The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-08-04
LOUIS WALKERS CLAIM.
He Captured Speaker Crisp and Saved a Pan
of Shcrmans Army.

| He Captured Speaker Crisp and Saved a Part
| of Sherman's Army.
| Comrade Lous Walker of Co X, 47th Ohio,
| who now lives in Cincinnati, o., was in Wash
| ngton last week and called at the Office of
| THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, where he told the
following story:
His regiment was attached to the Second
| Brigade, Second Division. Fifteenth Army
| Corps, and it was while encamped at Macon,
| Ga, that he prevented disastrous attack upon
| the left flank of Sherman's army by the capture
| of a prisoner, upon whose person was found
dispatch detailing the plan of attack.
Walker states that he was out foraging early
| one morning q couple of miles from Macon,
when he rode up to cabin door, and STOPPING
| from his horse, saw young girl talking to some
| one through an open window on the opposite
| side of the house. The sound of the horses
hoofs attracted the girls attention. and she
| turned toward the door. and, seeing the SOL
| der, warned him in frightened, agtated tones
| to leave. but before the rider could understand
| the situation youthful rebel soldier rushed
| around the house and was upon him. Walker
| succeeded in capturing the boy, who seemed
to be about 10 years of age, and it was In his
| pocket the dispatch from Gen. Hardee to Gen.
| Wheeler was found.
| The prisoner captured on that occasion was
no other than Crisp, present Speaker of the
| House of Representatives, and the girl to whom
| he was talking is now his wife.
After the war Walker began to make efforts
| to secure the reward to which he thought him.
| self entitled, but has been unable to do so. He
| says that he appealed to Gen. Sherman once
| when visiting Cincinnati, but the latter, after
listening to Walkers story, simply said as he
| turned away: "The Army OF the Tennessee
was full of incidents like that. Goodby."
| Comrade Walker now says to Uncle Sam, and
he is in Washington for this purpose: have
little claim against you. L should like to
have you look up the matter and see ii it Is not
all right | claim this-that | saved Sherman's
| army on the march to the sea, especially the
| Army of the Cumberland, and all the colored
people who had left the plantations and were
| following the army, men, women, and chill
| dren; private soldier who accomplished one
of the noblest and luckiest deeds done dur
| ing the entire war, on Sherman's march to the
sea, twenty eight years ago. by capturing
dispatch carrier, from the enemy, at Macon,
Ga, which sent by Gen. Hardee and in
| tended for Gen. Wheeler, ordering Gen.
| Wheeler to fall upon Gen. Shermans left
| wing or the Army of the Cumberland This
dispatch l captured. reached point between
| Macon and Gen. Wheelers camp, and while
endeavoring to get information from lady as
| to how far / was from Macon was prevented
from asking such question, because as soon as
| she saw me- she asked me if / WAS Yank, and,
| ifso, she advised me get away from there; atthe
same time the dispatch carrier appeared along
side Of the house, and at first l thought he was
an officer in charge of squad to capture me.
but, as luck would have it, my horse moved to-
wards the right, and when / saw he was alone
| leveled my gun at him, and he was mine.
Then we rode back over small hill, through a
cornted up to the road which l had left. |
got Off my horse to throw down the fence for
US to pass through. l noticed then in his
belt large envelope, which he was endcavor-
| ing to hide with his blanket. / took it and
pal ad m hat Ia m
dispatch from Gen. Hardee to Gen. Wheeler
! then asl, ed him, I" Did You not see me at the
house?" He answered, II saw you riding
from the hillside to the house. l mistook you
for one of our men," When we got into the
| road he asked me to stop. He said he was not
a soldier, he was citizen boy, and that his
father lived only about two miles away, and
that if l would go there with him l should
have as much money as l wanted. / said,
| "Tel that to our General" We then rode into
camp as fast our horses could go. Knowing
that this was an important matter, was looking
for the General, and met Gen. Osterhaus stand
ing in front of our division. [ took the dis
patch from my haversack and handed it to Gen.
Osterhaus. He asked me. Where did you
| capture him?" / told him he had better ask
the prisoner, because he knew better than /
did. When the General failed to ask my name,
or to what company belonged, asked him if
| might be allowed to have the prisoners horse.
}
| dismounted, and took the horse to my COM
pany When Gen. Sherman received this dis
| patch from Gen. Osterhaus, warning him of the
! intended movement of Gen. Wheeler, he
dered Gen. Fitzpatrick, with his three brigades
of cavalry, back to Mlledgevile, distance Of
| thirty-two miles, to hold the main road leading
to Augusta. When the rear of Kilpatrick's
men had arrived at Milledgeville and thrown
up temporary works Gen. Wheeler appeared.
| Then that fearful struggle commenced between
| Fitzpatrick and Wheeler-six days and six
nights in the saddle. Every extra horse had to
be knocked in the head. When they arrived
! within about three miles of the Army of the
| Cumberland the Fourteenth and Twentieth
| Army Corps Gen. Slocum in command, Wheeler
| had Fitzpatrick surrounded. Gen. Fitzpatrick
| then sent up hundreds of rockets. When Gen.
| Slocum discovered this he ordered division Of
| the Fourteenth Army Corps back at double
| quick time to assist Gen. Fitzpatrick out of his
| predicament. At the same time portion of
| Wheeler's command flashed upon the rear of
| one of our divisions and over one hundred col
ored people and soldiers were lying in the road,
| dead. Now, consider what mi ght have occurred
if had not captured this dispatch. What does
| President Harrison say to this? He was then
commanding brigade in the Twentieth Army
| Corps
The comrade has letters from Gen. Sherman;
| Col. w. S. Jones, who commanded the brigade
| to which his regiment was attached; Gen.
| Henry w. Socum, Hon. Ben Butterworth
| Hon John A. Caldwell, Judge w. III. Taft and
Others regarding his claim, which he hopes
| will be allowed by the Government. He also
| says: II never kept any record of the occur
| renee described, but to the best of my recol-
| lection the capture occurred Nov. "a, 1864 be-
| tween 8 aud a. M, and the prisoner and dis
| patch were in Gen. Osterhauss possession at 9
| o'clock and at 10 o'clock the same morning
Gen. Fitzpatrick had commenced his move back
| toWhrd Miledgeville, retracing the way he had
| just come. He arrived at Milledgevlle about
! 10 p. m. that same night, and at a. m. the next
morning Gen. Wheeler appeared so the cap
! :ure caused delay of at least four hours in
/ Gel Wheeiers movement l enlisted July 49,
| 1861. and served as veteran, and was finally
discharged Aug. II, 1865, and was compelled to
| wait Is days before became citizen"
"A French Bull.
Youths Companion.
The following notice was found posted at