Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-03-31
BARLOW AND GORDON
THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL AND TBR
DYING FEDERAL AT GETTYSBURG.
His Wifes Letters-SoOihing an Ensmy's Last
Eonsns-Dramstc Meeting Twelve
Years Later.


wounded Union general as be Jay prone
upon his back in a clover field on the out
skirts Of Gettysburg, on the evening Of the
lst OF July, 1863. The tide Of battle had
swept over him and the combat raged in
the village beyond. He had been shot
down as the troops fell back and run over
by the advancing COnfederates. lieu
tenant Of Georgia regiment, noticing that
be was a general officer, stopped for a mo-
ment in the rush to raise the wounded
generals head and place under il KNAPP
sack be found near At hand.
On tie first days fight General Frank G.
Barlow, whose achievements with the old
Second Corps had made him famous, was
commanding division Of the + eyenth
Corpse on the extreme hight Of the q aion
line. General J. b. Gordon. now Govern
OF Of Georgia, was approaching tho field
from the direction o. York Il vas his
unexpected and RELENTLESS attacP that
pushed the Eleventh Corps into Gettys-
burg, and even before his troops were
durg against the L lion lice Barlow had
been wounded.
Following hard upon the rush Of his
victorious troops, Gordon jumped the fence
INFO o cover field which lay IN bic path.
His hOr-e caught the pr5urd within a few
feet Of the PROSTATE body Of what be sup
DO ed to be a dead Union soldier An
other end closer glance told him that it
ives clad in the uniform Of general officer
He quickly dismountCd and tenderly
raised the head Of the stricken man to see
If he were dead or only disabled.
"Shot through the body" he said 10
himself Poor fellow, his time has sure
ly come" And, as be raised him, Barlow
asked again for water. Giving him the
canteeD, Gordon asked:
SIS there nothing more I can DC? l DO
not intend to leave you yet"
The wounded man was silent q moment
YES" said he; sin my inside cost
packet you will find package of letters
They are from my wife. Read me the first
one."
Gordon took cut the letter. 1t vas the
latest received and spoke Of the faithful
wife's hope Of meeting her husband on the
field. Gordon carefully read it to the ap-
paren,ly dying soldier. The surrounds g
combined tosdd hundred pathetic touches
to the loving lines, crowded with express
siOns Of devotion and WOmanly tenderness.
/ ftnr1rr,f3 gtra xuoofhar he
face water from the springs of warm
heart welled out through his eyes as he
read, and the shouts of victory csme back
to him on the summer wind from his
troops far beyond him, as if in approval Of
his merciful oct.
As be finished reading, both soldiers
looked at each other s. minute in silence
Barlow broke the spell
Nov destroy them ALL" said be,
family.
Oae by one General Gordon tore them to
pieces and cast them to the winds. It was
the last service he could perform for his
dying enemy. A siretcher was at hand in
charge of Major Pitzer. now living al
Salem, Va, and as Gordon saw Barlow
lifted upon it be babe him goodbye snd
rode off with the half audible exclamation
'How tirrible are the tragedies Of war n'
a fe9 minutes later and he was in The
white heat OF battle sgsin. But before ht
left Barlow's side he had given a promise
that the WOanded Officer's wife, then on
her way to Meade's headquarters, should
be told of her husbands injury and given
permission to come through the lines with
a flag of truca Little did Gordon think
az he gave it that the poor wife would find
her husband living.
During the night the work Of prepare.
ton for tO.morrow's battle went on. Tee
lines of the two forces were so close 10
geiher that conversation among the mer
could easily be beard Gordon was busy
along the lines until past midnight befor.
he sat down under a big tree and leanir g
back against its ample trunk was soon ia
a dee. He had slept but a short time
when a stan officer rode up, dismounted
aud shook him into consciousness.
General" said he, there is a lady or
the lines under a Alg Of truce. Has she
your permission to come in and see her hus.
band who was wounded to day."
"Yea it is General Barlow's wife," re-
piled Gordon. For a few seconds De wae
silent, rs if trying to decide row 10 act
| The remarkable scene in the clover field
had almost unnamed him. A personal
meeting with the wife would be still more
affecting He quickly decided, and said to
his staff Officer:
"Return at once to Mrs. Barlow and
escort her to the field hospital near the
stream we crossed this afternoon when
making our attack. There she will find
the body of her husband. Do not leave
her so long as che requires your assistance,
and make her as comfortable as possible"
Gordon fell asleep again, but was soon
awakened for duty on the line, and the
stern exactions of another battle drove al
else from the Confederate commanders
mind.
Meanwhile Barlow WIGS lying in the hos
pital. After Gordon had left him TO join
his command Major Piizar had obsyed his
chiefs orders to make the +, dersl general
"a comfortable as possible" Instead OF
taking him TO the shelter Of the woods, he
was carried further away and placed with
other officers in a brick house beyond the
creek. Thus, when Mrs Barlow, under
the escort Of General G.rdon'e staff officer,
WIS searching for him, he vas not at the
place designated nor could anyone tell him
where such an officer could be found. For
several hours they searched, but FILLING TO
pct any Information as TO the location Of
the wounded general, Mrs. BarloV return
I'd to the Union lines freighted with a des-
perats uncertainty as to her husbands
tate. Barlow remained in the hospital
until the late morning Of the second days
battle. when he said 10 the surgeons:
'Ycu have been very kind 20 me, bat /
should prefer 10 be with nv own people in
the village il l could be taken there. ~
He was placed in an ambulance and Sc
commanded by General Won elisa, whose