had OBJ
tanned a canteen of whisky, and prevailed
on the Sergeant TO share it with him.
From this foundation, while the two ar
mics were facing each other, they were to
witness the most useless sacrifice of their
military history.
It was about nine in the morning when
Sergeant Weary and bis companion sad
denly rode to the front, and before those
In the line could realize what they con-
tenn plated they galloped over the green
sod until they were within few PAGES of
the flag of truce and the line of ever
greens covering the Confederate front,
where they reined in their horses, drew
their sabeTs and called out:
You I'D rebels, throw down your
arms and surrender"
This command, so like that of Major
Pitcairn on the green at Lexington nine
ty years before, met with like esponse.
tents, the horses plunged forward, the
men
PIERCED BY SCORE oE BULLETS
reeled in their saddles and fell to the
ground while the steeds wheeled and gal
loped back riderless to their command.
1t was an awful and MON entous instant
of time. Each trooper gras ped his saber
and eagerly awaited the command "For-
wardp' The rebel stood to his guns ready
to resist an attack. For a moment the
work being performed by Grant and Lee
at Appomattox was in danger of being
undone and aughter and ruin prevail
over field they were arranging to make
historical as the cradle of a newborn
peace. The cheeks of the officers blanch-
ed, there was brief struggle between de-
sire and duty, and the latter conquered.
The order was not given and the consum-
nation of great crime was prevented.
A few minutes later a mounted courier
galloped along the line conveying the It'd
ings of the surrender. The troopers,
with wild cheer, which met with no re-