The National tribune., 1891-10-15
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns
WHO WAS HEP
An Unknown Cayalpm8u Killed at AnpomattoN
ns the Mhilc Flag Anncarod.

An Unknown Cayalrsmiu Killed at App0mattON
~ thc White Flag Appeared.
EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: IN letter TO
"The Cauuoncor" early last year IN discussing
tho situation at APPROXIMATION Courthouse on the
9th 81 April. lsG5, incidentally mentioned
the circumstance that the last man Killed was
Lieut.. Hiram Clark, of my regiment loJth n
" who was shot through the body 10y an uhcA.
plodcd shell after the white flag Had appeared
in our front My letter WAS printed M your
paper Of May Is, 1890 I soon after received a
letter from Rev r. 4. Mcbride, OF SENECA,
Kan who WAS "A member al the l9Oih Ia'
claiming The sad distinction Tor an UNKNOWN
cayalvman who fell iu with his regiment ana
was L He'd near the village alter the wIlte nag
had appeared. Mr. Mcl}rde's letter has led 70
very interesting correspondence; but u ls not
my purpose la this present letter 10 discuss the
quest ION of preccdeuCe-the two events were
certainly quite near together iH point OF time
but 10 PROFOUND the rather dlihcult query,
q" Who WAS he"
Mr.. Mcbride in one Of his letters says The
man belonged To a cavalry force which we
found fighting and relieved. His comrades
moved toward thureht, but for some reason he
remained Wiih us witnessed our attack, -ln fact
ioiuc# in H. This Col. pattee commanding
the lg0th) informed me q few years since by
letter. J did not notice him until just before
he was shot, nor did j note The regiment TO
which he belonged
In a subsequent letter Mr. Mcbride writes;
"In order 10 fx the location of the occurrence
will quote from the letter written me by Col.
Putce: gained tho presence OF the enemy
aud relieved the cavalry "a few OF whom re-
manned with Us till the close OF the batte) be-
fore the troops on my TANKS were got into posi-
ton j coeld not hesitate without giving the
enemy a dangerous advantage. So we pushed
forward and kept the lead to the close. We
drove the infantry back upon their artillery
which lined tho crest OF the long ridge over
which the lyuCbhurg road runs. When my
lne approached the sluping ground, which
stretched long way mp 10 the battery, where
the enemy were endcavOTing 10 ioun their IN
fautry iH line, 4 thnncd my exposed center
placing them on my loft in the heavy Timber
and pushed that flank forward more rapidly,
thus turning the flank OF the enemys artillery,
which, however, kept It's position until their
commander was killed and their horses SO
shot down that they were obliged to run back
their guns by hand. They were soon mixed
pell-mell with my charging sldrmish-line,
when the Gag OF truce came forward from the
village. This was a grand affair, and some Of
the rebel officers with whom j congelsed spoke
IN the highest terms Of The splendid and Icck-
less manner in which this line OF skirmishcrs
fairly rushed upon the masses OF the enemy,
composed ui both artillery and infantry, The
last man killed in our army was a brave cav
q
fight Ue sat on his horse only "A few feet from
me aud was shot from the village after we had
ceased firing aud just after the flag of truce
passed through our line. Poor fellow IL seemed
hard to die So after the war WAS really closed.
The bail struck the artery Of the thigh; so j
suppose be died soon after ] saw him last
Alter speaking Of the appearance Of the white
flag, Mr Mcbride continues: We ceased fir
ing when few minutes later some men 10 the
lefI OF the village lour left fired AZ Us aud we
replied and advanced toward them. Then fol-
lowed thc occurrence as narrated ia my former
letter. The shot was not fired from tic village,
but from the left OF il. The man died in a few
minutes, though it seems thai Col. Patee did
not witness his DEATH"
Upon d diagram OF the field which Mr. Nc
Bride subsequently, sent me IL appears that the
cavalry CleIIua 10 were relieved II refer now
20 the War Department map OF APPROXIMATION
Courthouse no point near Plain Run, aud a
little northeast OF the Trent House. The man
was killed Just north OF the Lyuchburg road,
in the west edge Of the village, about opposite
the road leading north from the J. Sears House.
The l90th Pa. was ia the Third Brigade, Sec
oud Division, Fifth Corps.
Now the question is What cavalry regiment
was relieved by this brigade at the point men-
toned, and who was this unknown hero who
fell la YIth the infantry to sec the fight TO
hnish7
know that these are rather impossible CO.
nundrums to PROFOUND az this late date; but
certainly. considering the circumstances that
this man may possibly have been tHo last killed
before the surrender hc shouid, IL possible he
identified aud given an honorable place ia the
record.
Two cavalry TePimeuts-tlIo Ist Me- and a
New Jersey regmcnt-had men killed and
MORALLY wounded the former seven. the latter
One en tie morning of the 9th. Whether this
particular man was one OF these Is unknown.
ID is quite likely, from b leaving his own regi-
ment aud falling iu with au entirely different
organization. that the poor fellow may have
been returned as missing in action" aud his
actual fate may be unknown 10 bis comrades
Aud il is this fact thai has kept this hero 70
long uuHOticed, the manner OF his death pre-.
served only iH the memories OF men with whom
he was associated but for brief h0ur-H. W.
CLARKE Secretary lcJth n. J. Veteran Asso
citation. Syracuse, n. Y.