Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-09-10
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
CURIOUS WAR RELIc.
A Vest Stained With the Blood of the First
Federal Oficer Shot in Battle.

Federal Omcer Shot in Battle.
Col B. f. Hawkes., of the pension
Office, possesses curious memento of
the first bloodshed of the civil war. 1t
is the first blood drawn from the veins
of federal officer by confederate fire.
Talking about war times the other
day Col Hawkes. took the paper from a
| little bundle he carried and held up for
inspection low-cut gray vest, of sort
of pepper and salt" pattern, bound
about the edges with brown silk cord
and ornamented with buttons that
looked like bullets. 1t had been gar
ment of civilian before the war On
the side, a little forward of the arm
hole, was a ragged hole about the size
of mans thumb Below this a dark
stain ran down, spreading until it cover
ed nearly all one side of the vest. On the
inside this stain colored the entire lin
ing of the vest The garment was
soaked with blood that had dried into
it and stiffened it like rawhide.
THAT, said Col. Hawkes., sis relic
of the first blood shed of the civil war.
The vest was worn by Gen. then Col.
b. f. Kelley, who commanded at the
battle of Phillippi the first battle of
the war, and who was the first officer
on the federal side to receive a wound.
The ball, fired in a volley of the rear
guard of the retreating confederates,
entered where you see that hole, passed
through the generals lungs and came
out just below the shoulder blade.
was his adjutant and was with him
there. When we saw him lying with
the blood squirting from the wound as
if forced out with pump, no one ex-
pected him to live more than a few
minutes.
The surgeons at the hospital pro
nounced the wound mortal, and it was
so reported to Gen. Mcclellan, but the
general never left the front, and in less
than sixty days was again in command.
He is now eighty-four years old, and,
as he was the first officer to
fall in the cause of the Union. he win
be among the last of the brave generals |
TO pass away"
Gen Kelley commanded the first fed I
eral troops who marched on confeder- /
ate soil. He took command of the first I
regiment raised in Western Virginia on 4
the 25th of May, 1861, and few days /
later marched against the confederates
under Porterfield The struggle then I
was to prevent the people of that see
ton from entering the confederacy, and
out of it grew the state OF West Vir-
ginia. kelley's troops were without
uniform and equipment, and were
armed with any sort of guns, knives,
and pistols they could get Some had
rifles, some muslets. and some shot
guns. The generals only uniform was
his outer coat The confederates
against whom he was eontending were
1t one hour in the field blowing and at
he next mounted on their pillow horses
n the ranks of Col Porterfeld and
hen again they were at their plows as
tillers Of the soil
At four o'clock on the Sd Of June.
SCI, Col. Kelley, supported by Indiana
md Ohio regiments. made an attack on
he confederates at Philiippi, driving ,
hem from their position in confusion. +,
hus beginning the actual fighting of /
lie war After this he was made brig +,
ard his operations in
vest NAIElilid uNk'AHE the rest OF the
var were of great service to the gov
rnment and won for him high com
nendation. At the battle Of Romney, I
where most important victory was
von. he commanded his troops from a &
arriage, being not yet sufficiently re- I
overed from his wound to ride horse. J
liter the war he held a position in the y
ension Office at Washington until he
OF to be seventy-eight years old and c
atired from active life. Since then he '
as divided his time between Washing
IN and his country place, Swan Mead
ws, near Oakland. Md. He is now so
ID and feeble that his death is expect /
1 at any time, but his mind Is as clear e
nd vigorous as ever The military spir- :
still remains with him, and he is I
alSing slow and orderly retreat be- I
IRE the Great Destroyer N. Y. Com
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